The sunrise trek to the summit of Mount Batur volcano (1717m) is one of Bali's top-rated attractions, and hundreds of people make this trek every day during the peak tourist season. It is a two-hour hike that is also suitable for families with children. However, we thought Batur was too touristy and easy for us and posed little of a challenge. Plus, compared to Bali's other volcanoes, it's not too high either; after all, you can find ten other higher peaks here.
So we decided to climb the highest, holiest, and most challenging volcano - the majestic Mount Agung, or Gunung Agung in Balinese, with a height of 3031 meters. But since we are not experienced mountaineers, we chose the shortest possible climb of about four hours (+ the same time back), which starts at the temple of Pura Pasar Agung near the village of Sebudi and ends at the crater of the volcano at an altitude of about 2860 meters. It is, therefore, not the highest point of the volcano. We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but as it turns out, even this route is "crazy."
The Way to the Top
Of course, you can also go to the volcano's summit (3031m), but the journey is two hours longer (about six hours up and six hours down). As a reward, you'll get a 360° view of Bali (if you're lucky with the weather) and a better feeling that you've been to the highest point on the island.
Why We Chose to Climb Now
As we wrote in a different blog post, activities on Bali's volcanoes are threatened by a possible upcoming ban. So we didn't want to miss out on this activity and regret not doing it sooner. According to some information from the guides themselves, the law with the ban may come during September 2023. However, it is also possible that there will be no law after all, and we will be able to enjoy the Balinese volcanoes without any problems in the future.
Facts About the Route
Before we describe the actual climb up the volcano and what you can expect from it, let's list a few facts about the route itself to give you an idea:
Starting altitude: 1560 metres above sea level.
Target altitude: 2860 masl (crater)
Total elevation gain: 1300 meters
Distance (aerial) between start and finish: 2600 meters
As you can see from this data, for every meter of distance, you have to climb 50cm in altitude, which equates to a very steep 50% climb. You don't follow the contours to the top of Agung, but almost straight up, but more on that later.
The Beginning of the Trek
The sunrise trek starts at the parking lot of the Pura Pasar Agung temple, where groups of trekkers have been converging since about midnight. You can buy small snacks at the stall and warm up with tea or Balinese coffee. Most groups set off between 1:00 and 2:00 am. The guides don't like to go earlier because it's "too cold" up there, and they don't want to unnecessarily prolong the wait for sunrise. We went up as the second to last group of two people with one guide at 2 am. Groups of four or more must have at least two guides.
💡 Interesting fact: Approximately 25 - 30 people, + an adequate number of guides, walk this route daily. So, it is not a mass trek, as in the case of Batur. On average, 2-4 adventurers per day venture to the very top. We counted about 50 people (including guides) on the summit during our ascent.
Equipped with headlamps and trekking poles, we set off at the stroke of 2 am from the car park up the stairs to the gate of the Pura Pasar Agung temple, where the guide placed a small offering, lit incense sticks, and we were able to walk along the temple to start the actual climb. So I must say that even on the steps to the temple, I could feel my feet and got a little out of breath, but as it turned out, it was just that my body was not warmed up to "operating temperature."
We passed the temple from the left side and headed into the complete darkness of the deep jungle. As we realized later, the night was extremely dark as it was the eve of the new moon. So there was no moon in the sky to light our way. At least we had a beautiful view of the stars (for now).
The first part of the trek is a steep climb through the jungle with a clay surface and occasional rocks, where tree roots form the natural steps. Don't expect any artificial stairs or paths here. Expect only what nature has created through water erosion over thousands of years. The "stairs" are tens of centimeters high in some places, so you must hold on to the surrounding trees. We try to follow closely behind the guide and step in his footsteps so we don't have to think unnecessarily about where to step. He hikes it six times weekly, so we trust him 100% in route selection. And I have to say, this strategy is excellent and proved to work up and then down.
First Break and...
The guide stops 45 minutes later and 400m above sea level (1960m), placing a few scented sticks in the next offering. He offers us a fried banana and refreshes himself. A moment of rest came in handy, and after about five minutes, we could continue. After a while, I asked the guide, "Do you also go in the rain?" He replied, "No, it's too slippery and dangerous." We continued, and less than ten minutes into this conversation, it started to drizzle, and the wind started to blow. I felt like we were walking through a cloud. The rain intensified, and I expected the guide to end the trek and turn us back. This didn't happen, and we continued with calm towards the summit.
Where the Jungle Ends, the Rocks Begin
After about two hours, the jungle slowly begins to recede, and the surface changes from dirt and rocks to pure rock with sharp and loose stones. We never took more than two steps in a row on the flat surface during the entire climb. The climb is relentless, and with each step, it occupies the whole body, most of all the thighs, which bear the most weight during the ascent. This is probably why my friend is starting to feel the onset of quadriceps cramps, and from this point on, we are forced to rest lightly and stretch his legs about every 20 minutes. Although physically fit, he is not used to this movement (he does not train squats, for example).
Don't Look Up!
We've been "on the way" for about three hours, and it's still raining and windy. The combination of a sweaty shirt and a wet sweatshirt from the rain and wind is uncomfortable. However, we concentrate on each step and don't think about anything else. This helps us to keep going. If you decide to go to Agung, this tool may help you, too. Don't believe you can walk to the top? Don't look how far it is to the finish line. Focus only on the next step. Then the next one. You still have enough strength for the next step. And certainly don't look up where you can see the tiny lights of the group ahead in the pitch-black darkness. The fact that the group is in front of you is acceptable, but the fact that they appear to be directly above you at a huge height, and you have no idea how to get that high, doesn't add to your optimism. :). But if you have enough strength and no doubts about your performance, look up; it's an interesting sight.
A Merciful Lie
At some point in our ascent, the guide tells us we have the last 30 minutes to the summit. Although we didn't ask, we were pleased with the information. We still had plenty of strength. At that moment, we pass a resting young couple in which the girl is clearly at the end of her strength and crying. The young man and the guide console her, and we only hear the guide's words from afar: "Just the last ten minutes, and we are at our destination." Spoiler alert: They both made it to the top.
At the Top
In three hours and 45 minutes, we arrived at the crater's rim. The feeling of climbing the volcano was worth it. It's 5:45 in the morning; the wind is blowing. Fortunately, it's not raining anymore. About 45 other adventurers, including the guides, gathered around a blazing fire, trying to warm up. Here, we would like to express our appreciation to those guides who carried a significant amount of wood to the top, allowing us to warm up a bit. While waiting for the sun to rise, we were offered a small snack of bread, eggs, tea, coffee, and again fried banana.
It started to get light, but the sunrise was hidden behind the clouds. The fog is thick around us, and we cannot see the other side of the crater or the crater itself. The view is practically nil. Visibility is 100 meters at most.
We're waiting to see if the wind can help blow the clouds away. After about half an hour, we can see the sun through the clouds, unfortunately, only for two minutes. Then it disappears again. We decided to wait even longer and spend an hour at the crater. However, the weather stubbornly stood its ground, and we were getting cold thanks to standing still, wind, low temperature, and still wet clothes.
The Way Down
To warm up, we made our way down. It was the same route we took, except we didn't need headlamps and could see exactly which way we had climbed before. And quite frankly, if we could have seen our surroundings on the way up, we probably wouldn't have finished the climb.
I guess the words of my friend said it best, "I'm surprised more people aren't dying here." The sharp rocks, the loose rocks that once in a while break loose and roll down on the group below you, the steep cliffs 100 meters down just a few steps from the "path" we took don't add much to the feeling of safety. All topped off with places you can't walk down and have to ride your butt down. Or sections where you have to tread just a few square inches and rely on them to keep you (...alive). We joked that we had to activate "goat mode" :)
Unfortunately, these feelings and the slope of the terrain are hard to convey in text and photos, and again, the experience is non-transferable.
Our trekking poles benefitted the descent, acting as two more legs and footholds on the way down. The advantage is that you can wedge their tips into the smallest crevice between the stones, where it would be challenging to get your whole foot, and you will significantly relieve your knees because you will transfer a large part of the weight to the upper half of the body. In addition, you don't have to hold on to rocks or branches with your hands and risk unnecessary injury.
During the first half hour of the descent, the weather calmed down, and there was already good visibility at the top of the volcano. Below us, however, a thick layer of clouds prevented any view of the island.
The roughly two-hour descent down is on a rocky surface often covered with loose rocks of various sizes that like to slip. Again, you must concentrate 100% on every step to avoid falling or twisting your ankle. We take a break quite often to relieve our bodies, admire our surroundings, and take photos. Other trekkers pull out the drone or refresh themselves.
Endless Jungle
Greenery, bushes, and trees slowly start to join the stone surface. The path looks like a rocky riverbed in some places. Lava fields and streams of cool lava are often seen around us. The volcano here looks majestic and epic. You do feel tiny here.
By this time, we were beginning to feel considerable fatigue, but the vision of the jungle ahead made us think we couldn't be far away. We were. Unfortunately, by this point, we felt like the fatigue was growing exponentially with each step. In addition, the terrain was not smoother, and the individual steps were getting higher. This also increases the strain on our already exhausted legs and arms.
We retrospectively rate this part as the most challenging part of the trek. The jungle seemed endless to us. With every step, we searched the temple walls from the beginning of the hike. The others and I agree that we don't remember walking up through the jungle for this long. We feel like we are taking a different and longer route. The guide assures us that the path is the same. It's just our tiredness and the time of day that distorts reality. Fortunately, further down the road, we entertain ourselves with discussions on exciting topics, making us focus less on our sore legs and strained arms.
The path slowly changes from rocks to choked dirt, and tree roots replace the stone steps you must sometimes jump down. Compared to the stones, the soft ground relieves the feet. The more frequent sections where you no longer have to concentrate on each step fully are delightful. At least we can take in more of the nature around us, the sounds of birds, the rustling trees, and the views of the clouds below.
After four hours of descending, we can finally see the temple walls and declare, "We survived!". Quite honestly, I can say that if the last part of the jungle had been an hour shorter, I probably would have enjoyed it more overall. Still, we were flooded with a sense of triumph and the feeling of having conquered the highest volcano on the island that is our home. In front of the temple, after changing into dry clothes, we laid down on the grass and enjoyed a few minutes of gazing at the island in the distance without having to move.
Once you've climbed up Agung (and successfully made your way down), you'll never look at it with the same eyes whenever you see it in the distance. It will no longer be just a "hill on the horizon" for you. It will forever be associated with the experiences you had while climbing it. And it's worth it!
What we recommend for equipment and to wear (take with you):
Good quality trekking ankle boots (rocks are sharp)
Trekking poles (without them, the ascent and especially the descent is much more difficult)
Quick-drying trousers, sweatshirt, and light jacket
Raincoat that allows you to move well
Water (ideally 2 litres/person)
Small snacks, e.g., chocolate, etc.
Towel
Dry clothes to change into after the trek
Put everything with you in a waterproof backpack or plastic bag.
Other recommendations for the climb:
Tie your shoes well before the climb. It will prevent your toes from hitting the front of the shoe on the descent and subsequent unnecessary pain.
Trekking poles significantly improve stability on the way up and help spread the load over the upper half of the body as well. On the other hand, you don't have to hold onto branches and rocks with your hands on the way down, but lean on the trekking poles and relieve your knees of the strain.
Are you inspired by this article and interested in climbing Agung Volcano?
If you also decide to do it, we add the WhatsApp contact of the guide who accompanied us: +62 853 3782 4005. The cost for the climb was IDR 450,000/person (USD 30) and included the rental of trekking poles, headlamps, and small snacks during the trek and at the summit in the form of fried banana, tea, coffee, boiled eggs, and toasted bread.
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