This is a blog for any future racers or travelers wanting to hike Mount Bromo for “free.”
We Hiked Mount Bromo in June of 2019.
Pro Tip** check holidays and weather as they may interfere with travel and views.
Pack: warm clothing, tennis shoes or good walking/hiking shoes, headlamp or flashlight, face mask/covering for sea of sand, toiletries, outlet converter or portable phone charger, snacks, water, sunscreen (if you are white like me).
This is how my small group of three traveled from Malang to Mount Bromo:
Left our hostel at 8:00 am by Grab (Indonesian Uber) to Terminal Ajasari, the main bus station in Malang. Be prepared to barter on prices. Some busses are set price but some are not. You will have men herding you around, saying prices and trying to push you onto busses right and left. You have the choice of economy bus or non-economy.
Economy– 20,000 Rp but smoking is allowed and it will make several stops. No air-conditioning. We found this out on our way back the hard way.
Non-Economy– 40,000 – 45,000 Rp no smoking (driver will probably still smoke), air-conditioning, non-stop
We took Non-Economy for 45,000 Rp as it was a set price in the window and left before 8:30 am. Make sure it is going to Probolinggo. If you walk in and say bus to Probolinggo, someone will get you on the next leaving bus. Just be firm with your prices.
Pro Tip** Do not tell your driver or ticket man that you are going to Bromo. They will drop you off at a tourist center/try to scam you. Just say you are going to Probolinggo. You want to be dropped off at the Probolinggo Bus Station. From there you want to find a Bemo/Mini Bus. There will be tons sitting around but most will not leave until they are full (15 people).
We got dropped off at a tourist center at 10:00 am. He tried to scam us and said a Bemo would arrive at 11:45… at 11:00 he said one was waiting for us 500 meters down the road. Being from America, meters did not compute. After arguing with him to show us or walk us to it and him just yelling back at us, we walked until we found a Bemo pulling into a petrol station (gas station). I literally approached him as he was waiting in line and he told us ok but to wait over by the street. He then tried to drive off but we chased him down and he agreed to take the three of us for 40,000 Rp a person with stops. This is around what you will usually pay for a full mini bus with no stops. Again, be firm on your prices. He then proceeded to stop and said for 50,000 Rp a person he wouldn’t take any stops. “50,000 no stop stops.” We agreed and at 11:30 headed up to Cemoro Lawang.
We arrived at 12:45. We then had to find a Home Stay (house or rooms you can rent, similar to AirBnB). Since it was the day after Ramadan ended there was a ton of vacancies. As soon as we climbed out of the Bemo a man approached us and asked where we were going. I said we needed a Home Stay and he took us to his right behind where we were standing. It was a quaint two-bedroom “home” with a living room and bathroom. He started his offer at 300,000 Rp and we talked him down to 210,000 Rp for one night.
We then went to find the “secret” entrance/trail to walk to the crater of Bromo. It was extremely easy to find and is marked on MapsMe (see image below). The walk isn’t guarded or anything. Then you walk straight to Bromo. The sea of sand is flat and open so you cannot miss it or go the wrong way.
The Sea of Sand sounds ominous but it’s really fun. You can casually walk, take pictures, enjoy the views and fill your shoes with sand with every step. When you see the temple you can walk around either side of it and you will get to the same place. The hike up Bromo is a little tiring because it’s a steep incline but it’s not awful. When you reach the top you can actually walk around the whole crater if you want. I did not because there is no railing and I am afraid of heights and was doing good to be that high with railing. Haha. Once you have taken all the pics you want you can head back.
Pro Tip** EVERY SINGLE PERSON WILL WANT A POTO WITH YOU IF YOU ARE WHITE. It’s literally like being a Disney character at Disney World but you don’t have a costume on. It is ok to say no but of course we always said yes to the kids.
The village of Cemero Lawang is small but you can find food and water for cheap. We had ramen and some homemade fried something’s from a small local shop for dinner. I do suggest bringing snacks though as your schedule for this is odd and you are traveling a lot.
We finished our day a little after 5:00 pm because the sun sets at 5:30 pm this time of year.
The next morning we started our hike to the sunrise viewpoints at 3:00 am. It is another easy trail to follow and is on MapsMe as well (see image below). The road in the city splits and you take the road to the right. There will be a drop gate entrance where cars and motos will be paying to enter and you just walk around and through. No one gave any notice to us being there.
The hike is harder than expected and to get to the best viewpoint suggested we had to treck for about two hours. After about an hour we gave up and stopped a little after the first viewpoint. We were not above the crater or mountain but the views were still breathtaking. The viewpoints are all marked on MapsMe. (see images below)
King Kong Hill- Where all tourist go/main viewpoint
Best, non-touristy viewpoint
Our viewpoint
It was super cold but thankfully there are people selling hot drinks and snacks every few meters. I bought a hot Kopi (Indonesian Instant Coffee) for 5,000 Rp. After the sunrise we headed back down and were back at about 7:00 am. I suggest staying longer if you can. We were freezing and wanted to head back down for some warmth.
This is when the real trouble began…
Pro Tip** This is where traveling with a larger group is beneficial. For staying at Home Stays it may be difficult with large groups but for Bemo transport it is almost necessary. Bemo’s will not leave until they are full. They don’t negotiate and can be stubborn.
We were told a lot of things… “the Bemo’s don’t start leaving until 9:00 am,” “they don’t start leaving until 10:00 am,” “they stop leaving at 10:00 am,” “they don’t leave until full,” etc. We decided to sit at our homestay until 9:00 am. When we cam out we had to find a Bemo. This was a task alone as there weren’t many; most were private tour cars. We finally found some but they wouldn’t leave until full. This was the next difficult task as there were almost no tourists around. We finally found 4 other people and talked the driver down to 75,000 Rp a person. At 10:00 am we finally headed down to Probolinggo.
We arrived at 11:30 and were dropped off at the first available bus station. Again, be prepared to be attacked by men trying to get you onto their busses at unreasonable prices. Be firm with your prices. We were a little overwhelmed and accidentally ended up on an economy bus for 40,000 Rp a person… not our greatest moment. We arrived back at Malang at 2:00 pm.
In total we spent just a little over $12 USD. This was our “free” tour route based on all the blogs we read, information we could find and trying to spend as little money as possible. I highly recommend this over a tour. We had time to explore, rest and just enjoy our time. We weren’t stuck to a schedule and really enjoyed that. Also, it is A LOT cheaper.
I hope you enjoyed my little adventure and that this helps someone enjoy the fun and beauty of Indonesia in the future.
Summary:
Bus from Malang to Probolinggo 20,000 – 45,000 Rp (depends on bus) 2-3 hours
Bemo from Probolinggo to Cemero Lawang 40,000 Rp (starting price for full mini bus) 2-3 hours
Hike to Crater (free and easy to find)
3:00 am begin sunrise hike to viewpoints (free and easy to find/follow)
Bemo from Cemero Lawang to Probolinggo 40,000 Rp per person if full (varies based on how many people you have) EXTREMELY DIFFICULT and begin leaving closer to 10:00 am 2-3 hours
Bus from Probolinggo to Malang 20,000 – 45,000 (depends on bus) 2-3 hours
