By air
Juanda, Surabaya (SUB), ~3–4 h by road
Southeast Asia · Indonesia
Mount Bromo, Indonesia
A smoking crater above a sea of sand
Getting there
Best time to visit
April to October — dry season, clear sunrises
Don't miss
Bromo crater
Mount Batok
The Sea of Sand
Penanjakan viewpoint
Things to do
Sunrise from the Penanjakan viewpoint
A jeep across the Sea of Sand
The climb to Bromo's crater rim
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Hugo van den Bos · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Warm layers for the freezing pre-dawn, a scarf against the dust, sturdy shoes
A quieter corner
The savanna and 'whispering sands' on the far side of the caldera
Questions travellers ask
What should I wear for sunrise at Mount Bromo?
Warm layers for the freezing pre-dawn, a scarf against the dust and sturdy shoes.
When are Bromo's sunrises clearest?
April to October, the dry season, brings clear sunrises.
How long is the drive to Mount Bromo?
Fly into Juanda, Surabaya (SUB), then it's about 3 to 4 hours by road.
What should I do at Mount Bromo?
Watch sunrise from the Penanjakan viewpoint, cross the Sea of Sand by jeep and climb to Bromo's crater rim. Warm up afterwards with bakso and grilled corn at the Cemoro Lawang stalls.
About Mount Bromo
- Mountains
Where it is
Mount Bromo is an active volcano in East Java, Indonesia, about 2,300 m high, rising from the Tengger caldera and its Sea of Sand within Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, with Semeru, the highest peak on Java, to the south.
History
Bromo is one of several volcanic cones that grew inside the older Tengger caldera, and its name comes from Brahma, the Hindu creator god. The Tengger people of its slopes trace their traditions to the Majapahit kingdom, and the area was protected as Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in the 1980s.
People
The villages on Bromo's slopes belong to the Tengger people, who speak a distinctive Tengger dialect of Javanese and keep a Hindu faith with deep local roots. Many are farmers who work steep hillside fields, and local horsemen guide visitors across the Sea of Sand.
Known for
- Sunrise from the Penanjakan viewpoint
- The Sea of Sand and the crater rim
- Views of Semeru, Java's highest peak
- The Yadnya Kasada festival
- Jeep rides across the caldera
Did you know?
During the Yadnya Kasada festival each year, Tengger villagers climb to Bromo's crater rim and throw offerings of vegetables, rice, flowers and livestock into the crater.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.