A complete guide to visiting Mount Bromo, East Java 2023
If you are looking into visiting Mount Bromo, there are a few alternative ways to do it. The entire trip is lengthly, and it can be done solo or part of a tour, however it does require some planning. In this guide we will go through everything you need to know about visiting Mount Bromo with a tour or a challenging Do It Yourself (DIY) scooter ride. So let’s get started.
1. Tour Trip to mount bromo
We visited Mount Bromo and the Ijen Crater as a part of a 2 Day 1 Night excursion. Riding a scooter alone for 2 nights in a row which covers +24 hours travel is a hectic schedule. So we definitely recommend a tour operator for this specific trip.
We stayed at Mador Dorm Hostel who organised our tour with OurTrip1st. It is a great place to stay with budget friendly accommodation options, clean facilities and super helpful staff.
Below is a detailed breakdown of what to expect.
~ 12:00 am | Van Pick Up
A van will pick you up from your hotel in Malang and drive you 2 hours to the city of Putus, where you will then be transferred onto an epic 4x4 jeep. As the ground to Mount Bromo is rough, only off-road vehicles take this specific route, hence the change of transport.
~ 2:30am | Off-road Jeep Ride
The Jeep ride takes approximately 45 minutes from the town of Putus to reach one of the 3 peaks (Seruni point, King Kong Hill, Penanjankan Bromo). The peaks all offer spectacular views of Mount Bromo, so don’t feel like you are missing out if you choose one and not the other. We were dropped off at Penanjankan Bromo peak, which is the highest point to watch sunrise.
~ 3:15am | Relax and keep warm
The sun rises at around 5:30am, so there is a 2 hour wait before seeing beautiful Mount Bromo appear from the darkness. A good thing to note is to wrap up well. Yes Indonesia is a hot country, however at the elevations of viewing Mount Bromo, the temperature drops to around 0-10 degrees Celsius.
There are many locals who rent and sell warm thermal clothing such as gloves, scarves, coats and more. A pair of gloves costs around IDR 20,000 (Approx $1.30) or renting a coat costs around IDR 30,000 (Approx $2), which is totally worth it.
There are many kiosks located at the top of the hill where the 4x4 will drop you off. They serve hot ginger tea (Teh Jahe) and traditional Indonesian coffee with milk also know as (Kopi Susu). This will get your blood boiling to fight the cold. As a part of our tour package, a free welcome drink with a small snack was provided.
~ 4:00am | Hold Your Position
Find your sunrise viewpoint, hold your position and wait. There are many tourists - both locals and foreigners that come for this specific sunrise tour, and once it reaches around 4:30am, you can see the crowd getting bigger. We setup our tripod up front and waited, which paid off to have one of the best views of Mount Bromo from Penanjankan Bromo view point.
Tourists will push from either side of you to also try to get the best view in the house. When we held our position by the front barrier, there were no other people upfront, and only an hour later it was crowded. It pays off to get there early!!!
~ 5:30am | The big reveal
As the sun rises above the mountains and clouds, mount bromo starts to blossom in colour. Seeing this in person is truly magical, nature back at it with a beautiful performance. The sulphur smoke blows out of the crater, the clouds wizz past you and you truly get to see the sun rays show off Mount Bromo. If you operate a drone, be sure to get it up in the air, the sight from above the clouds is even more impressive.
~ 6:30am | Classic Jeep Snap
Once the sun has risen, most of the crowd tend to disappear, as everyone heads towards the crater, which was the highlight of our trip. The sunrise is beautiful, but seeing an active volcano close up in person has been one of our best natural encounters whilst travelling. Before heading to the crater, the jeep will drive down the mountain and stop off close by the bottom of Mount Bromo crater. This is a classic picture moment where the drivers allow you to sit or stand ontop of a jeep with an epic mountain sitting behind you.
~ 08:00am | Climb Mount Bromo
Once you have taken all your beautiful photos, your driver will head towards the parking area where you will start your hike. It is not tough or that time consuming. From the jeep it is around a 15 minute walk to the bottom of the crater. You will then require to hike up around 250 steps to the top. It is an incline climb, so taking it slow and steady is totally fine to get to the top, which takes around 20 minutes.
~ 9:00am | A mind blowing experience
Once you reach the top, you are welcomed by an erupting sound, similar to the sound of boiling eggs, but much more intense. It is seriously mind blowing reaching the last step of the climb and seeing the beautiful active crater in front of you. We took a few minutes to digest the view before pulling out the cameras. The top is not well gated, so be mindful of your step.
The sulphuric gas that blows out of the crater is toxic, so do try to avoid inhaling it if it blows your way. For the best view point and to avoid the crowd, you can climb the rim of the crater, however you have to be cautious of your step as there are no barriers either side of you. Drone shots from this angle look epic!
~ 10:30am | Ijen or Malang
After spending an hour on top of the crater, you will head back down to the jeep and make your way back to where the van had parked up at 02:30am. If you opt for the Ijen tour, your driver will head towards the direction of Ijen, which is a 5 hour drive. If you only opt for the Mount Bromo tour, your driver will head back to Malang and drop you off at your hotel.
Tour Packages and Prices
We highly recommend the Ijen tour package, which will drop you off to Ketapang port to catch a Ferry back to Bali. We booked the Mount Bromo/Ijen tour package which cost us IDR 1,500,000 (Approx $100) per person and included the following:
〰️ Hotel pick up and drop off
〰️ Air conditioned van and driver
〰️ 4X4 Jeep Mount Bromo sunrise tour
〰️ Entrance fee for Mount Bromo national park
〰️ Entrance fee for Ijen
〰️ Local guide for the Ijen hike
〰️ Guesthouse in Ijen for 1 night
〰️ Simple breakfast, water, tea and snacks
Alternatively you can book the Mount Bromo tour only which costs IDR 550,000 (Approx $37) per person, which includes the same as above excluding the ijen hike and accommodation.
There are a few other online tour operators on klook you can choose from, if you’d like to book your tour in advance. Click here for more details.
2. Mount Bromo DIY on Scooter
If you love the unbeaten path, love to ride solo and always want to push yourself to the limit, then this is for you. Travelling to Mount Bromo is an experience of itself which requires effort and a good deal of riding. So let’s get started.
You can do this trip with a scooter, but an off-road vehicle is recommended (a dirt bike is ideal). If you are heading from Surabaya or Bali, the best entrance point to Mount Bromo is from Cemara Indah Hotel.
From Surabaya it will take around 3 hours and 30 minutes to get to Cemara Indah via Probolinggo. From Bali, you require to head to Gilimanuk sea port and take a 2 hour ferry to Ketapang ferry port which costs IDR 8500 (Approx $0.60). Once you reach Ketapang ferry port, you can take a tuk-tuk or short walk to Puri Made 2 Homestay which rent our scooters for around IDR 80,000 (Approx $5) per day.
Considering the journey is a long one, it is ideal to stay in an accommodation close by Mount Bromo, so you can wake up around 02:30am and make the ride up the mountain. From Cemoro Lawang Hotel type in one of the 3 view points (Seruni point, King Kong Hill, Penanjankan) on Google Maps.
The terrain is rideable, however there are many pot holes and uneven surfaces, so don't expect a super smooth journey, just be careful during your night ride.
