The first time I travelled through Java I honestly skipped past Malang entirely. Like many backpackers, I had booked an all-in-one tour from Yogyakarta all the way to the volcanoes of Mt. Bromo and Mt. Ijen, so I saw Malang only briefly en-route.
On my Java re-visit I had more time available and I realized Malang can be absolutely worth staying a couple of nights. While my multi-day tour had been an easy shortcut for covering East Java, this time I was able to pick off various sights one-by-one using Malang as my base. If you’re not in a hurry, then this is the approach I can definitely recommend.
Malang is locally known as Kota Dingin, literally “cold city”. To anyone who’s lived in an actually cold place, Malang is definitely in no way cold. Still, thanks to an elevation between 440 and 667 meters, it is a fair bit less sweaty than elsewhere in Java. All along the main road I even saw countless stalls selling apples, a produce that grows well here thanks to the cooler highland climate, despite being in the tropics.
Malang can be quite noisy and traffic-heavy at times, though I find it a far more pleasant and manageably sized city than the likes of Jakarta or Surabaya. While I think of it more as a base for trips than purely a destination in itself, it’s nevertheless probably my favorite city in Java after Yogyakarta.
It’s actually long been considered a pleasant place to be. The city was once heavily favored by the Dutch colonists as a cool-weather hill station and you can still see signs of Dutch history here. Today, much like Bandung, it is known as a university city with a youthful and creative scene.
I found that the list of things to do inside Malang is not limitless, though I’ll cover all the city’s highlights here (which can be reasonably covered in a day). More importantly, I’ll share exactly how you can use Malang as your staging area for visiting the epic natural wonders of East Java.
Where to stay in Malang
I’m glad I ended up staying at Snooze Hostel Malang, a superb hostel in a residential villa in a quiet part of town and within walking distance from the train station. I’ve stayed in probably hundreds of hostels and Snooze Malang ranks near the very top in terms of the overall hospitality as well as the staff, who were among the friendliest I’ve met.
The hostel has pod-style dorm rooms as well as a range of private rooms, all very clean and comfy. I should say it was only moderately social during my stay, though that probably has much to do with many guests heading off on early morning tours to Mt. Bromo and Tumpak Sewu, then snoozing through the afternoon to compensate for lost sleep. If you do any of the tours, you end up meeting people through these activities anyway.
While I was in solo backpacking mode during my Java trip, I do have several suggestions for other accommodations if you’re travelling in a different style.
Things to do in Malang
The sights in Malang itself are mostly small — think local markets or traditional neighborhoods. The truly epic stuff can be found deeper into East Java, but the sights in Malang will give you a sense of day-to-day life in this city.
Most of the pins are within a 2km or 1.2 mi span in the center, making Malang relatively compact and walkable for tourists. This is very different from Bandung, which I also just wrote about, which I found to be very spread out.
I rented a scooter/motorbike during my stay in Malang, but this was mostly to explore outside the city. Within it, you can mostly just walk, or occasionally get a Grab ride to speed things up.
Visit the three colorful kampungs
I approached this sight with some skepticism, having seen numerous selfie- and drone shots of Malang’s famous “rainbow village” in my social media feeds over the years. I assumed it would just be typical Instagram bait, and while it essentially is, there is also a bit more to it.
The colorful village is, in fact, an ingenious initiative. Local students collaborating with a paint company had the bright idea to paint the houses in Malang’s worst slum in beautiful colors. This brought tourists to the neighborhood, giving the locals a new source of income, as well as saving the area from demolition.
It’s fun to explore the Jodipan neighborhood with its colorful houses, tight alleyways, street art, and many decorative flags and umbrellas. Keep in mind that due to the weathering the walls have to be repainted every few years, so it may not be as blindingly saturated as the heavily-filtered influencer shots may lead you to expect. Even so, it’s an excellent place for some fun photography and unscripted exploration.
Jodipan (also known as Kampung Warna-Warni) was such a success that two more areas were given a similar type of makeover: Kampung Biru Arema, the “Blue Village”, and Kampung Tridi – the “3D Village,” known for 3D murals with optical-illusion effects.
They’re all close to each other. A steel bridge across the river leads you between Jodipan and Tridi. The blue village is a short walk further, across the railroad tracks.
You’ll need to pay a 5000 IDR entrance fee for Jodipan (a negligible 0.30 USD or EUR).
Check out the flower and bird markets
For a potentially nice stroll and some people watching, head to the Pasar Splendid (the flower and bird market). It’s open daily, roughly 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Although it’s called the bird market, it is more like a pet market, with all types of domestic animals for sale, as well as various reptiles.
This is often listed as a must-do, but I just want to flag that not all the animals here are well cared for. Markets in Asia sadly don’t always pass the same animal welfare standards that might exist elsewhere.
For instance, I saw one monkey in a much-too-small cage, and some animals seemed to be crowded together. According to reports, most birds sold here are actually caught in the wild, not raised. While some may still consider this an interesting place to walk through, I just want to add this important asterisk.
If you want, you can access the market from this small bridge. On the other side is a flower market for more local vibes (and no animals) — as well as my favorite secret spot to grab a drink.
Drinks in a hidden spot by the river
If a local hadn’t told me about this place I would have never found it. Go into the flower market and walk to the back, until you see a sign for Kedai Pipir Lepen. Follow the path to the riverside and you will enter the most wonderful oasis.
This homely cafe is constructed of wood, featuring balconies overlooking the small river. Surrounded by green, you’re almost tricked into thinking you’re no longer in a city. I liked this spot so much that I returned here three times to relax after some urban exploration.
Alcohol is not on the menu here (as often in Indonesia) but they make up for it with some excellent mocktails. They also make really nice rice bowls here.
Another chill cafe spot I found nearby is the Critasena Cafe. It has cozy outdoor seating under large trees, another place where you can forget about the traffic noise.
Explore Kayutangan Heritage Village
Malang changes completely once you get off the big avenues and dive into the small pedestrian-only back streets. One of the best areas to do this is Kayutangan, a revitalized old-town district full of late Dutch-colonial-era buildings, murals, and heritage coffee shops.
I loved wandering the labyrinth-like paths, many of the buildings here wonderfully restored (and without having to rely on gimmicks like the colorful painting in the rainbow village). There are two small canals running through the district, which have walkways beside them, and they’re a great spot to have a drink or snack. I liked grabbing a coffee and sitting down on the porch of Kedai Kopi Rumah 1870 (the 1870 house cafe).
There’s a small fee of IDR 5,000 when you pass through the gate into the neighborhood.
Shop for Batik textiles
I wanted to buy some souvenirs for my family back home, so while in Malang I went on a little mission to find Batik, the traditional Indonesian textiles made with a particular dyeing method.
I ended up visiting several local shops, including this one and this one. What I liked was that none of these were tourist-focused, so I could browse their huge selections of colorfully patterned scarves, dresses, shirts, etc. while being assured of local prices.
In the end I was a bit overwhelmed by choice, and only bought a large sheet of the nicest pattern I could find, for my daughter to decorate her room with. Although no staff spoke English, a bit of Google Translate did the trick — and no haggling was necessary. If you have a more specific textiles purchase in mind, Malang is a great place to look for it.
See the main square at night
Finally, Alun-Alun Kota Malang (Indonesian for literally “city square Malang”) is a nice area for some people-watching at night. It’s ringed by street food stalls selling bakso, sate, and local Malang apples, with bike rentals including tandem and light-up bikes popular in the evening. If you’re the kind of traveller that just likes to take in the scene, then this is one of the livelier areas to check out.
Things to do around Malang
1. See Mt. Bromo for sunrise
One of the most epic natural sights in Java is the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. Although it has three volcanic peaks, most travellers will just shorten it to “Mt. Bromo”, it being the main active volcano inside the park.
I arranged the trip through my hostel, though you can also easily book a Mt. Bromo tour here. They go all the time. The best time to see the giant caldera with smoke billowing from the peaks is in the early morning glow. It’s far away from any town or city, so the logistics are quite complicated if you want to DIY this, so a tour is the most obvious way to go.
IMPORTANT – Get the timing right! Definitelydo this trip on a weekday (preferably Monday to Thursday), not on a weekend. This is one of Java’s most popular trips… among international travelers but also locals. On weekends there will be 4X more jeeps than during the week. Despite the park’s huge size, this is sure to feel ‘overtouristed’. Go on a weekday, and you can still have space to yourself.
I had to wake up at 3am, something I was thoroughly unenthusiastic about. Grumpily sipping a Red Bull in anticipation of an all-nighter in the back of a shuddering jeep packed with other travellers, I wondered if I should just have visited by day. The near-freezing temperatures at the viewpoint did not raise my spirits either. The sunrise views did prove to be absolutely spectacular however and my grumpiness completely melted away as soon as I saw the sun’s first rays appear.
The trip to the viewing points takes about two hours by jeep, in part through unmarked gravel roads. Before the short hike up to the viewpoints, you can grab a drink or snack at one of the cafes.
Following the sunrise view, you get to stop in the Sea of Sand, a vast plain of volcanic ash. On a next stop, you climb 250 steps to the rim of Mt. Bromo, where you can peek directly into the active crater. (If you’re sensitive, it’s advised to cover your mouth with a cloth or bandana due to the particulate matter in the air.) All in all, the experience takes about half a day.
My onward logistics tip: If you just want to see Mt. Bromo, you can do it as a day trip tour. If you’re planning any onward travel, consider a tour that also includes Mt. Ijen (the ‘blue flame volcano’) or simply one that has a drop off in Banyuwangi. This is where ferries to Bali depart, letting you continue east without backtracking. If you’re heading this way, put Bromo last in your Malang itinerary.
2. Go to Tumpak Sewu, an unbelievable waterfall
Malang is also the ideal place from which to visit Tumpak Sewu, an enormous amphitheatre-like cascade. It’s actually almost a 2-hour drive to the waterfall, but Malang is the nearest city and it’s still within sensible day trip range.
The first half of the journey is via very straight roads with a fair bit of traffic, so I opted not to do it by rented scooter or motorbike. (The second half is a little more interesting, with more wiggly roads through the mountains.) I did it by way of this exact tour with a 6AM start. I could still nap on the way there, and the early start got me to the waterfall well before the midday crowds arrived.
(Although my hostel did offer a Tumpak Sewu tour, the timing didn’t exactly work out for me, so I booked it via GetYourGuide instead. The cost was nearly the same.)
You only need to glance at a picture of Tumpak Sewu to know it is stunning. But what makes it a particularly good sight is that you’re not just dumped at a viewing point and that’s it. You can actually enjoy it from various angles, and the hike into and out of the valley makes it a fun adventure beyond just a social media pitstop.
First, a platform lets you see the waterfalls from above. Depending on the weather conditions, you may be able to see the waterfalls backed by jungle, which in turn is backed by Mount Semeru. It’s a 3-in-1 view that I felt was so epic that I made it the Indie Traveller’s homepage header (at least, it was at the time I published this article!).
You then go down the cliffs via a path crossing many small streams. They give you water shoes at the entrance so you can traverse these more easily. Wooden stairs and rope fences are built for the steeper sections. It should take about 20 to 30 minutes to get to the waterfalls themselves. Here, various rocks create natural podiums from which to take photos with the curtain of cascades in the background.
You’re not done yet though. You can go the same way back, but it’s better to go the long way through the valley. You’ll see several much smaller but very pretty waterfalls and caverns here, as well as a swimming hole where you can stop for a while. The complete experience can take about 3 hours in total.
The area around Tumpak Sewu is actually speckled with different waterfalls and viewpoints, so part of me wishes I’d driven up here myself to spend the rest of the day exploring. Then again, the tour was solid and gave me a built-in crew with which to do the hike. Being on a solo trip, it was fun to share the experience. While clambering around the waterfalls, shared stories of adventuring all over Indonesia were also flowing among our group.
Essential Tip: the site closes at 3pm sharp! You have to be back at the top at this time in order to leave the site before dark.
As with Mt. Bromo, it’s best to avoid the weekends to avoid crowds at Tumpak Sewu. I went on a weekday and in the morning there were maybe about 50 people at the base of the waterfall, which was not crowded at all for such a major sight. I did this exact tour, which got me at the site at the perfect time.
3. Wander the tea fields at Kuneer Hill
When the receptionists at my hostel got wind of me being a travel blogger, they told me I MUST go to Kuneer Hill, so I was like “alright, you got it, BRB” and rented a motorbike for the trip.
Tea production is a major industry around here and this particular tea farm has been set up to receive visitors, with walking paths among the tea fields as well as tree-huts and platforms where you can take photos or stay for a picnic. It’s 1,250 meters above sea level, so the air is cool. Looking south you can see toward Mount Semeru, and to the west, Mount Arjuno itself rises up behind the tea fields and distant forest.
The first 40 minutes or so of the trip along Jl. Raya Mondoroko, the main road to Surabaya, wasn’t so interesting — just a lot of straight driving on a big 4-lane avenue. The last 20 minutes, when you veer left towards the tea fields, were rather scenic — with smaller roads via gentle green hills. About halfway through the trip, I recommend making a slight detour to Singosari Temple (mentioned below).
I had the sense that Kuneer Hill is a bit more for locals wanting a fun spot to go with the family. The various tree huts and wooden walkways were cute and made for obvious Instagram shots. Though as a foreign visitor who’s seen a few tea fields before, it was worthwhile but maybe not a must-see at all costs. I did really enjoy the hike through the working plantation. The conditions were misty during my visit, and seeing the trees peek through the white clouds made the walk all the more scenic.
If you’re in a rush, though, this is more of an extra. Bromo and Tumpak Sewu are the priority, while Kuneer Hill is more of a local spot for some light trekking with fresh air. I suggest pairing it with other nearby sights, such as the next item on this list.
Scooter rental tip: I got my moped/scooter at Sewa Motor Malang. Great bike, perfect service.
4. Singosari Temple
If you’re doing the trip to the tea fields, it’s worth adding just one more pin to your route. This small 13th-century syncretic Hindu-Buddhist temple may be no Borobudur, but it’s lovely to see this ancient structure casually existing in this village square.
You can admire some of the stone statues around it and maybe grab an ice-cream on the corner. A nice little hidden gem on the way to the north from Malang.
5. The Coban Rondo waterfall
I learned of Coban Rondo only after I asked a local foreign resident for some advice while finalizing this guide. If I had known about it, I would have definitely included it on my trip to Kuneer Hill for a detour on the way back.
It’s a single, 84m tall drop — clearly not of the same caliber as Tumpak Sewu by any measure, but not insignificant either. Located in Pandesari village, it’s only about 30 minutes driving from Malang, making it much more accessible.
You’re not supposed to swim at the waterfall, so this is mainly a sightseeing stop. That said, there’s a surrounding park that is built out for a family day out, not just a quick photo stop. A maze garden and a treetop adventure park are among the other attractions here.
How to get in or out of Malang
Public transport in Java is generally excellent. Thanks to having so many major urban centers, it’s never too complicated to get around.
From Surabaya: I actually got to Malang by bus from the bigger nearby city Surabaya, since I flew into its airport from another part of Indonesia. The bus station couldn’t have been easier to figure out; there was even an English-speaking staff member ready to usher me to the correct loket (ticket booth) and bay. Buses to Malang seemed to be going pretty much all the time – every 15 minutes or so. The trip takes about two hours.
From Yogyakarta: This is the more likely place that you’ll arrive from. Both buses and trains are practical options, but if you’ve got the choice I recommend going by train. The carriages are comfortable and you get some great views of rice fields and villages along the way. (Not quite as scenic as the journey between Bandung and Yogyakarta, which goes through the mountains, but still quite good.)
Onward To Bali: The easiest way to go east is by using a tour that goes to Mt. Bromo and/or Mt. Ijen as these can drop you off in Banyuwangi, where the ferry goes to Bali. Otherwise, you can take the train to Banyuwangi and travel onwards from there.
When purchasing train tickets, note that these are actually vouchers, and you still need to convert them to actual tickets at the station. It’s pretty easy, you just need to scan a QR code at a computer station, but it’s best to leave a bit of time before you scheduled departure.
As always, the best platform for booking any kind of transport tickets in Asia is 12Go. Don’t miss my complete guide to train travel in Java for more practical tips and inspiration for discovering the island by rail.
