What is the best way to go to the volcano: take a tour or do it on your own?
Basically, there are the following ways:
- Buy an excursion to be picked up from anywhere in Bali and taken to the volcano, and then back to the hotel. Sleep in a minivan and go there and back.
- Arrive to the volcano on your own at night by taxi or bike
- pay for entrance and guide, climb with a guide
- pay only for entry, save on a guide
- Arrive early at one of the hotels on Lake Batur or check in after the climb. It depends on your availability of time and money; you can stay for one or several nights, pay extra for early entry or late check-out.
What are the pitfalls?
Whatever option you choose, you need to take into account that the ascent begins around three in the morning, and the drive from the tourist south of Bali is not that close:
🚗 Ubud - Batur = 40 km, drive about 1.5 hours.
🚗 Kuta - Batur = 80 km, about 3 hours drive.
🚗 Changu - Batur = 70 km, drive about 2.5 hours.
That is, you will be picked up from the hotel somewhere at 12 or one in the morning, it’s good if you can sleep in the evening or in the car. And if not? Imagine this plague-like state, and you still have to climb the mountain! And if you ride a bike in the middle of the night without getting enough sleep, then the pleasure will be even more dubious...
Therefore, we chose the third option. We arrived on our bike to Lake Batur the day before the ascent. We checked into a lovely hotel for 2 nights. The first night we went to bed early and set the alarm for 2.30. We climbed Batur. After the climb we were able to sleep during the day, swim in the pool, spend another night and leave in the morning, full of strength.
How much does it cost to climb Batur?
💰Admission = 100.000 rupees per person
💰Guide services = 400,000 rupees for a group of up to 4 people.
The hotel offered us a tour for at least 800,000 rupees for two.
Excursion companies offer this tour for 1,400,000 - 900,000 rupees per person. The more you are in the group, the better the price.
🛵And one more moment for those who decide to go themselves.
At the entrance to the park, we were stopped and asked to purchase tickets for 30,000 rupees and an insurance policy of 1,000. Honestly, the “employees” with receipts did not inspire confidence, because they simply stopped passing cars and bikes. But they were given money for visiting the 📌 “UNESCO-protected Geopark”
In total, visiting Batur cost us:
Climbing = 600,000 rupees + tea, water
Hotel for 2 nights with breakfast = 800,000 rupees
Is it worth hiring a guide?
💰Some especially thrifty tourists think like this: everyone goes up the mountain along the same path, I won’t pay extra money for a guide. However! If you decide to go without a guide, be prepared for the fact that you will encounter pronounced dissatisfaction on the part of the guides, and they will immediately see “street children” in the crowd. They may curse you (they saw it in person), they may damage your transport, or even start a fight (these horror stories are often written about on the Internet).
Our personal opinion. After you overcome this difficult path and understand the price of a guide’s work, you will also want to give him a bonus for his courage and willpower, because what we consider a personal feat, they do every day!
What to take with you to Batur?
At 3:30 we were at the entrance, the location was marked on the map
It was already quite lively, sleepy tourists with flashlights were already going somewhere. We went to the ticket office and paid for the entrance and the guide. The guides are standing right there at the ticket office. There is no haggling about the price or slaughter for the client, all guides wait their turn. Our guide turned out to be a young guy, short, who spoke very little English. 🔦He gave us flashlights, we bought water and at 3:50 we set off.
Mini-groups of 3-6 people constantly overtook each other and us, then we overtook them, but everyone confidently stomped forward in the dark along the asphalt. Suddenly we left the asphalt and began to move along a narrow path among the bushes. Everyone lined up behind each other. 🌟You could see a stream of lanterns flowing up the slope, in the dark it was a very beautiful sight🌟.
Pieces of volcanic rock were already visible under our feet, and this is the most difficult thing - to carefully step on the stones so as not to twist your foot. And so absolutely all the way: first gravel, sometimes cobblestones, just keep your eyes peeled!
🔮At some point, when we were already climbing up, I realized that I was so concentrated on my legs and steps that I couldn’t see anything around, as if I had fallen into a meditative state. One step, another, excellent, neat, forward, higher, another step.
- Only sneakers or closed, comfortable shoes. No flip flops or other beach shoes. Small pebbles are sharp and even get into sneakers. Everyone climbs close to each other, at arm's length. Sand and stones may fall on you from the person walking ahead.
- About temperature and warm clothes. Sweatshirts will not hurt you, because at night it is generally cool in this area. We were lucky with the weather, the huge moon was shining, the sky was clear, there was practically no wind. Therefore, when we started climbing, it immediately became hot and we tied sweaters on our lower backs. Then it was just sweat and tears =) Just kidding, no one cried, but it was very hot.
- Water! Often, but in a couple of sips. Take at least a liter for two.
- Change of clothes. No kidding. A spare T-shirt and maybe even a small towel. You will be soaking wet when you climb to the top of the volcano, and there is a piercing wind blowing there. It will be cold until the sun rises. Then you’ll be pouring a new T-shirt on during the descent 😉
- Raincoats. These are mountains and tropics. There’s no way to predict the weather; it’s better to have raincoats in your backpack. By the way, they help well against the icy wind at the top 😉
- Iodine and patch. In case someone slipped or cut themselves on the porous rock. It's better to process it right away.
All! Don’t take anything extra, every hundred grams will seem like a heavy burden to you.
Is it difficult to climb Batur? 😯
Our common opinion with Zhenya is 8 out of 10. At some point, our legs become wooden, then weak, they don’t want to listen to you, but in general we didn’t have that moment when someone sat down and said: “I can’t take it anymore.” .
✨💭It was harder for me to cope with dizziness. Still, the height made itself felt. We simply asked the guide for small breaks. By the way, it’s better not to sit down during a break. Then it will be really hard. Just drink, catch your breath, and it’s better to sit down a couple of times or shake your limbs to disperse the blood through your cast-iron legs.
Interesting "crowd effect" works, when you think that you are about to give up, those walking behind you literally step on your heels. 👀And you think that all these people, and there were hundreds and a half of them, are doing this and you can do it!
⏰The whole climb took about two hours to the highest point. But we met the dawn not on it, but a little lower. This means that either we walked slowly, or we should have left at 3.00.
All the effort is worth it!
It is impossible to describe in words the picture that opens from the heights of Batur! This is something unimaginable! You are standing right in front of the mountain at the other end of the caldera, it is even higher than Batur, it is called Abang (2150 m), and behind it you can see the top of the head! At first we didn’t even understand it, but then our guide explained it. And because of these monolithic monsters, the bright sun rises, the sky is filled with incredible colors. It’s getting brighter so quickly that you want to scream and stop the moment. We haven’t seen enough of the lake, the smoking craters, the frozen lava at the foot... 🎈🎈🎈and I’m also having a jam day! 😀 Let's blow up the balloons. And how smart our guide is for taking a picture of us at that moment, so tired, but sincerely happy, tying the balls with some kind of string, because no threads were found =)) Because when we tied the balls together, a stream of wind simply tore them out hands... The wind decided to give them to Batur, but we don’t mind!
A trip to the Kintamani volcano is an integral part of the excursion program of every tourist vacationing in Bali. Most often, guides take guests to a special observation deck, where there are restaurants with beautiful views of the volcano.
Kintamani Volcano erupted three times: in 1927, 1929 and 1947. This volcano has a double crater. After two strong eruptions in 1917 and 1927, Lake Batur was formed in one of the craters, which is the largest in Bali. The contours of the lake resemble a Korean bowl in shape. This lake has one interesting feature: throughout the year its depth remains constant - both during the dry season and during the rainy season. This circumstance became the reason that local residents began to believe that it was God himself who was taking care of this lake. The area is also famous for its hot springs.
The volcano is quite active - even today, smoke and ash emit from its crater from time to time. Previously, the crater housed the village of Batur, which after the 1926 eruption was moved to the edge of the crater, and miraculously surviving architectural monuments were restored. In the evening, a very picturesque view opens from the top of the crater.
Gunung Agung Volcano
Volcano Agung is the mother mountain, the volcano of the gods, the diameter of the crater is about 500 meters. The southern side of the mountain, above the Besaki Temple, is considered the highest point in Bali. Height 3142m. Agung is a place of spiritual purification and worship. The life of a Balinese is oriented towards Agung. The entrances to all the temples of the island are located in the direction “towards the mountain”; the names of all houses and settlements in Bali are translated into Russian as “towards the mountain” or “from the mountain”. Even the head of a sleeping Balinese must be directed towards the sacred volcano.
In the spring of 1963, a terrible eruption occurred, flooding many villages in eastern Bali with lava and killing about 2,000 island residents. Everything was destroyed. Traces of lava are still clearly visible on the northern coast of Bali.
The Balinese believe that the culprit was the wrong choice of date for the grandiose spiritual cleansing ceremony Eka Dasa Rudra (the most important ritual in Balinese Hinduism, performed once every hundred years), which brought upon them the displeasure of the gods and resulted in terrible revenge.
That’s why the Balinese respect the gods and take them seriously, which is what they advise tourists to do.
Everyone who wants to watch the dawn above the clouds and plunge into the divine atmosphere must ask permission from the gods (here it is not necessary to memorize the most complex prayers, it is enough to ask for passage with your soul). Climbing the volcano does not require special physical training (the entire journey will take no more than 4 hours), but it does require great respect.
There are two routes to climb the volcano: the first will lead to the top along the western slope from the Besakih Temple, the second will only lead to the lower part of the crater, which offers a panoramic view of the eastern side of Bali. During religious holidays, climbing Gunung Agung is prohibited, but you are always welcome to enjoy the incredible landscape pictures of the island.
Lotus Asian Garden Restaurant overlooking Batur Volcano
Outdoor terrace of the restaurant with panoramic views of the Batur volcano. The view is magnificent. The cuisine is exclusively Indonesian, buffet style. The rice with vegetables is amazing.
Volcano Batur
Volcano Batur is located in Indonesia, in the northeastern part of the island of Bali. The main cone of the volcano is crowned by 3 craters, and the highest point reaches 1717 meters above sea level.
Scientists suggest that the formation of the volcano in this area began more than half a million years ago.
Past volcanic activity is evidenced by frozen basalt rocks left over from lava flows. Some activity is still observed today, manifested in occasional tremors and ash emissions. The last eruption of Mount Batur, accompanied by human casualties, occurred in 1963. Lava flows wiped out a small village located nearby.
In 1999 - 2000, local residents and visitors to the island could observe emissions of volcanic ash reaching a height of 300 meters. Despite its dangerous nature, Batur Volcano is one of the main tourist attractions of the island. From the top of the volcano you can admire the surrounding views and appreciate the power of the natural elements.
Sights of Bali
Every time people ask me if it’s boring living for two months in Bali, I just shrug my shoulders. If Bali were an ordinary island, with heavenly beaches, the perfect color of water and palm trees framing all this splendor, I might have died of boredom within a week.
But how can it be boring when the island is so diverse? I will no longer sing the praises of Ubud, you already know everything :))
But when you live here, in the center of the island, only one and a half to two hours on a bike separates you from the ocean, with volcanic black sand and huge, kilometer-long beaches or, on the contrary, snow-white ones, sandwiched in tiny bays.
Or from volcanoes in the north, from mountain lakes and thermal springs on their shores.
This time my heart stayed right there.
As you know, there are a great many volcanoes in Indonesia. The fiery ring of the earth passes through here. Bali, of course, is no exception. We have here the sacred Mount Agung (part-time active volcano), which is idolized by all the locals, on which deities live and which adds drama to absolutely any landscape, appearing majestically when the clouds clear. And since the mountain is not small, 3142 meters, and there are no high-rise buildings on the island, it is visible very often.
We are celebrating New Year 2016 in Bali again! We will be glad to see you at our bachelorette party!
Volcanoes in Bali are an integral part of the Lesser Sunda Islands, as they are of volcanic origin. On the small territory of the island there are two active volcanoes: Batur and Agung. Rising above the island, from time immemorial they have evoked awe, fear and admiration among local residents, who revere them as their shrines. Batur and Agung are completely different from each other: each of them has its own history, its own characteristics and legends. So when you come to Bali, it's worth going at least once to see both volcanoes and maybe even climb one of them! So, what are the volcanoes in Bali like, what are they remarkable for and how can you climb them? This is what our article will be about.
Volcanoes in Bali: location, description, photos
Batur
The famous Balinese volcano Batur is located in the northeastern part of the island, and an observation deck overlooking it is included in almost all standard sightseeing tours of the island. The volcano is not very high: only 1717 meters, and even, at first glance, it is unremarkable... But this is not so. In fact, Batur is primarily a caldera (i.e. basin) with a diameter of 13.8 x 10 km, formed about 30 thousand years ago as a result of the eruption of a huge volcano that existed in this place for hundreds of thousands of years. Then another eruption occurred and inside the first caldera a second one appeared, with a diameter of 6.4 x 9.4 km, in which a lake and a volcano of the same name arose (the same one, 1717 m high, which we talked about at the beginning). And last, on the opposite shore of the lake, another “descendant” of the ancient giant was formed - the Abang volcano with a height of 2152 m.
That is, it turns out that the Batur caldera is a huge territory, once occupied by one huge volcano, and now by two small volcanoes and a lake formed as a result of the eruption of the first. This entire area is often called Kintamani, after the name of the region of the island in which it is located. The endless expanses of Batur will open up to you at the observation deck located on the edge of the caldera: Abang Volcano, Lake Batur (the largest in Bali) and the Batur volcano itself, covered with black spots of frozen lava. This lava is traces of its eruptions, the most destructive of which was in 1917, and the last in 2000.
By the way, the Batur volcano has three craters, which sometimes disturb local residents with tremors and ash emissions. To solve these problems, local residents resort to ceremonies to appease the spirits of the volcano, of which there are a huge number. This place is considered special; it’s not for nothing that 27 temples were built along the perimeter of the caldera: the Balinese believe that Batur unites the spirits of all 4 natural elements: earth, water, air and fire.
Agung
Volcano Agung is located in the east of the island and is its highest point - 3014 m. Its history is not as eventful as that of Batur. A total of 4 eruptions were recorded during observations, the last of which occurred in 1963-1964. It was also the most destructive: the eruption claimed the lives of about 2,000 people and left tens of thousands of islanders homeless. Before it, the height of Agung was 3142 m, but as a result of large-scale destruction, a piece broke off from the top and the volcano became more than 100 m lower.
If we compare the volcanoes in Bali, Agung is the largest of them, which on a clear day can be seen from almost everywhere. Its name translates as “great mountain”: according to, it is a sacred place where gods and ancestral spirits live. All villages, courtyards and temples of Bali are oriented towards the sacred mountain. So, for example, if in the north of the island the temples are located in the southern part of the courtyard, then in the south - in the northern. It is on the slope of Agung, at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level, that the main and largest temple complex of the island is located - Pura Besakih, consisting of 30 temples located on several levels. Balinese from all over the island make a pilgrimage here: to the temple that is closest to the gods.
The Balinese worldview is characterized by the absolute completeness of the picture of the world, because the island is his whole world, and if demons live in the ocean, people live on the earth, then the habitat of the gods is a formidable mountain, which makes itself felt when the gods are angry. This is how the volcanic eruption in 1963 was perceived, which coincided with the sacred rite of spiritual purification - a great holiday held in Pura Besakih once every hundred years. The Balinese believe that this happened because the gods were angry that the wrong day had been chosen for the ceremony. True, in some miraculous way, the temple itself was not affected by the destruction... Since then, the volcano has no longer worried the local residents, however, the Balinese know that the gods do not sleep, and the sacred mountain does not sleep with them.
Climbing volcanoes in Bali
If you don't already know, you can climb the volcanoes in Bali and watch the sunrise above the clouds, this activity is very popular among tourists. After all, from the top there is a fabulous view of the awakening island, and besides, who wouldn’t want to conquer a volcano and look into its crater? Usually the ascent occurs at night. Firstly, because it is easier: you don’t have to walk under the scorching sun; and secondly, dawn is an incredibly beautiful time of day, especially if you watch it from such a height.
As a rule, the climb to Batur begins at 4 a.m. and lasts about 2 hours. Climbing Agung is a real challenge, which will take from 4 to 9 hours. There are several routes leading to the top of the main volcano of the island: a shorter one and a longer one. The first one starts from the village of Selat in the south and takes about 4 hours. It will take you to the crater, but it will not be possible to reach the highest point of the volcano. The longer route starts from Besakih Temple and will take at least 7 hours. This is the path along which pilgrims climb Agung, and it is the one that leads to the very top. If you choose it, then you need to start climbing no later than 10 pm, or even earlier, in order to spend the night halfway and continue the climb with new strength. Having climbed Batur or Agung, do not think that you have overcome the longest and most difficult part of the route... The descent will be no less exciting and, most likely, will take even longer. Don't let that put you off though, what you see at the top will definitely be worth all the effort!
You can see the volcanoes in Bali either with a tour group or on your own. If you choose the second method, do not refuse the services of local guides who will attack you already in the parking lot. It's better to pay them and be sure that you won't get lost at night and won't be late for dawn. Also find out in advance if groups are currently running. During the rainy season, for example, ascents are extremely undesirable. And, of course, stock up on warm clothes (it will be very cold when you go up), comfortable shoes, flashlights, food, water and go on an adventure!
Perhaps volcanoes in Bali are an inexhaustible topic. Ask your Balinese guide and he will tell you many legends and beliefs associated with them. Yes, you yourself will understand why they have such a strong influence on the worldview of local residents, once you find yourself next to them and feel their power. And if you have the desire and time, be sure to climb Batur or Agung: you will see the island from a bird's eye view, and also get an unforgettable experience of a lifetime!
And finally, a short video about climbing Mount Agung Volcano:
One of the main attractions in Bali is Mount Batur. All tourists on the island definitely come here: either just to look at the famous active volcano and drink coffee in a restaurant overlooking it (like us), or to conquer it and watch the sunrise at the top. We did not dare to climb the volcano at night or even during the day with a 5-year-old child, and we came to Batur just to admire the views.
Gunung Batur is an active volcano in Bali, which is what makes it interesting. The most destructive eruption of Batur was recorded in 1917: then more than 1,000 people died, more than 65,000 houses and temples were destroyed.
Solidified volcanic rock in the Batura crater
Its last eruption occurred in 1964: then lava destroyed 16 houses of a village located in the valley. But after this, various kinds of activity often occurred. So, in 2000, there was a powerful emission of ash to a height of as much as 300 meters. And in 2011, a release of sulfur dioxide was recorded, which is why a lot of dead fish were observed in the lake of the same name. All this volcanic activity does not seem to bother the local residents living right in the Batur caldera at all: they are in no hurry to change their place of residence.
The Balinese are some of the most superstitious and religious people in the world: altars with offerings can be found in the most unexpected places!
Volcano Batur in Bali has two craters: the diameter of the outer one is 14×10 km; in this caldera (that is, the basin of a volcano with a flat bottom) there are villages and quite ordinary life goes on. Inside it there is a second crater, smaller - 6.5 × 9.5 km. It is this mountain that tourists climb.
The gentle slope of Batur volcano
The height of the volcano is 1717 meters. Quite a bit, the climb to Batur will only take a couple of hours. But climbing it on your own, without a tour and local guides, is quite problematic: they simply won’t let you through, because this is their main income.
Another attraction near the Batur volcano is the lake of the same name. It was formed at the bottom of the crater as a result of volcanic activity more than 20 thousand years ago. The lake is quite large: 8 km long and 3 km wide. And this is a very unusual lake.
On its shores there are several villages, called local “lake stars”. Among them is the village of Trunyan, which is not quite usual for us, where the Bali-Aga people live. These are people who profess animism (worship of nature), while the rest of the population of Bali professes Hinduism. While it is customary for other Balinese people to cremate the bodies of the dead, the Bali Aghas place them under the sacred “fragrant” Menyan banyan tree in their “cemetery.” To prevent the bodies from being eaten by wild animals, special cages are built around them. When only bones remain from the body, they are placed in a common pile not far from the tree. By the way, everyone who has visited the unusual cemetery claims that there are no unpleasant odors there. This is usually explained by special essential oils released by the sacred tree.
The tradition of taking the dead under the roots of a tree has become a good way for local Trunyans to make money. You can only get to this cemetery by boat, and almost any resident of the village will offer you such an excursion for 500 thousand rupees ($37). This is a considerable sum for the crossing, but for less, no one will get tourists across the lake. Along the way, local “guides” intimidate tourists with creepy “keepers” of secrets living in the cemetery, who do not like tourists. Our driver told us that local residents can steal from and harm visitors without a twinge of conscience, so he strongly advised us not to go to the famous creepy “cemetery.”
Volcano Batur on the map: how to get there
You can visit the famous Batur volcano in Bali with an organized excursion purchased at any beach in Bali. The cost of the excursion is on average $30 per person. This includes tickets to the observation deck, an English-speaking or even Russian-speaking guide, entry into the monkey forest and coffee plantations.
We rented a car with a driver for the whole day for 500 thousand rupees ($37) and during this time we visited several interesting places on the island. Since we rented a large car with friends, it turned out to be very profitable (compared to an excursion).
Restaurant overlooking the volcano on the edge of a cliff
Of course, you can rent a bike and get to Batur on your own. This will be the cheapest option. You can get to the volcano from the most popular area of Kuta using the map:
There is a buffet restaurant on the observation deck. By paying only $4, you can eat delicious and beautiful Indonesian or European food and drink a cup of coffee while enjoying a gorgeous view.
Lunch with a view of the volcano: unforgettable
