Lying at the extreme east end of Java nowhere save perhaps Krakatoa itself sums up Java’s volcanic origins than incredible Mt Bromo. Now one of the most popular excursions no visitor numbers can mask the dramatic, never-to-be-forgotten first glimpse of Mt Bromo from the rim of the outer volcano crater.

It is a vast mountain and one can only speculate about the size of explosion that blew of the summit of the original mountain to leave a caldera in which the two peaks are located, the active volcano of Bromo and the non-active of Mount Batok.

A visit at sunrise from the nearby town of Ngadisari 6km northeast is a breathtaking experience, the moonscape of the mountain made even more beautiful by the rising sun. Most people brave the cold temperatures the 2,382m altitude brings and make their way on foot or by pony across the sand sea, Mount Semeru, the highest mountain in Java providing a fine backdrop for this dramatic scene.

The walk to the crater takes about two hours on foot, on horseback about an hour and a half.