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Published: August 15th 2018
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Today really started at 11:00pm the prior day when our guide (Ahmad) and driver picked us up. Sunrise is the most popular time at
Mount Bromo. The dawn skies over the volcanic range and moonscape terrain offer outstanding photo opportunities. The drive to Bromo took a little over three hours, which included an unexplained, extended rest stop at a roadside gas station. We rested in the back of our Toyota Avenza and tried to sleep.
The final approach was a winding road up the alpine slopes of Mount Bromo. Ahmad had arranged for us to have a rest at a “home-stay” which was somebody’s house that had been converted into a short-term hostel. Other groups were stirring by the time we got there and appeared to have spent the night before summitting Bromo. We chilled on a couch for about thirty minutes before continuing onward. Shortly after leaving the home-stay, we hit a massive queue. We waited in bumper to bumper traffic to make the final push. Eventually, we reached the peak parking platform. From there Ahmad led us up a paved incline to an overlook. There were many people there hoping for a clear-skied morning. We set up on an
east-facing ledge to watch.
The sun came over the horizon and lit up the night sky. The previously radiant stars melted into the heavens as the sunbeams created a vivid vista. As the landscape brightened, we could see low-lying clouds in the valley below. Once the sun had made a modest ascent, we moved over to another area of the overlook which had a view of Mount Bromo’s volcano. The sun shining on the crater’s vertical ridges above the valley fog was breathtaking. The caldera was emitting sulfuric steam which added to the majestic basin’s aesthetic. We snapped many pictures then headed down to the valley floor to take a jeep ride over to the volcano itself.
On the ride over, we stopped for a few more pictures in the valley. We parked with many other jeeps about two kilometers from the foot of the volcano. We were two of many visitors hiking up to the crater. The approach was dusty and kuda (horses) added to the problem. We both wished we had brought bandanas. The upward slope of Bromo had narrow gorges that we had seen from above. These gorges acted as choke points, pun intended. The
traffic was concentrated and the dust had nowhere to escape. We approached a set of steps which led to the crater’s rim. The people on the stairs were not moving quickly, so we hiked up alongside. The top was very crowded; it was hard to see anything. When the wind changed and started blowing the volcanic gas towards us, we headed down.
We started down the mountain and about 15 minutes into the drive we realized Brad had forgotten the Gopro in a jeep. We turned around and waited for the jeep to get off the valley floor. Thankfully, we got the Gopro back intact.
The next stop on our adventure,
Madakaripura, was just over an hour away. We parked and took motorbikes about a mile down a paved path. From there, we still had a walk back to the falls. The walk was along a creek bed with walls that narrowed and grew as we ascended. Finally, we saw the first of the falls. It was massive, at least 75 feet tall. Ahmad told us that is the little one. We walked back further following a set path as to not get hit with falling river rocks.
We walked through several waterfalls getting soaked in the cool, refreshing water before terminating at the largest. We took some pictures and then swam in one of the pools.
After the falls, we headed straight back to the Grand Darmo. We ordered Pizza Hut delivery and crashed early after a long day.
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