The Kawah Ijen volcano and crater lake in Banyuwangi is hands down one of the world’s most spectacular sights. Don’t leave Indonesia without seeing it, especially if you’re already visiting Bali!

The lake at Mount Ijen is the biggest acid lake in the world, and it’s also famous for a crazy phenomenon known as the ‘Kawah Ijen blue fire’, where you can see hot blue flame burning like lava in the dark!

The good news is that the Kawah Ijen lake is pretty easy to visit from Bali and other parts of Indonesia. Most people either visit Ijen on an overnight tour from Bali, or do it as a road trip combined with Mount Bromo and other epic sights in East Java.

This travel guide will explain how to get to Kawah Ijen, where to stay, entrance fees, safety tips, and everything else you need to know before you go!

Where Is It?

Mount Ijen is an active volcano crater located in East Java, Indonesia.

Kawah Ijen (which means ‘lonely crater’) is near the seaside town of Banyuwangi, which sits on the far eastern end of Java island.

Java was actually connected to Bali by land in centuries past, and even though the two islands are separated by water nowadays, you can still travel between them easily.
 

How To Get To Kawah Ijen

There are three main ways to get to Kawah Ijen:

  • Drive and take the ferry from Bali, or
  • Fly to Banyuwangi and do the short drive to Kawah Ijen from there, or
  • Do a multi-day road trip across several points of interest in Java

I’ll explain each of these options below, and then we can discuss the hike itself!

Sulfur Mining Banyuwangi Drone

Drive To Ijen From Bali

Doing a Mount Ijen tour from Bali can be a great option because Bali is already so popular and easy to reach.

Kawah Ijen and Banyuwangi are connected to Bali by a ferry service that runs 24/7 (every 15 minutes). The ferries are dated but comfy enough, and they cross the Bali strait in just 30-45 minutes.

If you’re staying in the main tourist areas of south Bali, it’s a 4 hour drive to the ferry port at Gilimanuk, and then after crossing you’ll have to drive another 1.5 hours to Ijen.

In total, you can expect about 6-7 hours of transit time in each direction, so it’s not really possible to do this as a day trip from Bali. You’ll need a minimum of 2 days and 1 night.

You can easily arrange this trip with your favorite Bali driver or book a tour online, but I wouldn’t recommend driving a scooter all the way from Bali to Ijen because the road at Gilimanuk is notoriously dangerous for motorbikes.

Kawah Ijen Volcano Mount Ijen Crater Lake Blue Fire Banyuwangi Indonesia Drone

Fly To Banyuwangi

Banyuwangi has its own airport (BWX) and you can easily fly there from Bali, Jakarta, or Kuala Lumpur.

This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get to Ijen, and it’s still pretty economical. One way ticket prices can be as low as 300k Rupiah ($20 USD).

Once you’re in Banyuwangi, it’s still a 1 hour drive to Mount Ijen from the town, but you can easily arrange this with your hotel.