Have you ever visited a place you fell in love with? I have. It happened last July when I visited Bromo. At first, I only knew Bromo from the guidebooks and my friends. Also I remembered a story about the legend of Bromo. I was so curious. I wanted to set foot on this legendary land. And yay … the day finally came.
After seventeen hours on a bus, I arrived at the Shion hotel around 10 in the evening. A breezy wind welcomed me as I exited from the car. Shion is located about 3 km down from Cemero Lawang or 20 minutes by jeep to Mount Bromo. It was crowded that night and the room was full. So I share the double bed with two Spanish girls. The room was small but that was fine for me because I only slept there for few hours.
Before we went to bed, the Spanish girls wanted to change their Euro money to rupiahs. A guy in the hotel told us that we could find the money changer about 200 meters from Shion. The Spanish girls, a Dutch couple, and I all went there. The money changer was located in Yoschi’s Hotel.
Surprisingly, Yoschi had a nice café which was open till midnight. We had dinner there while enjoying the acoustic music performance. This place is a bit of a legend on the backpacker circuit. It is probably the best value option anywhere near the park and it serves particularly good food (that’s based on my own opinion) lol…
At midnight, we went back to Shion. We only slept for three hours because at 3. a. m. we awoke and started our journey. Here we go….
Mount Bromo
Mount Bromo is one of the most famous and most beautiful volcanoes in Indonesia. It is located in Tengger, in East Java.
Mount Bromo is one of two volcanoes that were created following a massive eruption which created an enormous caldera in which are the active Mount Bromo and the non-active Mount Batok. The caldera has seen filled with grey sand, and is called Laut Pasir (Sea of Sand). Trekkers walk through this expanse on their way to Mount Bromo. The scenery is reminiscent of the wonder land. The lush green valleys all around the caldera it’s so majestic.
Mount Bromo is easily recognized as the entire top has been blown off and the crater inside constantly belches white sulphurous smoke. Standing at a height of 2329 meters, Mount Bromo isn’t the tallest mountain in Java. That title goes to 3676 meters tall Mount Semeru. Also known as Mahameru (Great Mountain), Mount Semeru is one of the Indonesia’s most active volcanoes. It’s constantly belches out a steam and smoke, sometimes interspersed with ash and stones. Climbing Mount Semeru requires some planning and a permit from the national park authority.
The Legend of Tengger (Bromo)
There is a legend related to Mount Bromo and the region of Tengger. According to this legend, there was a 15th century princess named Roro Anteng from Majapahit who started a principality with her husband Joko Seger, a Brahma Caste. They named the kingdom Tengger, an amalgam of the last syllable of both their names.
The Kingdom of Tengger prospered, but the royal couple was unable to produce an heir to the throne. In desperation they made a trip up Mount Bromo. They prayed and meditated on Bromo for many days before the crater opened to seek the help of god in granting them a child. The gods agreed and announced that they would be given children, with the condition that the last child should be sacrificed as return.
Child after child was born during the years and it reached 25 in number to whom Roro Anteng gave the named Kesuma for the last child. The royal couple was happy ever since, love and affection were imparted among their children.
Happiness lingered on years after years, but a sad feeling still haunted them for their promise would be claimed one day. A bitter disappointment of losing a child shot through their brains. The day came, the God reminded them of their promise which could not be avoided.
As they felt how cruel it was to sacrifice their beloved child, they decided to break their promise. They brought away their children in order to save their last child from the offering. They tried to find a place to hide, however, they could not find away.
All of by sudden, a dreadful eruption of Bromo followed and swallowed Kesuma into crater. After he disappeared from the sight, his voice was heard asking that an annual ceremony be performed to appease the gods. The ceremony was still being performed to this day. It takes place on the 14th day of the full moon Kesodo, according to the Tenggerese calendar. Rice, fruits, vegetables, flowers and livestock are offered to the mountain gods.
Going to Mount Bromo
The nearest airport to Mount Bromo is Surabaya, about 3 - 4 hours away by bus. If you are from Yogyakarta, you can follow a tour or take a bus. It is about 10 hours by car or more by bus.
Most visitors to Mount Bromo access it from Cemoro Lawang, at the foot of the mountain. To go there from Surabaya's Juanda International Airport, take the Damri shuttle bus to the Bungurasih Bus Terminal. From there, take the Patas air-conditioned bus to Probolinggo. The journey takes about 2-3 hours. At Probolinggo, it is another one hour to Ngadisari, a town about 6km northeast of Mount Bromo and the base camp for Mount Bromo trips.
Another base camp is Cemoro Lawang, about half an hour from Ngadisari. You can get accommodation at Ngadisari so that you start off a little after midnight for the trip to Mount Bromo. Be sure to bring along warm clothing because the temperature can drop to between zero and five degrees Celcius. While daytime temperatures anywhere in the park is about 20 degrees Celcius.
From Cemoro Lawang, you can easily hike up Mount Bromo and Mount Penanjakan. The foot of Mount Bromo is a 3-km hike from Cemoro Lawang. You can hire a horse for 70,000 Rupiah or a seat in a jeep for 80,000 Rupiah to take you to Mount Bromo. Private cars are not allowed. The whole area is a hiker’s dream though – walk if you possibly can.
P. S.
If you don’t bring any warm clothing, you can rent jackets and hats at Cemoro Lawang and at the Pananjakan viewpoint for about Rp 20,000.
What to see?
• The main sight is of course Mount Bromo. It is always bubbling, and its edges are tinged with sulphur. From Cemoro Lawang, take the path on the left fork. It leads to the Hindu temple at the foot of the mountain. From there, a steep 250-step path leads to the crater from which you can view the volcano. Mount Bromo is an active volcano. If the mountain appears to be acting up, stay away from it for your own safety.
• The next object is Mount Batok (2440 m). It is a dormant volcano at the northern centre of the huge caldera. It is now growing with vegetation, mostly casuarinas (cemara) trees that can thrive in the volcanic ash.
• To the north of the caldera is Mount Penanjakan (2770m). As it has a paved road, it can be reached by jeeps and even tour buses. It is crowded with tourists at around 5:00am. If you are here at a later time, you probably get the place all to yourself.
• Tengger Tribal communities in the area of the Semeru and Bromo Mount hold Kasodo ceremony every year. This cultural event is a worth event to witness among ceremonies like Sekaten and Ruwatan.
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