Sapikerep > Bromo > Ngadisari (10km, 1h30)

Today I visited Mount Bromo which is very impressive! The volcano is still active and this huge landscape let speechless. I had a guide for myself and paid certainly more more than I should because the package normally includes a trip to a higher lookout to enjoy the sunrise. I did not want to wait until tomorrow so I’ve stated the visit late this morning. Because I was alone with Neto, the guide and driver he came with me up to the top of Mount Bromo when normally he stays down there, sleeping in his car (each sunrise tour starts at 3am). When we finished the tour, he invited me in his home for lunch and I met his family. I don’t know if it was a special treatment or if he does that everytime but it’s was nice. Neto is a good guy :-)

Map.

Elevation.

Let’s come back to the beginning of this day. The street on the right is where the homestay is. It’s 6:30am, the sun is already high. I will make it to the top today! I hope!

The forest is getting progressively luxuriant as I’m climbing.

I’ve done some progress already but I mount Bromo is up to 2200 metres from what I’ve read.

The landscapes become interesting.

And the road too!

This is a nice decorated house :-) I like the roof.

The entrance of a village.

Few! I need a rest and especially a breakfast.

Warung winda looks cute.

With its tiny table, stools and the low ceiling. Everything is made in bamboo :-)

Selamat pagi (good morning).

I’m have hot tea, rice, veges, chicken and a bowl of water to clean my hands. yes, we eat with fingers most of the time in Indonesia :-)

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Back on the road and view onto the valley.

Very green, very hilly, very nice, but tirering… :-)

I’m actually pushing the bike. It’s too steep, I’m too slow and lose my balance when I try to ride.

Since yesterday, I can see so many of these cars. Big 4WD Jeep cars. All have a different colour. I love the big fat tires!

A “bamboo shop” sells some veges along the road.

Let’s have another break. I’m pretty slow today.

Nice colorful houses.

And another break. Soon, I will be at the beginning of the main village.

A kilometre after my previous break I had to stop again. I’ve met some more jeep drives and try to bargain a trip for this afternoon. I know I can cycle down to the national park, but I’m not sure if I can go by myself to Mount Bromo…

So many guides or waiting for the tourists. The fun thing is when they see a tourist car they run to it and shout “Bromo, Bromo, Bromo”! But when I came they look at me and said “come here, have a rest”. And one of them let me a place on the bench where I’m now. This is where I’ve met Neto the guide with who I’m going to visit Mount Bromo. A classic tour with sunset is 400.000 per car. And then we must pay 220.000 for the National park ticket. The guide told me 350.000 for the tour plus 150.000 for the ticket. I’ve accepted that price but now I’m writing this post I realise I could lower the price much more as I’m not doing the sunset which is half the time of a normal trip. Well, I’m not well trained yet to bargain…

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A moment later, I’ve managed to find another homestay where to leave my bike and my stuff during this “Bromo trip” and Neto picked me up with his Beige Jeep number 99. I’ve realised that I stopped 6 kilometres from the top so tomorrow morning I will have to ride up to this point again. This mount in the centere is not Bromo, the famous one is on the left side (half behind the tree) but I did not know that when I took the picture. This mount seems to be more particular regards its position in the “valley”.

As I said before, each car as a different color but you still find 2 or 3 with the same. The other solution the guides found is to put stickers on it so it make it unique and toursits can find their car. In my case it’s quite easy because this is not the high season yet.

Let’s drive to mount Bromo.

The sand is on some parts deep. Scooters and motorbikes or struggling sometimes. I imagine myself tomorrow… I think I’m going to walk for a while.

Mount Bromo is now front of us.

We’ve stopped the car here and there is two options. Going by horse until the stairs or walk all the way. By horse? nope for me :-)

Neto, the guide/driver :-)

We are walking on the side of the path to avoid the deep sand and leave some space for the horses as well by the way.

I can see the stairs and the summit :-)

Shops are everywhere :-) Guys are selling drinks, masks for the dust or offerings.

Nice view already.

Panoramic! to see the sunrise, the jeeps go up to that mountains on the background.

Let’s start walking to the summit. I thought Neto was waiting for me to take a picture (like pausing) but he is actually on the phone haha :-)

Few!

First lookout to the active crater.

The view down the stairs is very impressive!

Neto told me that we can walk all around the crater. The fence is only present around the stairs but from what said Neto it’s safe.

Some offerings are present for the volcano.

We can see the bottom sometimes and even the sulfur on the left hand side of this picture.

Panorama Video.

Maybe we could do the tour around the volcano. Neto seems to wait for me for something.

Lots of wind up here but it’s not really visible on this picture.

Every angle is impressive.

This crater is definitely massive.

I’m wondering if we could go on the top of this one.

Another Crater view.

Good bye Bromo! Finally we did not walk around which takes an hour. We run down the hill like we did at Mount Batur with our guide Budi. Neto started to walk when I thought we would run. So this time, this is the tourist who teached something to the guide. I ran first and Neto followed me haha :-)

Back in the car, driving back “home”.

Tomorrow morning, I will be cycling here up to the top again! Its going to be hard!

And another Jeep, blue this time :-)

The homestay. Like yesterday I’ve made the same mistake. I’ve said to Neto “I want a place not more expensive than 150.000 so he found a homestay at… 150.000, which is logical :-) At least my bike will be safe. I hope!

I’ve started by doing my washing but after 10 minutes, the water (cold) run out. What? How am I goign to have a shower now. I called back Neto and 5 minutes later they came back by scooter with the owner to fix this. Good :-)

This is the living room. There is no one here a part myself.

And my room. Later on, during I was doing my blog and thinking about a cold shower, the owner and another guys came back and 20 minutes later he told me before he left : “hot shower”. Wow! Cool :-) I’m lucky because it’s not so hop up here :-) Good night!