Mount Bromo is an active volcano situated in Western Java. There are relatively few western tourists, although it attracts its fair share of local, Chinese, or Korean visitors. There are not a lot of resources for visiting Mount Bromo – so I decided to write one!

Getting there

Step One – getting to Probolinggo

The easiest way to get to Bromo is by staying in Probolinggo, the nearby city. If you’re already in Indonesia, the fastest way to get there is by train. The railway system in Java is very modern and trains are very comfortable. Tickets are also incredibly cheap compared to the European trains I’m used to – they’re even cheap compared to train tickets in other Southeast Asian countries! If you’re not close enough, fly to Surabaya International Airport and take the train from there.

Step Two – Getting to Bromo from Probolinggo

You can either book a tour from your hotel / guesthouse or go there by yourself. However, you need to be fully confident in your driving skills – the roads are winding and if you want to see the sunrise you’ll need to drive in the dark. If you’re going by yourself, start by driving to Seruni Point (or as close as you can get). Once you’ve seen the sunrise, drive to the Bromo Rest Area Parking. I wouldn’t recommend relying on a Grab / Uber because you can never be sure you’ll get one when you need to. You don’t want to miss the sunrise just because you couldn’t find a Grab at 2AM.

What to do?

Sunrise at King Kong Hill

Sunrise at Mount Bromo is absolutely breathtaking. You’ll need to leave Probolinggo at 3AM, whch gives you about an hour for the drive and another hour for the climb.

There are usually tons of people for sunrise at Bromo, so if you’re not sure where to go just follow the crowds. Most people will only go up to Seruni Point, a concrete platform made to accommodate lots of people, but I strongly recommend you keep going. You’ll find a little opening leading to the woods followed by a steep, 2-3m tall ascent. The climb to the top was definitely challenging – it had been raining so the ground was extra slippery. According to our guesthouse there was supposed to be a ladder, but there wasn’t one so be prepared for that. There is also another way up between two rocks, which we didn’t see at first but a family with two kids managed to climb through there.

Once you get to the top, keep going up. It took us about 45 minutes to reach King Kong Point. I wanted to stop several times, partly because I was tired from having woken up at 2AM (!!!) and partly because the views were already really nice. I’m so happy I kept going – trust me, the view from the top is mind-blowing! I recommend downloading the MAPS.ME app for a more detailed route.

Mount Bromo

To get there you’ll need to drive here:

From there, you’ll have to walk down and cross the “Sand Sea”. It’s a 2km stretch of black, volcanic sand. Take your time to cross but don’t rent a horse! They’re way too small to carry people all day long and are clearly malnourished.

After crossing the Sand Sea, you’re finally at the foot of Mount Bromo! All you have to do now is climb the stairs up to the caldera rim. I recommend wearing a mask to protect yourself from the volcanic fumes.

To me, Bromo was truly a wow-moment. The crater is massive, and the drop into the sulphuric lake is breathtaking. However, one thing that really annoyed me was the amount of trash in the crater. Please be mindful of your trash and don’t throw anything, well… anywhere.

What to pack

Clothes

• Long pants. Indonesia is a conservative country, so definitely no shorts. Longer shorts and capris may be okay, but covering your knees is always a good idea. Legally you’re allowed to wear booty shorts, but that shows a complete lack of respect to the local culture.
• Warm clothes. You’ll be at a high altitude before sunrise. Trust me, it gets really cold. And I’m from Finland. When I saw people at the parking selling mittens and scarves, I thought “aww, that’s cute. But I’m from Finland! These people probably think 15°C is cold!” (And I think 25°C is hot, so I guess the joke’s on me…). It turned out to actually be really cold. Pack a jacket.
• A t-shirt or long flowy shirt. Again, non-muslims can technically wear what they want but remember to cover your shoulders. This will also prevent sunburns – the sun is way stronger than you might think if you come from the Global North.
• Good shoes. You won’t be able to climb to King Kong Point in flip flops, and I would assume that the black sand gets pretty hot in direct sunlight. If you don’t have the space for hiking boots, regular sneakers are fine.
• A hat. A cap or even an Instagram Influencer Straw Hat™ is fine.

Others

• A water bottle. Whether you’re climbing the mountain or crossing the desert, you’ll need one.
• MAPS.ME. It’s an app that allows you to download maps. It’s very useful when you don’t have unlimited Internet. It’s also more precise than Google Maps.
• Some cash. You’ll need to pay an entrance fee to visit mount Bromo. It’s also good to have some cash in case you get hungry – there are several small restaurants near Bromo.
• Snacks. Alternatively, you can pack some snacks to eat whenever you’re hungry.
• A camera. You will see so many gorgeous things, make sure to capture them!

Last-minute tips

• Go to bed early! You will need to wake up at 2AM and you’ll need that extra energy for all the walking you’re going to do.
• Prepare yourself to walk a lot. Sure, try to sleep well the night before, but prepare yourself mentally (know that you will walk a lot but it will be worth it) as well as physically.
• What if you can’t walk a lot or if you have mobility issues? The main things people want to see are 1) the sunrise, 2) the sand sea, and 3) Bromo itself. Unfortunately, most of these places are not very reduced mobility -friendly. You’ll need to climb some (not too steep) stairs to get to the lowest viewpoint. There are also some rather steep stairs to get to the caldera rim of Bromo. This being said, Bromo is really beautiful from the ground level as well!

Did you find this Mount Bromo itinerary useful? Do you have any questions? Tell me in the comments!

You can find more articles about Indonesia here and more travel guides here.