East Java’s Mount Bromo reopens to limited visitors and mandatory face masks

Mount Bromo (large crater, smoking) and Mount Batok with Mount Semeru in the background. Photo: Eveline Tania Mustika/Wikimedia Commons
Mount Bromo (large crater, smoking) and Mount Batok with Mount Semeru in the background. Photo: Eveline Tania Mustika/Wikimedia Commons

Popular volcanic attraction Mount Bromo in East Java has reopened to local tourists after access to the scenic hike was shut five months ago amid the pandemic.

As Mount Bromo covers four regencies ⁠— namely Probolinggo, Pasuruan, Malang, and Lumajang ⁠— officials from each will supervise their portions of the park, according to Head of Probolinggo regency’s Tourism, Youth, and Sports Agency Sugeng Wiyanto. Officials from the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, meanwhile, will focus on the implementation of health protocols from the park’s entry point. 

“Visitors who do not wear face masks are not allowed to enter the Mount Bromo area, especially for those who are sick because the health protocols will be strictly enforced,” Sugeng said.

Visitors are required to observe other health protocols during their visit, such as temperature checks conducted at the entrance of tourist attractions across the national park, physical distancing, and wearing gloves. In addition, they are required to present a health certificate from a doctor clearing them of any acute respiratory illnesses.

Syarif Hidayat, who heads the subdivision of data, evaluation, and public relations at the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, said there were at least 176 visitors on the first day of Mount Bromo’s reopening on Friday.

“In the meantime, we also don’t allow foreign tourists to enter the Mount Bromo area, only domestic tourists are allowed to enter,” Syarif said.

The park management is limiting the number of visitors to 739 people per day, or about 20 percent of the maximum capacity. This quota is further divided for different tourist attractions in the park, such as 178 daily visitors for the Mount Penanjakan area, which is the vantage point for Mount Bromo. 

While visitors can buy entrance tickets on the spot before the pandemic, they must now order their tickets online through Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park’s official website prior to their visit.

The Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is located around a four-hour drive from the East Java capital of Surabaya, and it’s the only national park in Indonesia to have a sand sea. While Mount Bromo is not the highest peak of the Tengger massif, the active volcano is known for its picturesque sunrise, which makes it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the province.

The highest mountain in Java, Mount Semeru, is also a part of the Tengger massif.

Read Also —Central Java’s Mount Telomoyo closed again after visitors crowded summit over the weekend



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