Mount Batur hike is a hugely popular activity in Bali famous for its majestic sunrise. Standing tall with an elevation of 1.717km, this UNESCO heritage site is an active volcano. A treat for all, hundreds of visitors climb this sacred mountain for a glimpse of the ethereal views of Kintamani over the clouds.
As of today, Mount Batur is still open to visitors despite Bali officials announcement in May 2023 to ban all mountain activities due to misbehaving tourists.
Don’t miss out on all the exciting adventure on your Bali trip!
Everything You Need To Know About Mount Batur
Getting to Mount Batur
The easiest way to get to Mount Batur is to book a hiking tour. A complete service – pick up from accommodation, providing torchlight and breakfast at the peak. The tour I used was found via Instagram. There are many tours available on tour providers such as Get Your Guide, Tripadvisor and Klook so take your pick!
Some of them provide additional itinerary too such as Batur Hotspring after your hike, one of my favorite places in Kintamani. Get a comprehensive guide on other cool activities in Kintamani and Northern Bali.
I searched all my tour packages from Instagram as I can directly contact the tour providers and get additional discounts as an Indonesian with an Indonesian phone number. Foreign tourists are charged differently in Bali. Nevertheless, the tours are still reasonably priced as compared to many tourist destinations.
That’s me! I was featured on their Instagram page (:
Mount Batur Hike Tour Schedule
Our hike schedule looks something like this:
| 2:30am | Pick up from accommodation in Ubud. (Pick up time depends on area you stay in) |
|---|---|
| 3:30am | Arrive at starting point and ready to take off |
| 3 rest stops available – we didn’t really break till the last rest stop | |
| 5:45am | Reach the summit (1.717km elevation) |
| 7am | Start our descend down the mountain |
| 11am | Reach our accommodation back in Ubud |
Can you hike Mount Batur yourself?
Certainly! as long as you find the right starting point. If you stay in Kintamani the night before, it is easier to get to the Mount Batur starting point by asking a local. There are several routes to get to the peak and I took the easiest route (according to my guide).
If you are coming from another area like Ubud, you might get some trouble with the locals who set up a station on the road demanding fees to enter Mount Batur, and more so if they realise you do not have a guide. The fees are only collected at dawn so if you are visiting Kintamani during the day, you probably won’t see them.
It is quite sad to see them being so forceful but the fees you pay also contributes to the management and wellbeing of the mountain, such as rest stops and making sure the paths are not dangerous due to the rocks. It is not a big sum, around Rp 20,000, so just pay your dues and you can be well on your way to enjoy the hike.
How difficult is the hike?
Hike Duration
My friends consist of people sparingly active to very active and I can say that it is very manageable as long as you don’t give up. The hike overall takes around 2 to 3 hours uphill, depending on how fast you are, and slightly longer coming downhill due to the slippery paths and crowd.
My difficulty was, to my surprise not the physicality of the hike, but the altitude! The air gets thinner as you go higher, and I was feeling lightheaded and shortness of breath halfway up the mountain. Seeing that my friends had no problems with this, I will need to look into this myself. I guess I didn’t think the altitude will affect me as much as it is not a very high mountain at 1.7km (5800ft).
Ojek (motorcycle) service to reach the Top
The best part is, if you are not up for spending energy, there is an Ojek service to go up! Yes, you read that right. Ride a motorcycle that takes you 2/3 of the journey and well worth the money spent for those who are not into sweating. Ojekis a motorcycle transport service common in Indonesia. The motorcycle used are mountain bikes so it has traction to go uphill.
Preparing for the hike
- Flashlight – Even if the tour guide provides, several flashlights went out even before anywhere near the summit and we had to share. I felt like that was quite irresponsible of them to not even bring extra batteries, so I suggest getting one beforehand.
- Hat – Gets hot really fast after sunrise. The sun is definitely stronger at higher altitudes
- Sunscreen – one that I admittedly forgot to apply due to my lightheadedness. Bring one and apply when the sun greets you at the peak!
- Shoes – any comfortable pair will do. It is not advisable to follow my friends and wear flip flops or chunky high-cut converse. They survived, but at what cost? I wore my waterproof shoes, it has a thin sole which is helpful for better grip and grounded-ness, as I am quite scared of heights and any additional stability helps me a lot.
- Water Bottle – the tour guide will provide 1 bottle before the hike but it is best to bring your own in case they don’t provide at the start of the hike or if you drink a lot
- Light Snacks – some candy or biscuits to munch will help the boredom and energy refuel. just don’t litter please!
- Jacket/Windbreaker – it is cold in the morning and at the summit before the sunrise. you might catch a cold from the strong winds too
- Cash – always bring some amount of cash in case you need to buy some isotonic or energy drinks in the summit, and to tip your drivers and guides. A bottled drink can cost up to Rp 30,000
- don’t overpack! it is a very short hike, you won’t need much else
Best time to go
April to September is the dry season and the best time to go. However, if the climate is dry for at least 2 days, it is safe to say that the hike will be fine even beyond these months. Best to avoid rainy and thunderstorm season in December.
My Experience
Night before the hike
The night before, we went to bed at 9pm right after dinner. Trying to get a quick snooze before the hike was really hard, especially since I usually sleep so late.
Challenges
The hike up was quite a blur even after I downed a bottle of coffee, and it gets increasingly steeper the higher the we go. At the highest point of the summit, we were practically climbing vertically up the rocks with our dead flashlights. Some peddlers helped by pulling us along so I tipped by purchasing some snacks from them.
By the time I reached the summit, I could not even stomach the breakfast and just drank the tea and some bread I had brought. The view was beautiful though, I still managed to snap beautiful pictures of the landscape and my friends.
The descent down was much harder as there were more people taking this route down and the small gravels on the soil made the pathway very slippery. After careful stepping to prevent ourselves from rolling downhill, we were on autopilot all the way till we reached our car to send us back. At this point, all we wanted to do was crawl back into bed.
Aftermath
The rest of the day was pretty much wasted for us. I had such a terrible headache I slept the day away. We all took a really long afternoon nap that left us time for a short visit to a nearby dinner place. All our adventurous afternoon plans like rafting or ATV were thrown out of the window that day.
Though it was not the most spectacular mountain view I’ve ever seen, it was still a beautifully healing experience, and definitely a must try as it is beginners friendly. We were blessed with a beautiful weather and felt like standing at the doorstep of heaven.
Though it is hard to say if I will do it again, I will definitely recommend it to anyone interested in hiking!
Alternative ways to enjoy Mount Batur Sunrise
If hiking is a strict no-no for you, or you’ve done it before, you can try the Jeep tour instead! Sitting on a nice jeep and trailing some of the remnant black lava from the volcano, the sunrise is still absolutely stunning, and definitely hits different with the black hardened ash as your backdrop.
Visiting Bali and looking for more natural adventures?
Check out my ultimate list of activities in serene Kintamani, or my favorite blue water beaches in Bali. Looking for food? Look no further to my favorite local cuisines you must try such as pork ribs and babi guling!
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