Banyuwangi (17-18 May 12)

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Painful 5h public bus journey from Probolinggo to Banyuwangi, the launch point for the trek up Kawah Ijen. Stayed at the Manyar Hotel, described as "rather soul-less" by Wikitravel, but hey, there was wi-fi at the restaurant!

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Photos

Bus from Probolinggo to Banyuwangi
IDR27k for painful 5h journey including multiple stops. View from the back seat -- standing room only.

Trekking up Ijen
1.5h, 3km steep uphill trek up to the Ijen plateau. Not fun, but ultimately worthwhile.

Sulphur Miners @ Ijen
They carry about 70kg each trip, usually making two trips a day. IDR600 per kg for their troubles.

Kawah Ijen
Volcanic caldera (yes break out the Sec 1 Geography textbook) filled with unbelievably pristine, turquoise water. Sublime. Unfortunately it was a rather cloudy day and the sulphur mine was acting up, obscuring the view. Photo taken by Jamie and Eline, two twenty-something Dutch girls with whom I shared the 4WD ride up Ijen.

Model Answer
Felt I had to include this more professionally-taken photo on a better day to do Ijen justice.

Comments

[Teng]

Probolinggo to Banyuwangi
Hi Piranha, could you please advise on how to travel from Probolinggo to Banyuwangi? Very less information available on web for this journey

[piranha27]

Hi, it's been a while, so I can't remember the exact details, but I vaguely recall just taking a bus from the bus station at Probolinggo. The buses arrived every half hour or so I think, so no advance booking was required. It was quite a long bus ride (~5h), and was quite crowded at times. The weather was very hot, and there were many, many stops along the way. But I also vaguely recall some parts with nice scenery along the way, with a good view of some of the beaches on the north-eastern coast of East Java. Good luck and safe travels!