This popular climb was always on the top of my list of things to do when visiting Bali as I heard such amazing things from friends and other travellers who had already trekked the 1717m peak. Mount Batur is located towards the north of Bali and most backpackers tend to do the trekking tour from the beautiful Ubud since its only a hour away.
The adventure started with an alarm set for 2am, leaving not long after. Our transfer then made a quick little pit stop at the trekking base where we had pancakes and coffee to fuel us for the physically challenging trek ahead. And with only a torch each to illuminate the way up the volcanic mountain in pitch black darkness, we started the climb…
The adventure started with an alarm set for 2am, leaving not long after. Our transfer then made a quick little pit stop at the trekking base where we had pancakes and coffee to fuel us for the physically challenging trek ahead. And with only a torch each to illuminate the way up the volcanic mountain in pitch black darkness, we started the climb…
We booked the trek via our hostel in Ubud (Rama Sita), but you will be able to find so many other places that offer the sunrise climb wherever you are in Bali. We were a group of 7 and payed around £8 each including transfers to and from the hostel.
Around half way up the climb you will find that the path splits into two - a easy route and a more challenging route. Ever up for a challenge, we all opted for the higher climb and a quarter way up this last ascent, what was once laughter and conversation, was now pure silence as we were all trying to catch our breath.
We eventually split the group into two as the volcanic ash near the top made it incredibly slippy and meant that some of the group were struggling a bit, then all met up at the top together. Definitely opt for trainers with some sort of grip otherwise you will be slipping back down the mountain... like my GoPro pole, which I never got back!!
We spent a good two hours relaxing at the top taking in the beautiful views, and since we worked up a bit of an appetite we had some banana sandwiches/boiled eggs to quench our hunger (all included with the price you pay). We were very lucky as the weather as you can imagine is always going to be unpredictable + usually it is way too cloudy to get a good view, but we definitely had the perfect weather conditions.
We also heard other travellers back at our hostel mentioning that it could get really busy as it is a popular tourist destination - busy as in 300 people on the volcano at once... But to be honest, other than the climb up we didn't really think it was busy at all. At times climbing up could get a little tedious as everyone's trekking abilities are inevitably going to be different so it meant stopping and starting all the time, but other than that there were no problems.
We were home by 10:30am and felt super tired, but also felt a real sense of accomplishment as it is a challenging trek at the end of the day. I would definitely say near enough everyone can do it as it is achievable even for those who are fairly unfit.
If I had any tips for anyone wanting to do it, it'd be to bring lots of water and a jumper to put on when you get to the top as it can get very cold.
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