Mount Bromo Sunrise Tour: 6 things to know before planning volcano trek in Indonesia

Indonesia is the most volcanic country across the globe, housing over 100 of them, out of which 76 are believed to be active. We recently visited one of Indonesia’s active volcanoes – Mt. Bromo.

Mt. Bromo may not be counted among the biggest volcanoes in Indonesia, but it does not disappoint, thanks to its magnificent structure, incredible views, and dramatic landscapes. It is also one of the few volcanoes in the world, where you can walk up to the crater. This was the reason why we picked Indonesia as our latest trip. The thought of walking to a volcano’s crater was so exciting and it was certainly an experience of a lifetime!

(Check video below!)

Where is Mt. Bromo located?

Mt. Bromo is a four-hour drive away from Surabaya, the capital of East Java, a province in Indonesia. The volcanic mountain is a part of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park that covers a massive area of 800 square km. It is close to the village of Cemoro Lawang.

How to reach Mt. Bromo?

We landed at Surabaya airport and from there, we took a cab to Malang, a landlocked city in East Java. The distance was nearly 100 km. There are buses available too. You can book through taxi apps such as GoJek and Grab as well. You can also make Probolinggo your base. We picked Malang because it had more accommodation options than Probolinggo. You can book a tour of Mt. Bromo from both cities.

Where to stay at Mt. Bromo?

We picked Whiz Prime Hotel in Malang. It was a great place to stay and the staff was very helpful. Just next to the hotel, there was a café called Lafayette Coffee & Eatery: great food and decor.

Is it safe to visit Mt. Bromo?

It is safe to visit Mount Bromo, but depending on the level of activity, sometimes the Bureau of Meteorology issues warnings about visiting. In that case, no tours will be organized on such days.

Mt. Bromo’s sunrise tour

In this, you’ll begin your journey to Mt. Bromo in a jeep. The driver will pick you up from your hotel by midnight. The journey takes around 1 and a half hours to two hours. It is pitch dark and once you enter the national park, the drive is daunting. But we must say, our driver was quite experienced and he made our tour as comfortable as possible. The final hour before the mountain is pretty bad. So, if you have intense motion sickness, please avoid this tour or take your medication before you start.  

Mt. Bromo is 2,329 meters (7,641 ft) above sea level. Since you’ll reach the sunrise point by 4 AM or so, it’ll be freezing cold. We underestimated it and were underprepared. Luckily, there were small shops outside the sunrise point and Sakshi could buy a scarf and a beanie. It was still not enough. Then we discovered there were blankets being given on rent. That really saved us! The chilly weather is only for a few hours as it gets warm enough by 8.30-9 am.

Our sunrise was magical but cold! After watching the sunrise over Mt. Bromo, you’ll head to a few more viewpoints before beginning your hike to the crater. The first half is a sandy slope. Either hike or ride on a horse, like many tourists we saw did to climb up the hill. From there, you’ll have about 250 or so steps to climb to reach the mouth of Mt. Bromo’s crater.

While it was a major sigh of relief to finally make it to the top of a volcanic crater, we couldn’t really breathe freely as Mt. Bromo constantly generates thick and noxious sulphuric gas. Just halfway while climbing the steps, we wore our face masks as the fumes were getting stronger.

Things to carry for Mt. Bromo tour

It gets freezing cold in the middle of the night at Mt. Bromo and these things are a must: A warm jacket, beanie, scarf, gloves, torch, and face mask. If you want to avoid buying water or food, carry that too. Indonesia has some amazing convenience stores such as Circle K and Indomaret, where you find handy breakfast options.

Want to do an Mt. Bromo sunrise tour yourself? Get in touch*

*We’ll help you book the entire tour, which will include the charges for a jeep with a driver, entrance fees, etc. A small fee will be charged by us.