The Ultimate Guide To Visiting Mount Bromo In East Java

Mount Bromo is arguably one of the most famous scenic attractions in East Java. The Tengger Caldera is famous for its magnificent sunrise views and the remarkable active volcano crater. A trip to Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is warranted when visiting Indonesia!

Mount Bromo is one of the 5 volcanoes within the Tengger Caldera in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park surrounded by a vast area of fine volcanic sand called Laut Pasir (Sea of Sand). There are various ways to reach Mount Bromo, and we have shared our experience and some worthwhile tips so you too can explore it with or without a tour. Read on to discover a unique route that we took that made for a super efficient travel experience! Time to check this remarkable attraction off your bucket list, what say?

🚀 When is the best time to visit Mount Bromo?

Being a tropical country, Indonesia has a fairly mild weather of just rain and shine, making anytime a good time to visit Mount Bromo. Just ensure you check the weather forecast beforehand and choose not to go on a cloudy day so you can have the most amazing sunrise experience.

It’s also good to know that the dry season runs from April to October, and the wet season runs from November to March. So while there may be incidence of rain, that doesn’t deter many travellers from visiting Bromo.

Also, avoid going on the weekends to stay away from the crowd.

🚀 How does one get to Mount Bromo?

There are various ways to reach Mount Bromo that is located on the eastern end of Java. Surabaya, Malang, and Yogyakarta are cities often used as entry points, with Surabaya being the nearest major city serving international flights.

You can choose to explore Bromo as part of a tour or choose to Do-It-Yourself (DIY), which is how we did it! Probolinggo city is mostly used as a transfer point to Cemoro Lawang which is the closest village to Mount Bromo.

🚀 Exploring Mount Bromo 100% with a tour service

You’ll find dime a dozen tour options that leave from Surabaya, Malang and Yogyakarta airport/city. Depending on the type of tour you choose, you can have everything included from pick-up and drop-off service, to accommodation and food, to entry passes, jeep transport, and sight-seeing.

The buses and bigger vans will bring you to Probolinggo and then the smaller vans will bring you to Cemoro Lawang (base of Mount Bromo) where you will stay in a guesthouse near the national park. From the guest house, a jeep will pick you up at 3am and tour you around till 9am. Some tours include additional attractions, before heading back to the city.

🚀 Exploring Mount Bromo 50% DIY and 50% Tour

If you’re arriving in the morning/afternoon, you can take the DAMRI airport bus (air-conditioned) from the airport and head towards Bungurasih Bus Terminal. The journey takes one hour and costs IDR 25,000 (USD 1.75) per person.

After reaching the bus terminal, walk to the main bus terminal area and take the air-conditioned executive bus to Probolinggo. The bus ride costs IDR 35,000 (USD 2.50) per person and the journey takes about 3 hours.

Alternatively, you can take the train into Probolinggo from Surabaya (2 hours journey) or from Yogyakarta (8 hours journey).

Outside Probolinggo bus terminal on the left, find one of mini buses (called bisons) across the main road that will take you to Cemoro Lawang. Note that most of these bisons have a 13–15 people capacity, and the drivers won’t commence the journey until all seats are filled up or if you pay for the empty seats. This is an uphill ride, so it will be windy and super chilly. Keep a windcheater or sweater handy! The normal rate for the 1 hour ride up to Cemoro Lawang is IDR 35,000 (USD 2.50) per person subject to all seats being filled. Not to mention, you have to pay a village entrance fee of IDR 10,000 (USD 0.75) per person.

If you have not pre-booked an accommodation in Cemoro Lawang, the bus drivers will ask you where you’d like to stay or end up bringing you to a guesthouse of their choice with which they have an alliance with.

Pro tip: We highly suggest you pre-book your accommodation online so you won’t be charged an obnoxious touristy price while you are there! The accommodation options is Cemoro Lawang are rather overpriced.

Typically the Mount Bromo jeep tour prices range anywhere between IDR 500,000 – 750,000 (USD 33-50). Since there are umpteen jeeps in and around Cemoro Lawang, there is no need or even any way to reserve them ahead of time. You can book one once you arrive; even the accommodation manager will be able to assist you with the booking.

If you don’t want to rent a jeep and are travelling alone, you can ask a local bike driver (gojek) to whiz you around.

🚀 Exploring Mount Bromo 100% DIY – Complete AWESOMENESS!

Exploring Bromo independently is more rewarding if you’re up for a challenge and a whole lot of excitement. No hassle of public transport, waiting for mini buses to fill up, and all the freedom to explore the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park at your own pace and convenience! Here’s how we did it:

From Surabaya Airport, we collected a rental motorbike (not a car because cars are not allowed inside the national park). Unlike what most people do, we headed to Wonokitri instead of going via Probolinggo and Cemoro Lawang. The distance from Surabaya City to Wonokitri was 107km and it took us a good 3 hours to reach.

From Surabaya city, we took this route to reach Wonokitri:

The Wonokitri entrance is super close to the sunrise view point (10km – 25 minutes). There are a few accommodation options nearby the entrance, but we chose to stay at Bromo Tanjung which was 30 minutes away from Wonokitri.

This was the route we opted for when visiting Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park:

Wonokitri ➡️ Mount Penanjakan ➡️ Sea of Sand and Bromo Crater ➡️ Probolinggo City

🚀 Mount Penanjakan (Sunrise Viewpoint)

We set off at 4am in the crisp and cold star-studded morning, and made our way to Mount Penanjakan, which is known as Viewpoint #1.

Two-thirds up the mountain road, we found a giant clog of jeeps that were parked on the road since the parking lot at the top is tiny and only enough for motorbikes.

We waded our way through the jam and were up for a lovely treat. The first light shone at around 4:55am and as the sun started to rise on the east, Mount Bromo in the Tengger Caldera as well as Mount Semeru in the distance came into light and changed hues making for a pretty awesome view!

Pro Tip: You may want to head up to Mount Penanjakan a tad earlier to avoid the crowd and jeep jam, and to get a good spot at the vantage point to view the sun rising over the caldera.

There are other view points near Penanjakan 1 such as King Kong Hill and Seruni Viewpoint #2. We also stopped by Love Hill Viewpoint (Bukit Cinta) which is about halfway up to / down from Mount Penanjakan. The view here was incredible as it appeared that the caldera was magically floating on fluffy white clouds! It felt heavenly watching this spectacle!

🚀 Sea of Sand (Laut Pasir)

After watching the sunrise, we started to make our way down the steep cliff towards the volcano’s crater. Upon reaching the Sea of Sand, we powered through the 3km stretch of grey volcano sand for a good 30–45 minutes.

Pro Tip: The terrains were incredibly steep down-hill. The Sea of Sand was a mission to accomplish on an automatic bike as the bike kept sinking in the ridiculously fine sand. So go for a gear bike if possible and you should be good to go!

🚀 Hike up to Mount Bromo’s Crater Rim

Near the foot of the volcano, you will witness a Tenggerese Hindu temple called Pura Luhur Poten Gunung Bromo. The temple isn’t open to public and is only used by the locals for a ceremony held annually.

You can either hike or pay for a pony ride (IDR 75,000 – USD 5 one-way) from the base (where the parking lot is) up to the start of the 240-step stairs. Horses won’t be climbing the flight of steps up to the crater. You got to do it on your own!

Upon climbing the steps, you will reach the peak of Mount Bromo where the rim of the crater is from where you can peek down into the massive caldera and watch it live in action.

On an active day, the volcano will be spewing more than just off-white sulphurous smoke. It may emit lots of ash and sand so you will need a mask as it will be raining sand on your clothes and hair.

🚀 Other attractions to see nearby Mount Bromo

• Milky Way tour which starts around midnight from Cemoro Lawang that gifts you the chance to view the Milky Way from nearby peaks such as Mount Pananjakan, Mentigen Hill, Kingkong Hill, or Seruni Point.
• Telletubbies Hill which is a savannah in the middle of a volcanic caldera
• Madakaripura Waterfall (located north of Mount Bromo, 30km – 1.5 hours journey). Swimming is not allowed here.

🚀 Tips to help you prepare for your trip to Mount Bromo

• Get enough sleep and eat well before your trip to Bromo. Especially if you’re DIY-ing because you’ll need the physical endurance to face the weather, the windy and steep roads, the climb, everything!
• The topography of the area makes the temperature at Bromo similar to a desert – super cold at night but super hot during the day. Before sunrise, the temperature is about 5-10°C, and then tops 20-30°C during the day. So be prepared to wear both your winter and summer attire in one day. We suggest bringing along a jacket, scarf, beanie, gloves, and socks; and wear light clothes underneath.
• If you’re into night photography and want to capture some milky-way awesomeness, ensure you bring the right camera and equipment.
• It is totally possible to explore Mount Bromo solely on foot after reaching the base, rather than on a bike or taking the jeep. You just need to wake up really early (around 3am), because the hike to Mount Penanjakan takes 2 hours, so you’ll want to be up there on time for sunrise. The trek from Penanjakan down to the caldera across the Sea of Sand to the base of Mount Bromo and up and down the crater rim will take approximately 5 hours depending on your pace. It is strenuous, but totally doable if you’re fit as a fiddle!
• Ensure you are well hydrated and have at least 2 litres of drinking water for the whole journey. You will not find vendors selling water on the Sea of Sand and the Mount Bromo Summit.
• Just a heads up: Internet is super sporadic up in Wonokitri and you’ll literally have to be Rafiki who lifts baby Simba for all the kingdom to see in the Lion King. Or you could eventually give in and throw your phone away, because the atmosphere around you will be much more enticing.

🚀 Total cost of the trip (2 days 1 night) for 2 people

• Bike Rental: IDR 225,000 (USD 15)
• Petrol and Tire Pressure: IDR 50,000 (USD 3.50)
• Entrance to Bromo: IDR 65,000 (USD 4.3) [price for 2 locals]
• Accommodation at Bromo Tanjung (Including Dinner): IDR 295,000 (USD 19.50)
• Food: IDR 100,000 (USD 6.50)
• Total cost incurred for 2 people: IDR 740,000 (USD 48.75)

The views were spellbindingly impressive, and the experience was ethereal. Epic views and exciting adventures in Indonesia call your name!

We exited Mount Bromo and headed towards Probolinggo where we hopped on the train to Banyuwangi for our Ijen Crater expedition. Read more about Ijen here.