Offbeat Indonesia: Hiking up the volcano Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo

Indonesia is home to a number of active volcanoes, and quite a few of them has gained popularity over the years. One such destination is Mount Bromo.

A vast stretch of barren land surrounded by hills. Upon it stands two volcanoes. One covered with casuarina trees marking the halt at the eruptions: Mount Batok. Further down, at the center of the stretch is a rocky grey highland breathing out lumps of cloudy smokes, at times spewing ashes: the mighty Mount Bromo.

Tracing back its name origins to the word “Brahma”, the Hindu god of creation. Mount Bromo is a part of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. With a height of 2,329 metres, it is the most well-known of the Tengger massif and an active volcano.

Bromo Crater

Getting to Mount Bromo:

Any trek or tour to reach Bromo crater starts from Cemoro Lawang which is a small hamlet north-east of Mount Bromo and where the accommodations are available. To reach Cemoro Lawang, you need to get to Probolinggo; Small buses connect these two places. Probolinggo is connected to the major arrival points via public buses. The nearest airport is Surabaya. Alternate travel options from here include airport taxis to Probolinggo as well, but there you need to haggle for the prices.

Once at Cemoro Lawang, you will find a lot of jeep 4WD drivers calling out for sunrise tour to Penjakan and to mount Bromo / sea of sand. You can hire one of these or alternatively do the trek on your own as well. The hike to the sunrise points takes around 2-3 hours depending on your fitness level.

If you are opting for the hike, you might want to consider taking an accommodation nearest to the trail head.

To reach Bromo crater from where the jeep drops you, you may opt for a soft trek or horse ride to reach the base of the 250 steps those you need to climb to reach the rim of the crater. The entire trek (without horse ride option) takes around 45 mins to 1 hour.

Weather in Cemoro Lawang:

With an altitude of 2217 meters above sea level Cemero Lawang has a pleasantly cool weather during the day and gets colder by the night. The night sky can be quite clear, making it perfect for stargazing.

Attractions near Mount Bromo:

Sunrise from Penjakan: Penjakan hills nearby Mount Bromo offers spectacular sunrise views. A plethora of Jeep 4WD pick up services are available for the sunrise trip; this can be booked on spot/ They pick you up from Cemoro Lawang around 4 am in the morning. Penjakan summit is mostly crowded by tourists, hence a few alternate view points have opened up which offer as spectacular views. One of them is the King Kong Hills.

King Kong hills is named so because of its side view resembling the face of an ape. This hill overlooks the entire volcanic complex of Tengger, with Mount Semeru in the background. The sunrise view is on the other side.

The sunrise from behind the clouds

Three volcanoes - Bromo on the left, Batok to the right and Semeru in the background - View from King Kong Hills

Sea of Sand: Sea of sand is basically the ash deposits accumulated over the plain from the previous eruptions in the volcanic complex of Tengger. At places, the plain is hollow underground. It is a protected natural reserve since 1919. The volcanoes here (there are five in total) are formed inside a larger and more ancient Tengger Caldera and surrounded by the Sea of sand. At the centre of this moonscape sits Mount Bromo. Nearby Mount Bromo is Mount Batok, the only dormant volcano of the complex. It is covered in casuarina trees. The Sea of sand is surrounded by a steep crater wall of the larger Tengger caldera. The panorama here is truly breathtaking.

Sea of Sand with Mt. Batok in the background

Pura Luhur Poten: Just before the mountain base of Bromo, sits a Hindu temple called Pura Luhur Poten. The temple holds a significant importance to the Tenggerese spread across the mountain hamlets. The temple organises the annual Yadnya Kasada ceremony which lasts for about one month. On the 14th day, the Tenggerese assemble at the temple to seek blessings. Then the crowd proceeds along the crater edges of Mt Bromo where offerings are thrown into the crater. This temple uses natural black stones from volcanoes nearby: a pattern that makes it different from the Balinese temples which are mostly made from red bricks. There are several buildings and enclosures inside, aligned in a mandala zone composition.

Hindu Temple near Bromo

Recommended Detour: From Cemoro Lawang, take a bus back to Probolinggo and another bus from there to Bondowoso. From Bondowoso, you can take the morning bus for Sempol, from where you can hire an ojek to drop you off at Paltuding post, which is the base for trek to the Ijen crater.

Happy Panda notes:

• You must carry woollen gloves, socks and ear / head covers as it is quite cold
• You must prepare the cash to pay the entry fees to Bromo on the spot
• Souvenir ideas: Near Bromo, a no. of sellers sell handicrafts made of “forever love” flowers

Ideal Time Commitment: A weekend

Pocket Pinch: $$

Suggested Itinerary: Bromo - Ijen combined itinerary 4D / 3N