Ijen closed since 4 Sept 2026: what to do now
Kawah Ijen has been closed since 4 September 2026 after a fire reached the trail. No reopening date. Bromo is open since 20.08. What to do with the Ijen day instead.
Update: 7.09.2026. This post is a status page. The date above says how current it is; when Ijen reopens, this paragraph changes first.
Kawah Ijen has been closed since Friday 4 September 2026 and nobody has given a reopening date. The decision came from BBKSDA Jawa Timur, the park's administrator, in letter PG.2245/K.2-BIDTEK/KSA.04.01/B/9/2026 signed by Nur Patria Kurniawan. It applies "hingga waktu tidak ditentukan", meaning until further notice, and covers all visitors and all activities in the TWA and CA Kawah Ijen, sulphur mining included. If the blue fire is in your plan for the coming weeks, that day needs rebuilding, not waiting out at the gate.
What exactly is closed, and why
A fire, not an eruption. The fire in the Cagar Alam Merapi Ungup-ungup reserve (Banyuwangi regency) reached Pondok Bunder, a point on the ascent trail to Ijen. The estimated area around Pondok Bunder is about 20 ha; the total area had not been mapped as of 4.09. Volcanically Ijen is quiet: level I (Normal) on the PVMBG list read on 5.09.2026. So the alert map looks calm while the gate stays shut, because the park administration decides that, not the volcanologists.
Both zones are closed: the Taman Wisata Alam (the tourist part with the trail from Paltuding) and the Cagar Alam (strict reserve). The sulphur miners aren't going down into the crater either. The letter says nothing about refunds for tickets already bought and nothing about a change of tariff; the 150,000 IDR foreigner price formally stays as it was.
What nobody knows
The reopening date. It isn't in the letter, it isn't in the press, and I'm not going to guess it. Bromo was shut for 12 days in August 2026, but that's a different park, a different administrator and a different fire; that number tells you nothing about Ijen.
The second thing worth knowing: operators keep selling Ijen. On 5.09.2026 ijenbromotours.com was still promoting the package "BROMO IJEN TUMPAK SEWU TOUR FROM SURABAYA 4D3N" without a word about the closure (the page's last update: 19.08.2026). In August, with Bromo, it went exactly the same way, with operator sites running weeks behind. If someone sells you Ijen for a specific date, ask outright whether the park is open and get the answer in writing. Silence, or "it'll be fine", is also an answer.
What to do with the Ijen day
Start with what works. Bromo has been open since 20.08.2026 (00:01 WIB), all five gates, the 2,752-a-day quota unchanged. The caveat: nobody will promise you the crater rim, since PVMBG keeps level II and the 1 km radius; what you'll actually see after August's savanna fire is in Bromo after the 2026 fire: what you'll see and won't. The logistics of Bromo itself, without a tour, are in Mount Bromo without a tour.
In the 7-day plan from Volume 1 (Tom 1), Ijen is day seven, the last one. The simplest rebuild: that day stays in Banyuwangi or on the Malang side, and the blue fire waits for next time. Below are only places I cover in the book, because those I can stand behind.
On the Banyuwangi side:
- Baluran National Park, about 35 km north of Banyuwangi: savanna, banteng, Bama beach. Foreigner entry is 205,000 IDR through the main Batangan gate, the same price on weekdays and weekends. The park is closed on Mondays (except public holidays). The Banyuwangi–Surabaya bus stops at the gate.
- Pulau Merah, a red-sand beach about 60 km from Banyuwangi, 1.5–2 h by motorbike. Entry 8,000 IDR; waves of 0.5–2 m over sand rather than coral, so a decent place for a first surf lesson.
On the Malang side: Tumpak Sewu (a wall of cascades at the foot of Semeru) and Madakaripura (Java's tallest waterfall, 30 km from Cemoro Lawang, entry 53,500 IDR for foreigners, a guide mandatory since November 2025). Both have their own sections with directions in Volume 1.
One warning. Kawah Wurung near Bondowoso sits outside the closure zone (it's Perhutani land, not the TWA), but it burned itself on 26.08.2026, about 10 ha, and nobody has confirmed whether the road through Sempol is passable with the fire near Ijen still going. Don't plan on it without checking the day before.
How to check the status yourself
Three addresses, each for something different.
Ijen. BBKSDA Jawa Timur issues the decisions. Its website bbksdajatim.org was suspended on 5.09.2026 (the whole domain, including the old ticket system tiket.bbksdajatim.org), so look for announcements in the Indonesian press: ANTARA, detik and Kompas published the letter the same day it was issued. Search for "Kawah Ijen dibuka" and read the dates, not the headlines. Ijen tickets have moved to the government portal ayoketamannasional.kehutanan.go.id; if you can't buy a ticket there for your date, you have your answer without reading Indonesian.
Bromo. bromotenggersemeru.id, the official channel for TNBTS tickets and announcements. The site blocks automated requests, so open it by hand in a browser. The older bromotenggersemeru.org hasn't been updated since 24 February 2025, and the address bookingbromo.bromotenggersemeru.org, still copied around in guides, no longer exists.
Volcanoes. magma.esdm.go.id (PVMBG). This is where you check activity levels: Ijen I, Bromo II, Semeru III (read on 5.09.2026). But level I on Ijen doesn't open the gate; this map won't tell you about a wildfire.
What about the book
Volume 1 came out on 7.09.2026, three days after Ijen closed, and I'm not pretending otherwise. The book is in Polish (an English edition is in preparation). Ijen appears in 12 of its chapters; the Bromo and Ijen chapter warns that the park gets closed without notice, wildfires included, and says where to check the status. Buyers get PDF updates for 12 months on the same link, and I keep the current state of Ijen in this post. Volume 1: East Java in the shop. If you read English and are still planning a first trip, start with the free 5-day Java plan in English.
When the park reopens, the entry rules in Ijen blue fire: cost, mask and the 2 am start will apply again. Until then, treat that post as instructions for later.
Sources
- ANTARA Jatim, 4.09.2026: Kawasan TWA Kawah Ijen ditutup sementara akibat karhutla (Indonesian)
- detik, 4.09.2026: Cagar Merapi Ungup-ungup kebakaran, wisata Kawah Ijen ditutup total (Indonesian; quotes the letter number)
- Kompas, 4.09.2026: Kawah Ijen kebakaran, wisata ditutup sementara (Indonesian)
- PVMBG / MAGMA Indonesia: volcano activity levels (read 5.09.2026)
FAQ
Is Kawah Ijen open in September 2026?
No. BBKSDA Jawa Timur closed Kawah Ijen on 4 September 2026 by letter PG.2245/K.2-BIDTEK/KSA.04.01/B/9/2026, until further notice, for all visitors. The reason is a fire that reached Pondok Bunder on the ascent trail. As of 7.09.2026 no reopening date has been given.
Did Ijen erupt?
No. Volcanically Ijen is quiet: level I (Normal) on the PVMBG list read on 5.09.2026. The closure is about a wildfire: the fire in the Cagar Alam Merapi Ungup-ungup reserve covered about 20 ha around Pondok Bunder, and the total area had not been mapped as of 4.09.
Is Bromo closed too?
No. Bromo reopened on 20.08.2026 at 00:01 WIB, all five gates, quota 2,752 people per day. One caveat: PVMBG keeps level II and a 1 km no-go radius around the crater, so nobody can guarantee you the crater rim (the 249 steps).
What can I do instead of Ijen?
On the Banyuwangi side: Baluran National Park (205,000 IDR for a foreigner, closed on Mondays) or the Pulau Merah beach (8,000 IDR). On the Malang side: Tumpak Sewu and Madakaripura. Kawah Wurung sits outside the closure zone, but it burned itself on 26.08.2026, so don't plan on it without checking.