Watching the sunrise at the Mount Bromo volcano in Indonesia is easily one of the most amazing travel experiences in the world. You can even climb the crater and look directly into the smoking volcano!
Bromo can be visited on a road trip through East Java, along with other epic sights like the Ijen crater lake and giant waterfalls, or you can fly from Bali straight to Surabaya and visit Bromo on a day tour from there.
We’ve done it both ways, and would love to go again. Either way, the Bromo volcano is a bucket list item you shouldn’t miss on your journey through Southeast Asia.
This travel guide will explain how to go to Mount Bromo, what to see and do there, and everything else you need to know before you go!
The iconic lineup at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The smoking crater on the far left is Bromo. The volcano erupting in the background is Semeru.
Where Is Bromo?
Mount Bromo is an active volcano crater located in East Java, Indonesia.
It’s part of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, where you can see a cluster of 5 incredible volcanoes (including Bromo), and Java’s highest mountain Semeru puffing out smoke in the background.
Bromo is located between the cities of Malang, Surabaya, and Probolinggo, and you can visit it from any of those places.
Drone pic of the smoking Bromo crater
How To Visit Mount Bromo
The easiest way to visit Bromo is to fly to Malang or Surabaya, and then book a day tour or a multi-day trip from there. If you’re in Bali, you can also do it in the opposite direction, starting overland from Bali and then ending at Malang or Surabaya.
Bali has direct flights to and from Surabaya (SUB) every day, and a one way ticket can be as cheap as 700k Rupiah ($45 USD). You can shop for flights to Malang or Surabaya at Skyscanner.
Once you arrive in Malang or Surabaya, it’s easy to book a day tour to Bromo or you can arrange everything yourself if you prefer. A full day tour is enough time to see all the highlights of the park.
We normally like to do things without a tour, but this is one case where I think the tour is a good idea because it’s much more convenient and it includes extra activities like Jeep riding around the volcano. Bromo is a bucket list item and you want to do it justice.
Best Tour Package For Mount Bromo
Here’s a top rated day tour package for Mount Bromo starting from Surabaya or Malang.
You can book this with Klook as a private tour or shared tour, and it includes all of the highlights like the Mount Bromo sunrise, jeep ride in the sea of sand, optional horse ride, crater hike at the volcano, and you can also add the Madakaripura waterfall as a bonus to the itinerary.
If you’re wanting to do a multi-day trip, Klook has overland tours to Bromo and Ijen from Bali with guides, accommodation, and other expenses included. You can even add on a visit to the Tumpak Sewu waterfall.
We’ve used Klook for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great. Highly recommended!
Book Now: Mount Bromo Day Tour / 2D1N Ijen Combo / Overland Tour From Bali
Another drone pic
Looking down into a smoking volcano
Where To Stay
In East Java you have the option of basing yourself in Surabaya, Malang, Probolinggo, or Mount Bromo itself (Cemoro Lawang village).
Surabaya has the most comfy hotels since it’s a major city in Indonesia, and Malang has some great options too. Probolinggo is smaller, but also has a few good hotel options.
Here are some of our top hotel recommendations below for the city of Surabaya, which is where we stayed on our last trip to Mount Bromo.
Surabaya Hotels
Staying At Bromo
If you want to stay really close to the action, there are some hotels at Cemoro Lawang village right by Bromo, but they tend to be pretty basic and overpriced for what you get.
Cemoro Lawang is generally not a fun place to stay because it’s very undeveloped and hasn’t caught up to the mass tourism at Bromo yet. That may change someday, but for now, most of the budget friendly hotel options at Cemoro Lawang are really rough.
Our top recommendations there would be Cahyo Homestay Bromo, Good Karma Guesthouse, or Guesthouse Gunung Bromo. Again, don’t expect luxury.
You can see the highlights of the volcano in one full day tour, so it’s not really necessary to stay there longer unless you’re a serious photographer or just want more time exploring the area.
Best Things To Do At Mount Bromo
• Mount Bromo Sunrise
First things first — witness the famous sunrise at Mount Bromo!
Before you start exploring the mountain up close, you have to see the sunrise from the top of the caldera. Every tour package starts like this, and for good reason.
It’s probably one of the best places in the world to watch the sunrise. The colors are amazing, and on a clear day you can see all the way to Mount Argopuro in the east.
• Mount Bromo Volcanoes Viewpoint
The viewpoints on the north side of the caldera are where you can get those iconic pics of the volcano cluster.
Your main options are Seruni Point, King Kong Hill, Bukit Perahu, Bukit Cinta, or the highest viewpoint Penanjakan. You can click each of these links for map coordinates.
To be honest, there is very little difference between these viewpoints and the only reason so many of them exist is to help space out the crowds at Bromo, which can be pretty crazy (especially on weekends).
In other words, don’t worry about which viewpoint you go to — they’re all amazing, so just enjoy the epic scenery! Photography here in the early morning is ideal because you’ll get nice shadows and atmospheric fog around the base of the caldera.
• Sea of Sand
After sunrise, the next stop is the ‘sea of sand’ at the bottom of the caldera. The locals call it Lautan Pasir, which means the same thing in Bahasa Indonesia.
This is a really neat place and you’ll need to pass through it anyway to reach the Bromo crater. You can explore the sea of sand by Jeep, horse, or motorbike.
It’s a perfect photo spot with the steep ridges of the Mount Widodaren volcano in the background.
Mount Bromo Jeep Tour
Horseback riding
• Mount Bromo Crater Hike
Possibly the most amazing thing to do at the Bromo mountain complex is the hike to the top of the smoking volcano crater.
The full hike to the top of the crater, starting from the sea of sand, takes about 1 hour, although you can speed it up if you ride a horse partway.
The last part of the hike has to be done on foot, and it’s a short but steep climb up a concrete stairway to the top of the crater. It’s not too hard for non-hikers, and even kids can do it.
Be careful at the top because there’s not much of a safety railing, and on a windy day it has nasty sulfur fumes that are hard to breathe. Generally you can’t see red lava here, but you can peek right into the smoking crater of the active volcano!
Is The Volcano Safe?
Mount Bromo is generally safe to visit, but it’s a good idea to check the current status before you make plans, otherwise you may not get the full experience if part of the park is closed.
There were eruptions in 2010, 2015, and 2019. Usually no one is hurt, and you can still get some great views from a distance, but at the very least they may close access to the Mount Bromo crater hike, because during a 2004 eruption two tourists were killed by flying rocks there.
Nowadays, the area is closely monitored and they have earthquake detectors underground to anticipate any major volcanic activity.
No one has been hurt by the volcano in almost 20 years, and it gets close to 1 million visitors per year, so overall the safety record is pretty good.
Entrance Fee
- Weekdays: 220k IDR (~$15 USD) / person / day
- Weekends: 320k IDR (~$21 USD) / person / day
These entrance fees for Mount Bromo are current as of 2024.
It’s a bit pricey by Indonesian standards, and I wish they would at least make the tickets last longer (like 3 days) so you could get more bang for your buck.
Weather / Climate — How Cold Is It?
Even though this is Indonesia, it can be pretty chilly before sunrise since you’re 2,329 meters (7,641 ft) above sea level, and the sunrise viewpoints are even higher!
The elevation at the Penanjakan viewpoint is a whopping 2,770 meters (9,088 ft). For Indonesia, that’s unusually high.
Temperatures can drop below 7 Celsius (45 F), and that doesn’t even factor in wind chill. It can get incredibly windy on the mountain peaks, and dry season is cooler than rainy season.
However, you’ll only be chilly before sunrise. After that, it warms up pretty quick, and the sun at this elevation is plenty strong.
If you’re too cold at Mt.Bromo while waiting for sunrise, you can also rent a jacket at your hotel, or rent a jacket from one of the many small local shops near the sunrise viewpoints.
Mount Batok is an extinct volcano in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park
Inside the caldera
Volcano X-ing
What To Bring
- Jacket: This is essential for sunrise because it can be very chilly. After sunrise, you’ll want to shed the jacket.
- Footwear: Regular shoes are fine, but sturdy hiking shoes are better for the Mount Bromo hike. If you go to the crater, you’ll be walking on slippery gravel and steep inclines or declines at times.
- Sunglasses: Can be good to protect your eyes from sandstorms in the sea of sand.
- Poncho: If you visit Bromo during the rainy season in Indonesia (especially December to February), you might want to bring a rain jacket just in case.
- Snacks: Even though most tours include free breakfast, it’s skimpy and you’ll probably be wanting energy snacks to go with it.
- Headlight: This is useful for hiking before sunrise, especially if you plan to do the crater hike without a guide.
- Camera: Mandatory! A small tripod could be handy too since it’ll be dark before the sunrise.
- Drone: So far, there aren’t any rules against flying a drone at the Mount Bromo volcano, although I wouldn’t recommend doing it at the sunrise point since it’s so crowded. Once you go down to the Sea of Sand, there’s a lot of wide open space to fly without bothering people.
The stubby peak of Mount Batok
Best Month To Visit
There’s not really a best month to visit Mount Bromo, although any time in the dry season is definitely ideal.
Indonesia’s dry season runs from April to November, and during this time there’s less rain and the mountain visibility is best. This applies to East Java too.
You can still visit Bromo during the rainy season in East Java (December to March), but if it’s cloudy you may miss the sunrise and the iconic view of the volcanoes, so it’s not ideal.
With that said, both of the times we went here were technically on the tail end of the rainy season, and we still had perfect weather, so don’t write it off completely.
In general, it’s hard to avoid the crowds at Mount Bromo because this place has become a bucket list item for so many people. Definitely try to avoid weekends and public holidays, because the park can get especially crowded during those times.
If you want to see an active volcano in Indonesia without any crowds, check out Mount Dukono in North Maluku. This one is more remote than Bromo and requires a harder hike to reach, but it’s spectacular and you might have it all to yourself!
Is Mount Bromo Open / Closed?
Yes, Mount Bromo is currently open for tourists as of 2024! I’ll update this travel guide if anything changes.
The mountain is rarely closed to the public, and that would only happen temporarily if there’s some kind of special ceremony, or if there’s unusual volcanic activity or other safety concerns.
Mount Bromo will be briefly closed for Wulan Kapitu (January 9-10, 2024), Silent Day (March 11-12, 2024), and Yadnya Kasada (July 6-7, 2024), and again for Wulan Kapitu (December dates TBA, 2024).
You can also check on status updates for all of Indonesia’s volcanoes at Magma Indonesia.
Happy travels!
More Things To See Near Bromo
There are lots of good things to see and do in East Java, Indonesia, including the spectacular Tumpak Sewu Waterfall and a bunch of other nice waterfalls near Malang and Probolinggo.
After visiting Mt Bromo, most travelers head on to Kawah Ijen, a spectacular crater lake on the eastern end of Java island.
You could even climb Mount Semeru, which is Java’s tallest mountain. It’s the volcano peak you see erupting in the distance behind Bromo.
Don’t forget to check out my 1-Week Java itinerary for more ideas of what to do in Central and East Java!
Mount Bromo vs Kawah Ijen: Which Is Better?
So which is better, Mount Bromo or Kawah Ijen? And if you only have time to see one of them, which should it be? That’s not an easy question, actually.
In my opinion, Bromo has a more spectacular landscape, and you get to look into a smoking volcano crater. The hiking is also easier compared to Ijen, and it’s closer to a major airport (Surabaya), although the drive from town is longer.
On the other hand, Mount Ijen has the world’s biggest acid lake, with a spectacular turquoise color, and you can see the ‘blue fire’ phenomenon if you go there at night. Ijen also has the advantage of being closer to Bali, and closer to a town (Banyuwangi).
Overall, it’s hard to choose between Mount Bromo vs Kawah Ijen. I lean toward Bromo as my favorite, but that’s just my opinion and I’m sure plenty of people would disagree with me. If you have time, definitely try to see both places when you’re in East Java!
Read More: Kawah Ijen Volcano
After visiting Mount Bromo, most travelers go to the spectacular crater lake of Kawah Ijen in East Java.
More Indonesia Travel Guides
Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this travel guide for Mount Bromo. Seeing the sunrise over this volcano is one of our favorite experiences in East Java, Indonesia.
Don’t forget to check out my other travel guides for more tips, info, and photos!
See Also
- 1-Week East Java Itinerary – Temples, Waterfalls, & Volcanoes
- Kawah Ijen Crater Lake – Complete Travel Guide
- Best Hikes In Indonesia – Volcanoes, Jungles, & Waterfalls
- Most Beautiful Indonesian Islands – Best Places To Visit In Indonesia
- Indonesia Waterfall Guide – Best Waterfalls In Indonesia
- Indonesia Beach Guide – Best Beaches In Indonesia
- Best Things To Do In Indonesia – What To Do In The Islands
- Indonesia Travel Guide – Tips, Info, & Photos
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