Budget in Bromo and Ijen
Part of the Bromo and Ijen travel guide — see every topic in All Bromo and Ijen Guides.
East Java is inexpensive to be in, and the volcano trip has a specific cost structure: the beds and the food are cheap, and the fixed costs of getting onto the mountains — jeeps, guides, park entry, respirator hire — are what you actually pay for. A packaged two-night Bromo and Ijen trip from Surabaya or Yogyakarta runs 1–3 million rupiah per person all in. Doing it independently costs perhaps a third less and takes considerably more patience.
The mountain costs
Bromo: a jeep is 600,000–1,200,000 rupiah per vehicle shared between four to six, plus national park entry which is higher for foreign visitors and higher again at weekends. Ijen: a compulsory guide is 100,000–250,000, park entry is charged similarly, and respirator hire is 50,000–100,000. Semeru's three-day trek is 1.5–3.5 million per person including permits, guide, porter and gear. Waterfall entries are 10,000–50,000 plus guides. These are the numbers a package is bundling.
Beds and food
Guesthouses at Cemoro Lawang 200,000–600,000 rupiah; Banyuwangi hotels 250,000–900,000; Malang 300,000–1,200,000. Food along the route is warung fare at 15,000–40,000 a plate, slightly inflated at the caldera rim where everything is carried up. Malang and Surabaya have proper restaurants at 50,000–150,000. Hot drinks and bakso at the viewpoints before dawn are a few tens of thousands and are one of the better purchases you will make.
Transport
Trains are the cheap and comfortable way across Java: Yogyakarta to Surabaya is 200,000–500,000 rupiah, Surabaya to Banyuwangi similar. Buses to Probolinggo and shared minibuses up to Cemoro Lawang are 50,000–150,000. The Ketapang–Gilimanuk ferry to Bali is a few tens of thousands per foot passenger. A private car with driver for the Bromo-to-Banyuwangi transfer is 700,000–1,200,000. Flights into Surabaya, Malang or Banyuwangi run 500,000–1,500,000.
Package or independent
A package removes every logistical problem on a route where the connections are awkward and the starts are at one in the morning, and it costs 1–3 million rupiah per person for two nights. Independent travel using trains, public buses and locally arranged jeeps saves perhaps a third and costs a day of faff. The middle option, and often the best, is to travel independently between towns and buy the jeep and guide locally at each mountain, sharing with whoever else is there.
Budget at a glance
| Packaged 2-night trip | IDR 1m–3m per person, all in |
|---|---|
| Bromo jeep | IDR 600,000–1.2m per vehicle, shared 4–6 |
| Ijen guide + respirator | IDR 100,000–250,000 plus IDR 50,000–100,000 |
| Guesthouse at the rim | IDR 200,000–600,000 |
| Meal | IDR 15,000–40,000 at a warung |
| Best compromise | Travel independently, buy jeeps and guides locally |