After a ridiculous trip from Yogyakarta, which involved an overnight train, three angkots (local buses), and one terrifying motorbike ride flying across the Sea of Sand, we finally arrived at Gunung Bromo (Mt. Bromo). The name of this active volcano is derived from the Javanese word for Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. For visiting the volcano, the best place to stay is Cemoro Lawang – a small town nearby with a few hotels and restaurants. We checked into the Cafe Lava, had a little lunch, and then headed out to walk up to the top of the crater.
Home for a night in Cemoro Lawang.
Bromo is actually just a part of a bigger chain of volcanoes, known as the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. This also includes Mt. Batok and Mt. Semeru, which at 3,676 meters is the highest mountain in Java. Inside the caldera of an ancient volcano called Tengger, five new volcanoes were formed, including Bromo. You can learn more about the land and its formation inside of the small museum in the town, which you can conveniently check out on your way to the volcano.
The museum and views of Bromo.
It’s about a 45-minute walk from the town to the mountain, but there are plenty of enterprising locals who are ready and willing to take you on their motorbike or horse if you’ve got the rupiah for it. Having just come off of that insane motorbike ride to get there, we opted just to walk and enjoy the incredible landscape. For a guy from a flat town in Michigan, walking up to the top of an active volcano was a pretty incredible experience. Staring down into the steaming crater was an image I’ll never forget – it reminds you of the sheer power going on just beneath the Earth’s surface, and how tiny and insignificant we are standing on top. Off in the distance, we could see local sulfur miners walking along the narrow path around the volcano. Not thrilled at the prospects of potentially slipping and plunging to our untimely deaths, we decided to take in the views behind the barrier.
Inside of Mt. Bromo.
Back in the town, we got some much needed rest in order to get up and tackle the famed sunrise hike. In the middle of the night, we set out with our headlamps and a few snacks to begin the 2-hour walk to the viewpoint. It was a rough hike to say the least – in the pitch black, attempting to follow the narrow and unmarked trail. Finally, we made it to the viewpoint, where a few locals set up stands selling coffee and instant noodles. With a hot cup in hand, we crossed our fingers that the early morning fog would dissipate and provide us with that postcard-worthy view of the volcanoes in the distance.
Waiting and hoping for sunrise.
Unfortunately for those of us who made the hike that day, that never happened. The clouds stayed put, and suddenly it was morning. There was no view to speak of, which was a bit disheartening considering all the effort we had put in to get there. Exhausted, cold, and defeated, we headed back down the trail. On the way down, we marveled at how we even made it up the thing in the dark of night in the first place.
We hiked this??
Not wanting to head all the way back to town without at least getting a decent glimpse of the national park, we sat and waited at a lower viewpoint. Eventually the clouds began rolling, providing us with a few decent views. It wasn’t cover of Lonely Planet worthy, but it was better than nothing.
Finally, a decent view!
Back in the town, we were left with a few choices – we could stay another night and attempt the hike again, pay a high price for a jeep ride up there, or just give up and continue our trip. After the epic journey we had had to get there, a great night in the village, and an awesome hike to the top of the crater, we were satisfied enough and decided to power on to our next stop – Kawah Ijen.
