The Amazing Adventure At Mount Bromo And Kawah Ijen
Indonesia is known as one of the paradises for hikers. With more than 76 active volcanoes spread on this archipelago, this country is the best hiking destination. Among all those many mountains, Mount Bromo and Kawah Ijen are two popular destinations. Mount Bromo and Kawah Ijen hiking always become the tour package that never runs out of its customers.
Moreover, the volcano lines of Indonesia also record 1,171 total eruptions, slightly below Japan with 1,274 eruptions. That creates a unique environment and new adventure and experience that you never found elsewhere.
Mount Bromo and Kawah Ijen also offer beautiful scenery and true hiking challenges. The difficult route as well as the crowd where you have to compete to reach the peak to get the best place to enjoy the scenery is among those challenges you should conquer. If you are willing to enjoy a couple of rough days, you can continue reading below.
What You Should Know About Mount Bromo
Mount Bromo stands 2,329 meters above sea level. It is one of the active volcanoes in East Java. This mountain is located in the Tengger area and is part of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. One of the unique things about this National Park is the existence of the Sea of Sand. It is the only place in Indonesia that has this kind of unique place.
The name of Bromo itself originally comes from the name of Hindu God, Brahma. The Javanese people pronoun it as Bromo, so it becomes the name of this mountain. Because of that, this place has also become one of the sacred mountains in Indonesia. Many people visit this mountain to enjoy sunrise and have a sacred adventure. That also makes the Mount Bromo and Kawah Ijen hiking tour popular.
What You Should Know about Kawah Ijen
Kawah Ijen or Ijen Crater is one of the unique hiking destinations in Indonesia. Here, you can find two phenomenons you won’t find in other places on Earth. You can see the electric-blue flames, formed of flammable sulfurous gases that rise to the atmosphere and react to the air. If you want to see this amazing sight, you may have to visit this place at night. That way you can see it clearly, the blue flames dance in the darkness.
Another phenomenon you can see here is the caldera lake. It is full of turquoise-blue water. Even though it looks beautiful, the color of this water came from the high acidity level of the material on the bottom of the lake. Therefore, it dissolves the metals and causes this unique color.
When Should I Visit Mount Bromo and Kawah Ijen?
The best time to visit this hiking destination is during the dry season. The route will be much safer and easier to climb. In Java, the dry season will start from April to October. And, May to August will be the perfect choice for your hiking plan, as the rain frequency is the lowest. However, many people will visit in those months, so you may have to deal with the crowd.
How to Get There?
To go to Mount Bromo and Kawah Ijen, we recommend you use two transportation methods, which are:
- Ferry Boat
It means you will start your trip from Bali. Use the ferry to cross to Banyuwangi. Then, rent a car, bus, or private taxi to go to Kawah Ijen and Mount Bromo. You don’t have to do it yourself. Hire some travel agent that can help you to taste this tour. Here is an example of their tour itinerary.
Day 1 – Banyuwangi
Night 1 – departure to Kawah Ijen
Day 2 – go to Probolinggo then Cemoro Lawang
Night 2 – visit Mount Bromo
Day 3 – return to Banyuwangi via the Probolinggo route.
- Train
This method is the most affordable one. You can take a train from Surabaya to Probolinggo. Then, rent a car or bus to Cemoro Lawang and start your Mount Bromo and Kawah Ijen hiking. Here is the route you can use to get to that place using a train.
Day 1 – Surabaya – Probolinggo – Cemoro Lawang
Night 1 – climb Mount Bromo
Day 2 – Probolinggo – Bondowoso
Night 2 – climb to Kawah Ijen
Day 3 – return to Surabaya via Probolinggo