How to get from Bromo to Bali

Why visit Bali?

Ubud is the cultural capital of Bali — a fascinating mix of nature, historic temples, and traditional art and crafts. Its serene vibe and lush green landscape attract not only adventurers but also travellers looking for wellness and yoga retreats.

This upland town is home to the iconic Tegallalang Rice Terraces, a sacred monkey forest, the impressive Goa Gajah ancient caves, and an impressive art scene. Ubud’s famed art heritage dates back to the early 20th century, and it is arguably the most famous traditional arts hub in Southeast Asia.

There are 4 ways to travel the 240 kilometres (149 miles) from Bromo to Bali. You can choose between the bus, train, flight via Surabaya and flight via Malang. The journey takes 2 hours 5 minutes to 14 hours 30 minutes and the quickest way is by flight via Surabaya. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by train with tickets starting at 90,000 IDR ($5.50).

Travelling by train from Bromo to Bali is also possible from these three basecamps: Probolinggo, Malang, and Surabaya. The end destination of the train will be Ketapang (Banyuwangi). From here, you can take the ferry to Bali.

Unlike the bus option that already includes the ferry ride and drops you off at Denpasar in Bali, you will need to buy your own ferry ticket at Ketapang Harbour if you go by train. Then at Gilimanuk Port, you can take a taxi or bus to your destination in Bali.

From where to take the train?

Of all the basecamps, Probolinggo station is the closest to Bali and the train journey will take 4-5 hours. If you stay in Malang, only one train heads to Ketapang daily, which arrives at midnight and takes 2-3 hours more. From Surabaya, travel time to Ketapang is 1-2 hours longer than when coming from Probolinggo.

Staying in Cemoro Lawang? Then you’ll first need to take a taxi to Probolinggo, as this is the only Bromo base camp without a train station. In our opinion, Cemoro Lawang is still the best Bromo basecamp to stay at, so don’t let that put you off! The taxi ride from Cemoro Lawang to Probolino train station only takes about 1.5 hours.

The first step is to take a train to Ketapang Station in Banyuwangi. From this train station, the port is just a 10-minute walk.

There are five trains from Probolinggo Train Station to Ketapang Station daily. Travel time is about 3h 50m - 4h 40m and you can choose between economy and executive seats with fares starting from 30,000 IDR ($1.80).

It’s best to book your ticket online beforehand via tiket.com. You can also buy them at the train station, but if you buy them on the same day of your journey, chances are the cheaper seats are already sold out.

From Ketapang Station, you can reach Ketapang Harbour on foot in just 10 minutes.

If you are weighed down with heavy luggage, you can also take a taxi. Bear in mind the short distance and negotiate a price beforehand to avoid any expensive surprises.

The next step is a ferry ride from Ketapang Harbour to Gilimanuk Harbour on the northwestern tip of Bali.

As long as weather permits, the ASDP Ferry from Ketapang to Gilimanuk operates every hour, 24 hours a day. This is a car ferry, so you can also bring your motorcycle or car across to Bali.

The journey takes around 45 minutes and a ticket costs 10,000 IDR ($0.60).

You can book your ferry tickets via Ferizy or just simply buy them at the port. If you’re unable to book them ahead, you need to buy tickets from stalls outside the port for a slightly higher price. You will not be allowed entry at the port without the ticket.

Gilimanuk Port is located all the way in northwest of Bali. From here, it’s still a 3-hour drive to Canggu, 3.5-hour to Ubud and more than 4.5-hour drive to Uluwatu.

If you are heading to any of these destinations, you can choose between taking a taxi directly to your destination or taking the bus to Denpasar or Mengiwi.

By Taxi

If you have the budget for it, it’s possible to take a taxi from Gilimanuk Terminal all the way to your Bali destination. Expect to pay close to 1,000,000 IDR ($61) for popular destinations like Canggu, Seminyak or Ubud.

By Bus to Denpasar

From the port, Gilimanuk Bus Terminal is a just 10-minute walk. Here, you can take a bus going to Terminal Ubung in Denpasar. Tickets cost 50,000 IDR ($3.10) for the bus ride that takes around 3.5-4.5 hours.

You can then take a taxi from Terminal Ubung to your hotel in Bali. Expect to pay around 70,000 IDR ($4.30) – 100,000 IDR ($6.10) to Kuta, Seminyak or Canggu.

Bus schedule from Gilimanuk to Denpasar

By Bus to Mengwi

There are also buses from Gilimanuk to Mengwi Bus Terminal, which is more or less between Ubud and Canggu. A ticket costs around 65,000 IDR ($4) for the 3-hour bus ride. However, the last time we checked (March 2023), we couldn’t confirm the bus schedule for this route.

From Mengwi, you can book a Grab taxi to Ubud for around 50,000 IDR ($3.10), Canggu 80,000 IDR ($4.90) or Kuta for around 145,000 IDR ($8.90). The drive to Canggu and Ubud will take about 30-45 minutes and about 1 hour to Kuta.

Alternatively, you can pre-book the Perama Tour bus from Mengwi to Kuta with rates from 120,000 IDR ($7.30) on 12Go.Asia.

PRO TIP: Heading to northern Bali? From Gilimanuk, there is a direct bus service to Singaraja in North Bali. This passes through the main beach resort area of Lovina. Fares are from 45,000 IDR ($2.80) and it takes about 1.5 hours.

TIP: Relax and unwind at Sumberkima Hill Retreat

If you’ve just completed your overland journey through East Java, you’re likely in need of some relaxation time. Rather than hurrying off to one of Bali’s popular tourist spots, why not spend a few nights in the north of Bali and truly feel like you’re on vacation after a week of intense travel through Java?

Sumberkima Hill Retreat is the perfect place to experience real peace and enjoy stunning views of Ijen (and perhaps Bromo Volcano) simultaneously. In our Java to Bali itinerary, I’ve provided additional tips on how to kick off your adventure upon arrival in the north of Bali via ferry from Java.

If you already know where to go, don’t miss the chance to at least check out the Sumberkima Hill retreat on booking.com.

We only recommend taking the bus from Bromo to Bali if your base camp is in Probolinggo. From here, a combined bus and ferry ride to Bali takes around 12 hours to 14 hours 30 minutes.

Note that the bus option includes a 45-minute ferry crossing from Ketapang Harbour in Banyuwangi to Gilimanuk Port in Bali.

Several bus companies operate from Probolinggo to Bali. Titian Mas is a 35-seater bus, and the rest are 6, 11, and 14-seater minibuses.

Departure and arrival station

The buses have several departure and arrival points in Probolinggo and Bali. If you’re departing from the city centre in Probolinggo, you can use the filter option and select “Kota Probolinggo” on EasyBook.

We’ve shared below the buses going to Denpasar Kota, which is just a short taxi ride away from famous spots like Kuta and Seminyak. There are also buses heading to several other areas in Bali, such as Benoa, Nusa Dua, Padang Bai, Semarapura, and Singaraja.

If you are short on time, the quickest way to get from Bromo to Bali is clearly by plane. Pick either Surabaya or Malang as your basecamp so that you’ll be close to an airport after your climb to Bromo.

In Bali, the airport is close to many major tourist destinations, just 30 minutes to 1 hour away by car.

That means that including transfers to and from the airports, the flight journey will take only around 2 hours.

The downside of taking the plane is that you’ll have to skip other nearby attractions in the east of Java. We think a trip to East Java is not complete without seeing the blue fire of Mt. Ijen and the multi-tiered Sewu Waterfalls. You can easily make a side trip to these areas if you take the train or the bus.

If you prefer to travel from Bromo to Bali in one go, see here the steps to take from Surabaya. If you’re not in Surabaya yet, it will take around 1.5 hours to reach the airport from Malang or Probolingo.

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

The distance from Surabaya city centre to Juanda International Airport (Surabaya Airport) is about 20 km. To get there, you have two options: a 40-minute taxi or a 1-hour bus.

We recommend taking a taxi for a fast and direct journey. Rates are around 100,000 IDR ($6.10) if you take a Grab, Gojek or Bluebird taxi.

The bus is cheaper, but you’ll have to take two buses and they’re almost always full. From the city centre, the P1 bus will take you up to Purabaya Bus Terminal on the outskirts of Surabaya. From here, you can then take a Damri bus to Surabaya Airport. Total travel time is around 1 hour and combined fares start from 35,000 IDR ($2.10).

A flight from Surabaya to Bali takes only 55 minutes. Several carriers offer over a dozen flights for this route daily. Most of the time, you can get the cheapest airfares from Air Asia and Lion Air.

Airfares from Surabaya Airport to Bali Airport start from 500,000 IDR ($30.50).

From Bali Airport, you have 3 ways to get to any of the tourist destinations: a private transfer, a taxi, or a motorbike. Travel time is around 30-60 minutes to nearby destinations on the west coast (Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu), or around one hour south to Uluwatu or 1 hour to Ubud in the centre of Bali.

Booking a private transfer with Klook from Bali Airport is our preferred option. With this private transfer, you don’t have to deal with the endless number of drivers offering inflated taxi rates and instead will have drivers waiting for you at the arrival hall with your name on a sign.

Through Klook, you can get a secure and comfortable ride to the city with rates from 100,000 IDR ($6.10).

Alternatively, you can take an airport taxi, but expect to pay more. For an overview of the best ways to travel from the airport to the most popular destinations in Bali, check out our detailed guide for Bali Airport.

If you are already staying in Malang, taking a flight from this city is a convenient way to travel from Bromo to Bali.

However, all flights from Malang to Bali make a stop in Jakarta, making for a longer and more expensive flight.

Below, you find the steps of how to travel from Malang Airport. However, as there are currently no direct flights anymore to Bali, we recommend taking a 1-1.5 hour taxi to Surabaya Airport and taking a direct flight from Surabaya to Bali.

There is no public transportation available from Malang city centre to Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport (Malang Airport), so your only option is a taxi ride for 30 minutes. Rates start from 115,000 IDR ($7).

There used to be direct flights from Malang to Bali operating several days a week.

Unfortunately, all flights now make a stop at either Soekarno–Hatta or Halim Perdanakusuma airports in Jakarta. There are also flights with two stops with a layover in either Malaysia or Singapore.

The layover varies per flight, but the shortest flight from Malang to Bali takes about 4.5 hours. Airfares start from 2,000,000 IDR ($120).