What to pack for the Ijen blue fire hike

The Ijen hike is short — 3 km up, about 1.5 to 2 hours — but it happens at 02:00, at 2,386 m, next to a crater full of sulphur gas, and then the sun comes up and it gets hot. People pack for one of those conditions and forget the others. This is what I tell my guests to bring, and why.

What to wear and bring

Layers, not one big coat. At the Paltuding trailhead it is around 10 to 15 °C at 01:00, on the rim usually 5 to 12 °C with wind, and by the time you walk down at 07:00 it is warm and sunny. A base layer, a fleece and a windproof jacket you can strip off one by one work better than a ski jacket you sweat through on the steep first 2 km. Avoid cotton against your skin; wet cotton is what makes people cold on the rim.

Long trousers. Hiking trousers, or leggings under shorts. You will be sitting on rocks and scrambling in the crater.

Gloves. Thin ones are enough. The rim before dawn is the coldest part of the night, and your hands are what you notice.

Hat or beanie, and a buff. The buff does two jobs: warmth on the way up, and a second layer over your nose and mouth in the crater when the mask alone is not enough.

Shoes with grip. Trail shoes or light hiking boots. The track up is wide and gravelly; the crater path is steep, rocky and dusty, and it is where I see people slip. Trainers with worn soles are the most common mistake, sandals the worst.

Headlamp — I provide one, but bring spare batteries. My tour includes a headlamp. Even so, bring your own if you have one, plus spare batteries; two lights are better than one on the crater path, and a phone torch is not a substitute.

Gas mask — provided. I bring proper masks with filters, one per person. Please do not rely on the paper masks sold at the bottom. If you wear contact lenses, wear glasses tonight; the gas stings.

Water — 1 to 1.5 litres. More than that is weight you carry up a steep hill for no reason. Warungs at Paltuding sell drinks and coffee if you run out.

Snacks. Nuts, chocolate, a banana. Blood sugar drops at 03:00 after no sleep, and a snack at the rim while you wait for the light helps. Take your rubbish back down.

Cash in IDR, small notes. For the park fee (IDR 100,000 per foreigner on weekdays, 150,000 on weekends and public holidays, paid at the gate), coffee at the trailhead (IDR 10,000 to 15,000), the toilet, and a small sulphur carving from the miners if you want one. A trolley cart instead of walking is IDR 800,000 to 1,200,000 return and needs cash too.

Power bank and phone. Cold kills phone batteries. Keep the phone in an inside pocket and bring a power bank for the sunrise photos.

A small towel and a change of top. You sweat on the way up and freeze on the rim. Changing your base layer at the top, out of the wind, is a trick I learned from the miners.

Small backpack. 15 to 20 litres, with a hip strap if possible, so your hands are free on the crater path.

Rain jacket, November to March. Rain at the rim is rare between April and October and normal in the wet season. An umbrella is useless in the wind up there.

What not to bring

• Contact lenses. Glasses instead.
• Sandals, flip-flops or smooth-soled shoes.
• Big camera bags or tripods you are not sure you will use; the crater path is narrow.
• Drones. They are not allowed without a permit from the park office, and the rangers do check.
• Your suitcase. It stays locked in the car at the trailhead; only the small backpack goes up.
• Expectations of a guaranteed blue fire. It is burning sulphuric gas, it varies from night to night, and the rangers close the crater when the gas is bad. The hike, the sunrise and the lake are the tour; the fire is the bonus.

What my tour provides

• Private car with driver, hotel to hotel (pickup in Banyuwangi at 00:00, one hour to Paltuding).
• Gas mask with filter, one per person, and a headlamp.
• Me, walking with you at your pace and going down into the crater with you when it is open.
• Bottled water for the drive and blankets in the car.
• A briefing at the trailhead about the gas, the miners and the path, so nothing surprises you at 03:00.

Not included: the park fee, food and drinks, and the trolley if you use one. Those are listed on the tour page so there are no surprises there either.

One last thing

Sleep in the afternoon before. Most people who struggle at Ijen arrived in Banyuwangi at 18:00, ate late, and started walking at 02:00 on two hours’ sleep. Eat early, lie down by 20:00 even if you do not sleep, and the hill is much shorter.