8 hells in Beppu

Appreciate some tips, please.
There is a combined ticket to visit the 8 "hells" at 2100Y (?)
May I ask if the transport is included?
When does it start from Beppu Station?
Thanks.

The 2100 yen ticket is for admission only. You will need to take public transportation to Kannawa from from Beppu station.

http://www.visit-oita.jp/oita_introduction/welcomeOita04.e.html#label1

There is also a guided bus tour that leaves 6 times per day from Beppu Station, it is 3740yen and guidance is not in English.

http://www.kamenoibus.com/teikikanko_01.php

Thanks a lot for the advice.
I am considering taking up this guided tour though in Japanese, to save on the "logistic" issue.
Thank you.

my mistake, there are only 3 departures per day.

It is ok.
I intend to take the earliest one.
Do I need to reserve since my date of visit is a public holiday?
Also, would there be a tour guide to lead the group?
Is the transport included?
Thanks.

Transportation is provided, you can board either at Beppu Station or the Kitahama Bus Center. According to the Kamenoi Bus page, they will add extra buses if needed during holidays. It doesn't seem that reservations are required or accepted.

You may be given either a sticker or pin to wear which will serve as your admittance ticket. A bus guide will provide both onboard and onsite guidance. At each stop, the guide will hold up a flag for you to follow and recite a bunch of info such as water temperature, mineral content and perhaps a little history. Usually at each stop you'll have some free time for a bathroom break or souvenir shopping then it's on to the next destination. They'll probably have a pamphlet for you in your language if you don't understand japanese, or you could print out this one

http://www.beppu-jigoku.com/images/English0.pdf

Hi ... (guest)
Your advice is very useful and helpful.
Thank you.

Hi ... (guest)
Based on your experience, worthwhile to take this guided tour, given that I can reach Beppu around 8.30am and have to leave for Yufuin around 1pm?
Initially, am thinking of visiting only Umi and Chinoike, and take Kamenoi buses.
Thank you.

If you only plan to visit a couple of the hells you should probably go on your own. It helps a lot if you know the bus routes and familiarize yourself with the area using streetview on google maps. And don't get the jigoku meguri ticket, just buy the separate tickets at each hell.

Dear ... (guest)
I dislike one of the hells that contains the animals.
I dont really like a guided tour because it would be likely to rush from one hell to another.
Would you be able to advice if the bus timings below are correct, please?
Date: 3 Nov (Culture Day)
i) Beppu 8.55am to reach Chinoike 9.23am by bus 26
ii) Chinoike 10.13am to reach Kannawa ie Umi 10.20am by bus 26
iii) Kannawa 11.15am to reach Beppu station 11.45am by bus 26A?
Thanks.

I have done the 8 Hells tour bus twice. There is an booklet that they will give you in English, and an thick information pen that has a pair of ear buds. The booklet will have large dots in it where you place the information pen on, and you will then hear information in English on whatever topic the dot was to explain.

If you travel with noise cancelling headphones, I would suggest that you use them instead of the earbuds.

One nice thing about the bus tour is that it is timed to let you see the geyser at one of the hells. It is true that you may feel a little rushed at places, but I believe that the tour was pretty well paced.

I hope this helps.

Hiebaychucky311
May I ask if the place to join the tour is located at Beppu station?
Is the duration 2hr 30min to 2hr 40min as indicated?
Thank you.

The Ticket Office is on the east side of the station. There will be several busses that use that side, including the tour bus.

The bus had room for about 40-50 people, and the tour was not even half sold out. The tour guide will keep a constant chatter into the microphone about this and that. When I went the first time, I used the earbuds that were supplied with the information pen. It was difficult to hear the English over the tour guide's chatter.

As for the duration, it will vary with when the geyser will go off. There is another variation in the time in that the tour will stop at a spa. Your ticket will have a voucher to use the bus system to return to Beppu Station if you choose to get off.

After the final group of "Hells", we traveled to where there were some salt drying huts were set up. I think the bus also stopped at a hotel or ryokan to drop off people. The tourists pulled out their luggage when they got off. The bus had the luggage compartments in it, and you could store your luggage on it. I was the last person on the bus, and the tour guide wanted to know if I was going to the Spa, and I said no. We returned to the station.

Since you are going to Yufuin after this, this "feature" of having the bus take you to your hotel does not help you. If your are planning to go to a spa in Beppu, your chould probably put your luggage in a locker at Beppu Station.

Your tentative schedule looks good. If you're running behind schedule you can take almost any other bus back to the station but you probably already know that.

Are you staying in Yufuin before and/or after the hell tour?
I went from Yufuin on Kamenoi local bus(36) to Kankaiji Iriguchi(0r Reisenji) and transfered to go to the hells(15(only UmiJigoku area), 16 & 16A 0r 26 & 26A in reverse loop). Also you can do the reverse to Yufuin picking up the 36 coming from the Beppu port.
http://www.kamenoibus.com/rosenbus_01a.php
http://www.beppuni.com/bus/busstop/044.html

Thanks so much to all who have responded.
If the weather is ok, I may just visit the 2 hells on my own.
If the weather is wet As forecast, I will take the guided tour.
I note the ticket office is at the east side of Beppu station.
I should be able to reach Beppu station at 8.32am and then be ready for the 8.45am guided tour.
I am not staying in Beppu or Yufuin.
Thank you.

You can easily see 3 Hells since they are literally next door to each other. For 3 others they are not far away either, and within walking distance.
Only the last 2, Chinoike-Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell) & Tatsumaki-Jigoku (Geyser Hell) are a bit away and need a bus/taxi or a fair amount of calorie burning. If you go see these last two, the trick is to first check to see when the next time the Tatsumaki goes off - normally it's every 30-40 minutes. If you just missed it, then go see the Chinoike-Jigoku first. This video has a good preview for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2NNi8MLcXM
If you still have time in Beppu, the Takasakiyama Monkey Parl/Aquarium and mountaintop view from Mt. Tsurumi are both very good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zepPfkuqhok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBnZneDsKqQ
Overall it's a nice place to visit.