Hike

Kintamani, Bali

Climbing Mount Batur

Sunrise over a 1,717m active volcano

Mount Batur is an active volcano 1,717 metres high, in the Kintamani region in the north-east of Bali. It's the island's second-largest volcano after Mount Agung. On our first trip to the island, we chose to climb it under a starry sky to watch the sunrise from the summit — the "easiest" of the island's volcano hikes.

✓ October 2019

✎ The site is part of the Batur UNESCO Global Geopark: the caldera, the lake and some fifteen villages shaped by thousands of years of volcanic activity. Our climb dates from October 2019, and some rules have changed since — they're flagged throughout the article.

Mount Batur

01With or without a guide?

In 2019 it was still an open question. Access to the volcano is controlled by the local guides' association, and trying to go up alone could turn ugly: tourists were seen as walking wallets, and many ended up paying 250,000 rupiah to "get through" with a guide anyway. Having looked into it, we went straight for the guided option — more relaxed, and always worthwhile for the information and the people you meet.

We chose the tour offered by Get Your Guide, an agency we'd already used several times without any problem.

✎ Today the question no longer arises: a guide is compulsory. Every climber must be accompanied by a guide registered with the local association, and the rule is checked at the trailheads. Without one, you'll be turned away or made to hire one on the spot. A proposal floated in 2023 to ban climbing on Bali's mountains altogether did not go ahead.

Our guided tour in 2019 / person€52

Group tour with transport, guide and breakfast, 2026≈ IDR 600,000 to 800,000

02What the tour includes

Transfers

Return trip between your hotel and the foot of the volcano. Pick-up is around 2am from the south of the island or Ubud.

Guide & equipment

Torch and bamboo walking stick provided, extra jackets on request — it's very cold at the base and at the top.

Breakfast at the summit

Tea or coffee, banana or egg sandwiches, cereal bars, water handed out before the start. A warung at the top for extra coffee. Many guides cook their eggs and bananas right in the steam venting from the volcano.

Coffee plantation

A tasting stop on the way back — teas and coffees, including the famous Luwak.

✎ About Luwak coffee. It's made from beans eaten and then excreted by the civet. Originally the beans were gathered in the wild; today much of the production relies on civets kept in cages and force-fed coffee cherries. On site, the animals shown to tourists often live in those conditions. Nothing obliges you to taste it or buy it.

03How the climb goes

1st hour

Easy going

Fairly flat, an easy path

2nd hour

The hard part

Steep climb over stones and sand — watch your ankles

At the top

Sunrise

About an hour on the summit, wandering the paths, with volcanic steam escaping here and there

Heading back

The descent

Trickier than the climb: volcanic sand and loose stones rolling underfoot — this is where your knees do the work

Ascent1h45 - 2h30

At the summit≈ 1h

Descent1h - 1h30

Whole trip, pick-up to drop-off≈ 2am - 11am

✎ Don't underestimate the cold despite Bali's usual heat — a scarf and a warm jumper are essential. At the summit before sunrise it's between 10 and 15°C, and the wind makes it feel colder.

✎ Go in the dry season, April to October. From November to March the summit is often wrapped in cloud, and you can climb for two hours in the dark only to see nothing. The descent on wet gravel is also noticeably more slippery.

Once at the top, all that's left is to take in what nature offers. On a clear day the view reaches Lake Batur below and Mount Agung to the east — and sometimes as far as Mount Rinjani, on the neighbouring island of Lombok. The volcanic steam, visible and even detectable by smell as you get close, makes the moment all the more memorable.

Sunrise

+Good to know

The hot springs

Several tours offer to finish with a soak in the hot springs on the shore of Lake Batur, for an extra fee. After the descent, it's a real reward for the legs.

A gentler option

If the climb worries you, jeep tours drive up to a viewpoint with no hiking, and others combine the jeep with an hour's walk to the summit.

Bali's tourist levy

Since February 2024, foreign visitors have to pay an island entry levy of 150,000 rupiah, online before arrival or at the airport. It comes on top of the Indonesian visa on arrival.

Cash

Bring rupiah in cash: the summit warung, tips for your guide and the hot springs rarely take cards.

+My verdict

Was it worth the 2am alarm? Yes, without a doubt.

The climb is manageable without much fitness — you don't need to be a seasoned hiker to reach the summit. The one thing worth planning is a good pair of shoes: the descent on volcanic sand is unforgiving on smooth soles.

The view and the experience are well worth the effort, not to mention the people you meet along the way, from fellow climbers to your guide.