Mt. Bromo, East Java, Indonesia

Soak in the smell of sulphur and peak into the crater of Mount Bromo

📌 By Jakub Mikula | November 05, 2018

Mount Bromo is an active volcano located in East Java, Indonesia. It is a relatively easy mountain to hike (also very popular: you may expect a lot of tourists) offering magnificent views over the volcanic landscape.

• difficulty: easy
• do I need a guide? no
• my accommodation: Hotel Bromo Permai 1 Probolinggo
• visited in: November

One-night Itinerary Summary

If you are planning a one-night visit (as me), you may follow this itinerary:

• We (5) arrived to Surabaya airport from which we took a taxi directly to Cemoro Lawang. I remember there was also a bus option (though this might have been only to Probolinggo); however, for five of us, the taxi was just more convenient. On the way there we stopped for a lunch. We had a lot of fun with the taxi driver: talking and singing all the way long. As we drove up the mountain the air became cooler allowing us to turn the aircon of and open the car windows. As we entered the small village, we had to pay some small entrance fee. TIP: If you don’t find the accommodation services in Cemoro Lawang to your taste, or all are fully booked you may also consider staying at Probolinggo and arrange a transportation to Mt. Bromo early in the morning from there.

• We spent one night at Cemoro Lawang. It is a small village at the altitude of about 2000m above sea level, making the nights relatively cold. We stayed at the hotel ‘Hotel Bromo Permai 1 Probolinggo’ which looked just perfect for one short night.

• We woke up at 2am and took a walk to the viewpoint (search Parkir R2 Penanjakan I in google maps) to catch the sunrise. There are many smaller viewpoints on the way with people selling some snacks and hot beverages. In the early morning the path was lit by the many hikers climbing up with their torches glittering as they were passing by the trees. We simply followed them. As we were approaching the viewpoint, we encountered even more tourists, especially when the trail merged with the road where many took jeeps to get to the top. Some of us stayed at some earlier viewpoints where they secured some great spots for taking nice time-lapses and pictures. We were not very fortunate with the weather. But even though it was drizzling the views were still amazing.

• In the afternoon we went down and up to the Mr. Bromo’s crater walking through the sand massif. And finally, we reached the crater. The smell of sulphur was everywhere as the steam was raising up surrounding the area.

Again, we passed by many stalls with snacks and drinks. On the way back, I rewarded myself with a hot ‘Kimchi’.

Having a little bit of free time left, we decided to explore some nearby areas and found an interesting place full of carved faces.

It made me think of Indiana Jones movies.

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