Mt. Bromo, one of Indonesias “must do” in life!

Personally, I would say you’re making a big mistake if you don’t do this hike when visiting Indonesia. The sunrise is just amazing. To be lucky with the weather is obviously essential. This is a hike you must do during the night to be able to be at the viewpoint at sunrise. I think you can book just for one night, or, as I did, for two nights, so I hiked the Ijen mountain the following night. However, this post will focus solely on the first night and Mt. Bromo.

Surabaya

When I booked the trip to Mt. Bromo and Ijen, I had two options for where I wanted to be picked up: Surabaya or Putus. I picked Surabaya because I thought it would be more interesting to visit. Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Province and the second-largest city in Indonesia, as well as one of the oldest and most established port cities in Southeast Asia. Well, it was not the most interesting city, and the highlights were far apart. The most interesting part for me was the Siola Surabaya Museum. A small museum showcasing numerous old maps, photos, and collections. It provides a brief overview of Surabaya’s history.

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Late (Early start)

To be at Mt. Bromo at sunrise, you have to start early. Since it was a three-hour drive to the start of the hike, we had to leave Surabaya at midnight. This meant that I did not have a room from eleven in the morning until I was picked up. So I had to make the day pass. And that becomes a very long day when you do not find many interesting things to do. However, finally, the time arrived, and a guide and a driver picked me up. First, we drove for about two hours in a normal car, then we had to switch to a four-wheel-drive vehicle to make the climb. Then, for about one hour, we sat and had a tea in this night cafe in the mountains. All are waiting for the sunrise.

Seruni Point

At around 4:00, we started walking to Seruni Point, also known as King Kong Hill. It was only about 15 minutes to walk from the café, so it wasn’t that challenging. My guide wanted to go early, so we got a good spot to view the sunrise. At this point, we are not actually on Mt. Bromo, but we were going to watch it from a distance. Even though it wasn’t that cold, it became cold after standing still for at least an hour before sunrise.

Finally, what we had been waiting for appeared, this sunrise. It has to be said, I was lucky, because the two days before my trip, the weather had not been good, and you could not see the sun or the mountains. Even though we had seen the contours of the mountains and the crater, it was now that the sun started to light up the horizon.

The light, the colours, the mist, the mountains, just everything was excellent. I think this is the most spectacular sunrise I have ever seen. Not even the morning on Kilimanjaro could compete with this beauty. The cold wait was worth it to see this. And after all, apart from being up all night, it is not hard work; a short walk is all it takes. One can bring more warm clothes than I did.

On to the next stop.

After taking hundreds of pictures of the sunrise and the surroundings, and having some taken of myself, it was time to move on to the actual crater on Mt. Bromo. Since I was alone besides my guide, I did not need hundreds of pictures of myself or with friends. Therefore, we could take off a bit before the big crowd.

Mt. Bromo

It is about 30 minutes to drive to the parking lot for Mt. Bromo. And then around 45 minutes to reach the crater edge on top. I will not say I am exceptionally well fit, and I do not know what kind of tourists my guide is used to. But he was stunned that I hiked without taking any breaks. My morning walk pays off, and the weather isn’t too hot yet. But stairs are always a challenge.

Mt. Bromo is considered a “holy mountain” by the Tenggerese people, a local Hindu community in East Java. The name “Bromo” is derived from the Hindu god Brahma, and the mountain is a sacred site for ceremonies. You can see an altar for sacrifices on the crater edge. Earlier, it was possible to walk around the whole edge, but these days it’s not, for security reasons. A stinking plume of smoke rose constantly.

After Mt. Bromo, the first program for the day was done. It was about eight o’clock, and we had some pictures taken by the car before we drove for a few hours heading for a hotel for a few hours’ rest. This had been one memorable night.