Travel to the base of the volcano by jeep, then traverse up the volcano by horse back
To give a bit of context back in 2015 my partner Beth and I were travelling across the island of Java where we found ourselves in an unsafe situation. We were stranded on the side of the road getting into a bit of trouble with some locals, when out of no where this beautiful person came out of the crowd offering her help.
This girl, her husband and their two daughters later became close friends of ours so three years later we decided to return to see them and have some fun in Java together.
That's when we decided to go on this trip to Mount Bromo together.
Travelling to Mount Bromo
We started off the day getting picked up from our hotel by our friends and then drove up towards Mt Bromo together. When we were about half an hour away from Mt Bromo we stopped at this cafe/restaurant on the side of the road where we had breakfast, and were then picked up by our driver in his jeep.
We then made our way to Mt Bromo by jeep weaving through the mountains and winding landscape. As you approach Mt Bromo you can see it stand out from the rest of the scenery, as it's this isolated Volcano surrounded by others mountains and massive open plain. Getting a jeep there was necessary as the descent down was very steep, and then crossing the massive plains would of been too difficult for any other vehicle.
It was also a lot of fun to ride in.
Up the volcano on horse back.
Once we arrived you are greeted by many men on horse back offering you a ride up to the volcano. We took up their offer as it made that journey a lot easier, and once again added to that entire element of adventure we love.
Reaching the top of the crater.
The horses only take you so far, then the final ascend does have to be completed on foot. That's not too hard as it's just a final "sprint" to the top. Once you reach the top though the sight is spectacular, able to look directly into the crater and the surrounding area.
After we had enjoyed the spectacular scenery, got enough photos to make our hearts content and that "beautiful" smelling sulfur. We then returned back down to our horses that took us back to our jeep.
Jeep ride through the volcanic plains.
We then jumped back into our jeep and went exploring further through the ash covered ground and thick cloud cover from the volcano. It really did feel like we were straight from a scene in a movie. Where every direction you looked was another picturesque site.
We continued exploring a bit further where you can see the scale of these cliff faces surrounding us in the valley.
Making friends from unusual circumstances.
It's amazing to think if we never were caught in that dangerous situation on the side of the road, we would of never met these dear friends of ours and then had this great experience together 3 years later. How many other little moments in time have we had that in the moment may of been unusual, uncomfortable or even dangerous that then lead to amazing experiences or connections.