Probolinggo - Bromo - Java

The next section of my journey lasted eight and a half hours. My next destination was the relatively small and tranquil town of Probolinggo, the gateway to Mount Bromo. The road from here leads up to Bromo crater. And it was this road that I drove along the following night.

At 2:10 PM, the alarm clock rang again. Am I on vacation here or on a stress test tour? Anyway, I want to see the highlights, so I take them as they come.

At 2:30 AM, the car set off towards Mount Bromo, which was my destination. We drove uphill for another hour. Probolinggo is at an elevation of 5 meters, while Bromo is at an elevation of 2329 meters, so it's no easy task...

Eventually, we reached Cemoro Lawang, the last village at the foot of Bromo. We drove through it, and after 1 km, we couldn't go any further. From here on, the entire road was blocked by the jeeps of other tour groups. So, I walked a bit further with my headlamp, long pants, and jacket, about 1 km uphill. There are several viewpoints along the way. I left the first one behind and aimed for the second. I finally reached it about 10 minutes later, panting heavily and completely drenched in sweat. I sat down at the edge of the rocks and leaned against a tree. I passed the time by having a small breakfast with utensils that I had packed specifically for this purpose.

Finally, the sun rose on the horizon, and Bromo and its bizarre landscape came to life (not literally, I mean it's not erupting). It was truly a fantastic sight. The crater, the vast sea of sand, and the rock formations that surrounded it all. After I had taken my pictures, I quickly took a couple of selfies and went back down to the car. It took us to the village of Cemoro Lawang, where we switched to a jeep. This jeep took us through the sea of sand, about 1 km away from the crater.

From here, we had to walk for another 30 minutes. First, we walked through the sea of sand, passing by a Hindu temple (By the way, this is where the name "Bromo" comes from. It is named after the Hindu god "Brahma"). Then, it was steep uphill again, and finally, we climbed a steep staircase up to the crater rim.

Wow... what a sight! I'm looking into the abyss of a volcano, it's truly breathtaking. Somewhere down there, the inner fire of the Earth is bubbling, although you can't see it directly but you can hear and smell it. Really beautiful and worth the effort.

Excited, I returned to the car, and we made our way back to the hotel, descending 2324 meters.