Indonesia // Sunrise at Java’s jaw-dropping Bromo volcano

Indonesia is known to be situated on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur on an almost daily basis. Some of the world’s most active volcanoes are located in Indonesia, and although your common sense may tell you to stay clear from them it is actually pretty awesome to get a closer look! Especially the Bromo volcano!

Mount Bromo jeep tour

Probably Indonesia’s most popular volcano to visit is Mount Bromo (or Gunung Bromo in Indonesian), located in East Java (Jawa Timur). Bromo is one of 5 smaller volcanoes that can be found inside the bigger and older Tengger Caldera. Watching the sun rise above this majestic volcano is without a doubt a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

We obviously didn’t want to miss out on this spectacle, so as soon as we arrived at our hotel (the stunningly located Lava View Lodge) we booked a jeep tour that would take us through the Tengger Caldera towards a perfect viewpoint to see the sunrise.

Sunrise at the Bromo Volcano

So, the next morning we left at 3 am in a fantastic old-school ‘74 Toyota Land Cruiser and descended into the Tengger Caldera to cross the Tengger Sand Sea and then drove back up again on the other side towards a good vantage point to see the sunrise. A lot of people like to walk all the way up the road to get to a higher viewpoint but the truth is you can get a perfect view from a lower (and less crowded) viewpoint. That being said, it’s probably a good thing that people choose different vantage points, otherwise we would all be in the same place! :-)

Once we found a good spot, the waiting game could begin. It was still pitch-dark, and with the freezing temperatures keeping warm was a bit of a challenge. Luckily there were a couple of drinks stalls where we could get a hot instant coffee. Not the best in the world but hey, any coffee is good in this crazy environment!

A few hours passed, and slowly we began to see more and more of the smoking Bromo volcano. When the sun finally came peeping over the horizon we couldn’t believe our eyes. There it was! Beautiful Bromo volcano situated right in the middle of the Tengger Sand Sea and spewing big clouds of ash up in the air! It was like we were on another planet :-)

Tengger Sand Sea

Once the sun was up, time had come to get back to our jeep and drive down into the Tengger Sand Sea again to get a closer look of the Bromo volcano crater. We parked right in the middle of the Tengger Sand Sea, where another few hundred jeeps were already parked and started the short 30 minute hike towards the rim of the Bromo volcano. For those who prefer not to walk you can hop on a horse for about 50,000 IDR, which will take you to the bottom of the Bromo volcano. The last part of the climb is an easy (though overcrowded) set of stairs.

Walking on the rim of an active volcano? Sure, why not?

This was probably the most exhilarating (and fun!) part of our visit. As we were walking on the rim and peering down into the crater, big clouds of ash were shooting up into the air, only to rain down on us again when the wind suddenly changed in our direction. A truly mind-blowing experience but with so many people walking around on the rim and barely any fencing around to prevent us from falling into the crater, probably not the safest place to be… so make sure to watch your step!

Tengger Caldera

Once we made it back safely to our classic Toyota we did feel a little relieved we survived our trip to these gates of hell :-)

We hopped into the back of the Toyota and had to hold on tight as we were making our way out of the Tengger Caldera. We arrived back at our hotel at about 9 am, right on time for a well-deserved breakfast!

Where to stay and how to get there?

Cemoro Lawang is the largest village on the edge of the Tengger Caldera, and has the largest offer of hotels and guest houses. We stayed at the Lava View Lodge, which is perched spectacularly atop the Tengger Caldera’s rim and has probably the best location of all accommodation in the area.

If you plan on staying in Cemoro Lawang, make sure you drive up the mountain from the right side. We happened to end up in Wonokitri, a little village on the northwestern side of Bromo, only to be told that we couldn’t continue to Cemoro Lawang unless we had a 4WD… So we had to turn around, drive all the way back to Pasuaran and head east towards Probolongo to drive up the mountain again from the northeastern side. A detour that cost us several hours, luckily it was a very scenic drive so we didn’t mind too much ;-) !

How much does a trip to Bromo cost?

Besides your transport, accommodation and food there are a few other costs that you need to take into account:

• Entrance ticket to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is 217,500 IDR on a weekday or 317,500 IDR during weekends. Locals pay 27,500 IDR on weekdays and 37,500 IDR during weekends.
• Jeep tour including driver: 500,000 IDR per car (up to 5 passengers).
• Horseback ride to the bottom of the Bromo crater: 50.000 IDR
• Out-of-this-world view of Mount Bromo at sunrise: free!

What to bring?

• Winter clothing: especially if you’re heading out to see the sunrise. Temperatures are freezing and there’s a lot of waiting to be done :-)
• A flashlight: very useful when looking for the perfect lookout for sunrise during the middle of the night.
• Dust mask or gas mask: if you plan to climb up to the rim of Mount Bromo. You don’t want volcanic ashes for breakfast, that’s for sure!