To Gunung Bromo - Off the beaten track!

The active vulcano of Gunung Bromo in Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park is one of the main attractions on Java and for a lot of visitors a must-see on their Jakarta-Yogyakarta-Borobudur-Bromo-Bali trip.

However, when doing Bromo as part of an organized tour, travellers would face a strict schedule, not a lot of freedom and the company of hundred of other travellers with different tour agencies on the very same trip. It would look like this (example from Malang):

- Get up 1am in the moring

- Cramp yourself in a minibus and get driven via Probbolingo to Cemoro Lawang

- their you enter a Jeep, get driven another 30 minutes with hundreds of other Jeeps up to the viewpoint for the sunrise

- watch the sunrise for 45min (if you can see it at all with all the other people)

- get back in the Jeep and drive to Bromo.

- Hike up and down Bromo (you have 30-45 Minutes)

- Get back by Jeep and Bus to Malang, where you arrive around noon.

But Bromo and the caldera is worth to stay a night.

So here is our recommendation:

Hire a Jeep in Malang that drives you and up to 4 more people to Cemoro Lawang. Don't take the route via Probolinggo, but via Tumpang. By doint this, you will enter the vulcano caldera from the west side, drive up through beautiful mountain villages and fields and visit a nice waterfall on the way (ideal spot for breakfast, as you will have to start still like 5am).

But the best thing is, that you will enter the caledare through the savanna - a grassland landscape on the westside, that is much different to the sand desert below Bromo and very unique to this area. From the savanna you will enter the 'Sea of Sand', the area where the vulcanic erruptions has created a black sand desert.

You will reach Bromo around noon, when all other groups and tourist have already left. So you have the whole vulcano for youself.

Stay the night in Cemoro Lawang, where there are plenty of options from Budget to Midrange Guesthouses and Lodges (we stayed in the Bundi Homestay). If the weather is good, it might be worthwhile to climb the trekking viewpoint for the sunset (just 45min walk) or even go higher from the viewpoint to King Kong Hill, with a spectacular view all over the caldera (another 45min steep hike).

The next morning get up around 4am to view also the sunrise from the trekker viewpoint (everybody in the village will tell you where to find the way and it is very easy). Again, a view from King Kong Hill is highly recommended.

One last tipp: Don't leave right after Sunrise. Stay for another hour or so. The light keep changing continously and creates very beautiful views.

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blogged by Zenzi39