Mount Bromo: How to visit without a tour

Mount Bromo, located in East Java within Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, is one of Indonesia’s most iconic and active volcanoes. It is surrounded by several other volcanoes and a vast, otherworldly expanse of volcanic desert known as the Sea of Sands – a fine layer of gray volcanic sand spread across the massive, ancient Tengger Caldera. This caldera, created by a prehistoric volcanic eruption, spans about 10 kilometers in diameter. It is truly one of the most breathtaking and surreal landscapes I have ever seen.

Mount Bromo is one the most visited destinations in Java. The most popular way to visit Mount Bromo is to take a jeep sunrise tour. However, it is absolutely possible to do on your own. In this post I will share our experience of visiting Mount Bromo without a tour.

Why Visit Mount Bromo Without a Tour?

While the easiest way to visit Mount Bromo is by joining a tour, which is relatively affordable, our primary reason for going without one was flexibility. Traveling independently allowed us to explore at our own pace, create our own itinerary, and avoid the crowds. Beyond that, it provided a greater sense of adventure and more opportunities to connect with local people.

Information on tours

A standard Mount Bromo tour typically includes:

You can take a tour from:

Probolinggo – pickup at aprox. 1 am, about 2-hour drive, costing about IDR 650,000 per person for a group tour.

Malang – pickup at aprox. 1 am, about 2-2.5-hour drive, costing about IDR 650,000 per person for a group tour.

Surabaya – pickup at aprox. 12 am, 3-4-hour drive, costing about IDR 1,000,000 per person for a group tour.

Banyuwangi – approx 7-hour drive, includes 1 night in Cemoro Lawang village and a drop off at Probolinggo, costing IDR 800, 000 per person for a group tour– a very good option if you plan to visit Bromo after Ijen.

All prices are as of November 2024.

Our initial plan was to take a group tour to Mount Bromo from Banyuwangi after visiting Ijen Crater. Banyuwangi is the primary base for visiting Ijen and is located about 250 km and 7-hour drive from Mount Bromo.

The price for the tour was IDR 800,000 per person for a group 2-day group tour with Thalia Travel. The tour included:

• All transportation from Banywangi to Cemoro Lawang, the sunrise point and Mount Bromo Crater, with a drop-off at Probolinggo train station.
• 1 night accommodation at Cemoro Lawang (the tour operation promised accommodation has hot water)
• Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park entrance ticket
• Sunrise (it was not specified whether it was King Kong Hill or Seruni Point)
• Exploring Mount Bromo Crater
• Drop off at Probolinggo train station.

This was a very good option price-wise, as the IDR 800,000 included transportation from Banyuwangi to Cemoro Lawang and from Banyuwangi to Probolinggo train station in an air-conditioned vehicle.

Things to consider when planning a trip to Mount Bromo:

• only 4WDs and motorbikes are allowed on the Sea of Sands.
• If you’re coming from Malang by motorbike you will need to cross the Sea of Sands.
• Getting to Mount Bromo Crater and King Kong Hill from Cemoro Lawang requires a ride through the Sea of Sands.
• The Sea of Sands is composed of volcanic sand. Riding a motorbike here can be challenging, especially if you’re not accustomed to riding on loose surfaces.
• Most tours follow a standard itinerary, which means everyone visits the same sunrise viewpoints and arrives at Mount Bromo crater around the same time.
• The best time to explore Mount Bromo crater is before 6 am or after 10 am, as most organised tours bring visitors here from 6am to 10am.

How we visited Mount Bromo without a tour

In the end, we decided that we wanted more flexibility to do everything at our own pace. We took a private taxi from Banyuwangi to Cemoro Lawang for IDR 1,150,000, which we booked through a Grab driver who had given us a ride from Ketapang Port to Banyuwangi (WhatsApp: +62 813 2518 0865). It took us about 7 hours to get from Banyuwangi to Cemoro Lawang, including rest and lunch stops.

When you arrive in Cemoro Lawang, your car will be stopped and you will be asked to buy a Mount Bromo Tourist Area ticket for IDR 35,000. On top of that, you’ll also need to pay IDR 255,000 for the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park entrance ticket. The price changed in November 2024 and is now the same for weekdays and weekends.

Once you arrive, locals will approach you offering jeep tours or taxis out of Cemoro Lawang. We were quoted IDR 700,000 for a private jeep tour for two people.

Some details of visiting Mount Bromo

The owner of our homestay told us that budget-conscious travelers often choose to walk to the sunrise point (you can walk to Seruni Sunrise Point and from there hike further up to King Kong Hill) as well as to Mount Bromo Crater. If you want to rent a bike in Cemoro Lawang, only dirt bikes are available for rent. So, we decided to walk to the sunrise point and Mount Bromo.

The distance from our homestay to King Kong Hill via Seruni Point is about 4.5 km. For the first 3 km, you walk along the road to the Seruni Point car park. From this point, it’s a 500-meter paved pathway to the Seruni Point lookout, where many people watch the sunrise. The elevation here is about 2,400 m, but you can hike further up to King Kong Hill (elevation 2,650 m), which is about 1 km along an unpaved trail. I recommend finding a spot slightly below King Kong Hill, as it tends to be less crowded. If you continue hiking beyond King Kong Hill for another 1.2–1.3 km, you’ll reach the highest viewpoint – Penanjakan Sunrise Point 1.

The distance from Cemoro Lawang to Mount Bromo Crater is about 3 km, which takes approximately 1 hour on foot. Most of the walk is on volcanic sand through the Sea of Sands.

Exploring Mount Bromo Crater

The following morning, I wanted to take a break and finally catch up on sleep, but during the night, there were lots of bikes and jeeps passing by, so we couldn’t rest. We got up and were ready by about 4:30 a.m., but by then, it was already too late to walk to the sunrise point. Instead, we decided to head to Mount Bromo, which turned out to be the best decision, as we avoided all the crowds at Mount Bromo Crater.

When we were heading down from Cemoro Lawang to the Sea of Sands, two local guys on motorbikes caught up with us and offered us a lift. We agreed for IDR 75,000 per person for a ride there and back. It appears that motorbikes can get closer to Mount Bromo than jeeps. If you come by jeep, you stop at the jeep car park and then walk another 700 meters (or take a horse ride). We were at the base of Mount Bromo by 5 a.m., and the ride took about 10 minutes.

There are about 250 steps from the base to the rim of Mount Bromo crater. We explored the rim of the crater for more than an hour. We only met 4 other people on the crater rim. But after 6 am, the tours started arriving. It was the best decision to visit the Bromo Crater while everyone else was at the sunrise viewpoints.

After Mount Bromo we returned to our homestay at Cemoro Lawang to pack our backpacks. We asked the homestay to keep our backpacks until the afternoon.

Seruni Point viewpoint

Then we had breakfast and at around 10 am headed to Seruni Point which is about 3.5 km walk from the center of Cemoro Lawang (3 km along the road, and then about 500 m along paved pathway). It took us about 40 minutes to get there by foot. And again there were only two people at the viewpoint. It started raining, so we decided not to hike further to King Kong Hill and headed back to Cemoro Lawang.

On the way back we checked a couple of homestays close to Seruni Point so we could walk for sunrise the following day. We decided to stay at Bromo Seruni Astungkara Homestay for IDR 300,000 per night. It is clean and convenient with hot water. From the roof you have an amazing view of Mount Bromo and Mount Batok.

King Kong Hill sunrise viewpoint

In the afternoon we bumped into our new friend Tofa who gave us a lift to Mount Bromo, and he convinced us to go use his service to go Seruni Point. We paid IDR 200,000 to him and his friend to take the two of us to Seruni Point and back.

They met us the following morning at 3 am in front of our guesthouse. From Seruni carpark it is a 1.5 km climb up to King Kong Hill. We chose a spot a bit lower than King Kong Hill, as it is less crowded. As you can expect, it is very, very crowded at King Kong Hill viewpoint, since all Mount Bromo tours come here, which also means there are traffic jams on the way back from the sunrise viewpoint.

We got to our viewpoint at around 4 am, it was still dark, but there were quite a lot of people already. You need to arrive at least at 4 am to get a front-row spot. If you want to see sunrise at King Kong Hill, aim to arrive even earlier.

At the viewpoint

It was a lot colder than down in the village. Cemoro Lawang’s elevation is about 2,220 m, and the temperature can drop to as low as 15°C. Meanwhile, King Kong Hill’s elevation is about 2,650 m, with temperatures dropping to 3–5°C. It may also get windy, so make sure to pack some warm clothes and wear layers. I wore a T-shirt, a fleece jacket, a rain jacket, and gloves. There was no wind, so that was sufficient. I also packed a warm hat, but I didn’t need it. If you didn’t bring any warm clothes to Indonesia, you can rent warm jackets at your hotel or at King Kong Hill for IDR 30,000. You can also buy warm clothes in Cemoro Lawang, and you will always be approached by people selling hats and scarves.

At around 5.20 am the people started leaving, and by 5.40 am there were almost no people left.

How to Get to Mount Bromo

There are several gateways to Mount Bromo:

• Probolinggo (about 45-50 km from Mount Bromo)
• Malang (about 45-50 km from Mount Bromo)
• Surabaya (about 105 km from Mount Bromo).

Cemoro Lawang is the closest village to Mount Bromo, located on the edge of the 16-km wide Tengger Caldera. You may want to stay there the night before heading to Mount Bromo sunrise.

Private taxi

The easiest and most expensive way to get to Cemoro Lawang is by private taxi. A private taxi can be arranged by your guesthouse or hotel. You can expect to pay around IDR 550,000 for a ride from Probolinggo. This was the price we were quoted for a ride from Probolinggo to Cemoro Lawang.

Renting a motorbike

If you travel from Malang, you’ll need to cross the Sea of Sands, a vast volcanic desert made up of fine, gray volcanic sand. Riding a motorbike through this area can be challenging, especially if you are not experienced with riding on loose surfaces.

Also be aware that if you are riding to Mount Bromo for sunrise, there will be a lot of jeeps, and the roads are winding and narrow. The darkness and sandy loose surface make it even more dangerous.

Expect to pay around IDR 100,000–200,000 per day for motorbike rental. Please also note that rental companies will ask for your passport as a deposit.

Getting to Mount Bromo by public transport

It is possible to get to Cemoro Lawang by public transport, but it can be time-consuming and less convenient.

From Probolinggo

Probolinggo is the only city that offers direct public transport service to Cemoro Lawang. There are minubuses (called bemos) departing from the Bayuangga Bus Terminal in Probolinggo which is located about 5 km northwest of the city centre. They depart when they are full, which means some waiting time. Travel time is about 1.5 to 2 hours.

After reading lots of travel reports, it becomes clear that in Probolinggo there are a lot of scams targeted at tourists. Please note that taxis like to drop off tourists at travel agents. Make sure you don’t fall for this scam. Look for old colorful minubuses (called bemos) – they are not inside the bus terminal, but along the road (Jalan Raya Bromo) in front of small shops and warungs. It appears that the minibuses are mainly for tourists, that’s why the price varies a lot and depends on the number of passengers. Price for full bus (15 passengers) is IDR 550,000, so the price per person depends on the number of passengers – the full price is split between all passengers (e.g. if there 10 passengers, it is IDR 55,000 per person).

If you want to go from Cemoro Lawang back to Probolinggo, you can take bemos from the centre of the village, you can find them in the centre of Cemoro Lawang on the intersection not far from Kusuma Kitchen.

From Malang

There are no direct public transport options from Malang to Cemoro Lawang. Probolinggo is the only city that offers direct public transport service to Cemoro Lawang, so first, you need to get from Malang to Probolinggo.

Getting from Malang to Probolinggo:

By Train: Trains are a more convenient option. Travel time is about 2.5 hours, with departure at 16:46 and arrival at 19:12. You need to take a train from Malang Station (Malang Kota Baru) to Probolinggo Station. The cost is IDR 58,000. I booked train tickets online through traveloka.com, which was recommended by my Indonesian colleague.

From Probolinggo Station take Grab or Gojek to Bayuangga Bus Terminal where you can take minibus to Cemoro Lawang (how to do this please see above).

By Bus: Buses depart from Arjosari Terminal. Service starts at 6 am, with buses leaving every 30–60 minutes thereafter. Travel time is 3–4 hours. The cost is IDR 40,000–80,000, depending on the bus class. Look for Patas (express buses) and make sure it passes through or terminates at Bayuangga Bus Terminal, so you can take a minibus to Cemoro Lawang from there (see details above).

From Surabaya

As Probolinggo is the only city that offers direct public transport service to Cemoro Lawang, you first need to get from Surabaya to Probolinggo.

By Train: Take a train from Surabaya Gubeng Station or Surabaya Pasar Turi Station. Travel time is about 2 hours. The cost ranges from IDR 27,000 to IDR 350,000, depending on the class. You can book train tickets online via traveloka.com.

From Probolinggo Station, take Grab or Gojek to Bayuangga Bus Terminal, where you can take a minibus to Cemoro Lawang (see details above).

By Bus: Buses depart from Purabaya (Bungurasih) Bus Terminal in Surabaya. Travel time is 3–4 hours. The cost is IDR 40,000–80,000, depending on the bus class. Take Patas (express bus), and make sure it passes through or terminates at Bayuangga Bus Terminal, so you can take a minibus to Cemoro Lawang from there (see details above).

Best time to visit Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo is best visited during the dry season, which runs from May to October. This period offers clear skies, pleasant weather, and breathtaking views of the sunrise over the caldera. The dry season is ideal for photographers, as visibility is excellent. During this time, the terrain is easier to navigate without the challenges of rain. However, being the peak tourist season, expect larger crowds, especially at popular sunrise viewpoints like King Kong Hill. April and November are shoulder seasons, when chances of rain are higher, but there are still some days without rain. We visited in November and were lucky with the weather; it rained only briefly on one of the days.

What to pack

• Make sure to take warm clothes and wear layers, like a thermal base layer, fleece jacket or light puffer jacket, rain jacket, scarf or buff, hat and gloves, when you go for sunrise. As the temperature can drop to as low as 3-5°C and you will need to wait for some time before the sunrise, and it may be windy, you will definitely need some warm clothes.
• Comfortable shoes.
• Flashlight for navigating in the dark before sunrise.
• If it gets windy it will be very dusty, so a face mask may be handy.
• Snacks, but you can buy snack and drinks at both King Kong Hill and Seruni Point.

Costs overview

Ticket to enter Cemoro Lawang: IDR 35,000

Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park entrance ticket: IDR 255,000

Motorbike rental in Malang or Probolinggo: IDR 100,000 -200,000

or Public Transport (bemo) from Probolinggo to Semoro Lawang and back to Probolinggo: from IDR 37,000 x 2 (depends on number of passengers)

If you come by bemo and don’t want to walk to Mount Bromo and sunrise points you can get a lift from the locals. We paid IDR 75,000 per bike to get to Mount Bromo and IDR 100,000 to get to Seruni Point on two separate days.

Budget accommodation: IDR 200,000-300,000

Want more inspiration on what to see in Indonesia? Check out my post on Orangutan Jungle Trekking in Ketambe, Sumatra.