CLIMBING AN ACTIVE VOLCANO: MOUNT BATUR, BALI
During our holiday in Ubud, Bali we had heard that there was an active volcano close by to where we were staying. What we didn't know was that if you are up to the challenge, you could climb this volcano and once we knew this tidbit we headed straight to the concierge and booked the sunrise volcano trek up Mount Batur.
Panorama of Mount Batur
Mount Batur is located in East Bali and rises to 5,633 feet. Even though we were located in Ubud you can still do the tour if you are staying in Kuta or Seminyak, however this would mean an earlier wake up call and longer drive to the region.
At 1.30am (yes you read that right - this is an early tour) a car picked us up from our hotel and after half an hour drive we stopped at a local cafe (which was attached to the back of a house) for a morning coffee and banana pancakes to prepare us for the climb. Another short drive later we were taken to the base of Mt. Batur and each given a torch, a packed breakfast, (which consisted of 1 egg, 1 banana and 1 piece of bread) and allocated a tour guide to begin our hike.
view from mt batur
The first half of our trek was relaxing due to a cool breeze and an easy flat path through a long grassed field which was complimented with breathtaking views of the stars. However, the second half was not so easy, we started climbing the volcano and the hike became very steep and rocky which meant we had to be really careful with every step we took.
Note: we aren't the fittest people, but we wouldn't define ourselves as unfit, a bit from column A and B. The guide was understanding and allowed our group to stop a number of times to catch our breath before continuing on, we also all worked together to help pull each other up the rocky ascent.
A picture of the sunrise at Mount Batur
A picture of the sunrise on top of Mt Batur in Ubud
Sweat, hunger and a few hours later we reached the top and boy did the adrenaline kick in and help us complete our 3 hour hike - we had made it!
It's hard to explain the feeling we had standing at the top of this beautiful volcano overlooking the mountain ranges and valleys below it. After the strenuous climb, we agreed that we deserved a nice hot drink, so we purchased a hot chocolate to celebrate as we sat together and enjoyed the beautiful sunrise.
hot chocolate
A picture on top of Mount Batur in Ubud
I don't think we have ever felt such a sense of physical accomplishment.
Tour Details
Price: $50 each + $3 for the hot chocolate
Time: 3 hours climbing up and 2.5 hours climbing back.
Total Tour Time: 8-9 hours including driving, climbing and enjoying the views.
Booking: We booked the tour through our concierge at our Hotel.
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