Visiting Mount Bromo without a guide 🌋
- leslyevnw
- Mar 26, 2024
- 4 min read
A visit to Mount Bromo is a must when visiting Indonesia. It's pretty well organized with agencies for people who want an all-inclusive offer. But if you want to visit it on your own, it's a bit more complicated. We found that everything was done in such a way as not to give you the information you need to do it yourself. So here's a little guide to help you plan your visit!
First, we flew from Bali to Surabaya. The flight is fast and cheap. We flew with Citylink, which, along with AirAsia, is the most reliable airline in Indo.
Once we arrived in Surabaya, we took a Grab to the Purabaya Bus Terminal to catch a bus to Malang. It's quite easy, as when you arrive all you have to do is say you're going to Malang and someone will take you to the right bus. The cost is 40k per person, which you can pay on the bus. There's no need to book in advance on reservation sites, as it's more expensive. Buses leave several times an hour. It takes about 1h30 to Malang.
MALANG
Malang is a surprising city! Very artistic, the people are stylish and it's full of little cafés with vintage decor. The locals are super friendly. We stayed there for 2 nights, just long enough to get organized for our departure to the Bromo, and then came back on the way back, for the same 2 nights. I loved visiting this city and I'm really glad I took the time.
We stayed at the Snooze Hostel, which we loved. It's clean, the staff are very friendly and helpful, and it's well located in the city. They book up very quickly, so it's best to book in advance. On the way back, we stayed at the Trio Indah 2 hotel, which is okay but in need of some major refurbishment.
For things to do, you can visit the colorful district (KWJ Malang on Google Maps), take a stroll through the local Pasar Oro Oro Dowo market, stroll through the old Kajoetangan Heritage Village (don't enter through the main entrance, you'll be asked to pay an entrance fee when you don't have to. Just enter through one of the small streets around), see the famous Tumpak Sewu Waterfall (allow a day to get there). And then take a stroll, have a coffee in a small vintage café. Here are a few we liked: Kedai Loksa, Kedai Sebastien, Quiet Cafe and Kedai Pipir Lepen (very cool for breakfast).
BROMO
We decided to go to the Bromo by scooter. We rented a scooter from GasJon in Malang (+62 821 3812 2291). It's best to take a good scooter as there's a long way to go. We paid 300k for 3 days for a 125cc Vario. Don't say you're going all the way to the Bromo, or they won't rent it out.
So we set off from Malang towards Cemorolawang via Probolinggo. Watch out for the other road, which may be shorter but is dangerous on a scooter. It took us around 3 hours to reach our hotel. The road is ok, but full of trucks, so it's no picnic.
Accommodation in Cemorolawang itself is booked up very quickly. We stopped in a village beforehand and found a very nice room at the Gubuk Ndeso Homestay at an affordable price. The food is great too. We were a 40min scooter ride from the Bromo, which was perfect for us.
On the first day, we woke up at 2.30am but it was raining heavily. We stayed at the hotel until around 4:30 and then headed for the Bromo. We entered the Bromo site. To do this, you have to pay an entrance fee for the village, which you can pay on the spot + the park entrance fee, which we had paid in advance with the hotel. You just need to show the papers you've received. Given the time of day, we decided to go straight to the plain rather than to a sunrise point. And in fact it was an excellent decision, as we were able to enjoy the scenery and the crater completely on our own! Indeed, after the sunrise, hundreds of jeeps arrive on the plain and it's crazy crowded to climb the Bromo. As a result, I strongly recommend taking a morning to do just that. After the descent, we ate a delicious Campur in a small warung on the plain and watched the spectacle of jeeps and horses in front of us.
On the second day, we left the hotel at around 3 a.m. to head for a sunrise point. To avoid paying the park entrance fee again, we went as far as the parking lot near the Homestay Pak Suyon Seruni Point. You park your scooter there and walk about 30min to Seruni Point. You can either stop there, but it's very crowded, or take the small path next to the toilets to climb a little higher. It's possible to get to King Kong Point via this path, but it's a 1h30 hike, and once you're up there, you'll find yourself with hundreds of tourists in jeeps. We preferred to stop further down, and had the sunrise all to ourselves - it was magical. An important detail: it's very cold there, so take a sweater and a kway with you ;)
If you'd like to do the Bromo yourself at a lower cost, I recommend renting a scooter, spending two mornings there and doing it in the opposite direction to the agencies, so you can enjoy the peace and quiet!
It's also possible to rent a scooter directly in Probolinggo and do Surabaya-Probolinggo by bus, but you'll miss out on Malang, which is really nice :)
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