Overview
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About Mount Bromo
Mount Bromo, also known as Gunung Bromo is a 2300 meter high active volcano, located in East-Java in Indonesia. It is one of the 129 active volcanoes of the country and one of 5 in the Tengger-Semeru National Park. You can witness the sunrise over the breathtaking Bromo landscape from one of the Bromo sunrise viewpoints such as Penanjakan or KingKong hill. After watching a magical sunrise, you can cruise over the sea of sand at the base of the volcano during a 4X4 jeep safari and climb your way up to the top of the crater and see this impressive volcano crater from closely.
Practical
Mount Bromo Entrance fee
Weekday: 220.000 IDR
Weekend: 310.000 IDR
Mount Bromo is open 24/7, except on days for religious purposes such as Wulan Kapitu, Silent Day and Yadnya Kasada.
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Best Things to do at Mount Bromo
Sunrise at Mount Bromo
One of the best things to do at Mount Bromo is watching the sunrise over the area. There are multiple viewpoints from where you can see the sun slowly lighting up the mysterious Mount Bromo and its surrounding. The most famous viewpoints are King Kong Hill, Penanjakan, Seruni Point, Bukit Cinta and Bukit Perahu. They all offer roughly the same view but we heard KingKong Hill and Penanjakan are the best.
In the middle of the night, around 3am, hundreds of these typical, colored jeeps start their drive up to the drop-off point of one of those viewpoints. The last part to the viewpoint, you will walk past various stalls with food and drinks.
The temperature at Bromo in the middle of the night is between 5 and 10 degrees. You also have the chance to buy a hat or rent a jacket here.
Tip: Bring a warm sweater or jacket when visiting Mount Bromo. The temperature at Bromo in the middle of the night is between 5 and 10 degrees Celcius. If you didn’t bring one, you also have the chance to buy a hat or rent a jacket here.
Cruise over the Sea of sand in a 4x4 jeep
After witnessing a magical sunrise, you can make your way down again to the foot of Mount Bromo and the impressive Sea of Sand. Depending on how you are visiting Bromo, you can explore the Sea of Sand either by these colorful 4×4 jeeps or with a motorbike. The surroundings offer the perfect backdrop for some awesome shots!
Climb the volcano crater rim
From the Sea of Sand, you can start the climb up to the volcano crater rim. After a 10 minute walk, you will reach the last stairs to the top of the crater. From the edge, you can watch straight into the center of the volcano and watch the smoke escaping from the ‘earth’. You won’t see any red lava, but you can see some kind of ‘liquid rock’. Be careful at the edge because some parts of the railing are in very poor condition to non-existent.
Instead of hiking Bromo, you can also take a horse to the stairs. We strongly advise against this because the animals would not be properly cared for.
Activities & Tours
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How to get to Mount Bromo
The easiest way to visit Mount Bromo is from Surabaya, Malang or Probolinggo. From here, you can book a one or multiple day tour, including some other sights, to Mount Bromo. If you want to visit Mount Bromo by yourself, you have to get from one of these cities to Cemoro Lawang, the village of Mount Bromo, yourself. This can usually be done by taxi or shared mini van, but we will tell you about this further in this blog post
Malang has a domestic airport and Surabaya has an international airport, so you can easily fly to one of these cities. You can find the best flight deals on Trip.com. The cities are also well connected to each other by a good train network.
Once you arrive in Malang, Surabaya or Probolinggo, you can take a tour to Mount Bromo. You can even book a complete tour to Mount Bromo from Bali or you can arrange everything yourself, no matter where you are coming from.
We don’t often visit places with a tour, but in this case it seemed like the easiest and best way to fully enjoy the experience. We took the train from Surabaya to Malang, where we enjoyed some other fun things and then opted for a Mount Bromo and Ijen tour from Malang.
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Mount Bromo Tours
You can book one day, multiple day, shared tours and private tours from Surabaya, Malang, Probolinggo and even Bali. Generally, all these options include sunrise at Mount Bromo, the jeep ride on the Sea of Sand and the hike to the crater rim. To get to Mount Bromo before sunrise, you won’t be surprised that all of these tours leave in the middle of the night. The exact time will depend on where you are staying. Some of these tours, mostly the multiple day tours, also include a visit to the Ijen Crater, Tumpak Sewu Waterfall or some other waterfalls as well.
We went on a private tour to Bromo and Ijen with our awesome guide Ferdy from Bromolandscape. He is friendly, speaks very good English and we definitely recommend his tours. He offers different packages including Bromo and Ijen and even Tumpak Sewu Waterfall, if you want, against very fair prices! You can contact him on Whatsapp +62 853-7700-0773 and tell him hi from us!
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How to visit Bromo without a tour
If you want to visit Mount Bromo by yourself, you first have to get to Probolinggo, the city at the edge of the Mount Bromo area. Depending on where you are coming from, you can either take a bus or a train.
From Probolinggo, you have to take a minivan to Cemorelawang, the village at the foot of the volcano. From this village, you have different options to explore the area such as walking up yourself or arranging a jeep tour on the spot.
We have heard that it is also possible to drive to Mount Bromo yourself with a scooter, but we don’t have any more information about this option. Therefore, we cannot tell wether it’s a good option or not.
Best time to visit
Indonesia, and therefore also Java, has only two seasons: dry season and rainy season. Although Java is a popular destination all year round, the best time to visit Mount Bromo is during dry season, from May to October. During these months, you can expect sunny and dry weather, perfect for exploring!
July and August are considered peak tourist season on Java. Although it will never be quiet on Mount Bromo, it will be extra busy these months.
Rainy season runs from November to April. You can still visit Mount Bromo during these months, but there is a greater chance that it will be cloudy and you will miss the sunrise and the view.
Overall, Java has a tropical climate, which means it can be very hot and humid and the average temperature is 27°C all year round. However, early in the morning it can be very cold at Mount Bromo, between 0 and 10°C, so prepare yourself! As soon as the sun rises, temperatures rise quickly.
It is hard to almost impossible to avoid the crowds at Mount Bromo. Sunrise is without a doubt the busiest time of the day. If you go during the day, it will be a lot less busy, but you will also miss the magical sunrise and it can get really hot. The best alternative to skip the crowds is going their for sunset. Another tip we can give is try to avoid weekends and public holidays.
Where to Stay
To visit Mount Bromo, you can base yourself in Surabaya, Malang, Probolinggo or Cemorolawang.
Surabaya and Malang are the bigger cities where you’ll find plenty of accommodations, including luxurious hotels but also budget guesthouses and hostel. Probolinggo is smaller, but you will also find many options in different price ranges. We chose to visit Mount Bromo from Malang because we wanted to do some other fun things in and around this lovely city.
If you are visiting Bromo by yourself, you might want to stay a night in Cemorelawang. Accommodations here are rather basic and the village is is not developed for mass tourism yet, so don’t expect a fun, relaxed or luxurious stay.
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Other things to do near Bromo
There are some other awesome things to do near Mount Bromo in East Java, Indonesia. The area is home to some spectacular waterfalls such as the Tumpak Sewu Waterfall or the Kapas Biru. If you are visiting from Malang, there are some nice things to do in and around the city as well.
Many travelers choose to combine a visit to Mount Bromo with a visit to the Ijen Crater, also known as Kawah Ijen. The easiest way is to visit these two incredible volcanoes on a multiple day tour, including transport and accommodation!
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Win-Win for everyone
Did you know that, if you buy or book something through our links, we receive a small commission?
However, you still pay the same and therefore have no extra costs! So a win-win for everyone. This way, we can continue to add even more travel inspiration and tips to this blog for your next adventure. Thanks a lot!
