This year, I almost did not go everywhere and before the year after I finally decided to traveling again. The purpose of traveling was to visit Bromo. Why Bromo? Bromo is very famous mountain and one of the most tourist area awhich I normally avoid. But since I live in Indonesia and have not been there plus there are friends who invited to spend the rest of our annual leave, I found myself alongside 4 other friends who had never to Bromo decided to leave. Then East Java road trip it is! the route is to Madakaripura - Ijen Crater - Baluran - Bromo.
Madakaripura
Behind
and descending into the Probolinggo Regency, one will find a spectacular sight
secluded within the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park:
this is the enchanting Madakaripura Waterfall.
Believed
to be the final meditation place of military Commander-in-Chief, Gajah Mada, of
the great Javanese kingdom of Majapahit in East Java, the towering waterfall is
fondly dubbed the eternal waterfall, since its waters never cease to pour down
an endless rain of blessings on those fortunate enough to walk underneath it.
Located
not too far from Mount Bromo near the village of Sapih, in the Lombang
district, Madakaripura Waterfall is about three hours’ drive from the capital
of East Java, Surabaya. The spectacular waterfall lies hidden at the end of a
deep valley in the foothills of the Tengger mountain range. To reach this,
visitors must trek about 20 minutes crossing rivers and a rocky path, set
amongst beautiful sceneries along the way, before reaching the entrance. Here a
statue of Majapahit‘s great Commander, Gajah Mada, in the
seated position of deep meditation greets visitors before they continue further
on foot.
An
atmosphere of natural grandeur radiates around as the waterfall comes into
view. As the rumbling sounds of water grows louder, a spellbinding feature of
water curtains cover the path, that will not only please the eyes but also
freshen body and soul. Here, nature gracefully pours her endless refreshing
gifts, making getting wet quite inevitable. While it may be best to be ready
with raincoats or umbrellas, stalls along the trekking path will offer umbrella
rentals and plastic bags to protect valuables, such as cameras.
Ijen crater
The magnificent turquoise sulfur lake of Kawah Ijen lies at 2148 m above sea level and is surrounded by the volcanos sheer crater walls. The vent is a source of sulfur and collectors work here, making the trek up to the crater and down to the lake every day. Sulfur collectors hike up in the morning and return around 1 pm when the clouds roll in. They carry shoulder basket of pure sulfur from a quarry on the lakes edge under the shadow of the sheer walls of the crater. The mineral at Kawah Ijen is purer and is worth commercial exploitation despite the horrendous labor involved: Javas homegrown sulfur is a natural source of sulfuric acid, in great demand in the oil-refining business and in the production of fertilizers.
Baluran National Park
Savana Bekol as one of the natural attractions mainstay Baluran has an area of ± 300 ha which includes the largest expanse of natural savanna in Java, with a background Baluran make the visitors seemed to be in Africa.
Bromo
This national park is named after its two mountains, Mount Semeru (the highest in Java at 3,676m), Mount Bromo (the most popular) and theTengger people who inhabit the area.
Mount Bromo (2,329m) is easily recognized as the entire top has been blown off and the crater inside constantly belches white sulphurous smoke. It sits inside the massive Tengger caldera. with a diameter of approximately 10km, surrounded by the Laut Pasir (Sea of Sand) of fine volcanic sand. The overall effect is unsettlingly unearthly, especially when compared to the lush green valleys all around the caldera.
The major access point is Cemoro Lawang (also Cemara Lawang or Cemora Lawang - blame the East Javanese accent!) at the northeastern edge of the caldera, but there are also trails from Tosari (northwest) and Ngadas (southwest). The village of Ngadisari, on the road from Probolinggo about 5.5km before Cemoro Lawang, marks the entrance to the national park. Both Cemoro Lawang and Ngadisari are rather picturesque, with brightly-painted houses and flower beds outside.
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