Money & Costs
how to handle money in Java
Lena and Chris
East Java, Indonesia
Carry cash for everything rural. Entry fees, parking, warungs and trailhead tickets are cash-only — bring small notes, as change is often scarce.
QRIS is spreading in cities. Many Yogyakarta/Malang cafés and shops take QRIS scan-to-pay, but never rely on it outside urban centers.
Withdraw in towns, not villages. ATMs are reliable in Yogyakarta, Malang and Banyuwangi; top up before heading into the mountains. Note the ~IDR 25,000–50,000 foreign-card fee per withdrawal.
Budget for volcano tickets. Bromo (~IDR 220k–320k) and Ijen (~IDR 100k–150k + medical cert + mask) add up — factor these in, they dwarf the cheap waterfall fees.
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