Mount Bromo, is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java, Indonesia. At 2,329 meter above sea level, although it is not the highest peak of the massif, people recognized Bromo Mountain the most. While actually it is the whole national park that drew people to pay a visit. This massif area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god.

Once a year, on the fourteenth of Kasada month in Javanese calendar, the native holds a sacred ceremony named Kasada ceremony. Native Tengger will come together in the banks of the crater active volcano of Bromo to offer rice, fruits, vegetables, flowers, cattle and agricultural produce to the watchman of Bromo. The purpose of The Kasada is to ask blessings from lord, The Hyang Widi Wasa. This ceremony is a combination between Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism elements.

If you seek for sunrise, the best time to visit Bromo is between April and October. Why? Because it is dry season and free of fog, so we can enjoy the sunrise clearly. But in dry season Bromo will be more freezing. Meanwhile, on rainy season, you will get the beautiful green savanna. On dry season, they will go brown. We, personally, love this savanna, as you get this serenity feeling once you make time to stop and breathe in the moment. We also suggest you to come on weekdays, to avoid too much tourist.

Bear in mind that sunset is soon after 05:00 pm and sunrise is correspondingly early at around 05:00 am. This means you need to get up by 03:00 am or so to get to the viewpoint in time for dawn. It will be very crowded, so try to arrive as early as possible for a good spot.

Bromo area has 4 main destinations to visit. First is Penanjakan Hill (the sunrise point), Savannah (a field of grass surrounded by hills), Whispering Sand (the sea of sand), and Bromo Crater. All those destinations are within reach with the jeep. The only tracking you need to do is in the crater, where you have to hike up on the sand hill for 30 minutes. If you don’t want to shed any sweat, just pick a horse to rent.

To get around, you need to rent jeep. They will take you to all of the destinations. Private cars are not allowed, because of the extreme road.

Temperatures are refreshingly cool during the day but outright cold at night as temperatures can drop to zero in the dry season and are rarely much above 5°C in wet season. Daytime temperatures anywhere in the park never exceed 20°C with low teens being normal. So, you really want to bring your warm jacket here. Locals also rent jackets and hats, if you forgot yours.

It can rain at any time and the mean average rainfall of 6.6m is best measured in meters, not mm! Most of that comes in the wet season though – November to March.

There are not much option for food in Bromo. Most of them are small stalls called “Warung”, there are not much restaurant around this area, except owned by hotels. If you’re in the Wonokitri area, there are several stalls in Tosari Market, they usually open between 07.00 pm – 09.00 pm. Even though the places are small, some places have even better food than hotels owned. There are also some souvenirs stalls around Bromo crater and Penanjakan Hill, which sells instant noodles, hot drinks, grilled corn, and etc.

Bring snacks before you go up to Bromo area. You have to start before dawn, when breakfast from hotel is not ready yet. And you don’t want to starve when you explore this beauty.

Positive attitude for sure
Bring warm clothes (jacket, sweater, gloves, scraft, etc), shoes
Sunrise shows around 05.00 am (if not cloudy)
You must start from hotel at 03.00 am (from Cemoro Lawang) or 3.30am (from Wonokitri)
Best time to enjoy clear sunrise is dry season, from April until October.
Eat before you start your trip
Prepare your snack and mineral water.
Prepare your camera and all of the gears to capture the exoticness of Bromo