One of the things on my bucket list for Bali, was climbing a volcano. Volcano Agung was going to erupt anytime soon (September 2017), so some parts of Bali were closed for tourists. I went to a couple of tour operators in Ubud to inform myself if it was safe to climb another volcano. Mount Batur is situated at a safe distance and from the top you’d have a great view on Mount Agung, so it was a go for me!
There are a lot of touroperators with an office in Ubud. I booked the “Mount Batur Sunrise Trekking” with Puji Sunrise Trekking. This is also how I booked an amazing mountain bike tour from the foot of Mount Batur to Ubud. Read more about the mountain bike tour in this blog.
Very early wake-up call
At 1:30 am my alarm woke me and at 2:00 am a minivan from Puji Sunrise Trekking picked me and some other hikers up from my hotel. After a very early breakfast with coffee and pancakes, we departed to the start of the hike to the top of volcano Mount Batur.
We had to reach the top before sunrise, so we climbed the steep mountain for a couple of hours. It was pitch black, only our torches gave some light. On the left you can see the string of torches slowly climbing the mountain. Eventually, the sky turned a little bit lighter and we reached the top.
There was a cool breeze at the top, but wearing a couple layers of clothes, waiting in the cold wasn’t too bad. The guides gave us a boiled egg as a warm snack at the top. It wasn’t just a boiled egg: they boiled the egg using the incredibly hot steam of the volcano we walked on. It made us realize we were climbing a real volcano.
Dawn
The reward from Mother Nature
And then we saw a small light at the horizon; sunrise started… What a magical experience!!! The view at Mount Agung, Mount Rinjani at Lombok in the background and the sun slowly rising and shining a new light on the earth… Indescribable.
Mother Nature rewarded us with a stunning sunrise. The sun reflected beautifully on the misty Batur Lake and the almost erupting Agung volcano. You could see the smoke circling from Mount Agung (the highest mountain in the shadow of the photo), which indicated that Agung was very active at that moment. Fortunately, Mount Agung didn’t erupt this time. I really didn’t want to miss this magical sunrise!
Obviously, before we went down again we had to take pictures, with the monkeys watching us closely. The guides gave us plenty of time to do that.
The monkey king on his throne 
Monkeys catching some sun 
Praying at the top 
Evidence: 1.717 meter 
View of the crater on the way down 
Posing with the monkeys 
The crater
We were glad that we hadn’t seen how narrow and steep the path has been. When you’re going down you’ll be confronted with that and it makes you very conscious of that. Be aware where to place your feet when you’re going down, but also take some time to look at the breathtaking landscape around you.
Cat-poo-chino & Tegalalang rice fields
Before returning to our hotels to take some well-deserved rest, we had two more stops: first at the coffee plantation I’d already been the day before and second at the famous Tegalalang rice fields. The coffee plantation Satria Agrowisata was fine (we really craved for coffee after the hike), but I think the tour guides at the plantation gave the explanation too many times, because it was not very spontaneous. This region is known for the very expensive Kopi Luwak: the coffee cherries they use to make the coffee are first eaten, digested and defecated by the civet cat (enjoy!). This gives the coffee its unique taste and makes the coffee rather expensive. If you want to taste Kopi Luwak here, you’ll have to pay a little extra.
Although it was very crowded with tourists, the beauty of the Tegalalang rice fields really impressed me. But I’d advise you to go here by yourself from Ubud, so you have enough time to walk around and you’re not exhausted from the hike.
Tegalalang rice fields
Cat-Poo-Chino 
Coffee bean roasting 
Enough coffee and tea for 1 person 
Civet cat 
Só green! 
Cliché Bali photo
Puji Sunrise Trekking
I booked this tour one day in advance at the office of Puji Sunrise Trekking in Ubud. I liked this tour operator most. It’s a great organization, the guides are very professional and fun (hiking up, but also helpful on the way down) and the price is very reasonable.
Puji Sunrise Trekking:
Address: Jl.Bisma No.28, Ubud, Bali, 80571
Phone: +62 819-9930-5933
Whatsapp: +62 819-9930-5933
Facebook (the website of Puji Sunrise Trekking doesn’t have content)
Price: 350.000 Rp per person (about 20 euro)Satria Agrowisata (koffieplantage):
Address: Jl. Raya Kintamani, Manukaya, Tampaksiring, Kabupaten Ginyar, Bali 80552
Website: https://satria-agrowisata.business.site/ (only in Indonesian)Price: free when it’s part of Mount Batur trekking or the mountainbike tour. You’ll have to pay a little extra if you want to taste the Kopi Luwak.
Packing list:
- Warm clothes; Bring some warm clothes for this trip! When you start the hike at the foot of Mount Batur you’re not aware that it can become very cold at the top because of the strong wind. If you arrive early at the top, you’ll have to wait a while before the sun rises and warm you. I wore some layers and brought a light jacket to wear at the top;
- Head torch; it keeps your hand free to climb. I bought mine at Decathlon;
- Sunscreen; for the way down;
- Water!
- Muesli bars or other snacks when you get hungry.
Click on the links below for my other blogs about Bali:
- Week 1: Surf and yoga retreat on Nusa Lembongan
- Week 2: Ubud – The cultural, culinary and green heart of Bali
- Week 3: Gili T, Uluwatu and Canggu – Partying, diving and surfing
Click here to read more about travelling in Asia.
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