Hiking

Yunomine… there’s no place like “onsen”!!!

TheYunomine Onsen is an integral part of the over 1000-year-old Kumano pilgrimage tradition, but in fact, this hot spring with its medicinal properties was found much earlier. Pilgrims performed hot water purification rituals in these piping hot mineral waters after their long journey in preparation to worship at Kumano Hongu Taisha.

The onsen, or hot springs as also the public baths (sento) have a long tradition in Japan and nowadays people still visit these places regularly. In the winter it’s a very good way to warm up the body and to relax the muscles.

In fact, apart from hiking and soak in the hot springs, Yunomine Onsen doesn’t have much to offer, but there is something in this small village nestled in a valley around the river where the sulfur hot waters emerge, that grab me and made me want to stay longer than I had initially thought.

There’s a kind of fairy tale atmosphere where the dim light of the cloudy winter days increases the sensation of being in an unreal place. The nights were rainy, and despite not being in a high altitude, November brings low temperatures during the night, creating a morning mist that takes hours to shed from the thickly overgrowing mountains that surround Yunomine.

Yunomine Onsen lives at a slow pace marked by the arrival of the local bus that brings new visitors and pilgrims, and by the hikers, that along the day slowly emerges from the forest. And Yunomine is a perfect place to recover from a hard and long hike, where it’s easy to connect with the rhythm of nature!

I confess that since the first time that I try the onsen in Japan I become really fond of it, and never lose a chance to try the hot springs if they are close by or easy to reach. It’s a very good way to warm up the body in the cold winter days but apart from that, there is also a relaxation feeling that can’t be reached in another way. It’s not just about relaxing the muscles but there also an interior relief, that many times come out as a sigh or deep breath.

But Tsuboyu, the oldest hot spring in Japan has something special. It’s basically a hole created by the rock in the river where the water emerges between the stones with a milky color and with a lot of floating things that look like cooked egg white, that are called Yu-no-hana, or hot spring flowers, that are floating white mineral deposits and that are a sign of the medicinal qualities of the water.

These waters are believed to have healing powers and they are also part of the purification ritual that the Kumano Kodo pilgrims perform on the way to Hongu Taisha.

The small wooden hut in the middle of the river is the **Tsuboyu** the Yunomine onsen, the oldest in Japan, and you can still bath in this natural pool that is considered a purification ritual before you reach Hongu Taisha

With Yunomine as a base point, there are several options for day hiking:

The easiest option is to make Akagi-goe trail (6km) until reach Akagi-goe junction (close by Hosshinmon Oji) and from there take the Nakahechi Trail to Kumano Hongu Taisha (10km), one of the most important shrines of Kumano Kodo; return to Yunomine by the short but steep trail of Dainichi-goe (3.5 km). Like this you can make a loop, starting and finish in the Yunomine Onsen, that doesn’t take you more than 4 hours.
IF you feel with more energy, hike the Nakahechi Trail, from Akagi-goe junction until the detour pass (Jagata-Jizo), which is about 6 km; it’s a bit more demanding as you also need to do the Akagi-goe trail (6 km more). Unfortunately, or not, to do this part of the trail you have to go back the same way, as there isn’t the possibility to make a loop or to find a bus along the way to return to Yunomine Onsen. It took me 7 hours in total so it’s better to start early morning if you are hiking in the short winter days.
The third option is to hike the part of the Nakahechi Trail that goes from the Hongu Taisha to Nashi Taisha. For that, you need to take the bus from Yunomine Onsen to Ukegawa, and that is the beginning of the second part of the trail, as the forest path suffers a break after Hongu Taisha. From Ukegawa it’s an easy walk until Koguchi, where you can find a bus that brings you back to Yunomine Onsen. It’s about 4 hours hike with gentle slopes.

See more at Kumano Kodo… walk the spiritual path?!

Kumano Hongu Taisha. The symbol of the Kumano Kodo is a crown with three legs.

At Yunomine there are three onsens:

Tsuboyu, a small wooden hut located in the river that cross the village; it’s a private onsen, which means that it’s for one person each time as there isn´t a gender separation: 780 ¥ and you can only stay for 30’ minutes… maybe it isn’t the most charming place but is, without doubt, the most special onsen that I try! Here you need to bring your own stuff, like soap and shampoo and there are not towels to rent or sell.
Medicine bath, it’s a small pool where the water is cooled down without being added cold water: 390 ¥. Here you can’t shower with soap or shampoo.
Public bath, have the hot spring water is cooled by adding cold water: 260 ¥

Check more details at: //www.tb-kumano.jp/en/onsen/yunomine/

Tsuboyu where the conditions are basic but provides a remarkable experience

But if you want something more sophisticated you can walk to Wataze Onsen (900 ¥), about 40 minutes from Yunomine and there you find a more sophisticated onsen, with a pool inside and 4 pools outside with water at different temperatures. There’s a small garden, and over the fence you can see the mountains. Soap, shampoo and conditioner are provided for free.

The Kawayu Onsen, in the river, is a bit far and didn’t have the opportunity to visit it.

Where to eat in Yunomine onsen:

Apparently, some of the ryokans have restaurants but I didn’t try as I found one place, very simple and informal that suite me perfectly.

It’s called Yunomune Tea House but doesn’t have the name in western characters (but has a menu in English with pictures) but is a small bamboo construction just behind the Toko-ji Temple. There you can find several noodle soups, all of them delicious (several vegetarian options), with the prices from 550 ¥ until 800 ¥. Opens everyday from 7a.m. until 5p.m. The owner is far from look friendly but is indeed a very nice and gentle person.

At Hongu Taisha you have many more options to buy food as also a bigger choice of restaurants.

Shopping for hiking in Yunomine onsen:

Yunomine doesn’t have many options for shopping. The small supermarket closes on Mondays and doesn’t open early, so you need to prepare your stuff in the day before if you want to start early the hiking day.

For fruit, tofu (here you can find goma-tofu, that is made with sesame), cookies, chocolates and snacks there is also a small grocery shop.

The J-Hoppers Guesthouse sells a few things that you can use as a dinner as also to bring with you to eat during the day when you hike. They sell eggs, instant soup, rice, etc…

How to go from Yunomine to Tanabe or Hongu Taisha:

See the detail schedule at Kumano Kodo… Spiritual path?!?!

How to more around Yunomine Onsen by bus:

Kumano Kodo… walking the spiritual path?!

The Kumano Kodo is and ancient pilgrimage trails, with more than 1000 years, that link the three main shrines in Kii Peninsula: Hongu Taisha, Nachi Taisha and Hayatama Taisha, that since 2004 are classified as World Heritage by UNESCO as “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes of the Kii Mountain Range” that also includes the pilgrimage routes of Kumano Kodo that link these three holy places as also Koyasan.

Nowadays, Kumano Kodo is attracting more and more visitors from all over the world, most of them, more connected with the hiking experience than with the spiritual purification of a pilgrimage.

The Nakahechi trail is the most popular of the different routes of Kumano Kodo to reach Hongu Taisha, and starts in Takijiri Oji, located about 30 minutes by bus from Kii-Tanabe and ends at Nashi Taisha, also an important shrine, on the other side of the Kii Peninsula, the south most part of the Wakayama Prefecture.

Most of the people do the 30 km between Takijiri Oji andHongu Taisha in two days sleeping in Chikatsuya Oji, a small village with a few accommodations, and return to Tanabe by bus.

I choose a different strategy, considering my budget, the season (at the end of November the days are short) and the weather conditions as in the winter this area receives rain often… but also had to have in consideration the availability of the accommodations, that force me sometimes to change my travel plans, as in the weekends some areas are fully booked with only rooms left in the top range hotels.

So I use Tanabe as a base point of the first part of the Nakahechi Trail and then move to Yunomine Onsen to do the second part until Hongu Taisha, as also some secondary trails.

Kumano Kodo first stage: Tanabe

Starting early from Tanabe, where it’s easy to find budget accommodations, it’s possible to do the 23 km of the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Trail, from Takijiri Oji until the detour pass, overcomingChikatsuya Oji and return by bus to Tanabe in the same day. I finish the first hiking stage where the Nakahechi Trail makes a detour in the result of rock instability provoked by a typhoon in 2011, that force to close this part of the Kumano Kodo trail, more or less, forever…

But in fact, the most interesting part of the Nakahechi Trail that I did in this first day, was from Takijiri Oji until Chikatsuya Oji, as from there, most of the trail leaves the narrow mountain trails and goes along a paved road, with houses and cars, pushing away the mystic experience of walking in the deep forest.

The first kilometer of the trail is particularly steep until you reach Tsurugi Sutra Mound, but from there, despite the constants up and down the hill, you can experience some flat areas that are easy to walk providing an opportunity to enjoy more the surrounding natures.

But, the most
challenging parts of the trail are also the ones that give the chance to face
fears and overcome anxieties, offering an opportunity to go inwards and to
reconnect... and the nature that surrounds us along this trail, dominated by
massive cedar and pine trees creates the perfect environment to do inwards and reconnect
with our being.

Along the way, many signs help you in orientation and it’s almost impossible to get lost along the trail, but watch out when the trail crosses the road, as sometimes the sign that points you the way is not so easily visible. As a tip, look to the pavement and you’ll find a stone path that leads you to the trail again.

Every 500 meters they’ve numbered marks that are also marked in the map (you must get one in the information point, in Osaka, Koyasan, Tanabe or somewhere else) that help you with orientation… sometimes these marks look that are almost two kilometers away from each other, but not! It’s just your tricky mind!!!

Kumano Kodo second stage: Yunomine onsen

The second stop of this Kumano Kodo experience was in Yunomine Onsen, considered the most ancient hot spring in Japan, with about 1800 years. Yunomine is not properly part of the pilgrimage route, but its location close by the Hongu Taisha that it became part of the experience as also a treat after a day of hiking.

With Yunomine as a base point, I did two days of hiking. The first one was to make 10 km more of the Nakahechi Trail from Akagi-goe junction (Hosshinmon Oji) until Kumano Hongu Taisha, one of the most important shrines of Kumano Kodo.

To reach Nakahechi Trail from Yunomine you must hike the Akagi-goe (6 km) and on the return, you can enjoy the short but steep trail of Dainichi-goe (3.5 km). Like this you can make a loop, starting and finish in the Yunomine Onsen, that doesn’t take you more than 4 hours. This is an easy hike, that you don’t need to start very early and don’t need to rush. It has steep parts but offers very beautiful and impressive views, as you are deep inside the forest, surrounded by tall cedar trees whose high dense canopy filter the low winter light, creating a sense of isolation.

On the second day I did the missing part of the Nakahechi Trail, from the detour pass (Jagata-Jizo) until the Akagi-goe junction, which is about 6 km, but end up being more demanding as you also need to do the Akagi-goe trail (6 km more). Unfortunately, or not, to do this part of the trail you have to go back the same way, as there isn’t the possibility to make a loop or to find a bus along the way to return to Yunomine Onsen…. but in the other hand you can enjoy the trail from a different perspective, and for sure you’ll spot thing that you didn’t saw before!!!

It’s a more demanding hike with long steep parts, practically to reach the Mikoshi-toge pass, so it’s better to get out of the bed early. But starting early morning, just a bit before the sunrise also bring great rewards, as you can spot monkeys and even dears, that at that time walk in the mountains before the arriving of the hikers. In the winter, the mornings start with the mist that very slowly comes off the forest.

Like this, I completed the Nakahechi Trail, from Takijiri Oji until Hongu Taisha, that is about 38 km… and had the amazing experience of the soak in the sulfur water of Yunomine Onsen!!!

Along the trails, there are several shrines where the pilgrims worship and play purification rituals “to rid one’s body and Sprit of impurities from past and present lives and to be ritually reborn and rejuvenated by the virtuous powers of Kumano deities”, mainly connected with Shinto religion, but where the images of Buddha are also present, as this deity was easily incorporated in the Shintoism. According to the tradition, evil spirits sometimes overcomes travelers in this area, and along the Kumano trails there are many stone craving statues of Jizo, a Buddhist deity who is the savior and protector of children and travelers. Many visitors make a brief stop in front of these statues to pay tribute to these entities, bowing and praying according to the Shinto rituals.

The pilgrimage it’s a path, usually hard and with obstacles, which are a way to test the confidence in yourself or in a spiritual entity and overcome your own blockages.
Spiritual or not, Kumano Kodo is a great place to be in contact with nature, observing the stillness of the tress and the quietness that warp these mountains where the sun hardly through the compact tree canopy that retain for hour the mist of winter mornings.

Along the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Trail you can find stamps at significant points of the trail, connected with shrines or statues. The stamps are inside small houses that are easy to spot, and you help yourself stamping your passport. You can get the official pilgrim passport at Kumano Travel offices, or in alternative at the entrance of the trail, in Takijiri Oji, although this one is not valid if you want to have the “completion of pilgrimage” official stamp of the Dual Pilgrim that connect Kumano Kodo with Camino de Santiago.

Official or not, it’s funny to find the stamps and slowly fill up the “passport”; it’s also a good souvenir from your experience as a pilgrim in Kumano Kodo.

Along the way, you’ll find toilets and places to rest (some of them covered), but drinking water is not so easily available.

At the tourist information offices in Osaka, Tanabe and Koyasan, as also in some hostels and guesthouses in the area of Kumano Kodo, you’ll find a booklet with all the detailed information about the Kumano Kodo trails. There’s one booklet for each trail, with maps, trail altitude graphics and all the detail information that you need while hiking. You can download The Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Trail here.

At Hongu Taisha, after finishing the first part of the Nakahechi Trail you can enjoy the “moude mochi” a red bean glutinous rice cake, dusted with brown rice powder which represents the Kumano spirits of warmth and humbleness that can only be found close by one of the three holy shrine of Kumano. It’s served with *matcha* and eaten with the help of a small carved wood stick.

Check for more detail information at Kumano Travel website:

Where to sleep in Tanabe:

Despite the lack of interesting things to do in Tanabe, in this city I had one of the best stays in Japan. The Buddha Guest House, located a few minutes from the Kii-Tanabe station is a lovely traditional wooden Japanese house, located in a residential neighborhood. There are three rooms, all shared, where you sleep in a mattress over the traditional tatamis. I found it very comfortable and cozy. There’s also a small backyard and a very independent cat in the house! Laundry (100 ¥) and kitchen facilities are available. 2300 ¥ per night.

Here, I confess that felt at home… and most of the time I have the house all for myself!!… but This guesthouse as also Tanabe in general is not the place if you look for some social life.

See more at Tanabe… the starting point of the Kumano Kodo

Where to sleep in Yunomine onsen:

Yunomine is a small settlement along the road that runs parallel to a small river where the hot spring is located. There’s one small supermarket, one small grocery shop, one small restaurant… and onsens!!!

There are many accommodations in Yunomine; basically most of the buildings are accommodations, but the majority is ryokans style that provides also meals and has their own onsen. In terms of guesthouses or hostel with dorms, there isn’t much offer but the J-Hoppers Yunomine is an exception… and a good exception, as it offers very good conditions, with a big kitchen as a nice and a comfortable living room that is a good place to socialize a bit during the long winter evenings. In the evening there’s cooked rice for free, and rice porridge in the morning.

This guesthouse has three private onsen (basically the showers are there) with one of then open air. It’s great to wake up early morning and enjoy the relaxing inside the high temperature water while listening to the rain hit gently the roof.

Where to eat in Yunomine onsen:

Apparently, some of the ryokans have restaurants but I didn’t try as I found one place, very simple and informal that suite me perfectly.

It doesn’t have the name in western characters (but has a menu in English with pictures) but is a small bamboo construction just behind the Yunomine temple. There you can find several noodle soups, all of them delicious (several vegetarian options), with the prices from 550 ¥ until 800 ¥. Opens everyday from 7a.m. until 5p.m. The owner is far from look friendly but is indeed a very nice and gentle person.

In Hongu Taisha you have many more options to buy food as also a bigger choice of restaurants.

Shopping for hiking in Yunomine onsen:

For fruit, tofu (here you can find goma-tofu, that is made with sesame), cookies, chocolates and snacks there is also a small grocery shop.

The J-Hoppers Guesthouse sells a few things that you can use as a dinner as also to bring with you to eat during the day when you hike. They sell eggs, instant soup, rice, etc…

How to go from Yunomine back to Tanabe or Hongu Taisha:

How to more around Yunomine Onsen by bus:

(link)

Luggage store and luggage delivery:

Most of the foreigners do the Kumano Kodo on foot, doing all the trails with a backpack and sleeping along the way. Between the Japanese is more common come by car and visit some of the shrines that easy to reach by the road along the Kumano Kodo.

I found it difficult to do it with my 12 kg backpack, so I choose two places as a base point for daily hikes… I wish I had more time to do all the Nakahechi Trail until Nashi Taisha!!!

But there are other options: or you can leave your luggage at the guesthouse and hike for a couple of days or so, and then come back to pick the stuff… or you can hire the services that drop-off your luggage at specific places. Ask more details at Kumano Travel (Tanabe) or on their website.

Tanabe… the starting point of Kumano Kodo

Tanabe is the second biggest city in Wakayama Prefecture, but this doesn’t offer any enthusiastic lifestyle, being a quiet place where the streets are empty most of the time. Still, it was a good base point to do part of the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Trail.

Kumano Kodo is an ancient pilgrimage trails with more than 1000 years, that link the three main shrines in this area: Hongu Taisha, Nachi Taisha and Hayatama Taisha, that since 2004 are classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, attracting more and more visitors from all over the world. Along the trails, there are several shrines where the pilgrims worship and perform purification rituals, mainly connected with the Shinto religion.

The symbol of Kumano Kodo: a crown with three legs

Most of the people do the 30 km between Takijiri Oji andHongu Taisha in two days sleeping in Chikatsuya Oji, a small village with a few accommodations, and return to Tanabe by bus.

I choose a different strategy, considering my budget as also the weather conditions (in the winter this area receives rain often)… and the availability of the accommodations, that force me sometimes to change my travel plans, as in the weekends some areas are fully booked with only rooms left in the top range hotels.

So I stayed in Kii-Tanabe, and did the 23 km of the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Trail, overcoming Chikatsuya Oji and return by bus to Tanabe in the same day, as here it’s easy to find budget accommodations and meals. On this first day, I finish the hiking where the Nakahechi Trail makes a detour in the result of rock instability provoked by a typhoon in 2011, that force to close this part of the Kumano Kodo trail, more or less, forever… This hike took me 8 hours.

After, I move by bus to Yunomine Onsen and stayed there to do 8 km more of the Nakahechi Trailuntil Kumano Hongu Taisha, one of the most important shrines of Kumano Kodo. To reach Nakahechi Trail from Yunomine you must hike the Akagi-goe and on the return, you can enjoy the short but steep trail of Dainichi-goe. Like this you can make a look, starting and finish in the Yunomine Onsen, that don’t take you more than 4 hours.

Yunomine was also the base point to complete the final part of the Nakahechi Trail, before reach Hongu Taisha. From Jagata-oji to the intersection with the Akagi-goe there are not more than 4.2 km but it took me 6 hours do do it, as you can’t use buses for the return trip or can’t also do it as loop, so you need the return thought the same way.

marks along the Nakahechi Trail, every 500 meters

The purification by water is one of the most common rituals of the Shintu religion, and as Tanabe, located by the sea is a starting point for the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage, here the ritual is performed with salt water

See more at:

Kumano Kodo… the Nakahechi Trail

How to go from Koyasan to Tanabe by bus:

check this link

Where to sleep in Tanabe:

Despite the lack of interesting things to do in Tanabe, in this city I had one of the best stays in Japan. The Buddha Guest House, located a few minutes from the Kii-Tanabe station is a lovely traditional wooden Japanese house, located in a residential neighborhood. There are three rooms, all shared, where you sleep in a mattress over the traditional tatamis. I found it very comfortable and cozy. There’s also a small backyard and a very independent cat in the house! Laundry (100¥) and kitchen facilities are available. 2300 ¥ per night.

Here, I confess that felt at home… and most of the time I have the house all for myself!!

Where to eat in Tanabe:

Most of the Tanabe restaurants are concentrated in an area called Ajikoji, where scattered along narrow and mazy streets you can find also bars, more properly “izakaya” that is a type of restaurant that also serves alcohol, mostly sake and beers. I try the Ichiyoshi, which has an English menu, with many vegetarian and even vegan options. The food was delicious and a meal costs around 1200 ¥.

Most of the izakaya style restaurants only open for dinner. So if you want to have a simple meal during the day, in a local environment, they’re a small eatery on the main street from the station called “barg” but without a sign in western characters. It’s just next to a pharmacy and serves warm udon with raw egg and butter, for 350 ¥. Looks vulgar but it was so much tasty that the usual udon!

Tourist information center in Tanabe:

At the Kii-Tanabe station you have the tourist information center that can give you good orientation about the Kumano Kodo trails as well about the Wakayama province.

There you can also get the schedule of the buses in the Kumano Kodo area, from Tanabe until Shingu, passing by Yunomine Onsen and Hongu Taisha, as well as prices and schedules about long distance buses to Osaka and Kyoto (departing from the bus terminal just in from of the train station).

How to go from Tanabe to Osaka and Kyoto:

How to go from Yunomine to Osaka and Kyoto

Yakushima… like a dream!

Looking for a magic place?!?! Japan has a lot of beautiful landscapes, but Yakushima Island exceeded expectations. It’s like a dream, a fairytale…

By some mysterious reasons, there are places, located a thousand kilometers away at different latitudes, that look that are connected by a strange bound, sharing the almost the same scenery and offering similar experiences… like the Living Root bridges of Nongriat, in India and the Mossy Forest of Gunung Brinchang, in Malaysia.

Yakushima, an island located south from Kagoshima Prefecture don’t have more than 100 km perimeter if you go along the road that goes all around the island, and its basically mountains, covered by a dense green forest, where the populations only occupy some small places along the coast. All the interior of the island remains almost untouched.

Basically there only two roads that go inside the island: one to Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine and the other one to Yakusugi Land, that also gives access to Arakawa trail, to reach the famous Jomon Sugi (the oldest tree in the island, and one of the oldest in the world) that is also the highest peak on Yakushima, at an elevation of 1,934 m.

This island is basically all covered with cedars trees and here you can find specimens with more than 1000 years, and the oldest are sign along the trails. One of the most famous, apart from Jomo Sugi, is the Kigensugi Cedar that has an estimated age of 3000 years, or the Buddha Cedar with 1800 years.

The Shiratani is famous for the moss covered forest, an area with more humidity (even more than the rest of Yakushima), but walking further you can reach a high point the Taikoiwa Rock from where you can have a wide view… and see finally the sunlight (in a clear day) as the forest here is so dense that is hard to see the sun!

The main village in Yakushima is Miyanoura and is where you’ll arrive if you choose to come by ferry (the Yakushima 2 or the Hibiscus). Here is also where you can find a bigger concentration of restaurants and supermarkets, as well the tourist information (there also one Tourist office at the exit of the airport as also close by Anbo harbor).

To visit Ohkono-taki waterfall, you only have one bus that goes there. Its departure from Miyanoura at 8:41, arrives at 10:22 and returns from the waterfall at 11:00. So this is the only schedule possible, otherwise, you need to walk from the previous stop Kuriobashi. It´s time enough to visit the waterfall.

On the way back I stop at Nakama beach and also check the Nakama Gajumaru Banyan, a group of ficus trees whose roots are connected, forming an arch. It’s nothing impressive especially after you walk along the Yakushima trails, and force you to break the bus trip from Ohkono-taki waterfall, forcing two hours waiting for the next bus.

Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine trail

One way: departure at 8:10 and arrives at Shiratani at 8:45… but you don’t need to start so early and there’s a more convenient bus at 10:45, that allow you to hick all the courses and finish on time of the last bus.
Return: the bus’s last departure from Shiratani at 16:10 and take about 30, to arrive at Miyanoura.
There are 3 trails in Shiratani. The longest takes you to the Taikoiwa Rock, passing by the moss covered forest and is the most interesting of all. The other long trail, takes you to the Sanbon-yarisugi cedar, passing by several of very old cedar trees. The short course it’s very easy as most of it is steps and paved trail to reach the Yayoisugi Cedar.
This is a good option if you arrive at Yakushima early in the morning in the Hibiscus ferry, as it gives time to reach the guesthouse, get information in the tourist office (open at 9am) as well the bus pass and still have time to go to the supermarket (also open at 9am, and it’s close from the tourist information building) to buy some food for the hick.
Fee for Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine: 500 ¥

Yakusugi Land trail plus the visit to Kigensugi Cedar, 6 km further

In fact, Yakusugi means trees with more than 1000 years old and in this area there a big concentration of these old cedar trees.

Inside Yakusugi Land you have five different trails, a couple of them with about 1km, that are paved and easy to walk; the longest one as 4.4km, basically going up and down the hills using the tree roots as steps. The longest trail includes almost all the length of the shorter ones. It’s an easy walk that took me 4 hours with several stops for photos and to enjoy the views.

But after doing the long trail I realize that I wouldn’t have time to reach Kigensugi Cedar on time to catch the last bus to return. So hitchhiking and was lucky with one of the few cars that do that road.

If you are in Miyanoura, these are the possible bus schedules to visit Yakusugi:

One way: departure at 8:41, and change at Gochome at 9:20 to another bus that reachs at Yakusugi at 10:07.
Return: departure at 15:15, arrive at Gochome at 15:58, and then you need to wait until 16:32 for the bus to Miyanoura.
This schedule allows you to walk along all the trails without a rush. You can also start later (12:51) or leave from Yakusugi earlier (11:05).
Fee for Yakusugi Land: 500 ¥

But the most famous trail is Jomo Sugi, an 11.5 km trail that reaches the 1300m, starting in Arakawa. It takes all day, and in the wintertime the days are short… so I didn’t’ even try… maybe next time. You need to departure from Miyanoura (this bus starts at Sea Side Hotel, stop number 19) around 4:45 to catch the fist bus to Shinenkan, and there change bus at 6:00 to Arakawa Tozanguichi that takes just 35 minutes. To return you must be at the bus stop at Arakawa at 15:30… maybe too short to hike 11 km!??!?

Onoaida Onsen:

There is about 8 onsen (natural hot springs) in Yakushima, most of them are in the sea… as it was November, thes options didn’t show up much pleasant, despite the winter in Yakuhima being more gentle that in other parts of Japan.

But couldn’t resist to visiting twice the Onoaida onsen, located on the south coast of Yakushima, being the most famous of all the onsen between the local population. The poll isn’t that big, but the water is so warm that no one can stay there for more than a couple of minutes. You can see the bubbles from the sulfur hot spring coming from the bottom of the poll between the basalt pebbles.

Here people use more the water from the hot spring to wash rather than using the shower, pouring buckets of water over the body from the pool.

Onoaida onsen is located a bit away from the main road, close by the forest, but doesn’t have any exterior pool. The building, all made in wood with a high ceiling, where the floor and wall are covers by the black volcanic rock, offers a cozy ambiance, where you can try to interact with the local population, and relax from a hiking day!!

I also try the Kusugawa onsen but doesn’t recommend, is it’s more like a public bath with warm tap water, in a dodgy building.

After a hike, there’s nothing better than a very hot bath, and the onsen provides that treat!!!! You end up almost melting on the way back to your guesthouse.

Fee: 200¥ but you need to bring a towel and soap.

How to move around Yakushima by bus:

In fact, the main issue that I face in Yakushima was transportation. Some buses go around the island, from Nagata to Ohkono-taki waterfall, but they are not very frequent with sometimes gaps of 2 hours and finish very early.

So this can really be an obstacle to explore the island, making short hikes of 4 hours, like Yakusugi Land and Shiratani-trail, take you all day, as you probably need to wait more than one hour for the bus back. So basically you need one day for each of the trails… and depending on your location, and one extra day more to the visit the Ohkono-taki waterfall.

Here is some info about buses in Yakushima:

Kotsu Bus Pass: the bus is the only way to move around Yakushima, but this service é scarce, with several places having only two buses a day. Apart from that, the bus is expensive, as a trip around the island (from Okonotaki waterfall to Miyanoura) costs 1900 ¥. So it’s better to get the bus Kotsu Pass, that allows an unlimited number of trip, with several options:
- 1 day: 2000 ¥
- 3 day: 3000 ¥
- 4 day: 4000 ¥
You can get the Kotsu Bus Pass at the Information office of Miyanoura, Ambo Port and the Airport; at Miyanoura, the Yakushima Visitor Center (a kind of souvenir shop located on the left side of the main road, about 100m further from the Information Center, but this shop opens earlier, at 8 am) and also at the Youth Hostel.
It’s easy to navigate by bus as all the stops have a number that is also in the bus schedule.

More information about the bus schedule at:

//yakukan.jp/doc/pdf/2019gw_yakuko_en.pdf

Where to sleep in Yakushima:

I choose to stay at Miyanoura. It’s not a charming place but it very close to the harbor, which reveals convenient when arriving and departures as you don’t need to de dependent on the buses. Miyanoura, wherever you stay, it’s a walking distance from the harbor.

I stayed at Sudomari Minshuku Friend, It’s a local guesthouse, with traditional Japanese shared rooms, some with beds others with tatamis. A quiet place where I felt at home. Laundry is for free and you can use the kitchen. The manager is very friendly but doesn’t speak much English, so you can’t count much on him to get help with how to move around. It’s continentally located just in front of one Kotsu bus stops and it’s about 1.2km from the Hibiscus Ferry port. 3300 ¥ a night.

Where to eat in Yakushima:

As an Island, Yakushima speciality is the fish, and there are several restaurants in Miyanoura, but some of them only open for lunch.

The supermarket (there are two) are a good option if you need to buy food for the hiking. Some places offer bento box but the price is a bit high.

At the Community Plaza, a small shop located a few meters further from Sudomari Minshuku Friend Guest House, they serve also food for a very cheap price. The usual dish is curry (meat) but if you are in the mood for a snack you can try the sweet potato set, that also include a tea and a delicious sweet, also made form sweet potato… only 100 ¥ (it closes around 4pm).

Things to know when you arrive at Yakushima:

The tourist information in Miyanoura, that you gonna find on the right side of the road when you leave from the harbor, has the door closed with a sign “closed today”; go around the building (along the left side), as the main door is the opposite side; the Information office is open from 9 am until 5 pm, everyday. Here you can get the maps of the trails, the bus schedule as also the Kotsu Bus Pass.
There are two big supermarkets at Miyanoura, and they are open from 9 am until 10 pm; there you can find ready-made meals for taking away.
Money: It’s better to get cash before the trip, as in Yakushima the only ATMs are in the post office spread along the island, but they charge 220 ¥ commission for each withdraws.

How to reach Yakushima by ferry boat:

steppingoutofbabylon.com/en/2019/11/how-to-go-from-kagoshima-to-yakushima-by-ferry/(opens in a new tab)

Yanding Natural Park… more than beautiful

(English version from the text posted in Jun/2014)

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Dao Cheng is also a starting point for anyone planning to visit the Yading Natural Park, popular for its mountainous landscapes whose snow-capped peaks frame valleys of spring vegetation, where the Gongga Silver River gently winds.

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Throughout the park there are several rails, all properly identified and where a great part of the route that begins next to the Chonggu Temple, is made in wooden or metal platforms that accompany the ground, facilitating ascents and descents with steps and smooth ramps. From these structures, it’s possible to reach Luorong Pasture and take a walk to the Milk Lake located at 4600 meters of altitude and which is one of the main attractions of the park.

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The whole area of the park is well organised with information, maps, rest areas, bathrooms …. practically all the rails can be visited without great effort but without great space for adventure, but where the constant human presence does not take away Beauty to the stunning scenery.

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Percurso de bus entre Doa Cheng e Yading, numa zona onde a grande altitude fazem gelar as noites e inibem a vegetação de crescer mais do que uns poucos centímetros acima do solo — bus trip between Doa Cheng and Yading

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Percurso de bus entre Doa Cheng e Yading — Bus trip between Doa Cheng and Yading

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Povoação de Allan, a ultima antes de chegar à entrada do Parque Natural — Allan, last stop before the Natural Park

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Percurso entre a bilheteira e a entrada no parque natural que é obrigatoriamente efectuado em autocarros disponibilizados pela organização — Yanding Natural Park

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Parque Natural de Yading — Yanding Natural Park

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How to reach Yanding Natural Park

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Bus from Dao Cheng to Yading (the buses starts from Dao Cheng bus terminal, in the center of the city): 7 AM; 10 AM; 14 PM; 17 PM.

Cost: 50 yuan.

For the same price you can use the service of mini-vans and shared taxis, whose drivers gathered in front of the bus terminal, charge the same value but don’t have a fixe schedule, departing when they have the car full; however the mornings always the most favorable time to try to find transportation. If you chose to make the trip to Yading in the evening you may lose the beautiful landscape on the way.

Entry ticket: 150 yuan + 120 yuan for the bus from the Visitor Center to the Park entrance, Chonggu Temple, around 37 km; It’s impossible to buy these ticket separately; the ticket valid for one day; it’s possible to buy two days ticket.
Transport inside the park: 50 yuan or 80 yuan, return ticket, to make approximately 6.5 km in electric car that leaves the visitors in the end of the metal and wooden paths constructed along the river valley; this journey take less than 2 hours;
Transport by donkey from Luorong Pasture to the Milk Lake: 300 yuan; the other option is to make it hilling that takes about 4 hours, both ways.
The last bus leaving the Park, Chonggu Temple, to the Visitor Centre is at 17 PM.
Bus from the Visitor Center to Dao Cheng: 10 AM and 17 PM; the other option are the mini-vans and the shared-taxis taht cost from 50 to 100 yuan.
Lodging: You can stay lodged in Yading, close to the Visitor Centre, or alternatively in the small village of Aden in the middle of the mountain, between the Park entrance, Chonggu Temple, and Yading.

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Xiannairi Snow Peak: 6032 m de altitude

Bromo… the breath of the earth

Feeling blessed fro this experience and pound of overcome some hard parts of the path, the dark cold of the night and the tiredness of a long-long hike, without giving up.

Arriving at Bromo, listening to the sound that comes from the center of the crater, a mix of boiling water with the sound from an earthquake… the breading of the earth. Such a power… such a memorable experience.

But the extraordinary moments lived in this visit to the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park started early in the morning, when before the first sun rays climb up the mountains, with the dawn light revealing a unreal landscape where the base of the three mountains – Bromo, Kursi and Batok – emerge from a thick layer of white clouds, giving the impression that these mountains are float in a cotton candy mattress.

But with the daylight the mantle of clouds slowly vanish, exposing a flat green plain, that is itself a center of an old volcano, which walls were almost all erased by erosion, but the one that is clearly visible is the location of Cemoro Lawang village.

The lava naked cone of Bromo volcano, emerge majestic and powerful in the lunar landscape, and the white dense smoke that comes from the crater reminds us this volcano is alive and can show is power at any moment!

Around there’s a wide and desert plain of black volcanic sand were a few plants try to survive… walking in this emptiness brings the feeling of total freedom, no boundaries, no limits… not even a footpath to follow!!!

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Selling flowers to trow to the Bromo crater to pacify the volcano

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Visit Bromo Volcano… DIY:

To visit Bromo National Park you don’t need a guide or a tour, but you need to walk a lot!!!!!… let’s say around 20 kilometers if you want to see the sun rise at the viewpoint and then go down to visit the volcano in the same day… is doable! I start at 4 a.m. and finish at 10.30 a.m. But don’t worry, ojeks (moto-taxi) are available everywhere, so if you start on foot and you feel that this hike is too hard you can get one ojek to save you some kilometers from your legs.

Jeep tours can be arranged at the guesthouses in Cemoro Lawang, but most of the people arrive here in tours from Malang and some from Probolindo (don’t recommend Probolingo as the city is famous for scams).

You don’t need special gear, just comfortable sneakers and warm clothes. It’s better to dress several layers that you can take off as the day warm’s up. Also, be prepared for the rain if you are visiting Bromo around April.
You need a ticket that cost 10.000 Rp. I couldn’t find the ticket counter and the guys also didn’t found me…
I start at 4 a.m. but need to walk fast to reach the summit of the hill nearby Cemoro Lawang, where you have the top view point… so is better leave the village around 3:30 a.m.
Walk along the road until the last viewpoint where you find some stalls (Mount Pananjakan). The road can be busy with traffic because almost everybody goes up by jeep. Most of the people stop here, on the end of the road, but you can keep walking up along a staircase. After, the path is not clear and the first part is a bit difficult, where I need the help of my hands to climb up, but after the hike get’s easier, always up in a kind of zigzag until you reach the top
On the top of the hill, there’s a viewpoint with a kind of cement fence. Here is an amazing spot to watch the sunrise, Bromo and the nearby hills, as you probably arrive already with some daylight.
After the sunrise, I could see clearly the volcano and the valley but just for a few minutes, because the fog starts to close the view. But when I was almost ready to leave, suddenly the all the fog vanish and the sunrays light the landscape. The view was perfect.
I weather is very unpredictable here and the conditions change quickly. In April the mornings were mostly sunny but around noon the rain starts, sometimes with thunders… other times is just a thick fog.
When you are done with the views of Bromo, is time to come down and walk to the crater. There are two options:
- the shortest one is to go back to Cemoro Lawang and from there cross the plain to reach the volcano.
- The other option is to go down along the road on the other side of the hill, a pavement road that ends in the plain area. Is a long walk, around 7.2 km but always downhill, with some parts very steep.

Anyway, at this road there are several ojeks waiting to help if you feel that is too much walk. There are several viewpoints where you can grab a coffee, instant noodle soup or some food, and have some rest.

Crossing the plain is the easiest part. Here you’ll also find a few basic food stalls.
When you arrive close to the Bromo, you’ll pass by the temple (Pura Luhur Poten Gunung Bromo) nothing special if you already have been in Bali.
From here you need to climb a bit to reach the staircase to the top of the crater. There are horses to help you to reach until the stairs.
You can walk along the crater rim, but a certain point the path gets narrow…. didn’t walk further because I found it danger as there is no protection on the active crater side.
Now is time to go down… walk along the plain but now in the direction to Cemoro Lawang… is a very nice walk and you don’t even need to follow the path of the cars.
The last part is the worst, as you need to climb a steep road back to Cemoro Lawang… it doesn’t have more than 800 m, but look steeper for my tired legs.

So all this takes more than 6.5h, but cost you nothing and you can enjoy the view as long as you want.

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ojek (moto-taxi) drivers wait for people along the way that goes from the sunrise viewpoint to the Bromo volcano

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About Cemoro Lawang:

Cemoro Lawang (pronounces chemoro) could be just one more rural small village at the end of the road, but due to the proximity to the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, which entrance starts in the village, become a tourist destination, particularly for visitors that want to visit Bromo independently, without a tour.

And Cemoro Lawang doesn’t have much than a few houses, some homestays, hotel and guesthouses, a few eateries and a couple of groceries shops. Around, away from the tropical climate from the lower lands, all the fields were planted with onions and cabbages!!!

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Where to sleep in Cemoro Lawang:

There are many guesthouses and homestays everywhere… also many people renting rooms and houses that don’t even have a sign. Just start to ask, that someone will show you a place. You can bargain the price, but the local people don’t speak much English. The conditions are basic, no hot water and no heating, but you can get a room for 75.000 Rp in one of these homestays.

For a more comfortable stay there are many options in Cemoro Lawang that cost more than 200.000 Rp.

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Cemoro Lawang... one of the local houses that are rented to the tourist — Cemoro Lawang… one of the local houses that are rented to the tourist

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Cemoro Lawang homestay with very basic condition

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Where to eat in Cemoro Lawang:

There are many warungs along the main road that leads to the entrance of the Bromo Park. Despite being a touristic area, the prices are quite fair and the food follows the Indonesian standards.

Nearby the place where the buses wait for passengers there’s a restaurant with tasty food… a good option while you wait for the bus to be full.

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ATMs and Money exchange in Cemoro Lawang:

There aren’t ATMs in Cemoro Lawang, but on the way from Probolingo the bus will stop at an ATM, and wait for you.

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How to go from Probolingo to Cemoro Lawang (Bromo Volcano)

If you arrive at Probolingo by train, you need to catch a bemo to the Bus Terminal Bayu Angga. If you travel by bus probably you’ll end your trip at the terminal and you just need to walk 500 m to reach the bus stop where the buses to Cemoro Lawang are waiting. Watch out: Probolingo is famous for scams!
In front of the Probolingo Train Station, you’ll see a yellow bemo waiting that goes to the Bus Terminal Bayu Angga. You need to wait until it get’s full and the trip costs 10.000 Rp and takes 15 minutes. Along the way, the driver stopped several times trying to push the foreigners out of the bemo, saying that is the place to catch the bus to Cemoro Lawang, but these are the private buses or private cars. The public buses (very old and in bad condition) are waiting a bit south from the Bayu Angga Terminal, in front of some warungs. The driver will spot you as everybody that arrives here go to “Bromo”. The ticket costs 35.000 Rp and you need to wait until the bus is full, that means 15 people. If after a while there are not enough people, the total cost of 525.000 Rp will be divided by the number of passengers
The 37 km until Cemoro Lawang are made along a bumpy road with nice views passing along rural areas. The bus drops you at the end of the road, or before if you ask, as there is not exactly a center of the village.

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bemo from the train station to the Bus Terminal Bayu Angga

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Place where the bus to Cemoro Lawang wait for passangers... there's nothing written but the bus helper will spot you as you arrive — Place where the bus to Cemoro Lawang wait for passangers… there’s nothing written but the bus helper will spot you as you arrive

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Ijen Volcano and Banyuwangi

Emptiness, desolation, silence, void… some words that are not enough to describe totally the feeling inspired by the landscape that surrounds the Ijen Volcano, which activity contributes to producing high quantities of sulphur, a mineral that is collected from the bottom of the crater by men.

Since early morning these miners, carry baskets on their shoulder with the big blocks of sulphur, which shiny yellow color contrast with the monochrome landscape. This concentration of sulphur is also responsible for a phenomenon called the “blue fire” only visible during the night, that is the combustion of the gas released by the volcano. Due to the recent eruption (March 2017) the crater is filled with smoke and the visitors are not allowed to go down, so the “blue fire” is not really visible.

The fire is not visible but the smoke that comes out from the crater, slowly start to irritate the throat and the eyes, making the breath heavy and leaving an intoxication sensation, that increase at dawn, when the air starts warming up. It’s strong enough to force anyone to use the gas mask, making your breath an audible experience that reminds Darth Vader, where the almost desert landscape creates a hash scenario.

Workers don’t use a gas mask but I think is more an option, maybe due to the lack of awareness of the impact of sulphur in health, than by economical reasons, as the same miners hang around selling mask to the visitors. But these miners suffer from the sulphur expose that reduces their life expectancy to less than 50 years.

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Kawah Ijen... the most acidic lake in the world — Kawah Ijen… the most acidic lake in the world

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sulfur rocks carried by the miners — sulphur rocks carried by the miners

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But the Ijen has much more to offer: Kawah Ijen, another crater filled with water that due to the concentration of sulphur results on the most acidic lake in the world.

As the sun comes out behind the mountains that surround Ijen, the mist that fills the crater starts to slowly dissipate, revealing the fantastic colours of the lake, that goes from the greenish to a bluish color, with a milky appearance. Something hard to describe as everything looks unreal and illusory. And is not just the lake… as the soft first light of the day illuminates the sky, a fantastic landscape starts to show up, revealing a scarce almost all burned by the acid steam that comes from the lake, and a soil where the erosion of the acid waters brought by the rain leaves deep marks like ditches made by a gigantic claw.

The soil on the top of the Kawah Ijen also gets unusual colours with yellowish traces resulting from the acidic lake waters.

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But the most remarkable moment from this visit, was the hike just before the sun rises up, where the dawn light, still dim to light the path I was walking, but strong enough to cut out the shape of trees and bushes which naked branches create phantasmagoric black figures against the dark blue sky. The absence of sounds, the immobility of the air and the fantastic landscape wrap us in a surreal reality… like a dream coming from another dimension.

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How to visit Ijen Volcano:

You gonna need transport from Banyuwangi to Pos Paltuding the entrance of the Ijen Park: rent a motorbike or get an ojek (200.000 Rp return). If you want to see the sunrise and reach Ijen by ojek you need warm clothes as the trip is made around 2 a.m. and is really cold, even if at Banyuwangi is a warm night. If you drive a motorbike, go with plenty of time, as a few parts of the road are in bad condition… is a long way to the top made in darkness, so you must feel confident as a scooter driver. The way down is steep and a bit danger!
You gonna need a gas mask… really!!! It will cost 40.000 Rp at the entrance. The sulphur gas can be strong, depending on the winds, irritating the throat, lungs and eyes, making the hiking more difficult… although you just feel it nearby the crater and on the way to the lake. Around the lake, thesulphur is not significant.
You need to buy the entrance ticket: 100.000 Rp. At the weekends and public holidays, the ticket costs 150.000 Rp.
You do not need a guide!!!!! The doors open at 3:00 a.m. and everybody that arrive by a tour start hiking at the same time, so you just need to follow the crowd… and anyway the path is wide and very clear, as it used by the miners to transport the sulphur stones in hand cart. This hike takes about 90 minutes to reach the “blue fire” crater.
You gonna need a flashlight!!! The stretch between the blue fire crater and the Ijen Lake is not so clear and probably you’ll do it still before dawn, and at this point the tour groups will split a bit and there’s not a crowd to follow. If you don’t travel with one ask at your guesthouse.
Warm clothes. When you reach Pos Paltuding the temperatures are low during the night is even more on the top around the crater, maybe 10 degrees C. But with the hike quickly you’ll be sweating and need to get rid of some layers of clothes to put them on again when you reach the top. But on the top, around 8 a.m. is still very cold, and at that time my hands were almost without sensitivity.

If you choose a tour, they all stat from Banyuwangi around 1:00 a.m., moving around to pick others tourists and arriving at the Ijen park entrance (Pos Paltuding) around 2:30 a.m. There you find eateries with snacks, food and drinks… and some warm clothes.

The gates open at 3:00 a.m. with all the groups moving at the same time.

The visit usually ends around 7 or 8 a.m., depending on the guide and the speed of the group… I arrive at Banyuwangi around 9.30 h.

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miners selling sulfur souvenires to the tourists — miners selling sulphur souvenires to the tourists

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Due to the recent eruption (March 2017) the crater is filled with smoke and the visitors are not allowed to go down, so the “blue fire” is not really visible, and doesn’t make much sense the tours start so early (1 a.m. from Banyuwangi)…. but this information is not released by the people that are organizing or selling the tour and not even by the guides.

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Note: since March 2017, after an eruption of the Ijen volcano, the way down to the crater is closed for visitors, that makes almost impossible to see the so-called “blue fire” as the smoke result from the volcano activity fills the entire crater.

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Banyuwangi:

This city, at the most eastern point of Java, doesn’t offer much to see or to do and basically serves as a base point to visit the Ijen Volcano. Most of the people arrive here during the day, sleep a few hours and after visiting Ijen leave to Bali or Bromo.

Banyuwangi is also a waypoint for those traveling from Bali to Java, by ferryboat, that means from the Gilimanuk to Ketapang (Java) located a few kilometers from Banyuwangi.

I walk a bit around but couldn’t find anything that catches my attention, but the people are very friendly and smiley, making this uncharacteristic place a warm welcome to Java!

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Where to sleep in Banyuwangi:

I stay at Pepito Guest House, that isn’t a remarkable place but has a good price, with a room with toilet costing 100.000 Rp, and with a delicious breakfast (Javanese style) made by the “auntie” that lives next door (maybe the best memory from Banyuwangi). Friendly staff that will help you to move by local transportation and that can also arrange a tour for a “not-so-expensive” price… 300.000 Rp, including transport, ticket and mask…. and a guide that you don’t need!

Pepito Guest house

Address: Jalan Jaksa Agung Suprapto No.159, Banyuwangi

Phone: 0813-3627-8367

Some rooms can be a bit noisy, and others without windows, so check the options available… and don’t trust much when the reservation sites say that there is “just one more room free”… if you arrive after noon probably all the rooms will be free, as most of the people just check out on the same day that visited the Ijen. You can call them if you want to book!

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Where to eat in Banyuwangi:

Along the Jalan Jaksa Agung Suprapto, there are many eateries that sell food, the usual variation of nasi. Just next door of Pepito Guest House there is also one shop that opens after 5 p.m. selling food packed in paper cones.

A meal in one of these places costs around 10.000 Rp and is usually tasty and spicy.

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ATMs and Money exchange in Banyuwangi:

I couldn’t find moneychanger at Banyuwangi.

But during my search, one helpful and friendly man drove me to the BCA Bank, at Jalan Jenderal Achmad Ysani. Usually, the banks don’t offer an attractive rate but the BCA at Banyuwangi, gave me a good deal and doesn’t charge commission. It takes more time, as you need to fill a form, show the passport and wait for your turn, but the friendly staff made all this very smooth.

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How to go from Banyuwangi to Cemoro Lawang (Bromo Volcano)

Bemo number 8 (yellow bemos that pass by Jalan Jaksa Agung Suprato) from Banyuwangi to the Karangasem Train Station, the trip takes about 5 minutes and cost 5.000 Rp
Train from Karangasem to Probolindo. Is better by the ticket in advance otherwise, you probably will not find economic ticket. I got mine one hour before the train departure and only found a seat in business class (120.000 Rp). There’s one train departing from Karangasem at 9:15 a.m. that arrive at Probolingo at 13:15. Watch out: Probolingo is famous for scams!
In front of the Probolingo Train Station, you’ll see a yellow bemo waiting that goes to the Bus Terminal Bayu Angga. You need to wait until it get’s full and the trip costs 10.000 Rp and takes 15 minutes. Along the way, the driver stopped several times trying to push the forigners out of the bemo, saying that in that place we’ll catch the bus to Cemoro Lawang, but these are the private buses or private cars. The public buses (very old and in bad condition) are waiting a bit south from the Bayu Angga Terminal, in front of some warungs. The driver will spot you as everybody that arrives here go to “Bromo”. The ticket costs 35.000 Rp and you need to wait until the bus is full, that means 15 people. If after a while there are not enough people, the total cost of 525.000 Rp will be divided by the number of passengers
The 37 km until Cemoro Lawang are made along a bumpy road with nice views passing along rural areas. It takes 1.5 hours.
The bus drops you at the end of the road, or before if you ask, as there is not exactly a center of the village, very close from the starting point of the hiking to reach the sunrise viewpoint.

Hikking through Palaung Villages

Strange feeling to be in a remote village where the hills and the winding and steep dirty roads create a barrier with the modern world.

This sense of isolation is intensified with the nightfall, where a cloak of darkness surrounds the village, with the blackness of the moonless night enters through the windows, creating a thick obstacle between us and the inhabitants of the house where we will spend the night, where the cultural and language differences do not allow us to break.

Large rooms made of wood and bamboo, simple, comfortable and above all functional, where the fire is the center of the house, being kept lit throughout all day, from the first rays of the sun until bedtime… that here is around nine o’clock. A fine and discreet smoke that burns the eyes and leaves an fragrant trace on the clothes, reminding us how different the way of life in the countryside.

Shortly after sundown, as soon as the sky darkens, the movements in the streets of the Palaung village cease, the ballads of the donkeys, the clucking of the chickens, the tweeting of the birds and the laughter of the children suddenly ceases. The families gather to the houses, wrapped in the rituals of preparation of food. Rituals where everyone, including the children, seems to know their role by heart, making the daily life resemble a silent play.

A thin layer of smoke remains in the main room of the house, a large area almost empty of furniture that is at the same time the living room and the kitchen. The few belongings wait for special days in lockers embedded in the wooden walls, almost becoming invisible in the penumbra that permanently fills the space, despite the various windows that look to the succession of woody hills.

From this first stop in a village on the outskirts of Kyaukme, a further two days’ hike through the western region of Shan State, dominated by the Palaung tribe, whose population shares the ethnic heritage with China, but along many centuries developed its own characteristics of language, clothing and gastronomy.

The Palaung, whose features are more Asian than the Bamar ethnic group (dominant in Myanmar) are easily recognizable by the way women dress, with sarongs of gaudy colors in purple, blue and green, and by the white handkerchiefs that cover carelessly the Heads, whose hair is kept shaven, following an unknown tradition.

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Palaung village. Kyaukme region. Shan State

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A tecelagem é parte do quotidiano das mulheres da tribo Palaung — Weaving is part of the everyday life of women of the Palaung tribe, whose sarongs are made by themselfs

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Palaung_Kyaukme_Shan State_Myanmar_DSC_2934 — Inside one of the houses where we spend the night during the three days of walking through Palaung villages… the fire is the main source of light of the house

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altar decorado com motivos birmaneses numa das aldeias — Buddhist altar decorated with Burmese motifs in one of the villages

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mulheres da tribo Palaung, com o tradicional lenço que cobre a cabeça rapada — Women of the Palaung tribe, with the traditional scarf covering the shaved head… a tradition with blur contours

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But here also the religion acquires its own contours. Despite the domination of Buddhism that arrived in the eleventh century, there are still traces of rituals and beliefs related to animism. A small group of people gathers in one of the village houses bringing offerings, where a woman in trance communicates with the spirits … practical questions about the whereabouts of a lost cow or the crops are answered by spirits by the voice of a possessed woman, who’s tone change from female to male tone according to each spirit evoked.

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Sessão espírita numa das aldeias, mostrando que o Budismo não esmagou totalmente as práticas animistas — Spiritist session in one of the villages, showing that Buddhism did not completely crush animistic practices

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In all villages that we visited always seem to be full of children running freely in the streets, waving and smiling, curious and excited by the unusual presence of strangers.

But it is not only the children who show their curiosity, as the adults cannot disguise the pride with which they pose for the photographs, hiding damage teeth under a closed-lipped smile. But are the men who, despite language differences, show more communicative, exposing the tattoos that cover the body, with symbols and inscriptions, that work as protection against all kind of bad things, a practice common among the male population and also among the Buddhist monks, both in Myanmar as in Thailand.

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as tattoos para proteção com símbolos e inscrições Budistas são comuns entre os habitantes mais velhos — Tattoos for protection with Buddhist symbols and inscriptions are common among older people

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How to visit the Palaung villages around Kyaukme

These three days of hiking were organized by Thura, a Burmese from the Shan ethnic group, whose mother was from the Palaung tribe. He’s friendliness, the very good english and the contacts with local people allows him to travel around this region, which is probably impossible to visit without a guide who speaks the local language.

The route is done on foot and by motorcycle. The hike is easy and made with many breaks but sometimes the path can be in a less shady area.

The nights are spent in local families houses, on improvised beds on the living room floor, with blankets and blankets. The bathrooms are basic (a small hut outside the house) and the washing is made on the back of the house without much privacy or hot water.

Meals (can be vegetarian or not) are either in a family home or in local restaurants. This is a good opportunity to try the local food and have the taste of a homemade meal.

Everything is included (motorbike, gas, meals, water) and this tour costs 25€ per person, a day… that is not much more than you spend on food and accommodation when you travel in Myanmar

Thura Tours contact: //thuratrips.page.tl/

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casa de aldeia onde o fogo é o centro da casa seja para aquecimento seja para cozinhar — one of the village house where we stay overnight; the fire is the center of the house whether for heating or for cooking

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Hiking

With Yunomine as a base point, there are several options for day hiking:

At Yunomine there are three onsens:

Where to eat in Yunomine onsen:

Shopping for hiking in Yunomine onsen:

How to go from Yunomine to Tanabe or Hongu Taisha:

How to more around Yunomine Onsen by bus:

Kumano Kodo first stage: Tanabe

Kumano Kodo second stage: Yunomine onsen

Where to sleep in Tanabe:

Where to sleep in Yunomine onsen:

Where to eat in Yunomine onsen:

Shopping for hiking in Yunomine onsen:

How to go from Yunomine back to Tanabe or Hongu Taisha:

How to more around Yunomine Onsen by bus:

Luggage store and luggage delivery:

See more at:

Kumano Kodo… the Nakahechi Trail

How to go from Koyasan to Tanabe by bus:

Where to sleep in Tanabe:

Where to eat in Tanabe:

Tourist information center in Tanabe:

How to go from Tanabe to Osaka and Kyoto:

Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine trail

Yakusugi Land trail plus the visit to Kigensugi Cedar, 6 km further

Onoaida Onsen:

How to move around Yakushima by bus:

Where to sleep in Yakushima:

Where to eat in Yakushima:

Things to know when you arrive at Yakushima:

How to reach Yakushima by ferry boat:

How to reach Yanding Natural Park

Arriving at Bromo, listening to the sound that comes from the center of the crater, a mix of boiling water with the sound from an earthquake… the breading of the earth. Such a power… such a memorable experience.

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Visit Bromo Volcano… DIY:

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About Cemoro Lawang:

Where to sleep in Cemoro Lawang:

Where to eat in Cemoro Lawang:

ATMs and Money exchange in Cemoro Lawang:

How to go from Probolingo to Cemoro Lawang (Bromo Volcano)

How to visit Ijen Volcano:

Banyuwangi:

Where to sleep in Banyuwangi:

Where to eat in Banyuwangi:

ATMs and Money exchange in Banyuwangi:

How to go from Banyuwangi to Cemoro Lawang (Bromo Volcano)

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How to visit the Palaung villages around Kyaukme

Thura Tours contact: //thuratrips.page.tl/

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