Top Things to do in Banyuwangi
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10 Things to Do in Banyuwangi That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Banyuwangi, Indonesia including Ijen Crater, Sukamade Beach, Pulau Merah Beach, Teluk Hijau Beach, Wedi Ireng Beach, Meru Betiri National Park, Alas Purwo National Park, Watudodol Beach, Tabuhan Island, Sritanjung Park.
Restaurants in Banyuwangi
1. Ijen Crater
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By donny h - New York City, New York
Many different options are available for this Ijen "Blue Fire" Crater experience. I was traveling through with a friend and we did this through local guide / pickup from our accommodation in Banyuwangi.
The highlights of most of the night tours being the blue fire experience, sunrise, and views of the acid lake. Bit unfortunate not to experience crystal clear views but overall it was a decent enough experience to recommend.
Costs: TOUR - Vary with the tour options you choose but we managed to get a price pp 180K which included transport, gas mask, and hand flashlight ENTRANCE - there is a fee imposed to tourists to get into the volcano park area itself that came in around 250K since it was a weekend or holiday. I think its maybe 150K at other times. Keep this in mind as its a cost above the tour costs.
Recommended Gear:
Warm clothes / layers for the top since you will easily arrive ahead of sunrise in the middle of the night.
Gloves help for those going into the crater for blue fire searching.
Headlamp if you have, but most tours also provide a handheld mini flashlight to help
Gas Mask should be provided with tour, but there were also people renting on site as well. Unsure of the price there but it is needed for anyone doing the blue fire night descent into crater
Footwear with a decent tread. You don't necessarily need hiking boots for this climb. I easily did these in my crossfit trainers.
Water & snacks are helpful for the overall climb. There are little hut shops setup at the start and midway up the volcano for anyone that forgets to provision. You obviously will pay the market rate.
Camera. Most recent cell phones (iphone, samsungs) work as well as can be for night photography but any photography fiends will want to bring their tripods for night / long exposure of the blue fire and or stars on the ascent.
Hike Experience: 3KM or so hike to each way this is done in the middle of the night.
Uphill: The hike up itself is a bit challenging uphill for those that are not in adequate shape. Overall I saw a wide spectrum of people doing this so just plant one foot in front of the other and go at your pace. The path is paved and there is really only one way so the chances of going the wrong way are almost none. When you get near the crater rim it does level off for the last bit for anyone making mental notes on difficulty.
Crater: Getting to the crater rim is challenging for some but the real challenge is the crater experience. Be sure to have masks on. Follow a thin rocky and sometimes slippery pathway down into the crater it takes about 40 minutes due to the sheer amount of people generating traffic on the pathway. Some people not quite in top top shape make this a bit of a mixed bag because of being slower and or too cautious causing the backups. Gloves come in handy for anyone needing additional touch points on the rocks going down or up. The path itself also needs to accommodate any persons going back up.
Downhill: The downhill after sunrise is pretty easy for anyone with prior hiking experience. Sticks are not necessary but are always a helpful tool for anyone with bad knee concerns. I managed to do a nice jog downhill for at least half of the way.
Other:
Push Carts - On the way up and down there is a good amount of locals offering push kart type service for the really lazy and uninspired. Seems to be a two man operation going up and 1 going down with use of handy brake system. The carts vary in comfort to how each local has constructed the vehicle. Haggling seems to work with most quotes going down starting at around 100K and quickly dropping as you walk away. I tested this out for fun just to see what the market rate would be around.
Sulfur Sculptures - the mine workers and other local sellers do offer sculptures made out of the sulfur found around Ijen Crater / Volcano. I think from what I have read a donation is probably better for the cause since I've read these trinkets just get confiscated at the airport anyways.
Miners: You will run across miners at some point on the path so please be mindful they are working and probably carrying huge baskets of sulfur which probably weigh upwards of 150-200lb each load (I tested this out with a miner nice enough to let me try the weight) I think it just adequate and decent to give them the right of way on the path. I've read and seen that some of these miners do not even operate with proper gas masks so donations are probably welcome if anyone feels generous. Even with masks i've also heard that these miners don't typically change out the filters because partly education and affordability of new filters.
2. Sukamade Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 141 reviews
Reviewed By A_Screw_Loose - Penang Island, Malaysia
We took a 2D/1N experience at Sukamade beach for turtle watching. The trip itself was an adventure with a jeep from Banyuwangi passing by Teluk Hijau (request to hike up and really not to be missed), small villages and even river crossing towards the Sukamade Beach. The road however was very bumpy and rough for nearly 2 hours. Over at Sukamade Beach, we stayed at Mess Pantai where simple dinner and breakfast was provided by the park rangers.
Pros:-
1) Can feel the passion of the rangers in taking care of the turtles; they made sure that we do not walk around during the turtle excursion at night and made sure we follow the rules when we encountered the green turtle during its inspection. It was the pity the turtle didn't lay eggs but to be able to see the giant turtle up close was a fantastic experience itself.
2) This National Park is very remote and full of wild animals. One of the magical moments was on the path to the beach from the Mess Pantai where I encountered a large deer who stood on the path before darting off into the forest. Feels like a scene out from a movie.
3) Releasing the baby turtles in the morning was one of the most wonderful experiences I had in my life as I can feel the baby turtles energy as they waddled into the ocean for the first time. There was a tinge of sadness however to see them being pickup up by sea eagles.
4) The Sukamade beach waves are very strong (not recommended for swimming) and because of its remoteness, there would be no one around for miles in its stunning beachline.
Cons:-
1) Despite the wonderful experience being surrounded by nature and the turtle experience, mosquitos and sand flies are ever present and will remind you of the trip in later days with their red souvenirs.
2) The amenities and sleeping conditions at Wisma Pantai were very basic and could use some repairs, however it is understandable as the location is very remote. However it could use a fan in the room.
However I would like to appreciate the rangers for this memorable experience and their dedication.
3. Pulau Merah Beach
Overall Ratings
4 based on 333 reviews
Reviewed By rendyas - Surabaya, Indonesia
It took us 2 hours to reach this beach from the city via the main road...it's quite far but easy to reach.
It is a very nice beach to visit. Kids could play around with the soft white sands and the adult could swim in the sea or rent surf board if they want to.
If you have plenty of time you can also hire a boat to visit other Beaches like wedi ireng and rajekwesi
4. Teluk Hijau Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 27 reviews
Reviewed By ksw-notes - Indonesia
Second time here and more local tourists here. The beach is getting dirtier with uncontrollable trash everywhere on the beach. Need more standard public awareness about cleanliness and more cleaner public paid toilets and warung. Mostly operated by the locals and need professional assistances and knowledge about tourism places. They are all nice and courtesious people. Definitely will be a hot spot for beachers, than only Bali island.
5. Wedi Ireng Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By Widad N
first of all, for how to get there: from Banyuwangi city, u can rent a car (price about Rp.250.000,-/day no driver) and heading to Mustikabeach, which the same direction with The Red Beach (Pantai Merah), there's a lot of street sign on the way, or you can use WAZE. it's about 2,5hr driving. just about you're going to entering pantai merah, go Right and just go straight to Mustika Beach / Pancer. When u arrived at Mustika Beach, there's a information booth, go over there and buy your boat ticket for Rp.25.000/person oneway. Then you follow the boat man, going by bot took only 15mn ride. the you arrived at Wedi Ireng neach. enjoy the sunburn in your skin.
what i love the most about wedi ireng is, it's still quite, the food wasn't overprice, not too much people on saturday!
6. Meru Betiri National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 41 reviews
Reviewed By balihomestay - Tabanan - Bali
I like to travel to Meru Bertiri National Park. Especially visiting Sukamade Turtle Conservation.
Ride 4WD Jeep from Jajag residence to Meru Bertiri National park was amazing adventure experience. Seeing the local people make palm sugar and also crossing river with Jeep and surround by wild Buffalo.
In the night explore the forest to see wild animal such deer and other wild animal in the darkest of the forest.
7. Alas Purwo National Park
Overall Ratings
4 based on 62 reviews
Reviewed By Irina M
A trip to Alas Purvo was rather interesting (one bad thing was the road close to the National Park - it's awful). You can see "the savanna" with bulls and deers, you can go through jungles to see the cave (it is not very interesting, but the jungle walk was good), you can go to the turtle beach and see how they breed the turtles (but you can't see how they collect the turtle eggs in the beach, because they do it in the mornings). The Beaches in the Alas Purwo park are very beautiful (but it is impossible to swim there).
8. Watudodol Beach
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 87 reviews
9. Tabuhan Island
Overall Ratings
4 based on 41 reviews
Reviewed By bob s
I am completely confused as how people can call this a destination. The only enjoyable part of the trip is the boat ride out there which is absolutely beautiful. Other than that, it's all trash on the island. There was some blue water and it was decent swimming but the beach is our trash. Most of the beach is right around the city are not worth the visit
10. Sritanjung Park
Overall Ratings
4 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By elbicnivni - Jakarta, Indonesia
Usually, a city park is a HUGE park with a lot of attraction and interesting spot. Here in the small city of Banyuwangi, you won't see it as that. This city park is humble, only has food stalls around it and a nice underground public toilet. Other than that, it provides you green scenery of the grass, bushes and trees with nice stone pavements.
The traffic in Banyuwangi is not crowded, you still can relax in spite of this place is being a city park. You can even see the Javanese culture of building a city: city park in the middle of it, while a government office is in the north side, mosque/praying hall is in the west side, traditional market is in the south side and (some of) people residence is in the east side.
Visiting this park means you already visit the heart of Banyuwangi, and it's worth it to take a picture somewhere. I bet you'll love the result!
