Hiking Mount Bromo

Hiking Mount Bromo was my favorite part of my trip to Indonesia; watching the sunrise was one of the most spectacular things I’ve done in my life. Bromo is an absolute must see if you’re in Indonesia and have the time to visit. Visiting is fairly simple and the hike to the top is painless.

How to get there?

Unfortunately, there is no direct transportation from Jakarta to Mt. Bromo. First, you’ll need to take a flight to Surabaya (assuming you’re not already there). Next you’ll need to take a bus to Probolinggo from Bungurasih bus terminal, which isn’t too far from the city center.

When my friend and I arrived at the bus station we were mobbed by a group of men asking us where we wanted to go, we told them Probolinggo and they grabbed our luggage and escorted us to a bus. We paid 30,000 per person for the four-hour journey. As a foreigner you will be given a highly inflated price, just insist on 30,000 and walk away if they go higher than that. There is an option for a cheaper bus without A/C, but seeing how the bus is already cheap, it’s not even worth saving.

The bus itself was pretty comfortable, but a bit strange. Right before the bus departed, two men selling food boarded and gave everyone food whether you wanted it or not. Those that didn’t want to purchase food just placed it on their seat for the men to collect, which was an interesting method of selling if you ask me. My friend Jamarcus and I did purchase some local hats for the journey.

Four hours later you’ll arrive at the Bayuangga Bus Terminal in Probolinggo, which is 1.5 hours from Cemoro Lawang (closest place to Bromo). At the bus terminal here you will need to purchase another ticket for Cemoro Lawang for 30,000. There is no set schedule, the bus will simply leave when it’s full. There is a tourist center nearby the station where you can purchase a tour for Bromo. It is possible to hike Bromo by yourself, which is probably better as you’ll beat the crowds; however, my friend and I opted for the tour because we were too lazy to plan the solo hike ourselves. We booked our tour and was on the bus to Cemoro Lawang 30 minutes later.

Cemoro Lawang

Cemoro Lawang is the base camp and place everyone will likely stay before the hike. The town is chill and a great place to relax the day before a hike. Our hotel was extremely old and dirty; however, seeing how we were only sleeping there for 5 hours we didn’t mind.

We spent the entire day exploring this small town, only to find nothing really. However, we were able to get a feel for how the local people lived outside of the big cities. Cemoro Lawang was peaceful and very quiet, it felt like we were in a noise cancelling room.

Evening time we grabbed dinner nearby our hotel. We both ordered nasi goreng and washed it down with some Bintang beer. Afterwards, we met a Dutch traveler and chatted with him a bit before getting a head start on some sleep.

Hiking Mount Bromo

3AM the next day we were up and by 3:30 we boarded the van to take us up the mountain. Our driver dropped us off half way, and Jamarcus and I walked the rest of the way to the peak. It was freezing in the morning and it got harder to breathe as we reached the top. Coincidently, Jamarcus and I both asked each other at the same time “Ay man, can you breathe?”

Once we reached the top of Mt.Bromo, we sat and waited for the sunrise. When it finally came, it was unbelievably spectacular. Words and photos don’t even do it justice.

After the sunrise we headed back to the van where we taken to the actual crater of the volcano. There was an option to take a horse to the top, but upon seeing the condition of the horses, we decided to climb it ourselves. After a grueling walk up the crater we immediately smelt a huge wave of sulfur and eggs coming from the inside. This was the closest I had never been to a volcano and it didn’t disappoint.

Our driver gave us a decent amount of time to explore before making our way back to the hotel. Overall, I thought Bromo was fantastic and being able to visit a volcano after was a for sure added bonus to the trip.

Indonesia may not be known for much beyond its beaches, but Mount Bromo is one place every traveler should put on their bucket list when visiting.