Seven departures cross the strait from Bali to climb this volcano, and the one thing that separates them is whether you sleep before the 1am start or drive through the night in both directions.
Another island. The volcano is in East Java, and every departure from Bali crosses the Bali Strait by ferry from Gilimanuk to Ketapang — about an hour afloat plus whatever the terminal queue is doing. On the far side there is another hour of mountain road before the trailhead.
That is why a climb that takes four hours turns into a trip of five to twenty-four. What separates one from another is not the mountain; it is whether you get a bed before the 1am start.
Seminyak, Ubud, Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Mengwitani all appear as pickup points, and one operator arranges collection from anywhere on the island.
Six of the seven carry the crossing both ways inside the fare, including the tickets and the boarding. It is the part of the day where an independent traveller loses the most time.
Your room in Bali stays booked. For a two-week holiday based on one island, that is often the whole argument.
A Javanese dinner, a private room an hour from the gate and a shower when you come back down. That is what turns this from an endurance event into a night out.
Ulun Danu Bratan, the twin lakes and the Banyumala waterfalls sit on the road to the ferry, and two listings build them into the itinerary rather than driving past.
This is the decision that matters here, and it matters more than the price. One shape crosses in the afternoon, feeds you, gives you a room an hour from the gate and wakes you at one. The other drives through the night in both directions and returns you to Bali the same evening with no bed at either end.
The dash is not cheaper on most listings, because it is usually private and the 24-hour version is usually shared.
| 24 hours, with a bed | The same-day dash | |
|---|---|---|
| Elapsed time | About 24 hours | 5 to 7 hours plus the crossing |
| Where you sleep | A private room in Java | In the vehicle, if at all |
| Meals | Dinner and breakfast | None included |
| Fare band | $101 to $155 | $120 to $134 |
| Ferry | Both ways, inside the fare | Both ways, inside the fare |
| Best for | Anyone who wants to enjoy the next day | Anyone unwilling to give up a night's accommodation in Bali |
Check availability — 24 hours from Bali with dinner and a room
Every one of these carries the vehicle, the guide, a gas mask and the park's entrance fee. Six carry the ferry both ways. The overnight versions add a room, a dinner and a breakfast, and one holds a room and a shower for you after the climb rather than a bench at the gate.
None carries the trolley taxi, tips or travel insurance, and only the overnight versions feed you. If you are on the same-day dash, eat before you leave Bali and carry small notes for the warungs at the gate.
Allow the following day as a rest day whichever shape you pick. Collection is early afternoon on the 24-hour trips and late evening on the dash, and you are walking uphill in the dark either way.
Book two or three days ahead outside July and August. Almost every listing here refunds in full at 24 hours, which matters on a mountain that closes for gas, weather and one day a month. Confirm your collection point in writing the evening before, and if you are anywhere unusual, ask — a different pickup nearer the port can often be arranged.
If you are already in Java, do not book from Bali. A night climb out of Banyuwangi costs a quarter as much, starts an hour from the gate and has you back for breakfast, and the comparison post does that arithmetic properly.
If you have two or three days rather than one, a multi-day package adds Mount Bromo and Tumpak Sewu for less per site and finishes at the ferry, which does the transfer as well as the sightseeing. And if you would rather not travel at night at all, a Ijen crater tour from Bali in daylight is possible on the independent version. The multi-day page has the packages.
The ferry both ways, a Javanese dinner, a private room an hour from the gate and a shower when you come back down. The most-reviewed way to climb this volcano from Bali, by a wide margin.
From $101 per person
The short version: collected from anywhere in Bali, across on the ferry with the ticket inside the fare, up the mountain for sunrise, and back the same evening with no overnight stay at either end.
From $120 per person
Two days out of Ubud and south Bali, with door-to-door collection, a bed and two meals in Java between the driving and the climb. Private, with a minimum age of fifteen.
From $155 per person
A small-group overnight from Seminyak or Mengwitani, capped at ten travellers, with the ferry both ways, a Javanese dinner, a private room and a shower after the climb. Sold final, with no refund and no changes.
From $120 per person
Between five hours and a full twenty-four, depending on the shape you book. The dash crosses and returns the same night; the twenty-four-hour version puts a dinner, a bed and a breakfast inside it.
On six of the seven departures from Bali, both ways. It is the Gilimanuk to Ketapang crossing, about an hour afloat plus the terminal queue, and your driver handles the tickets and the boarding.
Yes, and several listings are built for exactly that: five to seven hours plus the crossing, no overnight stay, back in Bali the same evening. Plan the following day as a rest day, because you will have been awake all night.
Seminyak, Ubud, Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Mengwitani all appear as pickup points, and one operator arranges collection from anywhere on the island. Confirm the exact address in writing the day before.
If your itinerary allows it, yes: a night climb from Banyuwangi costs a quarter as much and starts an hour from the gate. It only works if you were passing through Java anyway, because reaching Banyuwangi is the real cost.
The overnight and 24-hour versions include a Javanese dinner and a breakfast. The same-day dash includes neither, so eat before you leave and carry small notes for the warungs at the gate.
Every departure to this crater, whatever shape it takes, is priced and compared side by side on Ijen Volcano Tours.