Organized Tours, Why Bother?: Mount Bromo Sunrise Tour

I was so excited to see Mount Bromo, the sulfur-gushing Javanese volcano, that the 10-hour journey from Yogyakarta to the cool mountain town of Cemoro Lawang didn’t really faze me.  One look at this otherworldly landscape and you’ll understand why.  The holy trinity of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park consists of three uniquely picturesque volcanoes.  Together the steaming crater of Mount Bromo, the conical silhouette of Mount Semeru, and the striated surface of Mount Batok create an absolutely breathtaking image.  It’s the stuff travel dreams are made of.

I’d read that sunrise is the best time to witness the park in all its glory.  Watching the sun illuminate this martian-esque landscape is one of those magical experiences that is a must do when visiting eastern Java, Indonesia.  I’m typically not a fan of organized tours.  With 10 years of travel under my belt, I came to the conclusion long ago that doing things independently is almost always better – it’s cheaper, more fun, and always, always more memorable.  However, since I didn’t arrive in Cemoro Lawang until dusk, the prospect of waking up at 4am and finding my way to the viewpoint in the dark just didn’t sound all that appealing.  So I ignored the voice in my head that told me the Mount Bromo sunrise tour was a waste of time and money and went ahead and booked it.

Despite only sleeping for three hours, I sprung out of bed at 3:50am super excited for the day (I am definitely not a morning person, so this is saying a lot).  When I threw off my comforter, the room was startlingly cold.  I looked at my phone and the thermometer read 5°C.  I made a sad attempt to insulate myself using my warmest clothes which, after traveling in the tropics for six months, consisted of my Converse, a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a paper-thin hoodie.  Let’s just say I was freezing!  Thankfully, the German girl staying in the room next to mine saw how unprepared I was for the chilly weather and loaned me a sweater (thank you, Maria, for saving the day!).  Wrapped in my hoodie and wool sweater I walked out into the darkness and looked up at the stars.  It was a clear night, which meant the view was going to be killer!

My boyfriend Aaron and I were packed into in a 4×4 Jeep along with four other groggy tourists.  Our car barreled into the darkness.  Behind us an endless line of headlights snaked up the mountainside, as Jeeps shuttled hundreds of other tourists to the famous lookout point.  For the next half hour we bumped and swerved up the crude road.  But as we climbed higher my excitement waned.  It was foggy.  It was really foggy.  By the time we reached the lookout point, at the top of Mount Penanjakan (2,270 meters), the mist was so dense drops of condensation were drizzling from the trees above us, leaving us damp and nervous that this whole sunrise tour thing would be a bust.  We gathered at the lookout point, along with hordes of tourists.  Aaron and I spent the next hour huddled together, trying our best to stay warm.  And we waited, fingers crossed, hoping that the fog would dissipate and reveal the glorious view I’d been so eagerly waiting for.

Well, that didn’t happen.  When the sun rose we could barely see 20 feet in front of us.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  The whole thing was pretty comical.  But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was bummed and felt completely ripped off.  And I couldn’t help thinking “Why, why had I signed up for yet another horrible organized tour?”  “Will I ever learn?”

Our guide informed us that there would be no view that day, so we drove back down the mountain to the Sea of Sand to glimpse the blown out Mount Bromo up close and personal.  Moody and sleep deprived, I was ready to return to the guesthouse and go back to sleep, but I’m so glad I didn’t.

As our Jeep blazed across the dusty plain toward the base of Bromo, a herd of horsemen chased behind us, swarming our Jeep as it came to a stop.  All I could see were horse haunches and men’s faces pressed against the window, as the guides tried their best to convince us that we needed a horse to carry us to the crater edge.

After we forced the car door open and bypassed the touts, we followed the black volcanic-dirt pathway toward Bromo and climbed more than 250 steps to the crater’s lip.  The walk left me a little breathless, partially because of the thick, sulfur-infused air and partially because the view from the top was pretty gorgeous.

Despite not seeing the sunrise view, I am still so glad I visited Mount Bromo.  Of course, I would have done things differently if I could.  First off, I visited the park in February, during the rainy season.  I later learned from numerous guides that the lookout point at Mt. Penanjakan is often shrouded in dense fog from sunrise until 9am, when it typically burns off.  During the rainy months, a better way to experience Mount Bromo is to walk to the crater for sunrise and then make your way to the viewpoint after 9am, once the fog dissipates.  Not only will you dodge the crowds, but you’ll likely have a better chance of experiencing the surreal view I sadly missed out on.  If I could do it again, that’s how I would do it.  Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20!

MOUNT BROMO SUNRISE TOUR DETAILS:  When you travel to Mount Bromo the tour that is ubiquitously advertised is the “Mount Bromo Sunrise Tour.”  It entails leaving Cemoro Lawang (located a stone’s throw from the base of Mt. Bromo) at 4am and taking a Jeep ride up to the viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan.  After sunrise, you’ll head down to the Sea of Sand and hike 40 minutes to Mt. Bromo’s crater edge.  Tours return to town by 8:30am. (The tour costs 125,000 rupiah.)

Are you planning on visiting Mount Bromo?  Feel free to ask me any questions.  Maybe you can learn from my mistakes!