Sunrise at Mount Bromo: The Budget Friendly Guide (2024)
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Mount Bromo is one of the most recognizable natural landmarks of Java. Wait, I’ll double down. it is the most recognizable natural landmark in all of Indonesia!
That’s right, practically all tourism leaflets, tour operators, and guidebooks prominently feature a picture of Gunung Bromo and its caldera.
You may think visiting an active volcano ought to be expensive. Not! You can experience the magical sunset at Mount Bromo even if you’re on a strict backpacker budget.
I have been to Bromo twice, so trust me to guide you on how to:
- Go to Bromo independently.
- Find the secret free entrance.
- Avoid the crowds for sunrise.
Mount Bromo is part of my full 14-day Java Itinerary.
Mount Bromo at a Glance
Mount Bromo is located in the province of East Java, about 50 km southwest of Probolinggo, the closest city. Mount Bromo is 2329 meters high and is named after Brahma the Creator of the Hindu mythology.
Mount Bromo erupts from time to time. It has erupted more than 50 times in the past 2 centuries, or an average of once every 4 years.
The most severe eruption in recent history happened in 2011 when the volcanic ash it spewed caused many flights to Surabaya and Bali to be canceled.
Kind of makes it all the more fascinating, don’t you think? You can even look directly inside its crater!
How to get to Mount Bromo Independently
You can reach Bromo from either Malang or Probolinggo. The latter is closer and more suitable for a DIY tour to Mount Bromo.
Getting to Probolinggo is easy – just hop on one of the many trains or buses from Surabaya, Malang, or Yogyakarta.
My advice is to take the train when possible. Trains in Java are convenient, cheap, comfortable, and quite punctual.
Check timetables and book all train tickets through KAI Access.
Hitchhiking
Plenty of cars go from Probolinggo towards Mount Bromo. Hitchhiking in Indonesia is easy, locals are friendly and you should have no problems securing a ride up the mountain.
Renting a scooter
This is the option I recommend. This gives you total freedom and makes it easy to combine a visit to Mount Bromo with a detour to Madakaripura Waterfall – a natural wonder and an exciting adventure.
If you have a lot of luggage, you can leave your big backpack at the motorcycle rental place in Terminal Bayuangga in Probolinggo or ask nicely to leave it at your hostel in the city. I recommend Colorbox Hostel and they can sort out a motorcycle rental for you as well.
A scooter rental costs around 150.000 IDR (~10$) for 24 hours.
You’ll need 2-3 liters of fuel to go up the mountain and back. One liter of Pertalite (the subsidized fuel for motorcycles) costs 10.000 IDR (0.7$) at petrol stations and 12.000 IDR in a bottle sold on the side of the road.
In total, you’d pay around 180.000 IDR / 12.1$ to go by motorcycle which can carry up to two people.
Just before you enter Cemoro Lawang there’s a toll booth where you’ll pay a conservation fee for the village itself (15.000 IDR per person). This is NOT the entrance to the National Park!
Public minibus from Probolinggo to Cemoro Lawang
This option is tricky and isn’t even cheaper than a motorcycle rental if you’re two people or more.
At Terminal Bayuangga, you have to go outside the station, next to the main street. This is the exact location where the bemo to Cemoro Lawang waits.
There is no timetable. The driver is there from early morning waiting for passengers. Once 14 people gather, he goes. It can sometimes take hours to get 14 people!
The price per person is 50.000 IDR (~3.5$) given that you are indeed 14 people. If you’re fewer, you can negotiate with the driver to go anyway, if you pay more.
The price per bus is 700.000 IDR, so you can do the math depending on the number of people.
And then you have to do the whole waiting & negotiating game again on the way back from Cemoro Lawang. That’s why renting a scooter is a much better option.
Cheap Bromo Sunrise Tours
Not everybody can or is willing to drive a scooter, especially up a mountain. Taking the public minibus may also seem like a big hassle. You may be wondering if a tour is worth it. Any cheap ones?
Yes, actually some won’t leave you broke. Here are the best tour options for visiting Bromo on a budget:
- Bromo Sunrise Tour from Malang or Surabaya: Super cheap (~400.000 IDR/25$), includes pick-up and a jeep tour. Does NOT include the Bromo Entrance Fee.
- Bromo Sunrise + Madakaripura Waterfall: Includes pick-up from anywhere in the region. Best value for money to visit both natural wonders!
Cemoro Lawang to Bromo: How to get in for free through the secret entrance
The village of Cemoro Lawang is right on the verge of the Caldera – the circle of ash and dust surrounding Mount Bromo. The Caldera is also called the Sea of Sand.
It’s walking distance from the crater. To be precise, it’s 2.9 km. or around 45 minutes on foot.
The toll booth entrance to the National Park is located just after Cafe Lava, right here.
To enter Mount Bromo Caldera, locals pay 29.000 IDR on weekdays and 34.000 IDR on weekends, whereas foreigners pay almost ten times more: 220.000 IDR / 14.8$ on weekdays and 320.000 IDR / 21.5$ on weekends.
This discriminatory pricing is the reason I don’t feel bad about getting in through the SECRET FREE ENTRANCE.
The Secret Entrance
The secret entrance is not so secret these days. It’s located to the right of the Cemara Indah Hotel, right of the big horse statue.
On the left of the entrance are the viewing platform and a security booth that’s seldom manned (and even if it is, just go, they won’t stop you. I know, I’ve done it twice).
As you start the trail there’s an “Entrance Forbidden” sign – once again, disregard it and just go.
It’s the trail that local villagers use to go down quickly with their horses.
The Secret Entrance is marked on Maps.me. Search for “Secret free entrance to Bromo” to find it.
Where to watch the sunrise at Mount Bromo
There are a few places where people watch the sunrise: the various viewing platforms and the Bromo crater itself. Most tours bring people to the viewing platforms for sunrise, which means they are packed (but you see the Sun rising behind Mount Bromo)!
That’s why I think the best place to watch the Mount Bromo Sunrise is at the crater itself because there are barely any people there! And the views are just as incredible!
The colors are bright and vivid and the light illuminates the whole caldera which sits in your feet. If you go on a foggy day, the clouds nest below the top of Mount Bromo, creating a unique sight of a sea of clouds.
How to get from Cemoro Lawang to Mount Bromo’s Crater Rim
To reach the crater, enter through the Free Entrance, walk the villagers’ trail down into the Sea of Ash, and continue straight until you reach the stairs leading up to Bromo’s Crater.
From the secret entrance to the top of Bromo, it’s about 45 mins on foot. You should leave your guesthouse in Cemoro Lawang at least 90 minutes before sunrise to catch the beautiful colors just before the Sun peaks over the mountains in the distance.
Sunrise at Bromo is between 4:58 and 5:42 depending on season. Check the exact time here. Arrive 30 minutes before that to catch the best colors.
This means you should start walking around 3:00-3:30 AM.
From the Secret Entrance, walk down the ‘villagers’ trail‘ for the first 10 minutes, after which you’ll enter the Sea of Sand. Then it becomes completely flat and trails disappear. Ash all around you.
You’ll hear jeeps in the distance carrying tourists to the viewing points. Use Maps.me for navigation, but don’t rely on the marked trails – just walk in the general direction of the volcano and you’ll be fine.
It’s pretty dark in the Sea of San before sunrise, so have a flashlight or the light of your smartphone ready.
It’s also cold. It’s not freezing, but you need at least a light jacket.
Sunrise at a Viewing Platform
King Kong Hill is the viewing platform where most tours go for sunrise. It’s 4km from Cemoro Lawang and there’s a parking for motorcycles just under it.
Other popular viewing platforms are the Seruni Viewpoint and the Bukit Perahu Viewing Point.
| Sunrise at the crater rim | Sunrise at a viewing platform |
|---|---|
| + Way fewer people | + Postcard-like picture of the whole Caldera with the sun rising behind Mount Bromo |
| + The Sea of Sand is below you | – Crowded. So damn crowded. |
| + Short walk from Cemoro Lawang | – You need a scooter/taxi/jeep to reach and then go to the Crater or you’ll walk for hours. |
Visit the Pura Luhur Poten Hindu Temple on the way back
Just before the ascent to Bromo begins, you’ll see the grounds of a Hindu Temple [map]. It’s closed early in the morning, but priests come after sunrise to open the doors for visitors.
It’s free to enter.
Yadnya Kasada
Every year the local Tenggerese people celebrate the Hindu festival of Yadnya Kasada. There are around 100.000 Tenggerese spread around 60 villages on the slopes of Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, hence the name.
They all gather in huge numbers at Mount Bromo to do the Yadnya Kasada Ritual.
Yadnya Kasada is always on the 14th, 15th, and 16th day of the Kasada Month of the traditional Tenggerese Calendar, which falls in June, July, or August of the Gregorian Calendar. It’s always on a New Moon.
The Legend of Mount Bromo and the Tengger People
There is a legend as old as the Majapahit Kingdom of Java during the Middle Ages. The legend tells of a royal couple settled on the slopes of Mount Bromo after the fall of the Majapahit Empire.
They couldn’t have any kids for many years, so they asked the gods. The gods delivered – they granted them 25 kids but demanded that the last one be sacrificed inside the volcano. He was, the gods were happy, and that’s how the Tengger people came to be.
On the day of the ritual people climb to Bromo’s Crater and throw all sorts of stuff down the volcano. Fruits, vegetables, coins, flowers, cooked food, also live chickens!
Men go inside the crater to try to catch the goods with bare hands or with nets on sticks, believing that it will bring them good luck and abundance. In reality, it sometimes brings death and sorrow as many overlook the obvious dangers of slipping and falling on sharp rocks.
I was at Mount Bromo for Yadnya Kasada 2019. It was as bizarre as rituals go. If you have the chance to go during the festival, I recommend it.
Where to stay in Cemoro Lawang
Cemoro Lawang is a very tourist-oriented place. Practically every house is a guesthouse.
There are a few hotels too, the most famous one being the Lava Hotel, but I wouldn’t recommend it – it’s too pricey for what it offers.
Do NOT book online – prices are inflated. Just turn up and negotiate with guesthouse owners directly.
I stayed in one of the guesthouses on the main street (Jalan Raya Bromo). I don’t think it even had a name, isn’t on Google Maps either. Most are like that.
It cost me 150.000 IDR / 10$ for a double room after some bargaining. It was a National Holiday weekend too, so a pretty good price. If it’s a weekday, you can negotiate down to 120.000 IDR / 8$.
Learn more of my tricks for saving money in Indonesia.
Combine Bromo with Madakaripura Waterfall
Coincidentally, the highest waterfall in Java is located on the slopes of Mount Bromo. Madakaripura is an awesome place! Don’t miss the exhilarating experience that it offers!
My guide to Madakaripura Waterfall goes hand in hand with this one.
You can easily combine them by going to the waterfall in the early afternoon, spending the night in Cemoro Lawang, witnessing the sunrise at Bromo, and getting back to Probolinggo before noon.
What to bring
You don’t need much, as you’ll only spend 1 night in Cemoro Lawang. The village and Bromo are at a high altitude though, so bring warm clothes.
- Jacket (you can also rent for 30.000 IDR / 2$ there).
- Long pants
- Hiking shoes
- Hat (warm hat, not a baseball hat!)
- Lighter set of clothes for after sunrise (it gets warm quickly!)
- Flashlight (smartphone light will do)
- Facemask (For the ash. A surgical one is more than enough.)
Is Bromo Safe?
You might think that visiting an active volcano is incredibly dangerous and requires special precautions. Well, yes and no.
Most of the time Mount Bromo just rumbles lightly. It receives thousands of visitors daily. The worst that happens is that your clothes smell a bit sulphuric by the end of your visit.
However, once in a while, Bromo gets angry and it’s kind of scary. In such cases, the authorities will issue a warning and an exclusion zone of 1-2 km around the volcano.
Check the official interactive map of the Indonesian Government regarding volcano eruptions and issued warnings.
Where to go next
If you’re coming from Surabaya or Malang and going east, you might want to also visit Kawah Ijen and the almost magical blue flame.
And here’s how to get from Bromo to Ijen.
If you’re coming from Bali and Banyuwangi and going west, then your next destination may be Malang, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Surakarta, or Semarang.
*are fair
Thank you for such a detailed guide!
Regarding entrance fees, foreigners (from developed countries) make x10 times more money than locals, so probably different fees are fare…
Some may, others do not. It’s easy to forget that not all travelers are from developed countries nor are all of them rich.
Extending the “you earn more, so you pay more” argument, what’s next – people being asked for their yearly income and paying a % as an entrance fee? Why don’t Vietnamese travelers for example get to pay less in that case?
If it were a little bit more, I wouldn’t be so vocally opposed. But x10? Mount Bromo, Borobudur, Prambanan and more than a few others having the same price as world-class museums in Europe and costing 2-3 nights’ in Indonesia worth of money? All the while information in English is non-existant and tourist infrastructure in some places is severely lacking.
No, I don’t think it’s fair.