Bondowoso Regency () is a landlocked regency in East Java, Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,560.10 km2, and had a population of 736,772 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 776,151 at the 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as of mid 2025 was 797,844 (comprising 390,208 males and 407,636 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Bondowoso Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3511) The most common languages are Madurese and Javanese, although Madurese is the majority. The nearest large city is Surabaya, approximately five hour's drive away.
The administrative centre of the regency is the provincial town of Bondowoso, after which the regency is named. Common in most provincial towns is a park in the city centre, called "Alun-Alun"; Bondowoso is no exception. In the backdrop of the park is a view of a mountain ("gunung").
Tourist spots include Kawah Ijen, a crater lake. Kawah Ijen is managed jointly by two local governments, Bondowoso Regency and Banyuwangi Regency. A hike or climb to the crater takes around 1–2 hours. In addition to the crater, other tourist destinations in Bondowoso are Tancak Kembar in Pakem and Air Terjun Belawan Sempol. Other spots are Gunung Merapi and waterfalls.
Bondowoso town is known for its dessert, "tape" (pronounced "tah-peh"), to the extent that it is named "Tape city". Tape is made from cassava wrapped inside banana leaves to be fermented with fermentation starter which contains yeast (mainly Saccharomyces cerevisiae), mold (such as Aspergillus sp.), and bacteria (such as Acetobacter sp.)
There has been an Arabic community living in the area for some time, since before the Dutch occupation. They live in an area called "Kampung Arab" (Arabs Compound) on Imam Bonjol Street.Muhammad, Fitriyatul (2013) SEJARAH DAN PERKEMBANGAN KOMUNITAS ARAB DI BONDOWOSO. Undergraduate thesis, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya.
Administrative districts The Regency is divided into twenty-three districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their population totals from the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid 2025.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Bondowoso Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3511) The former Sempol District, in the far southeast of the regency, which contains the crater lake of Kawah Ijen, has been renamed Ijen District; unlike the rest of the regency, which lies on the other side of the Ijen Mountain Range, Ijen District drains eastwards towards the Bali Strait. The table also includes the locations of the district headquarters the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 209 rural desa and 10 urban kelurahan), and its postcodes.
Kode Wilayah Name ofDistrict(kecamatan) Area in km2 Pop'nCensus2010 Pop'nCensus2020 Pop'nEstimatemid 2025AdmincentreNo.ofvillagesPostcodes 35.11.01 Maesan 56.08 45,824 48,076 49,757Maesan 12 68262 35.11.06 Grujugan 74.45 34,381 37,114 38,776Taman 11 68261 35.11.02 Tamanan 28.15 35,621 38,414 39,923Tamanan 9 68263 35.11.23 Jambesari Darus Sholah 30.11 33,723 36,848 36,745Jambesari 9 68261& 68263 (a) 35.11.05 Pujer 39.89 37,600 40,226 41,342Kejayan 11 68271 35.11.03 Tlogosari 110.92 44,033 45,704 47,511Pakisan 10 68272 35.11.04 Sukosari 23.17 14,987 15,527 15,752Sukosari Lor 4 68287 35.11.18 Sumber Wringin 137.95 32,945 34,231 35,756Sumber Wringin 6 68289 35.11.10 Tapen 57.04 33,072 34,040 34,151Tapen 9 68283 35.11.09 Wonosari 42.28 38,498 39,762 41,221Wonosari 12 68282 35.11.08 Tenggarang 25.80 39,874 42,639 44,470Tenggarang 12 (b) 68281 35.11.11 Bondowoso (town) 23.16 70,963 76,422 77,127Dabasah 11 (c) 68211- 68219 35.11.07 Curahdami 50.29 31,376 33,140 35,449Curahdami 12 (b) 68250 35.11.20 Binakal 39.04 15,173 17,030 17,290Binakal 8 68251 35.11.17 Pakem 62.08 21,352 23,108 23,809Patemon 8 68253 35.11.12 Wringin 58.01 39,423 40,076 41,331Wringin 13 68252 35.11.13 Tegalampel 37.03 24,483 26,161 26,981Sekarputih 8 (b) 68292 35.11.21 Taman Krocok 53.00 16,237 16,711 16,907Taman Krocok 7 68291 35.11.14 Klabang 91.20 18,413 18,378 18,818Klabang 11 68284 35.11.19 Ijen 207.20 11,252 11,896 12,161Ijen 6 68288 35.11.22 Botolinggo 127.41 28,801 29,937 29,521Lumutan 8 68284- 68285 35.11.16 Prajekan 56.65 25,116 25,581 25,963Prajekan Lor 7 68285 35.11.15 Cermee 129.20 43,625 45,892 47,083Cernee 15 68286 (d) Totals 1,560.10 736,772 776,151 797,844 Bondowoso 219
Notes: (a) except for the desa of Pengarang, which has a postcode of 68271. (b) including one kelurahan (the district administrative centre). (c) comprises 7 kelurahan (Badean, Blindungan, Dabasah, Kademangan, Kota Kulon, Nangkaan and Tamansari) and 4 desa. (d) except for the desa of Grujugan, which has a postcode of 68261.
Megalithic artifacts There are more than 1000 megalithic artifacts found in the villages around Bondowoso, such as menhirs (standing stones), sarcophagi, statues, dolmens (lying stones or tomb tables), and caves. A common megalith type found in Indonesia is the batu kenong with a shape resembling a local musical instrument. The Bondowoso Regency contains up to 400 batu kenong, the highest concentration in Indonesia. An easily accessible location with a wide variety of megaliths is the Pekauman Site at kilometer 8 on the Jember-Bondowoso road.
Climate Bondowoso has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with moderate to little rainfall from May to October and heavy to very heavy rainfall from November to April.
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