Malang

travel time: September 2023

Bromo Tengger Semeru Nationalpark

After just a few hours of sleep we stood up in the middle of the night to go on a Sunrise Tour to the Bromo Tengger Semeru Nationalpark. We got picked up at 00:30 AM and a long drive and a short coffee later, we stood at the Penanjakan viewpoint and were surrounded by nothing but darkness.

The clouds moved a lot as it was very windy up there. We weren´t sure if we will see the volcanos at the sunrise. Luckily as soon as the sun was up, the sky cleared and we had a perfect view to the volcanos. Mount Semeru erupted a few times while our visit and we were impressed to witness this nature spectacle.

After the sunrise we made a stop at the King Kong Hill Viewpoint. Through the Sea of Sand our driver took us to Mount Bromo. We hiked all the way up to the rim of the volcano. Be prepared for the sulfur smell – from time to time it got quite bad on our visit.

Our last part of the trip was the Coban Pelangi Waterfall. From the parking space it´s a 15 minute hike that takes you down to the waterfall. The view was amazing and the spray was really refreshing.

In the late afternoon we visited the Rainbow Village and the Blue Village. The best view is from the bridge that separates the villages. Up there you are able to see all the houses painted in beautiful colors.

Waterfalls

Our next adventure was a day trip to the Tumpak Sewu Waterfall and the Goa Tetes. Unfortunately about a kilometer before the entrance to the waterfall the bridge collapsed and the locals told us that we can´t drive around it. We parked the car on the side of the road and walked over the improvised bridge that they made for motorbikes and pedestrians. From the entrance to the Sewu Waterfall it´s a short hike. One part of the way leads you through a water stream which means you will end with wet feet.

At the bottom of the gorge you head around a corner and will be impressed by the huge walls covered with water as you are standing at the bottom of the Tumpac Sewu Waterfall. The closer you get to the waterfall, the wetter you get. By the end of our visit we were soaking wet.

In short walking distance you reach Goa Tetes. Beautiful orange walls covered in water streams and hidden caves – that´s what you find at Goa Tetes. You are able to hike up the streams until the top. It´s impossible to keep dry during this hike but we had a lot of fun and the nature is amazing.

On our way home we were stuck the middle of rush hour with a lot of cars, motorbikes and slowly trucks. We took our time and didn´t let the traffic stress ourselves. Instead, we saw it as an opportunity to make some stops and get more out of the trip. The nature you are driving through is amazing and we caught a very colorful sunset.