Ultimate East Java itinerary- How to spend 3 days.

If you are planning on visiting Indonesia than I highly recommend adding East Java to your itinerary. Normally over looked by the Island Bali, East Java covers the eastern third of the Island of Java. East Java (Jawa Timur) is a wild region of untouched waterfalls, rich culture, smoking volcanoes and unique landscapes. You will feel like you have just landed on another planet. In our 3 day itinerary you will discover some of East Java’s most impressive waterfalls, unique villages and experience one of the best sunrise in East Java.

Best way to get around East Java?

Travelling around East Java is not as easy compared to Bali and there are only a few options when it comes to planning an East Java itinerary. You can either hire your own vehicle, pay for a driver, take public transport or book a tour.

We only had 4 days to spend in East Java with our friends Kelly and Kody who are also photographers. After some research and planning we decided it was going to be more comfortable and safer for us to book a Private driver. We were planning on seeing A LOT in a short amount of time which meant the days will be long and the nights very short. Having a driver meant we could catch up on sleep if we needed to as some of the drives are very long.

We booked a 3 night 4 day tour with a private driver through Zaini Transport. They had really good reviews and also great value for price. For 4 days including pick up from Surabaya, a large Innova van which fits 4 people comfortably, gasoline, parking fees and a tour guide in Ijen the total cost was 4, 150 000 IDR ($280 USD). Split that between 4 of us it is very affordable and we could just sit back and relax on the drive. We also had to cover the drivers accomodation but his rooms were only around 100,000- 150,000 IDR a night which is very cheap.

Our driver Dayat made the trip so much better, he was super helpful, spoke great English, loved a good laugh and was an extremely good driver. We can’t recommend Dayat and Zaini transport enough! He made this trip stress free. Book your ultimate East Java trip with Zaini transport here.

You can also contact Dayat on his WhatsApp number +62 812 4978 1542.

3 day East Java itinerary starts now

Day 1- Jodipan Village

Our driver Dayat picked us up from our hotel in Surabaya around 9 am then it was a 4 hour drive to our first stop on our East Java itinerary – Jodipan.

Jodipan is a unique and colourful tourist village in the town of Malang. What makes this town such a popular place to visit is that the whole village is painted in colourful rainbow colours located beside Brantas River. Entry

Jodipan was more considered a slum area so the locals and students of Muhammadiyah University of Malang came up with the idea to add a splash of colour by painting all the houses with colours of the raindow. This changed everything for the small town and now this Rainbow Village is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area. Entry into Jodipan Village costs 3000 IDR.

Walking through Jodipan ever where you look, down very ally, every doorway, every house has a vibrant touch of colour. Divided by the Brantas River, there are basically two areas that are connected by an equally colourful yellow bridge with a glass floor. On the other side of the main road is the mainly Blue coloured town.

Stay:

After Jodipan we drove a few hours to Lumajang where we spent the night stay at Tumpaksewu homestay. We had a big day of waterfalls planned for day 2 so staying at Tumpaksewu Homestay is very convenient. The homestay is located only a short 10 minute walk from Tumpak Sewu Waterfall entrance meant we didn’t have to travel far early in the morning.

We stayed in a Bungalow room which had a big room and was super comfortable. What more could you want for only $36 AUD a night. Click here to book your stay at Tumpaksewu homestay.

Day 2- The best waterfalls in East Java?

We started the morning with a 6am wake up and we made our way to one of East Java’s most impressive waterfalls Tumpak Sewu Waterfall.

Nothing can prepare you for what you about to see, not even all the images on social media. Tumpak Sewu waterfall forms an almost perfect semi-circle curtain of many waterfalls. Earning its name which translated from the local Java language meaning ‘a thousand waterfalls.’

Enjoy panaramic views from the top viewpoint before making your way down the hike to the bottom of the ravine. On a clear day you can see Semeru Volcano right behind Tumpak Sewu which makes the view even more spectacular.

This adventurous trail is fun but can be a lit bit challenging in some spots. It can also be bit bit slippery, this why it’s important to wear a good pair of walking shoes. Make sure to take your time on the descent and have 3 points of contact all the time. Once you reach the bottom prepared to be blown away again (literally). The power of the 120 meter tall waterfall can be felt even from meters away. Tumpak Sewu is one of the most spectacular waterfalls I have ever seen!

Before walking back up you can follow the river a little longer to another lovely waterfall Goa Tetes.

You can read more about the our ultimate guide to Tumpak Sewu here.

Kapas Biru Waterfall

Only a short drive down the road is another beautiful waterfall- Kapas Biru. Also known as Air Terjun Kapas Biru in Indonesian. This is a single waterfall set against an orange rock wall, surrounded giant bamboo trees and lush jungles. Its not as big as Tumpak Sewu but its extremely photogenic. Not to mention it’s a lot dryer!

The hike to Kapas Biru isn’t as strenuous as Tumpak sewu. There’s only one spot where you climb down a ladder and the rest is just walking through a muddy and rocky pathway. When you reach a clearing with some rice paddies, you’ll know you’re almost to the waterfall. The way back is very uphill though, so you may want to bring some water.

After you are all waterfall-ed out its time to jump back into there car for a few hours drive to the town of Bromo.

Stay:

We wanted to stay right in Bromo town to do the Mount Bromo sunrise hike the following morning. This way we were closer to Mount Bromo and could have a little bit more of a sleep in. Parama Hotel is super close to Mount Bromo and has its own restaurant and cafe on site. A double room costs about 250,000 IDR, check out prices of Parama Hotel here.

You can also stay in the town of Malang or Probolinggo but you will have to drive either two hours or 45 minutes in the morning to Mount Bromo. 

Day 3- Mount Bromo sunrise

Its a super early morning for anyone doing a sunrise over Mount Bromo. We booked a tour through @bromo_jeep_tour which we highly recommend. You can send them a WhatsApp on +62 853 3776 3806. The tour costs 600,000 IDR per Jeep which includes hotel pick up, drop off and all morning to shoot with the Jeeps.

We were picked up by the Jeeps at 3:30 am and driven up Penjakan Mountain to the sunrise view point on King Kong Hill. At the first viewpoint we kept walking up to the higher viewpoint. We then found a little path to the right where we found our own little space away from the crowds.

Here we enjoyed an unbelievable sunrise. Watching the sunrise over Mount Bromo and Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park has to be one of the most amazing sunrises we have ever seen. As the golden light aluminates the landscapes, you have spectacular views of the mountains, craters and uniques swirls of the black lava sand. This landscape truely is from another world.

Mount Bromo been a highlight of our East Java trip, check out our guide to Mount Bromo here.

Of course we had to add Jeeps to our East Java itinerary!

Once you have enjoyed watching the sunrise and taken lots of amazing photos, it is time to head down to Mount Bromo to the ‘Sea of Sand’. We had a yellow and an orange Jeep and the pop of the bright colours against the unique dark ridges really made for epic photos!

Day 4 Ijen Crater (which we didn’t get to see)

Unfortunately the night before we were stuck in really bad traffic, quite late in the night. When you do Ijen Crater you typically start very early in the morning at like 2:30 am. By 12 o’clock we still were 2 hours away from Banguwanji town and STILL stuck in traffic. We unfortunately had to make the call to cancel Ijen this trip because we wouldn’t have made it in time.

The Ijen plateau’s most extraordinary sight is the magnificent turquoise sulphur lake of Kawah Ijen. We will definitely to return to East Java to see Ijen Crater next time.

We hope you get to see Ijen Crater when in visiting East Java, It looks like an amazing experience. There are a number of blogs about Ijen Crater and we will link our favourite blog here.

Our East Java itinerary has been a jam packed, intense & sleepless 3 night trip but we have had the most amazing time. East Java’s impressive and still untouched scenery is what makes East Java a country that will leave you speechless. It won’t be long until more tourists start to discover East Java so better you visit asap.

Three days is not enough to see all the incredible places in East Java but you could definitely see some off the best in this short amount of time. There are still so many places we would love to see so we can’t wait to come back. If you only have a few days then we hope this blog has helped you plan your own East Java itinerary.

Don’t forget you can you can read more about our adventures to Tumpak Sewu Waterfall and Mount Bromo.

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