Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park

Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park

The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park covers a massive area of 800 square kilometres in the centre of East Java. For anyone with an interest in volcanoes, a visit to the park is a must. This is the largest volcanic region in the province. Visit the park and see the plumes of smoke coming from Mt. Semeru, an active volcano which rises 3676 meters above sea level. Experience the remarkable Tengger Caldera, Java's largest, with its 10 km barren desert-like sea of sand. Within the caldera rise the deeply fissured volcanic cones of Batok and Bromo, the latter is still active with a cavernous crater from which smoke blows skyward. Temperatures at the top of Mount Bromo range about 5 to 18 degrees Celsius. To the south of the park is a rolling upland plateau dissected by valleys and dotted with several small scenic lakes, extending to the foot of Mount Semeru.

Mount Semeru

The Tengger sandy area has been protected since 1919. This is believed to be the only conservation area in Indonesia, and possibly the world which possesses a unique sand sea at the attitude of about 2000 m above sea level. There are several mountains inside the caldera: Mt Watangan (2,661 m asl). Mt Batok (2,470 m asl), Mt Kursi (2,581 asl), Mt Watangan (2,661 m asl), and Mt Widadaren (2,650 m asl).

Tengger Desert

With beautiful scenery, easy access and visitor-oriented facilities, it’s no wonder that this one of the most popular reserves in Java.

GET IN

Mount Bromo is perhaps the most accessible of Java's active volcanoes and for that reason it gets a lot of domestic tourists, often in package groups. It is also a popular destination for high school groups who camp in the area. For that reason, those visitors seeking a quiet appreciation of the park should avoid major domestic holiday periods or at least you have no room at the main watchpoint platform area to take sunrise photos. That being said, this is a large park and providing you get away from the main watchpoint platform area, quiet enjoyment is possible at any time, as long as the Tenggar caldera in the Mount Bromo volcano complex is not erupting as it did in 2004, late 2010 and early 2011. If so some caution may be required.

By plane

The nearest major airport is in Surabaya (IATA: SUB), three to four hours away by car (and more by bus). Surabaya is well served by regular domestic flights from Jakarta and Bali and some other countries in Asia.

Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport (IATA: MLG) at Malang is a small regional airport with flights from Jakarta and Denpasar, Bali with access from here makes sense if you intend to enter the park via the Tumpang/Ngadas route.

By road

There are three established routes into the park.

The Probolinggo → Ngadisari Route (Cemoro Lawang and mount Bromo)

The nearest larger town is Probolinggo, on the north coast of Java about 45 km as the crow flies from the park (but it feels a lot further). This is by far the commonest route used to access the park as it is the most straightforward (but not necessarily the most interesting). About 6 km west of Probolinggo on the main coastal highway, turn south at the village of Ketapang. From there the road snakes up for 40 km through Sukapura (not a bad idea to stay the night here as the hotels are good) to Ngadisari and finally Cemoro Lawang on the edge of the caldera. Total journey time about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

To get to Probolinggo from Surabaya, take a Damri shuttle bus from the Juanda International Airport in Surabaya to the Bungurasih bus terminal (also called Purabaya) in the city. Then take an express Patasair-conditioned bus for the 2 to 3 hr journey from Surabaya to Probolinggo (about Rp 25,000).

Green Mini-Buses (10 seats) from Probolinggo to Cemoro Lawang are located right outside the terminal: Rp 250,000 (translates to Rp 25,000 per passenger). Departure from the terminal bus station as soon as the bus is full or someone pays the full price. Can delay the bus up to 2.5 hours to get enough passengers. However, the drivers can sometimes be less demanding for return trip back to Probolinggo, and can start out with fewer passengers on board.

The Pasuruan → Tosari Route

This route is only a little harder than the Probolinggo option and Pasuruan has the benefit of being closer to Surabaya. From Pasuruan on the main north coast road between Surabaya and Probolinggo, take the road 45 km south to Tosari up into the hills via Pastepan. Irregular buses ply this route or you can drive it in a regular car. From Tosari to Wonokitri it is another 3 km via a local bemo or on the back of a truck. From Wonokotri up to Bromo it is a really nice three hour 14 km trek, so you do need to start very early if you want sunrise. Alternatively you should be able to hire a 4x4 with a driver for that journey. There is accommodation in both Tosari and Wonokitri.

The Malang → Tumpang Route

This route approaches Bromo from the south east and is seldom used due to the lack of facilities. This is certainly the most off-the-beaten-path way to approach the park. Take a microbus from Arjosari bus station in Malang to Tumpang and then a 4WD vehicle or a heavy truck from Tumpang to Ngadas. There are no facilities to speak of at Ngadas but there is informal accommodation in family homes in the village. At Ranupani up on the top there is very simple homestay accommodation available - ask at the park office there. The route from Ngadas on to the caldera is interesting because it transverses the Sea of Sand and directly passes Mount Bromo. A dirt road leads across the flat bottom of the caldera, up to Jemplang on the southern rim and on to Ranupani where you should check in at the park office. You have to take a 4WD vehicle (unless you prefer to walk).

GET AROUND

From the village of Cemoro Lawang, you can easily hike up Mount Bromo and Mount Penanjakan and the best time to do this is pre-dawn. Villagers offer horseback rides to the top of Mount Bromo or go around in the caldera with tariff Rp 100.000 to Rp 150.000, depends on your haggle and the horse, but in off season January till end of March the tariff is Rp 100.000. You can also hire a jeep to take you around the area (about Rp 350,000 for one jeep ride in the caldera). The whole area is a hiker's dream though - walk if you possibly can.

From Argosari in Senduro District, Lumajang one can hike to a hill called B-29, which is a good place to take panoramic photos of long sandy beaches with Mount Bromo at the background.