If you are planning your trip to Indonesia, you’ve probably stumbled upon one of the countless Mount Bromo tours already and you are wondering if you can climb Mount Bromo for free on your own.
One of the biggest highlights of Indonesia, Mount Bromo is part of the Tengger-Semeru National Park situated in the east of the Java island and is a worldwide famous volcano you can hike without being a pro-climber. And let me tell you something – this place is absolutely stunning!
The Sea of Sand (and ashes) surrounding the volcano is as unique as it gets and staring inside the crater of Bromo is also an experience you would cherish till the end of your days. Let’s not forget the sunrise sight from one of the many many viewpoints around. Catching the first sunlight there can easily become the highlight of your Indonesian trip, and everyone who’s been in Indonesia knows how bold of a statement this is.
The photo everybody wants
However, being such a fantastic place combined with being immensely popular, brings some negatives to Bromo, and if you don’t plan your visit carefully, they may ruin the whole experience. What am I talking about? The prices and the crowds.
The easiest way to visit Mount Bromo is by booking a tour from Surabaya, Yogyakarta, or Bali. Doing so, you will get you hundreds of dollars behind, and you would spend most of the time just sitting in a car getting bored to death.
The worst of all – once you arrive at the volcano you would have to battle your way through crowds of thousands of other tourists. No, I’m not exaggerating – literally hundreds of cars and thousands of people visit Bromo every single night (even more on the weekends).
See Also: The Ultimate Indonesia Travel Itinerary
Can you see the line of cars surrounding the volcano?
Oh, I almost forgot, you also have to pay two extra taxes – a small one to enter the village of Cemoro Lewang (10000IDR / 0.7USD) and not so small one to enter the volcano area – ( 350000IDR / 25USD ).
Are you starting to reconsider your trip already? Don’t! There is actually a way to climb Mount Bromo for free and skip the annoying crowds.
*When I say for free, I don’t mean you won’t spend absolutely anything. You still have to spend some rupiah for transport and accommodation, but as you’ll see in the end, the total amount of expenses won’t be anywhere near the price of the tours.
How to get to Mount Bromo?
How to get from Surabaya to Probolinggo
The closest airport is in the city of Surabaya. From there you need to make your way to the small town of Probolinggo. You have three options:
By Bus
the Purabaya bus station (also known as the Bungurasih terminal) is close to the airport, but the taxi to it would still cost you around 100000 IDR / 7 USD. You can also take the shuttle bus from outside the arrivals gate for 25000 IDR / 1.50 USD
Once on the bus station, find the one to Probolinggo (the destinations are over the buses) and get inside.
IMPORTANT – the only place to buy a legit ticket is inside the bus, and it costs 35000IDR / 2.50USD. Do not buy anything from people who offer you at the station. The journey should be 2-3 hours.
Have in mind that there is a chance to get an AC bus or one with just some fans in the back. Also, the bus may stop quite sometimes to get additional passengers on the way.
By Train
To catch the train to Probolinggo you need to make your way to Surabaya Gubeng Station. It’s 20km from the airport so I believe the taxi would be much more expensive than the one to the bus station; also there is no airport shuttle going there.
The train to Probolinggo costs between 30000IDR / 2USD and 60000IDR / 4USD and you can book it online here
The train option costs you more than the bus one but is more comfortable too.
If you are in Yogyakarta, you can take a direct train to Probolinggo. Prices vary between 75000IDR / 5USD and 300000IDR / 21USD. The journey will take approximately 9 hours
By Taxi
The most comfortable but also the most expensive way. The price here depends entirely on your haggling skills. I got an offer of 500000IDR / 35USD from the Purabaya bus station to Mount Bromo, so maybe if you are a group of people and you like to haggle with taxi drivers, it’s worth it to explore the option.
How to get from Probolinggo to Cemoro Lawang
This is bemo
Once in Probolinggo, you need to make your way to the village right next to the crater of Mount Bromo – Cemoro Lawang.
You have only one option here, and it’s the colorful public vans called Bemos. Once you are out of the bus/train station, you can find someone to take you to one. The bad thing about bemos is that they don’t really have a schedule, they go when they are full, and this may take hours.
You can also offer to pay more and go faster. Full Bemo (15 people) should be 35000IDR / 2.5USD, bemo with ten people should be around 50000IDR / 3.5 USD per person.
How to get from Cemoro Lawang to Probolinggo
On the way back, It’s the same route you came – you get the bemo from the center of the village. If you are in a hurry, your hotel should be able to find you a taxi, but it won’t come cheap.
How to hike Mount Bromo for free – secret passage map!
Once in Cemoro Lawang, you can get easily to Mount Bromo without a tour. I suggest to explore the Sea of Sand and the crater during the day and go to the viewpoints on sunrise.
Since all tours go to the crater of Mount Bromo before (or right after) sunrise, during the day, there will be close to no people around it, and you can thoroughly enjoy this masterpiece of nature.
To get there without paying the hefty 350k entrance fee, you need to find the secret passage next to the hotel Cemara Indah. You get inside the parking lot and go right, down to the pathway that leads you to the Sea of Sand. Not only free but also a shortcut.
This path is shown only on Maps.me
Is the whole fuss really worth it?
Definitely!
Don’t know about you but I rate my travels by the “wow-moments” I experience on them. A wow-moment is something so amazing I can’t help but say WOW out loud (it’s kinda tricky when diving).
In Indonesia, I had five wow moments and two of them were around Mount Bromo. The first one – when I looked down at the crater of the volcano. It is such a humbling experience, getting that close to something that powerful you won’t have a choice but to say wow.
The second one was the night when I was hiking to the viewpoints. The road was empty, there were gazillion stars in the sky and a scent of fresh jasmine in the air. One of my most perfect and relaxing moments ever.
Don’t do this at home
IMPORTANT:
Once in the Bromo area, you’re going to get a lot of offers for a horse ride up to the volcano. I plead you to deny them.
Poor horses are severely mistreated, and it’s obvious their size is not suitable for riding up slopes with people on their backs. They have a hard time going up, slipping from time to time which gets them a whip as a reward…
Please don’t support animal abuse. The path up is doable even for people with average fitness levels.
Don’t make him carry you up there, please!
How to get to the viewpoints of Mount Bromo?
That’s what I call a nice viewpoint!
There are probably a dozen viewpoints located on the mount across Bromo – Penanjakan Hill. To get there, you don’t go to the Cemara Indah hotel, but you continue down the road. It will slowly become a climb, and you will see a parking lot (which is also an excellent viewpoint).
Continue going up, and you would find a lot of places to experience the magical Bromo sunrise. The top viewpoint is where all the tours go so I suggest to avoid it. There is one slightly bellow – King Kong viewpoint, where you can get the same sight with fewer tourists.
If you are not interested so much in the photo but more in the experience, I suggest you stop at any of the viewpoints along the path to King Kong. In most cases, you won’t have to share the sunrise there.
My Bromo sunrise was at 5:30 AM but I left the homestay at 2:30 AM. I made quite a few photo-stops along the way so that slowed me down. Most people leave at 3:30 AM and reach the top viewpoints without rushing.
Only on maps.me
Mount Bromo Weather
Wind and ashes – bad combination!
Unlike the rest of Indonesia, the temperatures around Mount Bromo gets quite low in the night. You definitely need to bring some long pants and layers. You can buy winter hats, scarfs and gloves by one of the many hawkers in Cemoro Lawang.
It’s also windy all the time, which is not good when you are next to a place called The Sea of Sand.
Have you wondered why the sunrise is so famous, but there is not a single mention of the sunset? The reason is that in the afternoon the winds often brought clouds that cover the crater and ruin the whole view. Damn you winds!
See Also: Borneo: The Land of The Orangutans
Mount Bromo hotels
The secret passage is 10 meters after the entrance, on your right
Since you are without a tour, you’ll need a place to stay for at least one night. The Cemoro Lawang area, however, is not very well managed for tourists. Most of the hotels are homestays with just basic conditions. There is hot water in most of them, but don’t be surprised if your breakfast is a cold egg and some rice or there is no window in your room.
If you are ready to splurge a little bit more, you can check the Cemoro Indah Hotel (the same one with the secret passage) that offers a fantastic view, The Lava Hostel or the only resort in the area – The Lava View Lodge. Since you’re reading how to climb Mount Bromo for free, however, I suggest using the homestays.
Mount Bromo places to eat
Finding a place to eat turned out to be a bigger challenge than expected. Not only there are very few restaurants, but they don’t seem to be open most of the time.
In my first try, I walked and sit in one that had an open door and a local guy inside. He was playing a game on his phone and walked past me a few times without any signs he noticed me.15 minutes later, when I walked to him asking if it’s open, he was genuinely surprised to see me.
The best place I found is the restaurant of the Lava Hostel. They had quite a few options, service was fast and the food was tasty.
Is climbing Mount Bromo safe?
Climbing Mount Bromo is as safe as climbing a volcano can be. However, you are just a moment of bad luck away to ruin not only your climb but your whole Indonesian adventure.
What I do for all my trips is getting travel insurance from World Nomads. Once you have a few journeys under your belt, you can easily appreciate its tremendous value and the freedom it gives you.
While I sincerely wish you never have to use it, life happens (even more when you are traveling) and it’s always good to be prepared.
What do you need to climb Mount Bromo for free?
Volcano ninja mode
Like I already mentioned, layer clothes and long pants. Hiking shoes are not needed but don’t go there with flip-flops either. Trainers will do just fine.
If you stay in one of the homestays – make sure you have a towel with you.
Sunglasses and sunscreen are a must. It may be windy but the Indonesian sun is still as strong as it is in Bali, and you are closer to it now.
A scarf or a buff, even two buffs if you have. Wind + sand/ashes = bad combination.
You also need a phone app called Maps.Me It’s an offline map generator so make sure you’ve downloaded the maps you need before you get to the area. Maps.Me has a huge database of small roads and paths you can’t find on google maps including the secret passage to the volcano and a detailed path to all viewpoints.
Mount Bromo Tours
If this was a tour, there would be 50 more people on this photo
If you don’t have the time to do Mount Bromo for free or you simply don’t want the whole hustle, and you’re ok with spending some money here are some tours that will handle everything for you. ( don’t say I didn’t warn you about the crowds though )
Lazy one – With this tour, you really don’t have to do anything. You’re gonna get picked from your hotel in Bali and you’ll spend the next 3 days exploring Mount Bromo and the nearby Mount Ijen.
Cheap One – With this one, you won’t have to spend a fortune. You just make your way to Surabaya or Malang and let everything else is your guide’s hands.
The Waterfall One – This is an interesting one because it has an amazing waterfall included.
Camping One – This is something I would try to be honest. I hate tours but having a local to help you find the best place for camping would be invaluable. Most of the homestays in the area are in such poor condition that the tent would be more comfortable.
That’s all from me, I hope you enjoy your Mount Bromo free hike!
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Have you tried climbing Mount Bromo for free?
Tell me in the comments below.
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Dear slavi,
I just wanted to thank you for all the information you wrote about visiting bromo. You really help a lot of people out with this, including us, especially because other websites are not clear at all about how to visit bromo without a tour. I love to hear your travel stories and honest opinions, keep on doing what you do 🙂
Love,
Robin
Hi Robin,
Thank you so much! I hope you got the best sunrise experience ever :))
I used the village’s trail last week (August 2018) and can confirm the info in this post still applies! We went around noon and there was no one guarding the path.
Awesome to hear that! Thank you Donna 🙂
Hi Slavi,
Thanks for the truly valuable info above. Question: Around what time can you expect to be done with the climb?
Hi Nick,
Do you mean the climb to the crater of the volcano or to the viewpoints? The crater is an easy hike. Depending on how much time you spent in the sea of sand or on the top it may take you an hour or 4 hours. The viewpoints are a different beast. You may need 2-3 hours to get to one of the high ones, but there are many good spots on the way up where you can enjoy a kickass sunrise too.
Best Regards,
Slavi
Hi Slavi
Thank you for taking the time to provide such an in depth account of your trip. Just wondering though which accommodation is best for a solo traveler looking to meet other people?
Hi there, Bob and sorry for the late reply.
Unlike other places, the accommodation in Bromo is not the best place to meet people. Most travelers do it for a day meaning they arrive around noon, head to the volcano during the day and come back to their rooms just for a few hours of sleep before the early morning viewpoint trek. Anyways, the best place should be the Lava Hostel and their restaurant while the local homestays should be the worse (small rooms, rarely have a large common area).
Славенцеееее, велик си момченце <3
:))))))))))
Unique experience and highlight of our tour. Got up early (around 3 am) then transferred by jeep, followed by 45-minute hiking to the volcano crater. This is a place which looks something out of the world. Stunning.
Those photos are amazing, thank you for sharing with us
Thank you!
Hi Slavi!
Thank you very much for this article, especially secret shortcut without entrance fee. Still all what you wrote is actual and we really enjoyed Bromo.
Good luck with next travelling,
Hana and Jarda aka Prdici
Glad I could help, Hana!
I wish you and Jarda tons of fun in Indonesia 🙂
Hi,
Thank you for your article. I am just curious if it is possible to drive to the few points on a motorbike rather than hiking to the view points and the driving across the sand the route the jeeps go.. parking up and climbing mount Bromo.
Thanks
I hope m not too late. Yes you can take bike to the view points. We went more than half the way on bike to king kong hill (it became steeper then and we had to climb on our own) but we saved alot of time and energy!
In the sea of sands its much tricky to go on bike though there you may find biker to take you but the ride is a bit dangerous (bikes can get slipped) we took a bike from the temple to the park exit as we were getting late but at 2 points the bike almost slipped !
Hi Slavi. Thank you for all the Info. i have a few more questions which I would be grateful if you could answer.
1) I am reaching Probollingo by train at 2:!0 am and going to my hotel. Is it possible to start a hike at 7 or 8 am ? First to the view points and then to the sand dessert.
2) Even if i start at 4 am, is it safe to walk alone? Are there many people along the way?
3) Is it easy to book a one day tour in the middle of the night?
4) Is it very hot during the day?
Ive read many websites and vlogs and they all talk about the sunrise tour. However, I wanna wake up at 7 and start my Mt. Bromo tour at 8 am. Nobody gives any information on this. Any idea why? and is this even possible?
I really look forward to your reply.
Hi Kara,
I hope I’m not too late with my answer.
1) It’s not a problem to do the viewpoints during the day, if you don’t really care about the sunrise, it’s even the better way to do it. You can do the viewpoints and the desert + crater in one day with moderate fitness levels imo (but it’s gonna be a long day).
2) There are a LOT of people in the night. 3AM is the Cemoro Lewang’s rush hour and there are tons of people. The whole place is as safe as it gets, people there depend on tourists for their living and they are aware of that.
3) This one should be possible to book either from your hotel or via some tour site like Getyourguide or Viator. However, I don’t think you need an organized tour if you’re already staying so close to Bromo.
4) Nope, not hot at all. Maximum temperatures year round are around 17C (62F). The sun is strong though so make sure you get sunglasses, hat, and sunscreen. It’s also very windy so getting a scarf or a buff to protect you from the ashes + wind combination would serve you well.
Honestly, I never saw anyone going on a day tour. People who used organized tours always had a sunrise one while the ones who explored by day did it on their own.
I strongly recommend to do it without a tour. It would save you a lot of money and the experience would be way better. Getting a bemo to Cemoro Lewang is not hard at all, and once you’re up there it’s very easy to navigate yourself via maps.me or to find other travelers. If you’re adamant on using a tour, ask in your hotel, I’m sure they can find something for you. Nobody refuses tourist money in Indonesia 🙂
I hope this helps and you get an unforgettable Bromo experience!
Slavi
hi, may i know which viewpoint u went to get the top photo? it is so amazing.
Hi Ireee,
Thank you for this 🙂
On the path to the King Kong viewpoint, you’d see a few natural terraces with a view to Bromo, this is where the photo was taken.
They are not as high as King Kong but there is nobody there so you can even set up your tripod and take a selfie.
Regards,
Slavi
Has anyone used the secret path recently? It seems the ticket checkers patrol this path nowadays. Further any update regarding going to the crater now as there were eruptions in March 2019 and there was a restriction placed within 1 km from the crater. In such a scenario will it be safe to use this secret path?
Hello everyone, does anyone have more updated news?
I was booking for a homestay/hostel near the national park in Cemoro Lawang and lot of reviews said that you need to pay the national park fee when you check in in the place.
How is it possible? So will I pay twice the national park entrance?
Also, which are the best viewpoint for see the mount?
Hi there Andreas,
Sadly I can’t give you any valid information since I haven’t been to Bromo for like a year but the last I heard the whole zone around the crater was closed due to the recent eruption. If that is still the case I don’t see why do you have to pay national park fee at all! And paying it in the Homestay/hostel sounds absurd, Cemoro Lewang is not even inside the park! There was a nominal fee (10 000IDR if I remember correctly) that you pay to enter the village but that’s all.
As for the best viewpoint – the one considered to have the ultimate view is King Kong (you can find on in maps.me app), however, there are hordes of tourists there. On the way up, you’re gonna stumble upon a lot of small sites free of people. Honestly, I consider them the best viewpoints of Bromo (the header picture of the post is taken at one of those).
If anyone has been to Bromo recently and has any updated information please share 🙂
Hi! I’m travelling in Indonesia with my 3 kids and my husband.
We just went to CemoroLawang and saw the crater this afternoon by our own… for free!!! We paid the entrance fees to the village (20000 rupiahs by person… they made us pay 65K for the whole family… go figure!) The free secret pathway, directly in the parking of Cemara Indah hotel, is still there and very very easy to find and to enter. Nobody ask us anything and we really felt like nobody could have. We went around 11AM to 1PMand the crater was beautiful and there were not a lot of tourists. Thanks for thé tip! For a family, this kind of opportunity change the budget a lot! (FIY, if ever you have to or want to pay the entrance to the park, it’s 220000Rp, so less than 35USD).
Hi Amelie,
Thank you very much for all the info! Glad to hear the path still works and the crater is open for the public once again!
Have fun in Indonesia 🙂
Hey Slavi!
Your guide has made planning this adventure so much easier. Looks like the secret path still works. I did have a question though. Do you take the secret path for both the sunrise view points and the crater (can see the path to the crater) just unsure about the walk up to the viewpoints. Doesnt seem to be a direct path on maps.me Where do they actually get you to pay for the tickets?
Thanks
Brent
Hi Brent,
You take the secret path just for the crater visit. For the sunrise viewpoints, you continue down the road until you reach the hill. There’re plenty of people so you should’ve no problems to find it but to make the planning easier, you can download the maps.me app and search for Kingkong Hill. This is the most popular viewpoint and also the most crowded one.
The road up to the hill also offers plenty of amazing spots (the cover of the post is made on one of them) with a great view and way less (if any) people 🙂
I wish you an amazing trip!
Thanks for your help! We just finished our Bromo trip and some of the prices have gone up since you last posted. The shuttle bus from the airport to Purabaya is now 25k, the bus to Probolinggo is now 35k, and the village entrance fee is 20k.
Hi Jane,
Thank you for the updates! I hope you enjoyed Bromo 🙂
Thanks buddy I had a great time there ! Your information still applies. After 12 there’s nobody guarding the secret path . But before that there are park petrol and I actual got caught the second time i went to the crater . Haha. Yet I enjoyed it much. It really is a great shorcut too !!!!
Well, that’s new. I’m not sure they have the right to stop you anyways, but I’m glad you managed to enjoy Bromo.
Happy travels!
Yeah , haha i was literally so embarrassed. But i realised my mistake, you’ve clearly mentioned to visit crater in the afternoon, i know a fee guys who did it without any issues . There were zero crowds they infact enjoyed much. I chickened out fearing it’ll be pitch dark on my way back and the next day in the morning i was stopped. So your advice is great! One should visit the crater in afternoon a day before the view point hike .
Hi Slavi,
Just a BIG thank you, as big as my great experience visiting Mount Batok and Mount Bromo. I did as you suggested, passing by the hidden path, and went up to Mount Batok first. Then down like a wild cat to reach Mount Bromo. I did the full circle around Bromo crater which for the most part offers fantastic views. However do not go full circle. The last 15% were hell and dangerous. Cheers Slavi, you’re a great guy!
Hi Martin,
Glad I could help 🙂
And I agree, don’t go to any part that may look even a bit dangerous.
Thanks Slavi for the information. I’m going to explore Bromo next week. Hopefully, everything smooth!
I;m sure it will, Soffie.
Have fun and safe travels 🙂
Thank you for the great advices! We did the ascension of Bromo today and the secret free path is still available 🙂
Hi Marie,
Thank you for letting us know. I bet you had a great time 🙂
Cheers