If you’re determined to climb mountains at each destination, you can’t come to Bali and miss Mount Batur. Here’s the complete guide to the Mount Batur tour so that you can get the most out of your climb. Experiences can vary greatly based on your tour provider and size of tour group. Like most of the tours in Bali, the sunrise trek can be arranged prior to your arrival in Bali or through local tour providers, after your arrival. I opted for the former to avoid the stress and the unknown of arranging a tour through local providers. I booked online through Klook and had no complaints since the tour turned out to be well organised but flexible. Pro Tip: The first leg of our Bali trip was in Ubud and the second was in Sanur. We did this tour on our last day in Ubud and used it to bridge the two parts of our trip together. The transportation provided by the tour picked us up at our Ubud hotel and they were accommodating enough to drop us off at our Sanur hotel after the climb. At no additional cost! So this is something to keep in mind to avoid additional transportation fees between regions.
Mount Batur Trek Options & Variations
The alternative option to the sunrise tour is the sunset tour and while both appeared to be similar, I chose the sunrise tour because it worked best with my itinerary. The tours can also be combined with other experiences after the climb such as a visit to hot springs, rice terraces, or a coffee plantation.
In my experience, most combo tours tend to go for efficiency and choose destinations that are closer together and not necessarily the best experience. Since I’d planned for most of the follow up activities separately from the climb, I opted for the trek and breakfast only.
What to Bring
The tour provided us with water bottles and headlights for the climb. Along with these, you’ll need: good climbing shoes, long pants, a sweater, possibly a light rain jacket, gloves, a dust mask or scarf, extra water, and snacks for the climb.
Before the climb, you will get the chance to use the toilet. The one that was available to climbers was VERY basic. There was no toilet paper and the toilet required a bin of water to flush. Since we had a two hour ascent and a one hour descent to look forward to, not using the toilet wasn’t an option. It’s a good idea to have some toilet paper and hand sanitizer on hand for this ordeal.
2:00am - CHECK IN
Tour provided transportation will pick you up from your hotel in Bali at an ungodly hour (2am for Ubud and later in the night for areas located closer to the mountain).
3:30am - TOILET AND SAFETY BRIEFING
After using the toilet, our guide gave us all the necessary equipment (head lights and water bottles) and a brief overview of our climb. This was followed by a safety briefing during which he explained to: climb safely alongside the many groups, request breaks when needed, and take our time while climbing the gravely path up the mountain.
4:00am - BEGIN ASCENT
While I found the climb up difficult because I’m moderately fit but short, others had no problems scaling the almost vertical edges during some points of the climb. The most difficult part for me was how gravely the climb was, with the ground constantly shifting during our ascent. Thankfully there was no additional strain from altitude sickness since the peak sits at 1717 meters and altitude sickness occurs at around 2400 meters.
A good pace and taking ample breaks kept me from getting tired or feeling rushed. It helped that all the guides were friendly and chatty but professional about safety. Since this climb is so popular during the summer, a steady pace is pretty much guaranteed because the guides lead their groups in a steady linear climb. If you are a fast climber, groups are more than willing to step to the side and let you pass so don’t worry about being held up at a pace that’s too slow for you. That said, a fast pace is pretty unnecessary. The guides all left enough time for everyone to get to the peak and get settled before the sun rose.
6:30am - SUNRISE
Once at the peak, there’s no need to jostle for a good spot because the guides have predesignated areas from where each of their groups can watch the sunrise. If the guides seat you a few meters below the peak, it’s no big deal because the sunrise will be visible and beautiful regardless. While waiting for the sun to rise, we were given coffee to warm us up and a basic breakfast consisting of sandwiches, fruits, energy bars, and a boiled egg. It’s not a gourmet meal but more than enough after a long and tiring climb. There are also people at the top who sell small snacks and have blankets for rent if you’re really cold. Many of us ended up needing one. If you’re someone who tends to run colder, I would suggest a light jacket on top of your sweater and gloves. By the time you descend, you’ll shed all of these but you’ll definitely want it while you’re waiting at the top. At the peak I could see my breath because of how chilly it was.
7:00am to 8:00am - PEAK AND STEAM TRAILS
Groups are given enough time (more than necessary IMO) at the top after the sunrise to take pictures. Since I went with a smaller group, we chose to take the opportunity to climb to the peak after we ate and check out the view from there. It’s crazy how much the scenery changes at a slightly higher point and the peak definitely had the best view. We also decided to run solo and check out the areas at the peak where you can see the steam rising steadily from the ground. All the guides eventually gather the groups and take them to the peak en masse to view the steam trails and by climbing up earlier, we got to avoid the crowds. After a few quick pictures, we informed our guide that we were ready to go, and started our descent. One of the best things about this tour is that we got to set the pace and our guide was accommodating each time.
8:00am - DESCENT
Since we were the first group to begin our descent, we got the whole trail back, to ourselves. The descent experience differs A LOT from the ascent. On the way back, the gravely path was beneficial because you can pretty much dig your heels in and half run, half slide, down the mountain. Doing this does kick up a lot of dust though, hence the recommendation to bring a dust mask or scarf. This was actually my favorite part of the tour, second to the sunrise. On the way back, the taller people struggled with balance but my height made it really easy for me. You can also enjoy the views that you missed on the way up. If you get lucky like us, you’ll have a chance to see and greet many locals on the way down as they’re starting their day.
Post-Tour Tips
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Beat the tour groups to the top after the sunrise and beat them down the mountain if it’s possible so that you can enjoy the views without the crowds.
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Bring snacks and water. You will need it.
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Dress appropriately and climb slowly if you need to. People were sliding and falling because of bad footwear or because they were rushing. The ascent is no joke, especially at that hour of the day in pitch darkness.
When I was in high school, I was told that my generation would be the generation that pursues multiple career paths and does at least three different jobs throughout their lifetime. I’d initially laughed at that thought but ten years later, here I am as a full time teacher, part time traveller, and constant animal rescuer. Also, they failed to tell me that two out of the three jobs wouldn’t even pay me.
