East Java: two volcanoes, a crater lake and a ferry to Bali

East Java is the province that delivers the photographs. The sea of sand at Bromo, with the cone steaming at dawn and the Tengger caldera around it, is the most recognisable volcano image in Indonesia after perhaps only Krakatoa. Two hundred kilometres east, Ijen crater holds the largest highly acidic lake in the world and a blue flame that burns in the dark from sulphur gas.

Between them lie Malang, a Dutch hill town with wide avenues and cool air, the Tumpak Sewu waterfall, the savanna of Baluran and the island of Madura, connected to Surabaya by one of the longest bridges in Southeast Asia. And at the eastern tip, the ferry from Ketapang to Gilimanuk takes you straight to Bali in under an hour.

Surabaya: the second city

Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city and its most industrial, a port of shipyards and factories with a reputation for being hot, hard and uninterested in tourism. That reputation is partly fair, but the old town around Jalan Rajawali has some of the best colonial architecture in the country, including the red-brick Majapahit Hotel and the crumbling Dutch warehouses along the Kalimas river.

The Arab quarter around Ampel mosque is the other reason to stop. The mosque is one of the oldest in Java, the surrounding lanes sell perfume, prayer beads and Yemeni food, and the atmosphere is unlike anywhere else in Indonesia. Nearby, the Chinese quarter around Kya-Kya night market is the place to eat.

Surabaya is also the transport hub for Bromo and Madura. Most people spend one night, eat well, and leave early in the morning.

Bromo and the Tengger caldera

Bromo sits inside the Tengger caldera, a vast volcanic basin 10 kilometres across, with the cone of Bromo, the higher peaks of Batok and Kursi, and a sea of black sand between them. The Tenggerese, a Hindu Javanese community, live in the villages around the rim and still hold the Kasada ceremony, when offerings are thrown into the crater.

The standard visit is a 3am jeep ride from Cemoro Lawang to the Penanjakan viewpoint, a 45-minute wait for sunrise, then a descent across the sand sea to the foot of the crater and a climb of 250 steps to the rim. It is busy, cold and commercialised, and still one of the great travel experiences in Indonesia.

You can also walk from Cemoro Lawang to the crater in about an hour, which avoids the jeep and the viewpoint crowd. The best light is at sunrise, but the crater is often clearer in the late afternoon. Stay two nights if you want a second chance at the weather.

Malang and Tumpak Sewu

Malang is a university town at 440 metres, laid out by the Dutch with wide boulevards and villas, and it has the best climate in East Java. The colonial quarter around Jalan Ijen is a pleasant place to walk, and the town is the base for the apple orchards and tea estates of the Batu highlands.

Two hours south, near Lumajang, Tumpak Sewu is a curtain waterfall 120 metres high, spread across a horseshoe cliff with the Semeru volcano behind it. The viewpoint is easy; the descent to the base is a steep, muddy scramble on ropes and bamboo ladders that takes about 45 minutes each way. Go early, bring shoes with grip, and expect to get wet.

Further east, the Papuma beach near Jember has white sand, granite headlands and a very Indonesian approach to tourism: food stalls, selfie spots and a small entry fee.

Ijen and the blue fire

The Ijen crater holds a lake of turquoise acid, 200 metres deep and about a kilometre across, with a sulphur mine on its shore. The miners carry 70 to 90 kilograms of sulphur up 300 metres of steep trail and down to the weighing station, twice a day, for a few dollars per load. It is one of the hardest jobs in Indonesia and the reason the trail exists.

The blue fire is a natural phenomenon: sulphuric gas ignites at the vents and burns with a blue flame visible only in the dark. To see it you leave the Paltuding base at about 1am, walk two hours uphill, and descend into the crater in the dark wearing a gas mask. It is genuinely hazardous, and the fumes can be overwhelming.

The simpler option is to skip the blue fire and walk up for sunrise, arriving at the crater rim as the lake turns from grey to turquoise. That is a two-hour climb on a good path, and it is spectacular without the risk. Either way, bring a mask, goggles and warm clothes; the temperature at the rim is close to freezing.

Banyuwangi, Baluran and the ferry to Bali

Banyuwangi is the easternmost regency of Java and the departure point for Bali. The town itself has a lively music scene, with the Osing traditions of the surrounding villages, and the nearby Baluran national park protects a savanna of acacia and grass that is nicknamed the Africa of Java. Deer, wild buffalo and peacocks are common, and the dry season turns the landscape gold.

The ferry from Ketapang to Gilimanuk runs every 30 minutes, takes about 45 minutes, and costs almost nothing. It is the classic overland route between Java and Bali, and the crossing at sunset, with the Bali volcanoes on the horizon, is one of the best-value views in Indonesia.

Also near Banyuwangi: the Alas Purwo national park, a remote forest and surf coast at the southeastern tip, and the Sukamade turtle beach, where green turtles come ashore to lay eggs at night.

Madura

Madura lies across the Suramadu bridge from Surabaya, a 5.5-kilometre crossing that opened in 2009 and cut the journey from hours to minutes. The island is dry, Islamic and proud, with a distinct language and culture, and it is famous for two things: sate Madura, the sweet soy-marinated chicken skewers sold on every street corner in Indonesia, and karapan sapi, the bull races held between August and October.

The races are the reason to time a visit. Two bulls pull a wooden sled with a jockey across a 100-metre dirt track, and the atmosphere is closer to a village festival than a stadium event. The season moves between towns, so ask locally.

Madura is not set up for tourism. The roads are good, the food is excellent, and a day trip from Surabaya is enough for most visitors.

What it costs, and when to go

East Java is good value. A guesthouse in Cemoro Lawang costs IDR 300,000 to 600,000, a mid-range hotel in Surabaya or Malang IDR 400,000 to 800,000. A Bromo jeep tour from Cemoro Lawang is IDR 500,000 to 800,000 per jeep, and a guide to Ijen is IDR 400,000 to 700,000.

The dry season runs roughly April to October, and that is when the Bromo and Ijen skies are clearest. The wet season brings fog, rain and cancelled sunrise trips, though the waterfalls are at their best. Ijen is cold at any time of year: bring a jacket, gloves and a mask.

• Day 1: Surabaya — old town, Ampel, food, then the afternoon train or drive to Malang.
• Day 2: Malang and Tumpak Sewu, overnight in Cemoro Lawang.
• Day 3: Bromo sunrise, then the long drive east to Banyuwangi.
• Day 4: Ijen at night for the blue fire, or at dawn for the lake, then the ferry to Bali.

Questions people actually ask

Do I need a jeep for Bromo?

You need transport to the viewpoint, which is 45 minutes from Cemoro Lawang on a rough track. Jeeps are the standard option. You can walk to the crater itself from the village in about an hour without a jeep.

Is the Ijen blue fire worth the 1am start?

It is spectacular but genuinely hazardous: sulphur gas, darkness, steep ground and crowds. If you have respiratory problems, skip it. The sunrise walk to the rim gives you the turquoise lake without the risk.

How do I get from Java to Bali overland?

Take a train or bus to Banyuwangi, then the ferry from Ketapang to Gilimanuk, which runs every 30 minutes and takes about 45 minutes. Buses continue from Gilimanuk to Denpasar and Ubud.

Can I climb Ijen without a guide?

The trail is clear and many people walk it independently, but the crater descent for the blue fire requires a mask and local knowledge. Hire a guide for the night trip; it is inexpensive and the fumes are dangerous.