Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world, compromising of roughly 17,000 islands that sit in the Pacific Ring of Fire. It boasts the highest concentration of active volcanoes in the world, roughly 70 scattered across the total land mass that equates the size of the United States of America. Mount Bromo, located in East Java at the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, is a 2,329metres tall active volcano and the most hiked mountain peak in all of Indonesia. The volcano is one of the most active in the region, with the last eruption occurring in late 2016. This is one of many eruptions that have occurred in the last few decades, and past eruptions have seen ash emissions reach neighbouring towns around 20km’s away and often reaching Bali. Due to its unpredictability and eruption patterns, parts of the park are restricted to tourists and the volcano is keenly watched by experts for signs of activity. Our journey to Bromo began from Surabaya, which in hindsight was not the best location to base ourselves. No one in the area knew of any Bromo tours and after much hustling, we contacted a guide who would pick us up from our accommodation but advised us that Malang would have been a better town in terms of accessibility. We were collected from our accommodation in Surabaya at 11pm, and began the long trip to Bromo. We reached the mountain at around 2:30am and seated ourselves in the viewing area anticipating sunrise and our first view of the volcano. It was really chilly, and after about an hour of roughing it we all succumbed to hiring massive jackets from the locals. At around 4:30am the first slice of sunrise appeared, and for the next hour every pair of eyes feasted on the most incredible dawn over the volcanic land. After sunrise, we were collected by our 4x4 driver and transported to a great view point where we saw Bromo from an altitude, although the cloud cover hindered visibility a bit. We then made our way to the base of the volcano, and the foot of the Batuk cone. After some mandatory photos, we began our journey up to Bromo’s crater. Situated in the 10km wide Tengger caldera which is a volcanic crater, Bromo is flanked by the Batok cone in centre and Semeru volcano which is situated on the right of the cone. The foot of Bromo is surrounded by the “Sea of Sand”, which also houses the Hindu temple of Pura Luhur Poten. Mount Bromo is very important to the indigenous Tengger people. Legends that date back to the 15th century tell the story of prince Joko Seger and princess Roro Anteng. The couple, after being married for many years, had no children and approached the mountain gods to bless their union with offspring. The gods agreed, blessing the union with 24 children on condition that the 25th child would be sacrificed to the volcano. A tradition of sacrifice was born and every year the Tengger people offer money, fruit, vegetable and livestock to the volcano during the Kasodo Festival, which happens in August. Remnants of the offerings are still visible throughout the year in the crater. Opting to do the trip through the “Sea of Sand” by horseback rather than hiking, we made our way through the sandy volcanic terrain up to the steps that lead to the crater caldera. The pungent smell of sulphur was overwhelming, with massive white clouds billowing above our heads as we climbed up the stairs.
Reaching the rim was spectacular and a little terrifying. There are hardly any rails at the top and absolutely no access control so you’re on your own in terms of balance and finding a spot to sit safely. Once you get over this initial shock, you are literally able to peek over the top of the rim into the crater of an active volcano. Sitting on the crater whilst billowing clouds of sulphur rose from the depths behind me was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Looking around at the magnificent views of the sandy volcanic terrain around you, with the lush vegetation of the surrounding mountain landscapes in the horizon, is one of the most humbling experiences and another reminder that humanity is but a small sliver in Mother Nature’s ever-turning wheel.
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July 2017
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