The Full Kawah Ijen Guide: Blue Fire & Sunrise at the Crater Rim

Kawah Ijen is an extraordinary volcano on the eastern tip of Java and is one of the most unique places in all of Indonesia.

Its crater houses the largest acidic lake in the world!

Moreover, it’s one of the very few places in the world where you can see the fabled Blue Fire. Don’t get me started about the awesome sunrise at the crater rim above!

But make no mistake: Kawah Ijen is an active volcano and can be dangerous!

The authorities close access to it and/or the crater often, and without warning. In recent years, there have been three unexpected closures per year on average, lasting between one day and several weeks.

While this Kawah Ijen guide is, in general, true to its advice, tips, and recommendations, it may not be updated to reflect a recent closure. Check official sources before your visit.

Kawah Ijen Opening Times

Kawah Ijen opens at 2:00 AM and closes at 12:00 PM (noon).

It takes at least 90 minutes to reach the summit. At this time, it will still be quite dark, thus possible to observe the Blue Fire.

Kawah Ijen is closed on the first Friday of every month for conservation.

Go independently or join a tour?

You can definitely go by yourself. You don’t need a guide, per se. You can do the medical check by yourself, organize transport, and go to Ijen without joining a tour. Inside, on the trail, you just need to follow the crowd.

Tours are very convenient when it comes to logistics and organization, though. Yes, you pay a premium, but you also receive peace of mind, in a way.

Some, like me, love the thrill of figuring out logistics in a foreign country. Others prefer the ease of joining a group where they can focus on the experience and forget about the details.

Anyhow, if you want to join a tour, I’ve prepared the best options available:

• Best overall Kawah Ijen group tour (from Banyuwangi or other nearby towns). Fully customizable and can include transport, medical check, entrance fee, and a gas mask.
• Kawah Ijen Overnight Trip from Bali: Convenient if staying anywhere in Bali and want to return.
• Kawah Ijen combined with Bromo from Bali: A 3-day super-tour of Java’s top 2 most popular volcanoes.
• Kawah Ijen + Bromo from Malang: A 2D/1N tour with an option to continue to Bali.

Entrance fee and booking online

Kawah Ijen entrance fee is

• Locals:
  • 20.000 IDR on weekdays.
  • 30.000 IDR on weekends.
• Foreigners: 150.000 IDR (~9 USD) any day.

There is also a mandatory “insurance” ticket that costs 5.000 IDR (~0.30 USD).

If you arrive by motorcycle or car, parking outside costs 5.000 or 10.000 IDR, respectively.

You must register and book a ticket online on the Ijen Blue Fire web portal. You will get a barcode which you have to show to the ticket desk on arrival. You will pay in cash there.

Requirements and regulations

Here are all the official requirements:

• Medical Certificate (enforced)
• A local guide (not enforced)
• Personal protective equipment: Includes appropriate shoes and clothes and a gas mask, which is provided at the entrance.

Insurance is not mandatory but strongly recommended, and the authorities accept no responsibility for any incidents. It’s a good idea to have travel insurance whenever traveling anyway.

This was strongly worded and introduced after the death of a 64-year-old Indonesian tourist during the hike. He wasn’t even hiking but using the trolley taxis; however, he felt weak and out of breath, and the oxygen he was given wasn’t enough to save him.

Even more recently, a Polish tourist was found dead on the slopes.

Then, in April 2024, a Chinese tourist disregarded the caution notices and the warnings not to go further than allowed and then fell fatally into the crater while taking a photo.

Kawah Ijen is no joke if you’re in bad health or careless.

Medical Certificate

If you wish to visit Kawah Ijen, you must obtain a medical certificate showing you are in good physical and mental condition. It must be issued within the 3 days prior.

In practice, this means you must visit a hospital or a clinic before climbing. Here are your options in Banyuwangi, the closest city:

• Klinik Shinta (cheapest at 40.000 IDR / 2.5$)
• Yasmin Hospital
• Puskesmas Mojopanggung
• Klinik Brawijaya
• Klinik Prambanan

The medical certificate costs between 40.000 and 100.000 IDR (2.5-6.5$).

It’s not just for show either – you must meet certain health requirements before you are issued a medical certificate.

You cannot obtain a medical certificate and should not hike Kawah Ijen if you:

• Have heart problems
• Have asthma
• Weigh more than 100 kg
• Are pregnant
• Are under 3 years old (for the parents among you – don’t bring your baby to a volcano)

The certificate is issued immediately at the hospital or clinic if you successfully pass the health examination, and after you pay.

Organized tours will facilitate that by bringing you to a clinic just before driving to Kawah Ijen. Otherwise, you have to do it by yourself.

Is a guide mandatory?

Yes, a guide is technically required, but it is not enforced.

This is easy to comply with if you go on a tour. They include a guide, transport to and from, and a gas mask.

But even if you don’t, nobody seems to care, except for the guides themselves.

Because you will be swarmed by them near the entrance, trying to convince you to pay them to take you up to the crater. You don’t have to pay anyone to be your guide, unless you want to.

Gas mask

You must have a gas mask with you while hiking Kawah Ijen.

Organized tours provide one, but independent travelers can hire a gas mask at the entrance for 45.000 IDR (3$).

If you are going down the crater, I strongly advise you to wear the gas mask. When I went to Kawah Ijen, I saw the blue flame up close and personal, and a gas mask was imperative. At a certain point, it barely blocked any of the sulfur anymore, but I can’t imagine what it’d be like without one at all.

The sulfur smoke is strong down there, and breathing EVEN WITH a gas mask is a challenge. I could barely open my eyes, too.

If you somehow have your own, bring it. The ones the park provides are old, have seen years of use, and make breathing difficult.

At the rim of the crater, you might feel a whiff of sulfur, but it’s just a slight smell of rotten eggs and not really dangerous. You are still required to carry it, but there’s no need for it. Unless you’re taking pictures for Instagram.

Hiking Kawah Ijen: What to expect

Hiking to the top of Mount Ijen is relatively easy. It’s a little harder than hiking for the sunrise at Dieng Plateau and the sunrise at Bromo, but definitely much easier than Merbabu or Rinjani.

The hike is straightforward, well-trodden, and paved for the first 30 minutes. It takes around 90 minutes in total to hike to the top (~3.7 km with ~800 meters altitude gain).

Once you reach the top, you start the descent down towards the crater lake.

Going down the crater is a little more difficult, especially with the crowds, and even harder when a tour guide tries to cut in front of everybody on the trail to bring his group down first.

For those too unfit to walk, locals offer a “taxi” service. You sit down in a small cart, and 2-4 men carry you up like some spoilt king.

Some take advantage of the incredible offer to pay 800.000 IDR (~50$) to not walk a single step to the top.

The trail is marked on Maps.me. The way back is hard on the knees, but nothing extraordinary.

The Acidic Lake

In the middle of the Ijen crater is the notoriously acidic lake with a uniquely aquamarine color. The PH has been measured at less than 0.5 on the edges and down to 0.13 in the center.

The PH scale goes from 0 (extremely acidic) to 14 (extremely basic), with 7 being pure water. Every unit denotes 10 times more or less acidity (i.e., PH3 is 10 times more acidic than PH4)

For example, lemon juice has a PH between 2 and 3, so it’s between 10.000 and 100.000 times more acidic than water.

0.13 on the PH scale is so extremely acidic that it will cause burns on your skin. It cannot dissolve metals as quickly as in movies, though, but it will kill you if you go for a swim.

All of this is to say: When you go inside the Ijen crater, don’t touch the lake.

The blue fire

The main event: a unique phenomenon that only exists in very few places in the world.

As high-temperature sulfur (up to 600° Celsius!) leaves through the cracks in the crater, they meet the oxygen-rich air and, through some chemical magic, ignite in blue, due to the high temperature.

It is truly outstanding, and I guarantee it’s nothing like what you’ve seen elsewhere. Except maybe in Chemistry class at school.

The Blue Fire is the main reason to wake up so early. You can visit Kawah Ijen later (the park closes at noon), but the chemical reaction is only visible in the dark.

The Sulfur Miners

On the hiking trail towards Kawah Ijen, you will see men lugging heavy loads of yellow stones on their shoulders. Sometimes it’s as heavy as 90 kg, and the men are still quicker than most people on the trail. It’s truly remarkable.

Sulfur is mined 24/7. It takes the men around 2-3 hours to go up Kawah Ijen, down the crater, load some sulfur, then go back down and unload it. They get paid 1.000 IDR (0.07$) per kilogram.

Miners do 2 or 3 such runs every day. It is hard work, and I honestly have great appreciation for their endurance. This amounts to less than 15$ per day for this exhausting work.

If you want to support them, you have the chance to buy sulfur figurines all along the trail and at the summit.

Food on the hike

There’s some food and drinks just before you start the hike, and it’s a good idea to take a bite or two for some energy before you go.

On the hike itself, there’s one small cafe with pot noodles, coffee, and chocolate bars.

It’s always wise to carry some food like energy bars or a banana.

Carry some water too, of course.

What to wear

Remember that Kawah Ijen is high. The hike starts at 1860 m. and ends at 2700 m. Additionally, you will be there in the early morning when it’s coldest.

Dress up in layers. To begin the hike, you’d need a winter jacket, a warm sweater, long pants, closed shoes, and thick socks. A hat and gloves are also a good idea. Peel off layers as your body warms up during the hike.

Yes, this is Indonesia, so you may not have even brought a jacket. In this case, consider renting one in Banyuwangi. Ask at your guesthouse.

How to get to Kawah Ijen

From the east: Bali to Ijen Crater

There are frequent buses between the port city of Gilimanuk and destinations in Bali. The most common are Lovina and Denpasar.

• From Denpasar to Gilimanuk, the public buses depart from Ubung Bus Terminal at 8:00 every day. The ticket costs 50.000 IDR (~3$); Luxury AC buses are also available.
• From Lovina to Gilimanuk, the public minibuses (bemos) pass by the main road. It costs 30.000 IDR (2$), although locals will try to convince you to pay them 100.000 IDR so that they stop it for you. It’s a scam – you can just hail it yourself!
• At Gilimanuk, board the ferry and cross over to Ketapang. The ferry costs 6500 IDR / 0.45$ and runs every 20-25 mins, 24/7.
• From Ketapang, take a train, bus, or Grab taxi to Banyuwangi, depending on the timetable and availability.

It is possible to travel on your own motorcycle from Bali to Java. Getting a rented motorcycle across the Bali Strait is allowed, and you don’t need any additional documents, though you may have to pay a premium to rent it.

From the west: Probolinggo to Kawah Ijen

The cheapest and most convenient way to travel between Probolinggo and Banyuwangi is by train.

Why Probolinggo? Because it’s the closest city to Mount Bromo. Here’s how to visit Mount Bromo on a budget from Probolinggo.

If you’re traveling to Banyuwangi from Surabaya or Malang, it’s more or less the same trains except for the Probowangi train. Check and book train tickets online on Kai Access.

You can travel from Yogyakarta all the way to Ketapang Harbor on your way to Bali by the same trains.

Check out my full review of the travel options between Yogyakarta and Bali.

Banyuwangi to Kawah Ijen’s Entrance

This leg of the journey also really depends on whether or not you want to climb Kawah Ijen as early as possible for the sunrise.

Kawah Ijen opens at 2:00, although groups are sometimes let in at 1:45. In any case, you’d better be there at 1:30 to pay the entrance fee, prepare the gas mask, and get a feel for the place.

Sunrise at Kawah Ijen is between 5:28 and 6:07, depending on the month.

Damri Bus

There used to be a public DAMRI bus from Banyuwangi to Kawah Ijen, which has been discontinued since 2021. Surprisingly, neighboring Jember restarted its public bus to Kawah Ijen in early 2024. But Banyuwangi hasn’t.

Motorcycle or Taxi

The only way to go from Banyuwangi to Mount Ijen independently is by a rental motorcycle or a private transfer.

You can arrange both of those in person in Banyuwangi.

If you want absolutely no crowds at all, go to Ijen at 8:00, as everybody will have left by that time. You will have all of Ijen’s natural beauty for yourself. It will also not be as cold.

The drawback to this is that you won’t see the Blue Fire.

Where to stay near Kawah Ijen

Most backpackers stay in Banyuwangi. It’s a small, uneventful town with extremely loud mosques, and apart from being something of a base camp for Kawah Ijen, there’s not much else to it.

In Banyuwangi, my recommendation for backpackers goes to the Banana Homestay. It’s cheap, clean, and conveniently located, and the hosts are extremely helpful with all things Ijen.

If you want to stay even closer to Kawah Ijen, you can find cheap accommodation in Licin. I haven’t personally stayed there, but I have heard very good things about Nio Homestay.

You can organize a pickup with the host from the harbor or the train station, as well as tours or just transport to Kawah Ijen.