Kampung Osing Inn

The place is nice and clean, maybe not luxurious but very good for backpackers.
The guy at the reception is extremely helpful and friendly. He helped us to organize a car for Ijen, nice dinner and recommended some good tips on how to deal with locals 🙂
Breakfast was included in the price — it was really tasty — especially on day two. 🙂
Location is also good — relatively close to the train station.
Highly recommended.

We would like to give our best recommendation to our tour guide, Deden Backi. He was very helpful and caring throughout the journey from the start at the Kampung Osing Inn to the hike up at Mount Ijen and back to the inn. He made sure our safety was of priority and took care of all the administrative matters as well. We had a really good conversations with him and he shared with us some information about Mount Ijen and his personal experiences as well. We appreciated his amicability and friendliness. What really stood out for us was that when one of my friends was experiencing difficulty and exhaustion with the hike, he looked out for her constantly and even held her hand during the difficult parts of the terrain. The friendship formed between us with the few hours of the hike left us with a memorable experience.
The homestay experience did not fall short as well. As our plane got delayed, it caused us to reach our homestay late at 1130pm. However, both the owner and Backi was waiting up for us and happily attended to us. The rooms were huge and the bathrooms were clean as well. Homecooked breakfast for us was delicious, allowing us to enjoy the full homestay experience.
Our driver, Manayis, also ensured our safety and made sure that our bags were secured. The ride up to Mount Ijen and back to Kampung Osing Inn was comfortable because of his responsible driving.

We arrived rather late at Karangasem and arranged for a pickup from the train station. When we arrived at the station, the staff were already outside waiting for us. The staff, Agus and Jon, were very kind and understanding. Since, it was late and we hadn't had our dinner, they didn't mind us waiting to grab our meal. But, in the end, out of courtesy we turned it down and just head down to the hostel.
So we arrived late at Kampung Osing Inn, roughly 9+pm. We were greeted but the hostel manager and showed the room. The room was basic, so don't expect too much, but comfortable enough for us to rest prior to out hike in Ijen. Since we arranged our Ijen tour with them, the manager told us to get ready before 1230am (which would mean we would have very little sleep).
The next morning, Agus and Jon, drove us to the Ijen National Park. It turned out that Agus was our guide. A former sulphur miner himself, Agus knows every nook around Ijen. We set off at around 3pm and hiked for an hour plus. The tour package already includes gas masks, torchlight and water, so you don't have to bring your own. The itself trekking is no easy fit, but our guide Agus is very understanding and kind, as we took our stops every now and then to catch our breath. Upon reaching the top before descending into the crater, he warns us to take it slow here and be extra careful. He showed us the better spot to take the photos and feast on the blue flame.