A dark magenta jeep took my group at 3 AM from our resort. The road was narrow and steep, staying quiet until we hit a bottleneck that looked like a lively market. We were sitting there, moving in inches, but my driver was daring—he kept cutting the line to push forward. I admired his determination to get us as close as possible. He made it all the way to the King Kong Hill stop, saving us from the long hike I saw others doing. Some people, even with small kids, were already walking and looked wet from the dew. --- ​Once we reached the ridge around 4:30 AM, ojek drivers approached us immediately and kept following me, but I ignored them and walked toward Bukit Prau with my guide, Mr. Kiki. It was freezing—misty, breezy, and bone-chilling. Mr. Kiki was so attentive that he hiked down and back twice just to bring us hot chocolate and coffee. Having that hot drink while squatting there, hugging ourselves in the cold, was a massive relief. --- ​As people eventually started gathering, I noticed the area never felt congested. I wondered where everyone else went since so many jeeps were parked on both arms of the road on the way up. Mr. Kiki explained that we were in the best spot because we were above the clouds, while the lower points were likely trapped underneath. I wasn't sure how to feel about that; in my heart, I still hoped the wind would push the clouds away so everyone could see the Bromo site. --- ​We spent our time initially on the right side of the hill where the trees grow naturally. After coffee, we moved to the left for the sunrise. The "wow" effect didn't hit my heart in the way I expected because the Bromo crater was hidden, but what I saw was still magical. I was looking out over a sea of clouds and a downhill view filled with fresh vegetation and trees that only belong to this place. I saw Semeru’s peak poking out of the white sea, bursting its own cloud into the air. The tender light from the morning sun and the weather perfected the whole existence of the moment. --- Before leaving at 6 AM, we bought some local crafts and Mr. Kiki treated us to bakso from a bicycle vendor. It was the best I’ve ever tasted.

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Woke up at 1am, travel another hour to reach King Kong Hill, also known as Kedaluh Hill, is a popular sunrise viewpoint near Mount Bromo in East Java, Indonesia, located at about 2,700 meters above sea level in Wonokitri, Pasuruan. The name “King Kong” comes from the hill’s shape resembling King Kong’s head on one side, while the local Tengger people call it Kedaluh, a Sanskrit word meaning “reward,” symbolizing fertility and fortune in the area We sat at Warung Diatas Awan waited here for 2 hrs n had 2 glass of Milo (hot chocolate drink) thn proceeded to hike a short trail to Bukit Prau View n waited 40m or so for sunrise at 5.30am. Its cold up there, I had 3 very thin layers. The plc eventually filled with a lot of Chinese tourists n thy r the worst pushing n shaving to get a short of bromo n pushing me away very impolitely. Not a good start to the morning, anywayz, took a few shorts thn v were hit by a huge mist which refused to move n as I waited it never cleared up n so v made our way down to bromo. Bukit Prau is thin n long n goes down words. Thy say its a camp site but w all the tourist thy shld hv made a viewing deck cos it was very uncomfortable to stand on an incline for an hour in the cold. Indeed u get a stunning view of the valley but I wld hv preferred to visit dis hill after all the tourist had left. The cold n waiting time was just not worth the hassle. Although April is a dry season n it shld hv been clear u can never tell when it comes to nature.

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Strategic location for camping and it is a versatile place suitable for enjoying sunset, milkyway, meteor shower and sunrise. You need to climb from opposite the BSI mosque for about 5 minutes. The camping location at night is quite quiet if it is not the milkyway season, but it will be very busy every day around 3 am with tourists looking for sunrise spots. If you want to find a toilet, rent a jacket/sweater or buy food and drink, you can only do it from 2 am to 4 pm. You should bring enough necessities if you want to camp. Just for information, using the toilet to change clothes or take a break in the Bromo area is 5000 idr/person. Bromo temperate at midnight is around 10degree Celcius.

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Bukit perau View One of the best sunset point in Bromo ..

The majectic Bromo never gets old

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