Police-Led Safety & Our Story

1. From Local Roots to Licensed Operator

Before JVTO existed as a registered travel company, our founder Agung (“Mr. Sam”) welcomed guests as a local host and organiser around Kawah Ijen. Early visitors stayed in a small homestay and booked simple private trips. Those years built the core approach we still follow: host like a local, brief like a professional, and respect the mountain. To stay accountable, the business was formalized as a registered Indonesian travel company (PT Java Volcano Rendezvous).

Guesthouse era recognition (2015)

Award shipped to residential address used for the family-run guesthouse

2. A Culture Shaped by the Tourist Police

Alongside building JVTO, Mr. Sam serves in the tourist police environment in East Java. This role brings daily exposure to real cases involving tourists (unsafe vehicles, fake papers, scams, accidents), and a practical understanding of how routes, checkpoints, and emergencies work in reality.

This experience shapes how JVTO operates:

• We design tours around real regulations and conditions, not just photo spots.
• We select partners we can document and stand behind.
• For large groups, we can help coordinate official traffic police escort on specific segments when allowed by law.

3. Innovation Driven by Safety: Ijen Health Screening

Seeing incidents around Ijen – including unfit hikers and fake health certificates – pushed JVTO to support a stronger approach. Together with partners, we helped implement a digital health screening process for Ijen night hikes, with checks performed by trained medical staff and results verifiable by QR code at the gate.

For JVTO guests, this screening is included in Ijen tours. If you are not cleared, we find a safer alternative plan. The system is also available publicly to help raise standards for all.