1

In 2009 I took a train from Yogjakarta to Surabaya, then once there I negotiated a car to Mr Bromo. Check my travelogue:
http://www.molon.de/travelogues/Indonesia/2009/part3.html#0619

Getting back to Surabaya was a bit complicated.

2

My advice dates from 2010, but hopefully is still valid. Getting a bus ticket with a break at Probo is possible, but best not to as things generally don't work that way in Indo. There are very regular public buses going Surabaya - Probo, so its a matter of just turning up and taking the next one going your way. Private minibuses are more pricey and make things easier, but you guessed it, they are all about commissions, and will put heavy pressure on you to stay at their guesthouse and take their 4wd tour to Bromo. Also note; even if you get a public bus to Probo, you will get ambushed at the bus station by all sorts of nasty touts; actually they will stop the bus before you even get there. There is a public minibus to Bromo from Probo, but finding it amongst the touts (and the regular price) is a nightmare, I always recall that bus station as one of the most hassle-prone I've ever seen in my life.

A different, and in my opinion much better route would be from Jogja to Blitar for (optional) Kelud volcano and the Pramatan ancient ruins, both of which receive a tiny fraction of the tourists that Bromo and Jogja receive. Then to Malang, where you can organise a 2-day tour that takes in Bromo, Ijen Volcano and drops you at Banuwangyi. This saves from the touts at Probo/Bromo and allows you to see both volcano fields with a minimum of hassle. Malang is a nice, non-touristy city, and around are smaller scale ruins, waterfalls, great countryside and a different perspective on Bromo that most tourists don't see. Ijen should be considered a must-see; its very impressive, with fewer tourists too.

The only catch is Jogja - Blitar - Malang by public transport is a bit of a hassle, or you have to go via Surabaya, so plan an extra day or two for it. Hope thats some help, good luck!

3

We took the train from Yogya to Surabaya which is very straightforward and were going to head off to the bus station to try and find the local bus but were approached by a bloke with a car and negotiated 350 million rupiah to Melang (about $35A). We then booked a local tour at our hotel in Melang. All very straightforward although possibly not the cheapest way to do it.

4

Thanks Almondy,

Its seems then that Probolinggo bus station is the place to avoid :-( Malang could be a better option to organise a tour from.
How about going from Surabaya to Probolinggo via train, or is Probolinggo train station just as packed with touts? Is it posible to catch the Bromo public minibus from the train station?

Regards,

5

I dont believe there is a train service to Probo, it is mostly for the bigger cities in Java like Jakarta, Banding, Jogja and Surabaya. Trust me, if you look like a foreigner, the touts will find you! Also expect to find them at Banyuwangi offering transport to Denpassar/Kuta.

6

I think you many options if you start from Jogja / Yogyakarta, there are many travel agents that offer regular package tour that cost much cheaper, but the journey from jogja to probolinggo very tiring, and if you mengingikan more trips you can use a private car from surabaya , to Bromo, Ijen, and Denpasar

7

From Yogja to Malang you can use train called "Malioboro Ekspress" It departs from Yogja at about 9 p.m. and arrives in Malang at 4 the morning in the next day. It will cost you about 80 thousand - 150 thousand rupiahs (8 euros - 12 euros) depending on which class you take. In Malang you can stay in homestays (which is many). You can search in LP for homestays in Malang. The closest one from the train station will take about 15 minutes walking. In Malang you can book for a tour to Mount Bromo from one of many Travel Agent. They usually also provide extra tour to Mount Ijen (Ijen Plateu). The price for a tour to Bromo depends on how many people join the tour (the more the cheaper). I can suggest you some. If you take the extra tour to Ijen Plateu, the travel agent maybe can drop you off to Banyuwangi as well. Then you can take a ferry to Bali.

Thanks.

8

O ya, if you need more information, feel free to contact me at my email or google talk fany.indrawan (at) gmail.com. I will reply it as soon as I can.

9

Thanks Almondy,

Do you know how I can get from Surabaya's Gubeng train station to the Purabaya bus station? (which is apparently 10km south of the city). The current LP guide is a bit out of date so advice on up-to-date options and costs would be greatly appreciated.

regards,
:-)

10

I actually dont know. But it will be easy to figure out, taxis could take you for $7-$10 or so, or if you're game and speak the lingo, you could take public minibuses for a very cheap price, probably changing on the way, which I did a lot in Indo. Mostly cos dealing with the cab drivers is such a hassle.

11

Hi there,
Probably u can get prob (direct) from jogja by sritanjung or logawa train.
Sritanjung drives at 7am from jogja, arrives in prob at 4pm.
Logawa drives at 9am, arrives at 6pm.

Yeah, prob (both bus station n train station) is scam area, but it has bison public transport 2 get cemorolawang.
U can't get public transport from mlg 2 bromo, u need 2 rent jeep, or ojek.

If u wanna get a tour organize, u can get it in sby or mlg.

Mutiara timur drives from sby 2 prob at 9am n gets at 11am.

No bison public transport at train station of prob.

Good luck.

12

Thanks almondy23 and everyone else on this thread for your help,

After much consideration, I have decided to do the Bromo Trip via Malang (by train) to avoid the touts in Probo.

Almondy, you mentioned that the Kelud volcano and the Pramatan ancient ruins were worth a visit, can these be done as a day trip out of Malang (I will only be staying in Malang two nights max) before heading off to Bromo and Bali.

Regards :-)


13

Its possible with your own wheels, on public transport would be a much longer day, as if I remember right, its a solid few hours from Blitar to Malang. Best to spend a night if you're keen, as the volcano gets shrouded in fog by late morning. I hired a motorbike driver off the street to head out there, or the hotels can organise something.

14

I guess u wanna write candi penataran (not pramatan).
If u r leaving 4 blitar from malang just get mount kelud first in the morning cos it will be foggy at noon, then u go back 2 blitar 2 visit candi penataran.
(U'll pass candi penataran before getting kelud).

Good luck.