Gunung Tambora Travel Guide
Gunung Tambora (Mount Tambora) is one of Indonesia's largest volcanoes and can be found in north Sumbawa. Although having a much less profile than Krakatoa, its history and scale are impressive.
- What is It?
- Gunung Tambora is a massive volcano in central Sumbawa.
- When to Go
- Between April and October for the best weather.
- Nearest Town
- Mintaoe Nae is the closest gateway town, 20kms from the northeast flank.
- Don't Miss
- a sunrise on Gunung Tambora.
- Trivia
- Gunung Tambora's 1815 eruption was four times as energetic as that of Krakatoa's in 1883.
Tambora is 150kms northwest of Bima and stretches in excess of 2,800m above sea level. Its caldera is an impressive 700 meters deep, six kilometers across and the trekking up there is awesome. Gunung Tambora is an active stratovolcano and last blew its top in 1815; an eruption that was far more cataclysmic than that of Krakatoa.
It is a good 10-hour trek up the flank of Gunung Tambora and the trail goes through dense woodland. Many people spend the night on the mountain and take in the amazing sunrise from the crater rim. Getting on a tour from Bima or Sumbawa Besar is the best bet, which would include transport to the walk site and a guided trek.
Travel to Gunung Tambora - Getting There
You can fly to Sumbawa Besar and Bima from Bali (occasionally), from where tours can be arranged of Gunung Tambora. Fights also come in from Mataram on Lombok in under an hour. Boats serve Port Tano from east Lombok, from where buses take about 5 or 6 hours to reach Dompu, the stop-off point. Buses from here to the mountain's trekking villages are around 5 hours.
