This post may contain affiliate links. This just means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you for helping them promote their product or service. I don’t endorse any services I don’t personally use or recommend.
Indonesia is home to more than 120 active volcanos. Spewing clouds of ash and spilling magma at random through the unlucky towns that live in their shadow. But when they aren’t causing death and destruction the landscape they create is nothing short of magnificent. Mount Bromo is one the most famous of these volcano’s & fortunately, you can climb Bromo for free.
A shot to glimpse the towering volcanic peaks cast in the pink light of sunrise or sunset brings tourists from near and far. It’s one of the many reasons we set our sights on the island of Java in the first place.
Mount Bromo
Mount Bromo, named after the Hindu god of creation- Brahma, is the most visited volcano of Java’s 10+ submittable peaks. Likely because of the tourist infrastructure in place. If your willing to pay the price you can hire a 4×4 jeep to drive you up into the mountains, hire a horse to cart you across the sea of volcanic sand, and drop you right on the stone steps of Bromo.
For somewhere around $75 USD a person all you’ll have to do is walk up the steps.
But you can also do the entire experience almost for free.
I’m a firm believer that if you work a little harder at something you’re likely to enjoy it all the more in the end.
How to Climb Mount Bromo For Free
For those who are willing to get a little dusty, break a sweat, and ditch the crowds- here’s how you can get all the best views of Mount Bromo completely free.
Getting to Mount Bromo
First things first– transportation.
Mount Bromo is tucked away in the hills of East Java in a mountain town called Cemoro Lawang. Surrounded by small towns and not much of anything else… you’ll likely be coming from Ijen, Surabaya, Malang, or even Jakarta. Here’s how to get to Mount Bromo on a budget.
Trains in Java
Without a doubt, this is the easiest and most comfortable way to get around Java. Not to mention the cheapest option for long distances.
Trains are cheap, air-conditioned, and equipped with food carts and phone chargers. And unlike many Indonesian islands, Java has a well-developed train system that connects most major cities on the island. There’s no need to book tickets ahead of time unless you’re visiting in peak season.
Getting to Cemoro Lawang
Mount Bromo sits high in the Java mountains nowhere near civilization. You will need to stay in the small mountain village of Cemoro Lawang at the start of your journey. And getting there can be a bit of a challenge, depending on where you are coming from.
Getting to Bromo From Ijen (via Probolinggo): This was our starting point, a very common one for those coming from Bali via the ferry. Unfortunately, there is no direct route (aside from an expensive private taxi) from Ijen to Cemoro Lawang. You must first take the train from Banyuwangi to Probolinggo. The train is about 4 hours and costs about $5-10 USD per person.
From Probolinggo: This is THE starting point for Mount Bromo Treks. This is the point where many tourists decide to opt for the expensive all-inclusive packages promised by the persuasive touts.
For those willing to be greatly inconvenienced, you’ll wait for a colorful local bus called a Bemo at the main bus station. They leave for Cemoro Lawang when they are full. And I mean REALLY FULL…they pack 15 people into this dilapidated bus. But for 35k rupiah ($2 USD) a person it’s a steal. Unfortunately, sometimes you’ll wait for hours to get a full bus.
Bemo Tip: The earlier in the day you arrive in Probolinggo the better because fewer and fewer people head out in the afternoon.
Tired of Waiting Altogether? The bus will leave with fewer people if your group is willing to split the full bus price (525k rupiah).
Bemo From Probolinggo to Cemoro Lawang
After careening up the mountain canyon on a bus leaking petrol, seemingly falling apart with each hairpin turn, you’ll be dropped in Cemoro Lawang. A quaint village filled with cheap homestays and that head-clearing crisp cool mountain air.
Getting to Cemoro Lawang From Somewhere Else?
Getting to Bromo From Surabaya: Surabaya has a widely used international airport and many visitors to East Java fly in here. From here you will still have to take a train or bus to Probolinggo. 12.goAsia is a great option for booking ahead of time.
Getting to Bromo From Jakarta: The capital of Java. Many international flights will arrive from here. You can look up trains and buses prices & book tickets on 12.goAsia
We paid 150k rupiah for a basic room at Yog Bromo Homestay and were very happy with it. It’s the closest homestay to the start of your early morning hike & one of the cheapest rooms in town.
Hiking Mount Bromo and King Kong Hill
There are actually two separate famous hikes in this area. The first is King Kong Hill. Often hiked in the wee hours of the morning before dawn, it provides stunning views of Mount Bromo & the Sea of Sand.
The second is crossing the Sea of Sand and summiting Mount Bromo itself. This is the hike that many tourists pay up to $75 for. Since most travelers hike both in one day, I’ll cover how to do both hikes for free.
What You Need to Climb Mount Bromo For Free
There are a few things you’ll need to bring along before you set out on your nighttime venture up to the crater. Here’s a little list.
- Headlamp. A phone light will suffice just make sure you’re fully charged.
- Warm Layers. Don’t forget you’re in the mountains.
- Water. If you do both hikes in one night as we did, you’ll be hiking around 10km.
- Snacks. We didn’t and were STARVING by the time the night was through. There are several coffee shacks you can stop at for snacks on the hike to King Kong Hill.
- Hiking Boots. Some of the climbs are steep and covered in loose dust. It’s doable in sneakers but prepare for your shoes to be FULL of ash.
- Bandana or Face Cover. All that dust gets stirred up. You don’t want to breathe it.
- Sunglasses. Or some kind of eye protection. With every gust of wind, ash gets tossed into the air and it’s frustrating to cry it out of your eyes all morning.
- Sunscreen. The sea of sand is hot and there isn’t a moment of shade. If you’re fair-skinned make sure you lather up.
Climbing King Kong Hill For Sunrise
You don’t want to watch sunrise from Mount Bromo itself. Penanjakan Hill sits directly across from the 4 volcanic craters and has the best view of the pink morning light.
From Yog Bromo Homestay you’ll wake up at around 3 AM. The hike to the very top of King Kong Hill is around 2km or 1 hour and 30 minutes depending on your fitness level. The path is paved most of the way up and easily navigatable with the app Maps.me.
Maps.me is an offline mapping system for those of us who are too cheap to pay for a sim card in every country we travel to. And it works wonders.
You also don’t need to summit King Kong Hill if you aren’t feeling up to it. There are plenty of equally stunning viewpoints all along the way. Just choose one and settle in before the sun begins to creep across the starry sky. The higher the viewpoint the more likely you’ll be able to see into the craters of the volcano.
Several vendors will be selling hot tea and coffee along the way. If you’re a quick hiker, it’s helpful to grab a cup or two to chase away the biting cold.
King Kong Hill Tip: Wear lots of layers. It’s frigid before the sun rises but it warms up quickly. And this won’t be the only hike of the morning if you’re planning to continue on to Mount Bromo.
After you get all the good shots, you can head back the way you came enjoying all the scenery you passed blindly in the dark.
Mount Bromo & The Sea of Sand
This is where you save the big bucks. King Kong Hill sits outside the National Park so you aren’t required to purchase a ticket to visit. But Mount Bromo has begun collecting a substantial National Park fee from tourists. Around 250k per person (17USD). Locals pay much less.
But there are ways around this. And Maps.me holds all the answers.
Basically, Java invested money in crafting a neatly paved road around the sea of sand to make the visit more comfortable for tourists. If you enter at the main entrance and use that walkway, you’ll be charged the National Park fee. But if you enter the “Secret Entrance to Mt. Bromo” from Cemoro Lawang you’ll instead cross the sea of sand and summit Bromo via a very dusty 3km hike across the Sea of Sand.
How to Find the Secret Entrance to Mount Bromo
Simply input “Secret Free Entrance to Bromo” into your Maps.me and follow its instructions.
From Yog Bromo Homestay you’ll take a left when facing the road and continue up the hill until you see a statue of a man on a horse out front of a hotel. There will be a dust-covered path just to the right that leads steeply downhill. Follow that and you’ll reach the Sea of Sand.
From there it’s pretty self-explanatory. Walking across hundreds of years worth of volcanic ash you’ll share the sea with locals on horseback charging toward the volcano. All with the hopes of ferrying some lazy tourists to the base.
Mount Bromo is not the tall prominent peak you watched the sun rise over. It’s the small exploded one with a long line of tourists crowding the staircase to the top. And after that long walk, you’ll be thankful it’s the short one.
The Crater of Mount Bromo
Gazing into the smoldering abyss of a volcano is always an unsettling feeling. You can see the chartreuse colored sulfur stains on the inner rim and the smell of rotten egg washes over you with every thick cloud of smoke. The rim is crowded. Even in the early morning hours.
The majority of the trail is contained by a crumbling stone railing but you can completely circle the rim if you’re feeling extra sure-footed. There will be no railing and a much thinner trail for most of the way.
And when you have had your fill of volcanic views you return the same way you came.
Mount Bromo Trip Cost Comparison
For comparison sake let’s say the start of all trips, all-inclusive and otherwise, begin in Probolinggo.
From there we paid 35k per person to reach Cemoro Lawang and then NOTHING for our hiking excursions. The return Bemo buses to Probolinggo are slightly more costly at 40k per person.
Our Total Cost: 75k rupiah or about $5.26 per person.
In total, we spent $10.50 per person to visit one of the most popular tourist sights in Java, Indonesia.
Costs We Skipped: $20 National Park Tickets, $70 all-inclusive tours on buses from Probolinggo.
Don’t be so surprised. Indonesia is notoriously cheap. Here’s what you can do in Yogyakarta just a few hours away for just $10.
Personally, the added adventure of crossing the Sea of Sand was more than worth the extra-long hike. We were the only people crossing on foot and the scenery was straight from another planet. A grey Mars. It was a welcome bit of isolation before joining the masses of people climbing to the crater.
& if this hike wasn’t quite adventurous or scenic enough for you…head to Mount Ijen for a midnight hike to see the blue flames and belching sulfur volcano.
Watching the locals attempt to break their horses on the way to pick up tourists also brought to our attention the unsafe conditions of the ride. The horses are small, short-legged, and seem a little too wild. It would be a risk to the rider and also contribute to the possible mistreatment of the animals themselves.
If you don’t want to haul your ass up the hot dusty path, I’m sure that stubby-legged horse doesn’t want to either.
2 Comments
Jen
June 9, 2023 at 10:14 pmLoved your article, thanks for taking the time to write it. Adding it to my list. 🙂
~Jen in Santa Cruz, CA