Bondovoso

Bondovoso (Bondouso, Bondowoso) is a small town in the eastern part of the island of Java in Indonesia (Bondovoso on the map). This is an ancient city with a rich history and colonial architecture, many interesting but little-known sights. For tourists, it is known primarily as a starting or intermediate point for visiting two of the most famous volcanoes on the island of Java at once: Ijen and Bromo.

But most often Bodnovoso is used to visit Ijen, since one of the two roads to this famous volcano and other attractions on the Ijen plateau passes through this city. This is the most convenient point if you are traveling from the west (from Jakarta, Yogyakarta). In the city you can find a dozen hotels and hostels with basic amenities like just to spend the night, cafes, and travel agencies and private traders with lots of offers to arrange a jeep tour for you to the point of ascent to the crater of the Ijen volcano.

The traditional route of tourists through Bondovoso is as follows:

• Arrive in the middle of the day and check into the hotel
• Find a suitable option for a tour to the volcano by jeep
• At night, take a tour and climb Ijen
• Return in the morning, check out of the hotel, and continue the journey further.

There are few hotels in Bondovoso, and the flow of tourists is huge, so it's better to book in advance. The prices here are higher and there are fewer accommodation options than in Banyuwangi, so if you can't book a hotel here, it makes sense to go to Banyuwangi. You can book a hotel in Bondovoso through the most popular hotel search system in Southeast Asia Trip.com, or through the hotel reservation system Ostrovok.ru.

You can find a hotel by its location on the map:

How to get to Bondovoso

Bondovoso is located somewhat away from the main thoroughfares, so you will have to get here only with transfers by bus through the cities of Probolinggo, Situbondo, or Jember. Only local commuter buses depart from these cities to Bondovoso, and there are no direct flights from major tourist cities such as Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya. Ideally, you should try to arrive in one of these cities early in the morning, or at least before noon, so that you can then get to Bondovoso by bus, otherwise you may not have time, and you will either have to spend the night here or take a taxi. All buses go here without a schedule for occupancy.

In Bondowoso, all buses arrive at the bus station in the city center (bus station on the map). From here, a minibus also departs to the town of Sempol (25,000 rupees, 3 hours on the way, depart in the morning until about 15:00 according to occupancy). From Sempol to the start of the ascent to Ijen, another 10 kilometers can be covered by motorcycle taxi for 50,000 rupees.

• Through Probolingo

  You can take a bus to Probolingo from Denpasar, Malang, Jember, Surabaya, Yogyakarta (see for more information about Probolingo and how to get there). The bus station here is called Bayuangga. It is notorious for traditional tourist wiring with transport, when foreigners are brought to fake stations of travel agencies instead of a bus station, or "helpers" sell bus tickets at double the price bypassing the ticket office, and the like. Therefore, you should behave very carefully on this route, and ideally make sure that you are taken to the station using the navigator.

  You can get to Probolingo by train from Surabaya (from Jakarta) or Banyuwangi (if you are traveling from Bali). The railway station is located in the city center and 8 kilometers from the bus station, so you will still need to get to the Bayuangga bus station by taxi or motorcycle taxi, and in the afternoon you can take a shuttle bus for 5000 rupees.

  When you arrive at the bus station, look for a minibus to Bondovoso, but try to avoid the help of outsiders who offer it themselves. Contact the drivers directly to find the right bus. Buses leave about lunch, 2 and a half hours on the way, cost from 35,000 rupees.

• Via Jember

  The nearest railway station is located in Jember, so if you prefer trains, it's better to go here. Trains arrive in Jember from Surabaya and Banyuwangi. From Surabaya, the train takes 3.5-4 hours, costs from 56,000 rupees. There are a lot of trains on this route, at least 10 daily. Learn more about trains in Indonesia, how and where to buy tickets and check the schedule here.

  From Jember, you will then need to take a taxi to the Arjasa bus station (8 kilometers), and there take a bus to Situbondo, which passes through Bondovonso, 1 hour on the way, the cost is about 10,000 rupees.

• Via Situbondo

  You can get through Situbondo if you are coming from Bali. But if you are coming here to climb a volcano, there is not much point in this, since it is better to get to Ijen through Banyuwangi, which is on the way to Situbondo.

  If you still decide to get through Situbondo, then from there from the bus station you can take a bus for 10,000 rupees, 1 hour on the way.