Bali or Banyuwangi for Ijen

Bali or Banyuwangi: side by side

GetYourGuide listings, checked 25 Oct 2026 (source). Road time from Wikivoyage.

Which start is cheaper?

Banyuwangi. The cheapest night hike from a Banyuwangi hotel starts at $11, and the cheapest Bali trip at $99. The midnight trek from Banyuwangi is $12, and a Viator blue fire tour from Banyuwangi starts at $26. On the Bali side, the all-fees hike is $106 and the private 1-day tour is $127. All prices are as listed on 25 October 2026. The full lists are on the Banyuwangi tours and Bali tours pages.

The Bali price pays for the hotel pickup, the transfer and the ferry both ways. On the $99 trip it also pays for a room and dinner. Before you compare, add your own trip to Banyuwangi and a hotel night to the $11.

How long is each night?

From Banyuwangi. The guide picks you up at your hotel and drives up past Licin to Paltuding. The hiking gate opens at 02:00 WIB. From there it is about 3 km to the rim, about two hours for night groups, then about 45 minutes down to the blue fire. The sunrise hike is listed at 9–19 hours and the midnight trek at 9 hours.

From Bali. The night starts with the drive west. Denpasar to Banyuwangi via Gilimanuk is about 4 hours, on a two-lane road. The ferry crossing takes about 45 minutes, and loading can take longer. Java is one hour behind Bali, so the 02:00 WIB gate is 03:00 on a Bali clock. After the hike you take the same road and ferry back in daylight. The Bali listings run 18–28 hours, or 22 hours for the private tour.

Choose Banyuwangi if

• You can spend a night on Java. Ketapang hotels sit by the ferry, for a late arrival from Bali. Licin has the shortest drive to Paltuding. See where to stay in Banyuwangi.
• You come by train. Several trains a day run from Surabaya and Malang, about 6 hours, and one a day from Yogyakarta, about 13 hours. Ketapang station is about 200 m from the ferry harbour. The getting-there page has the routes.
• You want the lowest price with the ticket included. Both GetYourGuide hikes from Banyuwangi include the Rp 150,000 entrance ticket, a gas mask and a headlamp. The $11 hike also carries first aid and oxygen.

Choose Bali if

• You have no night to spend on Java. Every Bali tour listed here includes hotel pickup and the ferry both ways.
• You want a bed before the climb. The $99 trip gives you a Javanese dinner and a private room with hot water before the hike, and a shower after it.
• You want your own car. The private 1-day tour, from $127, runs in a private car from Bali.
• You want the certificate handled. The $106 all-fees hike includes the health check certificate, a mask and a headlamp.

From Bali on your own

You can also cross yourself and start from Banyuwangi. Drive or take a bus to Gilimanuk, take the ferry to Ketapang, sleep in Banyuwangi and book a night hike there. Foot passengers load credit onto an ASDP smartcard to pass the turnstile, or buy through the Ferizy website. Boats run 24 hours a day, about every 30 minutes. The $11 sunrise hike also has a Bali option that adds the transfer and ferry.

If you also want Mount Bromo, the Bromo and Ijen combos start in Surabaya or Malang and often end in Bali.

Same rules from either side

The park’s rules do not change with the start point. The name on the ticket must match your passport, and tickets cannot be cancelled, changed or refunded. You need a health certificate issued no more than 3 days before the visit, and a mask. See the health rules. The crater is shut on one Friday a month for the clean-up, and the remaining 2026 dates are 6 November and 4 December. The tickets and closures page has the full list.