Experience the best of Banyuwangi

Banyuwangi lies at the far east of Java, where the Bali Strait is only a few kilometres wide and ferries cross from the harbour at Ketapang. It is the homeland of the Osing people, whose dialect and customs differ from the rest of the island, and of the gandrung, a dance performed by a young woman in a gold-trimmed costume. Roads climb inland through coffee plantations towards the volcanoes.

The Ijen volcanic complex rises to the west, with a turquoise acid lake in its crater, where sulphur miners carry loads of yellow rock down the slope and where blue flames burn from escaping gas in the dark hours. Baluran National Park, in the north, is a dry savannah with banteng and deer, and Alas Purwo National Park, in the south, covers forest and the surf beach of Plengkung.

Rujak soto, a beef soup mixed with vegetables and a peanut sauce, and sego tempong, rice with fiery chilli sambal, fried fish and greens, are the dishes of Banyuwangi. The dry months from May to October bring the clearest weather on the volcano, and the wet season runs from November to April.