When you go to Bali and you want to do something a little bit more active, you should definitely do the Mount Batur Trekking. There’s nothing prettier than seeing the sun rise from the top of one of the highest viewpoints of Bali.
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How to get there
You can get to the starting point of the trekking from all major cities is Bali. However, the best place to stay at when doing the trekking is Ubud. Ubud is only 40 km away from the start of the trekking, which is roughly a 1 hour and 30 minutes drive.
To do the trekking, you will need a guide. We advice you to book a tour at your hotel, which includes transportation, a guide, (simple) breakfast, water and usually also a flashlight.
Most touring companies start picking up tourists at the hotels around 2 am (yes – in the middle of the night). You’ll likely reach the starting point of the trekking around 4 am. Make sure you pee at the hotel, as the toilets aren’t much when you reach the starting point of the trekking (and they also charge a small fee there).
The experience
Trekking the vulcano is not hard, but it’s also not very easy. If you are in good health, you’ll be able to reach the top without much of a problem. Just make sure you drink enough water and dress appropriate (later on more about that).
Everyday, a lot of tourists trek Mount Batur, and since everybody wants to get to one of the viewing points before sunrise, you’ll never be alone on either the track or the viewpoint (or the mountain in general).
The path is not very steep, but at some points you need a little extra dedication from the muscles in you legs. As it is still night when you are climbing the vulcano, make sure you use your flashlight properly, or you might trip over a rock or a branch.
Once you get up there, just before 6.30 am (we started later, and there was a couple that needed some extra breaks in our group, we only reached the first viewpoint), you’ll get to see the sun rise from Mount Agung. It is one of the most amazing views we’ve ever seen. Once the sun rises, the sky clears and most of the clouds disappear. Totally worth all your effort!
As we didn’t take any pictures on the way up (it was way too dark), we decided tot take some pictures (and a video) on our way back. As you can see, the track has different kinds of soils, so some parts were harder to trek than others.
The monkeys
If there is food, there are monkeys. And Mount Batur is full of both. Once you’ve seen the sun rise, you can sit down and have breakfast (two slices of bread with jam, a banana and a boiled egg) while enjoying the view. However, watch out for the monkeys! They will jump right at you and steal your food. Fortunately, this is also a great opportunity to take some unique pictures! We took some cool shots as well:
Tips
Although trekking Mount Batur is not dangerous, there are some things to keep in mind when you have decided to have this adventure. To make it a little bit easer for you, we’ve compiled a list of tips:
Clothing
Wear LAYERS. When you start the trekking, it will probably be warm. Not hot, but warm. But once you start the trekking and go higher up the vulcano, it will get colder and colder. Once you reach the top, you’ll probably be hot from all the excersize and you’ll take off your sweater. But when you’ve cooled down from the wind and the cold, you’ll probably wanna put in on again. So: shorts, T-shirt and a sweater!
Shoes
For shoes, it’s actually quite simple: just wear sneakers or other shoes that will feel comfortable for hours and give you enough grip.
food
You don’t need to bring food with you, unless you’re not into bread with jam, egg and bananas. In that case: bring some extra food with you. There are locals selling drinks and snacks up on the mountain, but that will be expensive and not worth it. Extra drinks are always a good idea.
Toilets
Before you get into your tour guides car: pee! There are toilets at the starting point of the trek, but those are no very clean (they don’t flush etc.) and they’ll charge you a little bit of money. Just pee.
Want to know more about Ubud and where to stay when you do this trekking? Check our blogpost Ubud – A full guide.
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