chrisr34000

Hello,

we (my girlfriend and I) are looking for a guide / tour where you get picked up in Malang nd drive to see Bromo. We don't want to do what all the tourist do and get at sunrise there. Instead we would want to get early in the morning there, catch the view and see some surroundings. Can you recommend me somebody who would organize this? We don't want a group tour, just something for ourselves.Same thing for Ijen, we don't "need" to see the blue fire. Maybe just take a look at crater and the workers there.

Thank you for your time!

crellston

Despite the fact that there will be lots of other tourists there to see the sunrise, I would recommend it. It is worth the traffic and the crowds as it is spectacular. Ijen I totally agree with not going to see the blue flames. Other we met said it was just not worth the effort and half the time there are no blue flames anyway. We really enjoyed our enjoyed the climb up Mt Ijen and, having scene the precarious nature of the paths down into the crater , we were really happy we didn’t do it in the dark!

Some details and photos of our time there are in a couple of entries in our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/indonesia/ we used Sunrise Tours out of Malang and were not very happy with them, mainly because the guide was hopeless. There are loads of operators in Malang and I would recommend visiting a few and asking to meet the guide upyou will be using.

kja

I made my arrangements through the Hotel Tugu Malang, and I was very satisfied with my guide. If you want to see some of the surroundings (e.g., the "savannah," which I found fascinating), make sure you say so when making arrangements: You'll need a driver with a 4WD for some of those roads, and that will add considerably to the cost.

Like crellston, I thought the sunrise at Mt. Bromo extraordinary and well worth spending a night in the area. And I'm glad I didn't watch it from one of the popular viewing points, which can get so crowded that visibility is limited. If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report:
A Memorable Solo Month in Singapore, Java, and Bali

CaliforniaLady

I stayed the night in Bromo, and enjoyed it immensely. The Lava View Lodge, where I stayed in Bromo, made my travel arrangements for me. They arranged for a jeep (4WD) driver to pick me up at my hotel in Malang, and we drove up the Savannah route, stopping along the way for some hiking to a waterfall. We arrived early afternoon in Bromo.

I found the sunset to be beautiful and worth it. There is a viewing point that is a ten minute walk from the Lava View Lodge, and there were only a handful of people there, mostly Indonesians. There were vendors with makeshift noodle restaurants, and I found the whole experience amusing. After the sunrise, I walked around the town and beyond. The area is really fascinating as there are guys roaming around on horses. I found it to be one of the most fascinating parts of my two weeks on Java.

The Lava View Lodge also arranged for a driver to take me to Surabaya, where I stayed overnight before catching my flight home the next day. I agree with you that tours are no fun. It's easy and cheap to arrange private transportation in Indonesia, and I have found that hotels are the most reliable for such arrangements. The drivers that they use have a vested interest in keeping you happy.

kja

I stayed at the Lava View, too! And they arranged my driver to Surabaya, too!