ABOUT MOUNT BROMO EAST JAVA
Mount Bromo is an active volcano and part of the Tengger area, in East Java, Indonesia. At 2,329 metres (7,641 ft) it is not the highest peak of Indonesian mountain, but is the most well known. The area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indnesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god.
Mount Bromo sits in the middle of a vast plain called the “Segara Wedi” (Sea of Sand), a protected nature reserve since 1919. The typical way to visit Mount Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang. From there it is possible to walk to the volcano in about 45 minutes, but it is also possible to take an organised jeep tour, which includes a stop at the viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan (2,770 m or 9,088 ft) (Indonesian: Gunung Penanjakan). The best views from Mount Bromo to the Sand Sea below and the surrounding volcanoes are at sunrise. The viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan can also be reached on foot in about two hours. From inside the caldera, sulfur is collected by workers.
The area in and around the park is inhabited by the Tengger people, one of the few significant Hindu communities left on the island of Java. The local religion is a remnant from the Majapahit era and therefore quite similar to that on Bali but with even more animist elements. The Tenggerese are believed to be descendents of the Majapahit princes and were driven into the hills after mass arrivals in the area of devoutly Muslim Madurese in the 19th century. These Madurese immigrants were labourers working for Dutch coffee plantation owners and the native Hindu people of the region soon found themselves outnumbered and either converted to Islam or fled to the inhospitable high mountain tops where they remain today.
For many visitors, the sight of the angular-faced, sunburned, moustachioed Tenggerese wrapped in poncho-like blankets, trotting about on ponies with craggy mountains as the backdrop, more resembles Peru than Indonesia!
HOW TO REACH MOUNT BROMO AREA
You can reach Bromo area with private car or charter car. There are 4 gates to go to the Mt. Bromo area: Cemorolawang from Probolinggo route, Wonokitri village from Pasuruan route, Ngadas from Malang Route and Burno village from Lumajang village.