Unreal trip from start to finish - the blue fire, electric blue water and incredible sunrise are well worth the hike up to the top. Highly recommend doing the hike if you're in East Java - takes around 6 hours start to finish with an hour either side for driving from Banyuwangi. If you're after a tour company, I recommend green Ijen homestay - the host was incredible and our guide was great, went at a good pace and gave us plenty of opportunities to rest and take photos. Only downside is there's a huge queue to get down to the crater and get back out of it - we went on a weekday but I've heard weekends are 10x worse, so just bear that in mind!

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Beautiful views of the lake and we saw the blue fire in the crater (made by the guides) but absolutely horrendously busy with people its hard to describe. Basically queuing in slow walkers the entire way up, down the crater, up the crater, around the crater and back down again. Don’t worry if you’re a slow hiker with fast hikers because it’s so busy you’ll have to go slow anyway 🤣 Recommendation: We did Ijen and Bromo independently without a tour and I really recommend it. Ijen you can wake up at whatever time you want and rent some torches and masks for 30k at the bottom and pay 100k entrance fee and 30k medical certificate (at a clinic, easily accessible by grab). The gas mask was very important and it’s not just for show like I thought - in the crater the fumes are intense. The solo trip without a tour is overall very doable and much more enjoyable. All the tours had to stick in their groups and people constantly getting lost or waiting etc. alone you can go to secluded viewpoints at the sunrise spot and it was much more flexible and enjoyable. We stayed at Bobocabin Ijen (you can walk from the hotel to the summit) and really recommend it - very smart, modern, clean and affordable. Be warned about the crowds on Ijen (almost ruined the entire experience)! Yeesh

It was a memorable journey guiding guests from China to Ijen Crater in East Java, Indonesia. The hike started early in the morning, and like many first-time visitors, they felt tired along the way. But everything changed once they witnessed the magical blue fire — a rare natural phenomenon that left them in awe. As the sun slowly rose, the view of the turquoise crater lake appeared, creating a breathtaking moment that made all the effort worthwhile. At the top of Ijen, near the iconic tree viewpoint, their excitement turned into pure happiness. They enjoyed every moment, taking photos, smiling, and truly appreciating the beauty of nature. Seeing their satisfaction and joy is always the most rewarding part of the journey.

Incredible views and totally worth the trip. Hike up relatively accessible (~1:30 hours). We did it early morning, starting at 6am and thus avoided the hundreds (thousands?) of people crowding for the sunrise. We were basically alone up there while still avoiding the heat and having the beautiful morning light.

It was amazing view! Me and my partner went there a week ago, there is no blue fire after the eruption but lucky we can visit the crater because it was closed for 1-2 months. We went there around 2-3 am had a coffee then hiked about 1,5 hours. I would say it was easy hike . The view is amazing during sunrise

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