Indonesia Adventure: Trekking Through Mount Batur in Bali

Are you looking for a challenging adventure that also offers stunning views? Look no further than Mount Batur in Bali. This active volcano is a popular trekking destination, offering breathtaking scenery and a challenging ascent.

The trek up Mount Batur starts early, allowing you to reach the summit in time to witness a beautiful sunrise. The hike takes approximately two hours, with the last stretch being the most challenging. But don’t worry. The reward at the top is well worth the effort.

It will be dark when you climb in the morning, so your tour guide will most likely provide you with a flashlight to stick on your head. 

Recommendations

• Wear a hoody, as it is pretty cold in the early morning.
• Wear suitable shoes. I recommend hiking boots or trainers with good grip. It does get slippy in places, especially coming down.
• Take water and snacks with you for the whole day.

As you ascend, local people will carry buckets of snacks and water, so if you forget to take food, they have your back. However, they charge a lot of money for their snacks. It is how they make a living. Politely say no, or they will follow you to the top of the volcano and say, “You buy a snack now?” which happened to me. 

Our tour guide had 30 years of experience climbing up Mount Baur. He is lovely, shares lots of information, and is popular among many other tour guides. He is like the OG on Mount Batur, everyone knows him, and he chats away. I will share his Whats App details if you need a tour guide. Just email me or fill in the contact form.

Once you reach the summit, you’ll be greeted with a stunning view of Bali’s landscape. From the top, you can see Lake Batur and the surrounding mountains. The sunrise view is breathtaking, with the sun casting a warm glow over the landscape. It was cloudy for us, so the sun came out occasionally.

We found hot springs with smoke bellowing out. Our tour guide turned into a magician by blowing cigarette smoke into one of the caves to create a mysterious smokey effect. It was pretty cool!

Our tour guide shared a story that the Balinese people would hike up Mount Batur to collect holy water and take it to a local church. That’s a 4 or 5-hour hike to get water!

The hike can be dangerous, so be careful when walking around. Sharp cliffs are basically the edge of the crater, so a fall down to the bottom of a volcano would probably mean death. During the trek, I found it challenging to find my footing, so take your time and wear good shoes. Your shoes will get really dirty, and sand and small stones will get in there. I remember pouring lots of sand from my trainer on the descent down. At one point, I was literally sand-surfing to get down!

On the descent down is where I found the best views of the day. It depends on the weather on the day. We were talking on the crater’s edge, sharp cliffs on either side and the clouds were whizzing past our heads. The clouds opened up, and we could see other volcanos in the distance and the beautiful landscapes around Mount Batur. It was breathtaking as you felt you were in the clouds and almost floating on top of them. See photos.

In addition to the stunning views, Mount Batur offers a chance to learn about Bali’s culture and history. The Balinese people consider the mountain sacred, and several temples are located along the trek. Many hikers stop and learn about the temples and their significance in Balinese culture.

We also came across a bat cave with hundreds of little bats hanging upside down and staring at us. It was fascinating watching them flying around from rock to rock.

During our encounter with the bats, a small pack of monkeys were on our tail. One sneaky little monkey could smell the packet of chocolate protein balls in my jacket pocket and came up to me, quickly snatched it and hampered away. I bet he loved the taste of my sweet chocolate balls in his mouth.

So there are many monkeys on Mount Batur, and they live there because it is warm and provides shelter. They are hungry, so if you have water, snacks, or anything on show, they will jump on you and take it. Keep everything in a bag and zipped up. I’ve seen many tourists have their water bottles ripped from their bags and food taken from their pockets.

Trekking up Mount Batur is a must-do activity for any adventurer visiting Bali. With its stunning views and challenging ascent, it’s an experience you will remember. So pack your bags, put on your hiking boots, and prepare for an adventure of a lifetime.