We arrived at Yoschi Guesthouse in Cemoro Lawang around 7:00 PM. The guy at the reception told us we have to wake up the next day at 3:00 AM for breakfast. And at exactly 4AM, a jeep will fetch us and drive up to the viewpoint of Tengger Caldera. So we ate Sandi’s mom’s packed food that we brought from Yogyakarta for dinner and went straight to bed.
3:15 AM, we heard our ‘wake-up knock’. We dressed as warm as possible, I had three layers of clothes on. The viewpoint we’re heading to first is atop Mt. Penanjakan (2,770m), located north of the caldera.
Temperatures can drop to zero in the summer, so after breakfast we rented down jackets at the reception for 20,000 Rp a piece. Shervin got a jacket with faux fur on the hood, and I got a colorful 80s-style one.
Six of us were squeezed in the jeep. Initially, we wanted the tour which will only take us to the jump off trail to Gunung Bromo. The travel agent convinced us to join the jeep ride up the viewpoint, then down the trail to the volcano for an extra 100,000 Rp each. We’re glad we did because the view was breathtaking at sunrise.
At 6:00 AM, we walked back to the jeep and drove down to the jump-off trail. From there, the walk to the crater only takes about twenty minutes. You may also hire a horse for 20,000 (price depends on which area/point you ride the horse).
It was eerie to walk in the fog. You won’t see anything within a two-meter radius. Tourists, horses will take you aback as they suddenly emerge from every direction.
As you hike higher and higher, you will get an awesome view of the Hindu temple looming through the sea of fog.
But your excitement might die straight away once you see the last part of the ascent, which is the 250-step stairs that will lead you to the crater.
Wikitravel’s warning: “Mount Bromo really is a live volcano that erupts with disturbing regularity: in 2004, two tourists were killed and five injured when the mountain spit out molten rock as far as the temple. Keep your distance if the mountain is acting up. Pay attention to the geologists who can normally accurately predict the state of the volcano and the associated danger level.”
[This blog is part of the South East Asia in Six Weeks series which took place May-June 2009. Price of goods, transportation and so forth may already be different.]
wow! breathtaking! how much did the whole trip cost you? 🙂
hi there! regarding the cost, the tour package from yogyakarta to gunung bromo is 300,000 Rp. for the inclusions (and where we booked the tour) you may read this entry: https://www.pinaytraveljunkie.com/2009/09/prambanan-temple.html
it’s advisable to book a tour because the trip to probolinggo can be tricky. price difference ain’t much anyway 🙂
and oh, our trip to indonesia is part of a six-week SE asia tour. so it’s difficult to remember how much we spent for each country, but all in all we only spent less than 50k for 6 countries.
check out the SE asia roundup: https://www.pinaytraveljunkie.com/2009/08/clark-kota-kinabalu.html
wow gundam wing. Tell me how to get there Gay when we see each other. I’m planning 1 out of the country trip this year, and this place is probably it.
No prob Marky. Will do. And yeah, this place should be it!
gs2 ko makapunta d2! this is a photographer’s paradise!
wow!! I am a simple living person, but after seeing these pictures, it makes me wanna win the lottery.
Don’t worry Joni, you don’t have to win the lottery to visit Gunung Bromo. Ipon lang ng onti 🙂
naglalaway ako sa ganda!
Soon. puntahan ko yan 🙂