Bromo's 250 Steps and Ijen with Guides Who Were Miners: Three Days from Bali or Java

Three days, two volcanoes on Java, with the option of starting from Bali or from Java itself. From Bali, pick-up is at 5:45 in Seminyak, 7:00 in Ubud or 7:30 at Mengwi, and the crossing is by ferry over the Bali Strait. Anyone already on Java joins closer to the mountains: a morning train from Yogyakarta with the ticket included, arriving at Probolinggo at 15:56, or a pick-up around 15:00 in Malang, or by 17:00 in Surabaya. The first night is at Cemoro Lawang, at 2,300 m, in a simple guesthouse. Day two starts at 3:30. A 4x4 takes you up Bromo, then a narrow path and 250 steps reach the rim, with the crater smoking below at first light. Batok stands next to it, extinct, at 2,400 m, and behind them Semeru, active and 3,677 m, the highest volcano on Java. After sunrise the jeep crosses the Sea of Sand, the ash plain, and stops at the Seruni viewpoint over the Tengger massif. The rest of the day drives east through villages and plantations to a guesthouse near Ijen. The third day starts at 1:00 a.m. at base camp, 1,900 m: safety briefing, lamps and masks, then an hour and a half up under the stars to the rim at 2,300 m. The descent into the crater is where the blue flames are, and the guides on that stretch are former miners. At sunrise the acid lake below turns out to be the largest in the world, with the sulphur carriers working it. Breakfast and a shower at the guesthouse, then the return, in the late afternoon for anyone going back to Bali. Two ways to book it, same itinerary and same hikes. Premium has two nights in a private room, local meals and a gas mask, with no more than five guests per guide. Budget has shared accommodation and packed meals, with up to ten per guide. Transport, park fees and guides are in both. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.