Back down at the “Sand Sea” of Mount Bromo, it was now sunny and getting hotter by the minute. Jeeps arriving and departing filled with tourists, and men on horseback offering rides to the steps of Mount Bromo for $1.00. They follow you to the steps if you walk, probably hoping you’ll collapse along the route from the altitude. Your choice – ride or take the 45-minute walk across the black/grey sands. We chose to walk and it’s easy going across the sand…,View image… followed by a not easy-going walk uphill for 15-30 minutes until you reach the bottom of the 246 steps to the top.

Tourists walked across the sand much faster than we did, but took lots of stops to photograph Mount Bromo, different from every angle…View image… and the changing light…View image, people coming and going, avoiding horses and horsemen who persist until you actually reach the steps, and doing our best to keep an eye out for horse shit. The main sight is, of course, smoking, bubbling Mount Bromo and whenever the wind changed direction you could smell that sulphur.

Once you leave the flat portion of the sand, the going becomes tougher and narrower on the uphill section of hardened lava flow. Horses behind and in front of you, with riders and without, constant stops to move out of the way and let them pass…View image.

ex-Marine walking across the “Sand Sea” of Mount Bromo, Java 

the tougher uphill section to the top of Mount Bromo begins, Java 

the narrow, extinct lava flow shared by horses, riders and walkers, Java
There is an old Hindu Temple not far from where the 246 steep steps…View image… to the crater actually begins and don’t forget, you are at altitude! Mount Bromo is 2,329m/7,641′, a serious gain when you’ve been sleeping at sea level. You will begin puffing now, if not already. Please keep in mind that Mount Bromo is an active volcano. If the mountain acts up, stay away. Ian always warned us to keep an eye on the wind direction on top to avoid inhaling mouthfuls of sulphur.

Even at the bottom of the stairs, and on the way up proper steps with railings, people were selling flower offerings to throw into Mt. Bromo. For the next 10 minutes, tourists slowly made their way up on side while tourists came down the other side.

offerings to appease Mount Bromo, Java
Wouldn’t you know that at the top of Mount Bromo and looking down in the crater…View image, the wind changed direction and strong sulphur came right at us? …View image… Choking and gasping, we only lasted about five minutes…View image…just enough time to shoot some fast photos…before walking down the steps, incline, and back across the sand sea to the jeeps with horsemen still following. All you see when you look down into the caldera, is smoke. And, more smoke. It isn’t as if there is a big pool of molten lava bubbling in front of you.

view from the top of Mount Bromo across the “Sand Sea” to jeep parking, Java
One last gamut of t-shirt sellers in the jeep parking lot before heading back to Lava View Lodge…View image…by 9:00 a.m. for a really good breakfast. Everyone was starving and the ample buffet really hit the spot. Fruit, coffee/tea, eggs cooked to order (more than one here) and very tasty and spicy rice.

Part of the Imaginative Traveller group went for another volcano hike up Mount Batok – 2,440m/8,005′ – a dormant volcano in the huge caldera with Ian while the rest of us stayed behind. Did laundry, rested and sat in the sun admiring Mount Bromo. Most definitely and emphatically visit Mount Bromo while in Java. After all, how many times in your life will you have a chance to actually stand on the rim of an active volcano?

Mount Bromo, Mount Batok and Mount Semeru, Java
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