Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is a national park located in East Java, Indonesia. It is the only conservation area in Indonesia that has a sand sea, across which is the caldera of an ancient volcano (Tengger) from which four new volcanic cones have emerged. This unique feature covers a total area of 5,250 hectares at an altitude of about 2,100 meters. The massif also contains the highest mountain in Java, Mount Semeru, four lakes and 50 rivers.
The Tengger Sand Sea has been protected since 1919. The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park was declared a national park in 1982.
Temperatures at the top of Mount Bromo range about 5-18 degrees Celsius. Heading south of the park is a rolling upland plateau divided by valleys and decorated with several scenic lakes reaching to the foot of Mount Semeru.
Most of Tengger natives embrace Hindu teachings as their religion. Therefore, there are a number of Hindu temples around Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. You can visit Kidal Temple, Luhur Poten Temple, Mandara Giri Semeru Agung Temple, and Jago Temple to marvel at the historical magnificence.
How to get there?
By Air
There are many flights that fly daily from Jakarta to Surabaya.
By Land
There are multiple ways to get into the park. Visitors can come from Probolinggo through the village of Ngadisari. They can also take the north east approach via Pasuruan through the village of Tosari. The third, which is a more difficult approach, is via Ngadas.
The Probolinggo approach is the easiest and by far the most popular route, especially if the visitors are traveling by public bus. Wonokitri is the closest and the easiest approach if you are coming by private vehicle from Surabaya (5 hours journey). Once you arrive at those villages, you have to rent 4x4 vehicles in order to get closer to Mount Bromo.
Most tour groups from Surabaya stay overnight at Tretes, where there are a number of hotels, as there are in Malang, which has the added advantage of having an airport. Alternatively, you can also contact a travel agency to arrange your trip.
Get Around
Many visitors choose to walk while they arrive at the park. There are clearly marked tracks across the sand sea that leads to the foot of Mount Bromo. Alternatively, you can rent a jeep or hire a horse from Cemoro Lawang to get around.
Source: https://www.indonesia.travel/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ijen, unsplash
