It’s perhaps one of the most touristy things I’ve done on my
solo trips. Every website, blog or discussion board around Mt. Bromo had enough
and more to say about the hordes that visit the crater every day. Nonetheless,
a visit to an active volcano seemed like quite the adventure back home in India
– nothing could be further from the truth. But, there’s a glimmer of hope for
those who want to stay away from the crowds. Getting to Mt. Bromo alone and
without wheels may not be a great adventure, but it sure gets you closer to
people and the land.
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| The Tengger caldera from Seruni point |
Across the sea of
sand
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| Tengger houses |
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| Smoking Mt. Bromo |
It’s pretty noisy for a small village at 3 in the morning.
But, this is when the sleepy Cemero Lawang roars to life with dozens of four
wheelers. Sunrise over the Tengger caldera with its apostles - Bromo, Batok and Semeru – is what is
creating all the ruckus as tourists get ready for a short trip to Seruni point
(sunrise point), about 200-250 mts above the village. Some also go the top of
Mt. Pananjakan or to the top of Mt. Bromo . I prefer an early morning hike and
am there in an hour. Sunrise is uneventful and “selfied”. Later Semeru gives us
a burp of smoke and ash much to our delight.
However, the walk down Mt. Pananjakan is
the real deal. With the sun out, the Tengger potato fields reveal themselves
along with the crude but neat houses in them. The people are up and about,
mostly in the fields though.
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| Inside Poten temple with Mt. Batok in the background |
About 75 mins later, I am at the foot of Mt. Bromo across
the eerie sea of sand. In fact, more eerie than the Lautan Pasir, is the poten temple. Dedicated to Bromo (derived from
‘Brahma’, the Hindu God of creation), it stands lonely and desolate, almost
taunting Mt. Bromo to annihilate it. It’s quite the opposite of what you would
witness in India as people almost ignore the holy structure and head for the
crater above. And these are a lot of people – a few score– all for sulphur
fumes at the top. Most people take horses up and they are quite the nuisance. After weaving past them, I get to the stairs and up to the crater, where I can peer down into the volcano. The others are having a ball too - the selfie sticks are out again. Did I mention this place is touristy?
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| Crowds going up Mt. Bromo |
Mt. Bromo – DIY
Itinerary from
Surabaya Intl. Airport, costs in thousand Indonesian rupiah
- DAMRI bus to Bungarasih bus terminal : 25
- Bungarasih to Probolinggo: 29 (you get an option of express and economy bus, I took express)
- Probolinggo to Cemero Lawang: 50 (Here you shift into a mini bus. Exit the bus terminal onto the main road and turn left, you will see a few mini buses parked there. Costs are variable depending on number of people and the bus wont move till it is full, unless others are willing to pay more. In my case I was told it was 525k for the entire bus of 15 ppl which works out to 35 per head. And after waiting for about 2 hrs, we managed to get 10 ppl, with the cost at 50 per head)
- Homestay : 200 (I stayed at homestay UDIN right before cafe lava hotel. If you are early, you can get one of the bigger hotels for a similar rate, but don’t count on it)
- Food: Max 40 w/o alcohol per head per meal. Plenty of places around for local food
- Entrance ticket: 220 ph. (Rarely checked – nobody checked my ticket – but you might not want to take a risk)
- Cemero Lawang to Surabaya – same route/way back
TIPS
- Mt. Bromo is an active volcano and last erupted in 2011, however, the eruptions are not frequent. Mt. Sumeru on the other hand spits out ash/rock every 15-30 mins.
- Cafe lava hotel gives you a map of the region for free
- For good views of the volcanoes, move towards Lava view lodge
- If you take the jeep for the sunrise tour (sunrise pt. + Mt. Bromo + a couple other points) it will cost you about 125k per head. However, even with the jeep, you will have to climb up the last leg to Seruni and climb up to Mt. Bromo.
- Horses are also available but they don’t take you all the way to the top either. (When I went to Seruni point, there were some who took jeeps, and then horses, but still had to walk up the stairs for 10 mins.
- The way from Cemero Lawang down to the sea of sands, is by a narrow dirt road near cemero Indah hotel
- Dont miss the views of Mt. Arjuna in the distance on the way down from seruni point
- There are a couple of shops where you can pick up local souvenirs from the bromo hat to fridge magnets
- Do NOT take direct buses from Surabaya to Cemero Lawang, stop at Probolinggo and switch – there are no direct buses and you are likely to get cheated
- I took a Simpati sim card (Telekomsel) and it worked fine. Not sure about others.
- Cemero Lawang is about 2,200 mts high and the mornings/nights can get nippy (It was about 16 deg in the morning in April)
- If you arrive to Cemero Lawang early (by noon), go to Mt. Bromo. Most of the crowds come in at sunrise and immediately after. By noon, you are likely to have the place to yourself.
