Yogyakarta to Mt Bromo
Last updated: October 4, 2013
There is no cheap and easy way.
Many people like to travel overland from Jakarta to Bali, with stops at Yogyakarta and Mt Bromo.
View Ways to Mt Bromo in a larger map
Mt Bromo is the most well-known and widely-visited of Indonesia’s 129 active volcanoes, due to its relatively easy access and proximity to airports in Surabaya, Malang and Bali. There are also train services from Surabaya and Bali (Banyuwangi) to the nearest station: Probolinggo.
Unfortunately, travelling from Yogyakarta to Mt Bromo is more difficult.
The only direct train is an economy class service that – unlike business and executive class trains – cannot be booked in advance and arrives in Probolinggo too late to get a connecting bus to Mt Bromo. Bus services reportedly finish each day around 16:00.
The three trains from Yogyakarta to Malang are all overnight trains. As explained here, Indonesian trains don’t have beds/sleepers/couchettes. This route is therefore not recommended for light sleepers, especially the night before a 03:30 start for the Mt Bromo sunrise.
Also, the three trains that operate each day from Yogyakarta to Surabaya do not connect with a suitable train to Probolinggo that arrives early enough to get a connecting bus to Mt Bromo.
There is no cheap and easy way from Yogyakarta to Mt Bromo, so here are some suggestions to maximise comfort or minimise cost.
1. FLY TO SURABAYA, TAXI TO SIDOARJO, TRAIN TO PROBOLINGGO
Cheap? NO Comfortable? YES
You can take the 06:00 flight to Surabaya on Wings Air or Xpress Air, then a taxi to the nearest train station (Sidoarjo – directions) where you can get the 09:00 train to Probolinggo, arriving at 10:58.
Yes, the early start sucks, but it is good practice for the 03:30 start the following morning.
A small variation would be to take the DAMRI airport bus to the nearby Surabaya’s Bungarasih Bus Terminal, then get a bus to Probolinggo. This would be cheaper overall for the solo traveller.
 Flight Enquiry |
 Train Enquiry |
2. BUS TO PROBOLINGGO
Cheap? YES Comfortable? NO
Buses from Yogyakarta to Denpasar (Bali) will usually stop in Probolinggo, but check first.
The trip would be 10-11 hours and the Giwangan bus terminal is 5km from central Yogyakarta, so again it would be an early start to ensure you arrive in Probolinggo by mid-afternoon.
Bus tickets cannot be booked in advance.
3. TRAIN TO SURABAYA, BUS TO PROBOLINGGO
Cheap? YES Comfortable? YES & NO
The most popular choice is to take the 07:25 train to Surabaya, then travel by bus or taxi to the Bungarasih bus terminal (near the airport) and get a bus to Probolinggo.
Please note that direct buses to Bungarasih rarely travel past Gubeng Station in Surabaya; if you are keen, you would exit the station from the west/left side of the train. Alternately, you can take a taxi a short distance to Jl Panglima Sudirman (Jl = Jalan, Street); there are more buses to Bungarasih – including air conditioned coaches – passing by here.
Taxis are available on the east/right side of the train; the most reliable are Bluebird taxis, waiting across the road from the car park.
Train Enquiry |
4. TRAIN TO SURABAYA, TOUR TO MT BROMO
Cheap? NO Comfortable? YES
Many operators offer tours from Surabaya to Mt Bromo. These range from 12-hour overnight tours (starting at midnight from Surabaya, paying for just transport and park fees) to multi-day tours finishing in Bali with trips to Ijen Plateau and the famous turtle hatching area of Sukamade.
Prices for tours vary significantly according to the number of passengers, level of comfort and standard of hotel.
Mau Ke Mana books tours for clients with only trusted, reputable operators; there is no fee for clients who book train or flight tickets. A 50% deposit is often required when booking, with the balance paid in Rupiah cash during the tour.
Train Enquiry
You can also use this form to make a tour enquiry,
in the box titled “Anything you’d like to ask or specify?”.
Whichever way you go, you are likely to enjoy reaching the final destination. Most people go at sunrise, but it is also possible to visit at sunset, or any other time of day. The active can also walk across the “Sea of Sand” to/from their hotel.
Please remember that Mt Bromo remains an active volcano; it last erupted in 2011. You can check the current status for Mt Bromo (and other volcanoes) here, at the bottom right; at the time of writing, Bromo was on Level 2 of 4. Trips to Mt Bromo should be postponed if the status is Level 3 or 4.
You can also check the weather forecast at the nearest town of Probolinggo here.
119 Comments on “Yogyakarta to Mt Bromo”
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Marcela says:
Hi Chris,
could you advise me, is the better view point for sunrise Borobudur or Mt Merapi from Caliadem?
Thanks!
Marcela
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Marina says:
Dear Chris,
You wrote – You don’t have to fly from Malang to Bali; there are many flights from Surabaya to Bali.
Please, could you tell us, why we don`t have to fly from Malang to Bali? Is it problematic?
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Dear Marcela,
To answer your questions:
– When you get up at 3:30am for Bromo sunrise, that leaves you plenty of time to go there, come back, have breakfast, bus to Probolinggo, etc before the 11am train. As long as your jeep driver is aware of your situation, it shouldn’t be a problem.
– Train stations these days only sell tickets for purchase on the day of departure. You can’t buy tickets 1-90 days before departure. The official reason is to stop ticket scalpers and prevent huge queues at larger train stations.
– Bus schedules in Indonesia are best described as “leave when full”.
– Borobudur Temple is 42km from Yogyakarta and trains often arrive 30-60 minutes late at their final destination, so – even with a tour pick-up – you would probably miss the sunrise.
– I have only been to Borobudur Temple, so I can’t comment on the relative merit of sunrise at Mt Merapi.
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Hi Martina,
I was just saying that there is a bigger range of flights from Surabaya to Bali.
The Malang-Bali flights are fine if you are in Malang. The only issue is the 10kg baggage allowance.
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Hi Chris,
thank you for your help! So it is pitty that I couldn´t buy tiket for train agains your webside for June. Is it the same case for train tiket from Yogjakarta to Surabaya? Could I buy tikets only on the day of departure?
Have a nice day!
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Hi Marcela,
You can buy train tickets for late June now. You just couldn’t before. (Tickets can only be purchased up to 90 days before departure.)
If you would like a quote, please send an enquiry.
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Kelvin says:
Hi Chris,
I’m planning to do a solo backpack from Yogyakarta-Ijen-Bromo from 28 May to 1 June (5D4N) with the following itinerary:
Day 1: Land at JOG at 1225hrs. Explore Prambanan and Ratu Boko. Check in at a local guest house near Borobudur Temple
Day 2: Sunrise viewing at Borobudur Temple. Explore Mendut and Pawon Temple. Take a noon flight to SUB and travel to Banyuwangi for homestay
Day 3: Ijen Crater midnight-sunrise tour. Travel to Cemoro Lawang via Probolinggo for homestay
Day 4: Mt Bromo sunrise tour, Tengger Caldera, Whispering Sands, Savannah and Teletubbies Hill. Return to Surabaya via Probolinggo and check-in.
Day 5: Check out and depart from SUB on flight at 1315hrs.Is the itinerary above doable? If so, what would be the recommended transport plan for each day (mode of transport and timing)? Or any other recommendations of improving it?
Thanks!
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Hi Kelvin,
Sorry to say, I don’t think your itinerary is possible.
For example, on Day 2, you haven’t allowed enough time to travel from Yogyakarta to Banyuwangi. Also, there are no flights from Yogyakarta to Surabaya between 08:45 and 15:00.
My suggested changes:
– Travel overnight on Day 2-3 to Ijen, by train, ascending Ijen directly on arrival.
OR
– Travel overnight on Day 2-3 to Mt Bromo, then Ijen on Day 4 and fly back from Banyuwangi to Surabaya on Day 5.
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Hi Chris,
Thanks for the quick feedback.
If its an overnight train from Yogyakarta to Ijen, how should I go about doing it?
Thanks!
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Hi Kelvin,
It’s two trains:
1. Yogyakarta to Surabaya on Argo Wilis
2. Surabaya to Banyuwangi on Mutiara Timur MalamIf you would like a quote, please send an enquiry.
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paula sastrowijoto says:
Dear Chris,
We would like to find a touroperator going from Jogja to Bali via Bromo, Ijen and possibly one other stop (3 nights, 4 days) before bringing us to Sanur Bali. Could you give me advice on how to proceed? I see some operators on the internet but I am unable to compare prices since they have not posted them. So far I only got some feed back from one.
Same for Ujung Kulon in the west. Would like to do a 3 days, 2 nights tour if possible, but there again, which company to pick. I would appreciate your guidance!
best,
Paula -
Hi Paula,
YOGYA TO BALI
Such a long-distance tour is unusual because tour operators don’t want their car to travel empty all the way back again. You will get more choice if you take a train to Surabaya (5 hours) and start the tour there.UJUNG KULON
Sorry, we only recommend operators through personal experience and I haven’t been there. -
silvia says:
Hi,
Could you please let me know if the following itinerary is feasible:Arrive in Malang at 14 august and visit Bromo next day (15 august)
and then I continue to Mount Ijen.
At 16 August visit mont Ijen and then to comìntinue to Bali
I ask you if it possible to start the tour to Bromo fron Malang? Are there the train or busses or private taxis from Malang to Ijen or Bali? what kinde the tour start from Malang? are there the hotels near malang?
thank you -
Hi Silvia,
If you want to join a tour, it is a return journey from Malang, Surabaya or your hotel near Mt Bromo. You can’t only pay for a one-way journey.
It depends what time you are arriving in Malang and from where.
Please advise: when are you arriving in Malang, and from where?
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Dayne says:
Hi Chris,
Thank you for this information! I think the itinerary 4 will fit us well !
We will be arriving in JOG on Sep 3rd from JKT (morning flight – original plan was to take the train actually :)) . Do the usual Borobudor + Prambanan sight seeing and heading for Bromo + Ijen from Sep 6th before off to Bali.
Considering we do not have so much time to travel hours on the road I thought if we could fly from JOG to SUB would save time & arrange transport from SUB ?
Or Fly JOG – MLG ? and arrange transport from MLG? Provided if there is a morning direct flights of course.
I managed to check the flights JOG – SUB on Wings Air actually & they do have morning flights.Would you be able to advise the above & quote us the amount for Yogyakarta to Mt Bromo itinerary perhaps ?
Thank you.
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Assia says:
HI,
We are 2 persons, we arrive from Italy to Singapore.
Singapore to Yogjakarta on Aug 11th , wanna leave from Yogjakarta on Aug 14th (three night in Yogjakarta are ok?) and we would like to visit Bromo, Ijen and then go to Bali by ferry boat.
We really appreciate to avoid a very stressful trip on a crowded bus, maybe by train or a car.
What is the best one solution?Thanks in advance
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Dear Assia,
Here is how it would best work:
14 AUG 2015:
Like in #3 and #4 above, Yogyakarta -> Surabaya by morning train, Surabaya -> Probolinggo on a bus or with a tour.15 AUG 2015:
After visiting Mt Bromo, return to Probolinggo and take the train to Banyuwangi.16 AUG 2015:
After visiting Ijen, return to Banyuwangi and take the ferry to Bali and a bus to your next destination.Not all buses are uncomfortable, there are nicer ones and cheaper ones.
If you would like a quote for the train, please send an enquiry.
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Joe says:
Hi Chris,
We have been trying to find the best way to do the following and we were wondering if you could help.
We are landing in Yogyakarta at 9am.
We would like to visit Boronbudur as a priority and then if we have time maybe also visit the Prambanan temple. From there, instead of going back to Yogyakarta we would like to go to Semarang airport (get there around 9pm) as we have a flight the following morning at 9am.
We have seen that there is the option of car rental + driver for 12 h which should suit us but we are unsure if they do those distances or if they only stay around Yogyakarta area.
Any ideas or tips you may have are more than welcome,
Many thanks
Joe
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Hi Joe,
Prambanan is close to Yogyakarta Airport, so it would make sense to go there first or not at all. Car rental + driver is a return journey to Yogyakarta (the point of origin) so you can’t take it to Semarang; you would need to travel to Semarang by bus. Fortunately, Borobudur is sort of on the way.
Please click on ‘More Options’ in the Google Map to see the full directions.
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Isabel says:
Hi!!
We would like to take a train from Malang to Banyuwangi, is it posible? Which are the departure times in case is this posibility available??
Thank you so much!!
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Hi Isabel,
Here is a timetable for the only train: Tawang Jaya. Click on the picture for zoom.
It is an economy class train, so please be aware that it is not as comfortable as other trains.
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Jennifer says:
Please advise me the best way to travel from mt bromo to madakaripura waterfall then travel to yogyararta city.thanks.
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Hi Jennifer,
If you want to go to Madakaripura waterfall, you will need to charter transport, either ojek (motorcycle taxi) or a car with driver. Then you can continue the journey to Probolinggo train station or bus terminal.
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nicki says:
Hi,
We are a family of 6 (4 kids aged 19,17,16 and 11) flying into Jakarta en route for bali and lombok in July 2016. I would like us to spend some time in Java to show the kids the temples and volcano.
I thought maybe do Day 1 and 2 Yogyakarta + Borobudur then do Bromo + Ijen before going to bali by ferry.
However, I’d like some advice on the leg from Yogyakarta to Bromo and lien please. I don’t want to completely exhaust the kids especially the 11 year old and therefore not sure if the sunrise tour is the best option for us. Also, which mode of transport do you think will be best as I want to keep stress levels down!
Any help appreciated please :-)
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Hi Nicki,
Train is good for reduced stress levels.
The way I recommend not tiring everybody out would be to travel by train and space out the journey from Yogyakarta to Bromo across two days.
On Day 1, you would take the 16:02 train to Surabaya then stay at a hotel near the train station.
On Day 2, you would take the 9am train to Probolinggo, then buses the rest of the way.
Another alternative would be to fly Wings Air from Yogyakarta to Surabaya, then book a hotel transfer with (the nicest hotel near Mt Bromo) Java Banana. JB also has rooms for 3+ guests. But this would be significantly more expensive.
Usually, jeep drivers go for the Bromo sunrise, but there is no rule that you HAVE to go then. It might just require some polite explanation that you don’t want to get up at 03:30.
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Luke says:
Dear Chris and all fellow travellers, thank you so much for all the information here on this specific page :) Very handy to make a good decision!!
Maybe I can share the experience of a transport-only chartered ac-minibus from a travel agency. I booked it at EduHostel in Yogya and paid IDR200000 for a direct smooth ‘door-to-door’ ride from my hostel to Cemoro Lawang in around 12 hrs. You’ll have lunch break (lunch cost not included) and a stop in the agents office in Probolinggo. I organised a hotel in Cemoro Lawang on my own so I was out of any tour deal. This and the fact that you don’t have to change public transport so often (sometimes quite a hassle with bemos and all in the middle of the street life) makes it a good deal I think. AC was ok, temperature still warm, but ok. The road stays the same (traffic jams, style of driving, bad road condition) and yeah you can’t get away without the 12 hrs ride anyway I think…
Maybe you just go to EduHostel to book it, they speak english very well, there is no website from the one I had: The details of the agency in Yogya is BIMA transport, Jl. Pasar Kembang No. 60, Jogjakarta, 0274 9211108, 085100411108
You may also just call EduHostel, see their website…
Here’s another company: http://www.jogjabromotour.com/2012/08/1-mount-bromo-transport-11-hours.html?m=1
I hope this will help some of you, just in case.
Safe travels to everybody!!
Best,
Luke -
BTW, forgot to say, for toilet stops you just tell the driver…
And the journey starts at 8am ends on around 8pm.
Comment on “Yogyakarta to Mt Bromo”.
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Hi chris,
many thanks for the information! We are group of 4 persons. I think that it is for one jeep, isn´t it? Is it really possible to go to Mt Bromo, return to the hotel near Mt Bromo, go by bus to Probollingo and by train at 11 a.m. to Banyuwangi?
Is it possible to buy tiket to the train at the railway station in June? According to the time (at 11 p. m. or later by economy class)?
Do you advise me website with timeschedule of buses?
And one mor question. We will travel form Jakarta to Yogjakarta. We arrive to Jakarta airport at 5:30 p. m. I think that we will stay in Jakarta and flight to Yogjakarta in the morning. The second varianty is to transport form airport to the train and travel by train to Yogjakarta. The arrive of the train is 4:30 a.m. Is it possible to arrange tour with pick up at the railway station to Borobudur sunrise?
Have a nice day!
Marcela