Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo (2,392 m) isn't the highest mountain in Java - that honor goes to nearby Mount Semeru at 3,676 m - but it's probably the most famous one. Bromo is in fact only one of the many peaks inside the massive Tengger Caldera, but it's easily recognized as the entire top has been blown off and the crater inside constanly belches white sulphurous smoke. The inside of the caldera, aptly dubbed the Laut Pasir (Sea of Sand) is coated with fine volcanic sand and the overall effect is unsettlingly unearthly, especially when compared to the lush green valleys all around the caldera.

When timing any activities in the area, bear in mind that sunset is soon after 5 PM and sunrise is correspondingly early at around 5.30 AM. This means you'll usually need to get up by 3.30 AM or so to get there in time for dawn.

A legend connected with Mt Bromo tells of the origin of the Tenggerese people. According to the story, it was during the closing years of the 15th century, when the East Javanese empire of Majapahit was in decline, that a princess of the kingdom, named Roro Anteng and her husband Joko Seger, retreated to the Bromo region and established a separate principality, which they named Tengger, a combination of the last syllables of each of their names. The region, it is said, developed and prospered, yet no descendants were born to the ruling couple. In despair, Roro Anteng and Joko Seger climbed to the top of Mt Bromo and prayed to the gods, asking for their help. The gods consented to the request on the condition that the last child born be sacrificed in the crater of the mountain. This Agreed, the royal couple returned home happily and it wasn't long before the princess gave birth to their first child. In fact, the gods turned out to be more than generous and in the following years 24 more children were born. However, when the princess learned that the twenty fifth child, named Kesuma, was to be the last and thus the one to be sacrificed, she could not bring herself to fulfil her part of the bargain. In anger, the gods threatened fire and brimstone from the smoking volcano and eventually there was no alternative but to throw the child into the crater. Shortly after the sacrifice had been made, the child's voice was heard, ordering the Tengger people and their descendants to perform an annual ceremony at Mt Bromo, to commemorate the event and to appease the anger of the gods.
To this day, the Kasodo ceremony, held on the 14th day of the Tenggerese month of Kasodo (December), is the biggest event of the year for the people of Mt Bromo.