Catching sunrise on Mt Bromo

#cityplaybook

Right after landing at Surabaya airport at 11pm, I was picked up for what would be one of the most unforgettable day tours — a sunrise trip to Mount Bromo.

Though the few-hour-long drive through winding mountain roads was restless—I thought I could sleep in the car but the bumpiness made it kinda hard to happen—we arrived at the viewpoint just before dawn.

In the middle of the way, we changed into a jeep. Some of the jeeps were quite terrible with petrol smell, which was quite unbearable coz the journey in jeep could take around half an hour or so—but the jeep I got on my way back had no the slightest scent of petrol, to my bliss.

Near the point of sunrise, we started to see wooden huts at the road side selling breakfast—it’s such a bliss to see them because the weather is usually single-digit chilly up there.

After grabbing a hot drink, we ascended to the sunrise point and joined a small crowd of fellow travelers on top, all waiting for the golden moment. It’s worth going up there an hour earlier because it’s dark enough to vaguely see the Milky Way by naked eyes.

As the first light broke over the horizon, the sky slowly shifted from deep blue to fiery orange, casting a surreal glow over the Bromo-Tengger caldera. The sight of Mount Bromo’s smoking crater framed by the surrounding peaks was nothing short of breathtaking.

After sunrise, we descended into the sea of sand by jeep, then hiked up to the crater rim — a short but dirty walk due to the volcanic mist swirled up by the horse rides.

Post by Shih Yuin Chew | Jun 4, 2025