Climbing Batur volcano and hot springs, Bali. Batur - how we climbed an active volcano, Bali, Indonesia Independent ascent to Batur

Independent ascent on famous volcano Batur, which is located on the island of Bali, is one of the most popular topics among Russian travelers. Scrolling through forums and groups about Bali, I keep seeing questions about how to bypass the ubiquitous guides and get to the volcano without paying a penny, especially since climbing Batur is officially free, and a guide is provided upon request.

Briefly about our ascent to Batur volcano in 2016: fleeing from angry Balinese at night on bikes along the serpentine road, sticks and brooms flying in our direction, cooking sausages in the crater of the volcano, falling off a bike, mega-speed running up the volcano, walking along the edge the volcano and, finally, meeting the dawn on Batur - this is what we actually got up for at 2 am and sawed across the entire island for several hours.

What you need to know about Batur volcano
Tracking
Our adventures
Weather, useful things and what to take with you

1. What you need to know about Batur

The climb to the first place where you can see the sunrise takes 20-40 minutes depending on your speed. Then 1 hour - rise to the very high point(1717 m). Then an hour-long walk along the edge of the volcano crater and a descent down a different route, which will take 1.5 hours. We constantly stopped, took photographs and simply admired the beauty, so we covered the distances much slower :) But at a normal pace everything should be exactly like this. The ascent and descent are steep at times, but quite manageable, just wear sneakers.
Batur or Gunung Batur is a caldera and the volcano of the same name in this caldera, located in the northeast of the island of Bali (see map above). A caldera is a huge basin formed after the ground subsided, releasing lava through a volcano. Volcano Batur now reaches a height of 1717 meters.
Tourists are allowed to walk along the edge of the Batur volcano. From it you can see Lake Batur, the edge of the inner and outer caldera (which is covered with clouds in the morning) and 2 neighboring volcanoes.

2. Tracking

Maria and Alexey Glazunov have an excellent track map, the entire route is outlined there. Here you can download this map to your phone. We buy an Indonesian SIM card, download the track map, install the application and you are ready to conquer the volcano!

3. Our adventures

If you, like us, live in Bali in the Canggu area, then in order to see the sunrise on Batur, you need to leave at 2 am. If you live in Nusa Dua and others southern resorts, then leave 15 minutes earlier. We went in a big group on bikes, made clear rules about who was following whom, so as not to get lost on the poorly lit streets of Bali at night, and set off. The ride was quite cool, it was good that we were dressed warmly. By the way, I will write about what time of year to take what clothes at the end of the article. Read it, it's important. The first sign that the trip promises to be memorable for us for a long time was waiting for us around a sharp turn, illuminated by a lone lantern - one of our bikes slipped on the rubble and fell. The guy was seriously injured, but his companion had exactly 1 scratch. Apparently, Batur was waiting for this girl to visit him unharmed, otherwise how can one explain the fact that the man simply magically landed next to the bike on the bare asphalt as if on a down pillow? After treating the wounds, we moved on.

Then another bike began to run out of gas. It’s night outside, even if you poke your eyes out, the gas stations are behind you, not a single living soul is around. Things would be very bad if this were not Asia - there is a 24-hour tourist assistance service represented by the local population. Having found out where they sold gasoline during the day, our guys knocked on the house of the shop owners and asked them to open a couple of hours earlier, that is, right now. And the owners immediately opened up and literally saved our trip right in their pajamas. Without taking a penny above the required amount and treating the wounded man’s wounds for free, they joyfully waved after us. Still, Asians who do not work in the tourism sector never tire of surprising us with their responsiveness.

Full of anticipation, we began to approach the ascent point to Batur. Here, out of the darkness, a Balinese man on a bike joins us and, right as we go, begins to tell us how much we need him - after all, he is a guide, and without a guide you can’t go to the volcano. In fact, it is possible and we can easily move on. And then we are ambushed - the non-tourist trail leading to Batu, which Masha and Lyosha Glazunov wrote about, is blocked by several bikes, and the most interesting thing - by evil guides. Really angry, and careless, as we found out in a second. They were indignant that we did not respect them because we did not want to hire them, they shouted and waved their hands. We stand silent. To make things even more interesting, the guides began to tear out branches from their hut, break them on their knees and swing them with force, throwing them at our bikes. We stand silent. Having overdone it in breaking down their hut, the guides touched the flimsy wiring and plunged their point of intimidation of tourists into complete darkness. I wrote above that they are careless, right?)) Realizing that it was impossible to come to an agreement with these guys and since they were ready to dismantle their own property into pieces, we turned around and drove away to discuss on the sidelines the whole comical nature of this situation. But the guides were not simple, they chased after us and then the race on the serpentines began - will we break away from these gopniks or not? They didn’t break away, they continued to guard us, driving at a safe distance. Deciding that Batur was worthy of our attention and it would be stupid to leave with nothing, we had no choice but to go to the official ticket sales station.

Let me tell you right away - we made the right decision :)

There were 9 of us, according to the rules at the official station, 1 guide is issued for 4 people at a cost of 400,000 Indonesian rupees for four. So basically we need 3 guides and we had to pay a total cost of IDR 1,200,000. The guys somehow agreed with other Balinese, who were very kind, for 1 guide for a total cost of 900,000 rupees, so each of us gave only 100,000. Indonesian rupiah

We were given 1 guide and we rode our bikes up off-road, almost falling from time to time and not understanding how you could destroy the road so badly and let people who had just paid you on it at night.

After reading all this, you might think that our mood has worsened. Not at all. I was even glad about this adventure, because for the first time we see such deliberately aggressive behavior of local residents, accompanied by theatrical gestures and staged phrases. And everything that happens for the first time is always interesting.

After 10 minutes off-road, we reached a more or less good road, which also went up. It would be a bit difficult to get there on a weak bike, so make sure your bike is in good condition before going.

Leaving the bikes behind, we finally went on foot. More precisely, they ran. Dawn is about to begin, and we are still at the foot of the volcano!

How we ran, how we were in a hurry, how my legs were shaking from tension, all this was unforgettable - we just took off up the volcano! With a wide smile on our faces, wild eyes and gasping for air, we arrived at the perfect spot to watch the sunrise.

There were already a lot of people there. But no one bothered anyone.

Selfie sticks, where would we be without them :)

Clouds hanging in the Batur caldera.

Volcano Batur is active: tremors occur and fumarole smoke rises from cracks in the craters. We didn't feel any shocks, but we saw plenty of smoke. The presence of smoke indicates the final extinction of the Batur volcano, or at least its transition to an intermediate stage between eruptions.

In general, the volcano should not be boiling in the near future, which is why tourists are allowed to visit it. The last significant ash release occurred in 1999-2000. In 2011, there was a release of sulfur dioxide, due to which many fish died in Lake Batur.

After half an hour's rest, the guide took us higher. In fact, there are so many people on Batur after dawn that it is simply impossible not to understand where to go. After all, there is only one road, so we could do it just fine ourselves. The stones turned to sand and the early birds, already descending from the top, slid along the sand, falling every now and then. Someone fell, and then sat for a long time, they say, that’s how I originally planned to just rest on the ground))

Having risen a little higher, we came across a camp. Prudent Europeans climbed here yesterday afternoon and set up camp. It's a clever idea.

The Europeans set up camp right in the territory of the monkeys, who, unlike ordinary monkeys, begged not for food, but for water. How greedily they drank from the bottles, you had to see it! They already organized a whole line.

And then we saw a faint smoke coming straight from the ground. We descend a little into the crater to find out what’s going on, and then it dawns on us - this is volcanic steam coming from the very depths of the earth! If you put your hand in the hole, it gets oh so hot. Unforgettable feelings.

We climb a little higher, it gets hot, we take a breath and see in the distance the camp we had just left. On the left are clouds above the caldera. Breathtaking!

Higher and higher and higher.

We quickly reach the transfer point.

A cozy bench, isn't it? And what a view, mmm...

I don't understand those who run around very quickly beautiful places, having time to see a lot of things in 1 day. A bunch of people were already running down in a hurry. For what? For me, it’s better to visit a few places, but remember them, leave them in your heart and remember everything in person, and not from quickly captured camera pictures.

Neighboring volcanoes are Agung and Abang. I would forever admire how the clouds envelop them.

I didn't want to go anywhere.

But the guys said that ahead of us was a walk along the edge of the Batur volcano! And this means that it’s time to cut forward.

We walked quite a bit and came across an observation deck, where we could order something to eat and drink tea. Tea prepared with hot volcanic steam sounds luxurious, doesn't it?

But even more luxurious is to cook an exotic lunch for yourself: sausages in a jar, boiled over hot steam. When they once again tell me that I am living wrong, I will remember this moment: you go down a little into the crater of a volcano, put a can of sausages and in a couple of minutes they are ready. Damn it, I want to cook sausages in the crater of a volcano, and not in the kitchen of a Khrushchev!

Having refreshed ourselves, we finally went for a walk along the edge of the volcano’s crater. Yoohoo!

Sometimes the edge was very sharp. It tickled my nerves pleasantly.

But most often the path was quite simple.

Big caldera. I didn’t even know such words before. And now I can proudly say that I saw a large caldera - a basin of volcanic origin. I not only saw it, but also walked inside it, along the edge of the volcano crater. Ugh.

An hour later the gradual descent began. We returned to our bikes. But we would take a detour so as not to repeat the route.

It was already getting very hot, we were all covered in volcanic dust, but the smiles, although tired, did not leave our faces.

4. Weather, useful things and what to take with you

We were at the foot of the volcano at 6 am. Dawn at 6.30. We were supposed to arrive at 4 in the morning, we left on time, but, as you know, we didn’t manage to arrive on time. Therefore, we did not need warm clothes; we climbed when it was already more or less warm. If you don’t want to climb the volcano at the speed of light to see the sunrise, as we did, then you need to be at the foot at 4.00. And at this time it is cold, so take a warm jacket with you.

Raincoat. Firstly, it is from the rain (cap), and secondly, from the cold wind.
Comfortable shoes.
A first aid kit with the most minimal set: peroxide, bandage, tourniquet, plasters.
Flashlight.
Water and snack.
Phone with maps.me and a tracking map from Alexey and Maria Glazunov.
Navigator or compass, if available.

Before climbing Mount Batur, take a look latest reviews on TripAdvisor. There may be current advice and impressions.

By the way, after the climb, on the way home, we stopped at a cafe and there was a magical view from the window. The cafe is easy to find; it will be on the right along the highway.

And finally, a few photos of our group from

Volcano Batur is one of the most attractive places on the island of Bali.

Firstly, the very fact that this is not just a mountain, but a volcano is already attractive; after all, this is not very typical for residents of the European part of Russia.

Secondly, climbing to the top is a curious, interesting and, to some extent, even sporting activity.

Thirdly, from Batur there are beautiful views of the surrounding area and, fourthly, with all the advantages, the top of the volcano is, on the one hand, not so easy to access to climb it without breaking a sweat, and on the other hand, the climb is not so difficult, to deny yourself this pleasure. And finally, even if you came to Bali solely for a relaxing holiday, then after a night climb, you can return to Bali by lunchtime. In general, Volcano Batur is good for everyone - not a landmark, but a fairy tale :)

Gunung Batur is active volcano, 1717 meters high. Its last eruption occurred in 1964, and a very powerful release of ash (to a height of 300 m) in 2000. In some places, jets of hot steam shoot upward from the surface of the volcano, which reminds of its activity and this is one of the entertainments for tourists - you can boil eggs in the jets of steam, if you take the precaution to take them with you (although, of course, you can buy them at the top).

Included excursion group by purchasing a tour from any travel agency (for example). The cost of the tour varies from 350 thousand rupees to 1,000,000 rupees ($25-75), depending on the size of the group and conditions. The price includes transfer to the volcano, guide services, breakfast, and sometimes a visit to the hot springs.
Come to the volcano on your own and use the services of local guides. The cost of a guide starts from 500 thousand rupees (~$40) and can be reduced after persistent bargaining. One guide accompanies a group of no more than 4 people.
Explore the route, come to the foot of the volcano and climb to the top on your own. Lately this can be dangerous, see end of article.

Of course, we didn’t even consider the first two options and wanted to climb on our own, but it turned out that there were several issues that complicated this.

The most interesting thing is to climb to the top at night. Firstly, you can see the sunrise, and secondly, the walk is not as hot as during the day. But at the same time, if during the day, with a strong desire, you can climb simply by moving in the direction of the top, then at night, without knowing the road, this is not easy to do.

Guides on the Batur volcano

One of the biggest difficulties is not the darkness and natural obstacles, but the people, or rather the local guides. And if for tourists coming to Bali, climbing the Batur volcano is entertainment, then for local residents it is business. A well-established, profitable and very aggressive business.

There is a certain organization HPPGB, which has a monopoly on climbing to the top of Batur with guides, and any organized tour will include the cost of a guide from HPPGB. At the same time, these guides insist that independent ascent to Batur volcano is prohibited and try in every possible way to prevent attempts to climb without them.

In general, of course, their actions are illegal, but solid arguments that foreigners could present to a group of aggressive locals shaking “official” crusts in front of their noses and hinting at the punctured tires of your car/bike are not easy to find.

The main location of the guides is in the parking lot, next to the point from which the path leads to the main climb. Once in this place and in the sight of the guides, it is almost impossible to get rid of them.

When we tried to climb for the first time, a motorcycle with a guide followed our car, and after we parked on the north side of Batur, several people appeared near the car, with whom we butted heads for about half an hour, after which they, as expected, They hinted that we, of course, could go upstairs ourselves, but the car remains downstairs unattended, so no one guarantees its safety.

Thus, it is, of course, possible to break past the guides head-on; they are unlikely to physically grab you and not let you in, but leaving vehicles in their area of visibility is not safe. Those. you need to either leave the car/bike somewhere out of their sight and approach the beginning of the route on foot, or not come into their sight at all.

We did it the second way. Most groups start climbing around 4am to catch the sunrise at the summit. Firstly, we arrived earlier, around 2, and secondly, we didn’t start the climb from the main point, so even if there was someone on duty in the parking lot, we successfully slipped past him.

Volcano Batur – independent ascent

We climbed to the top of the Batur volcano in the company of friends - Sasha Alekseenko (lifewithoutdrugs.org) and Lyosha Pitalenko (pitalenko.livejournal.com) with my mother. Lyosha was climbing for the second time, so he acted as a guide.

We started our climb at about 2:30 and reached the top around 4:30. The length of the path was about 3 km, the elevation difference was 650 m. How to find the beginning of the route, as well as the coordinates of important points and the route track are at the end of the article.

We walked most of the way through the forest and in the dark, so there was nothing to photograph. The height, although small, is felt here by the whole body at night - the air temperature is quite low, so if it is not felt during an intense ascent, then at the top, blown by winds from all sides, and even without movement, it is quite cool before sunrise.

We got up early, there was no one at the top yet, so we spent an hour and a half in big tent, which was built by local traders, trying to stay warm, clinging to the wall, with natural heating - it is in this place that hot steam comes out to the surface of the volcano.
But then the sky began to clear and the horizon lit up with orange light

Clouds hanging in the Batur caldera became visible

And views of the neighboring volcanoes – Abang and Agung – opened up

The slopes of Batur were painted with dawn colors

And we, trying not to shake from the cold, pose in front of the camera

The sun's disk appeared above the sea

Illuminated with its light tourists admiring the sunrise

And an impromptu camp at the top

They say that on ordinary days at this time there is no crowd at the top, but we, in anticipation of good weather, accidentally chose the new moon for the ascent, and on this night, according to some Balinese traditions, it is not customary to climb the Batur volcano, so the people there was very little

The inner caldera is an open semi-ring, about 2 km long. We climbed up at the northern end and decided to walk along it to get down on the other side.

The trail leads along the edge to the opposite peak - exactly where the majority of tourists climb

At the top there are not only people, but also vigorous dogs who make daily ascents in the early morning

View of the caldera, from the other direction

The sun is already shining with all its might, but it’s not warming yet

Once again a view of Abang with Agung in the clouds

This is a site in the eastern part of the caldera that we did not go to.

Enjoying the views from the top

The edge here is very sharp, it’s better to go from below

Road going into the clouds

And again, two brothers - the volcanoes Abang and Agung, which from here seem almost identical, although they differ in height by 1000 m.

The path through the caldera captures impressive views on both sides

Visible in the distance, and below are traces of eruptions, black volcanic rock

We begin to descend

The large caldera is gradually covered by clouds

And the neighboring volcanoes are almost invisible

The cloud is slowly approaching us

The summit is behind

Sleepers are coming towards you

Lake Batur is visible below

And tourists looking at something in the distance

You can stop here

And drink something hot

Or even have a snack

It's us again :)

And of course, what would we do without hungry monkeys?

They feel as comfortable here as in

One even sits on Sasha’s shoulder

Oh, beauty!

You can continue your descent

Coniferous vegetation appears closer to the foot of the volcano

The area reminded us of Karelia

Low fir trees and rock

It's easy and fresh to breathe here

It's already hot downstairs, you might as well take off your clothes

And here is the transport that brought us to the volcano - Sashin Jimmy

Well group photo at last

After the volcano, on the recommendation of Lyosha Pitalenko, we drove up to observation deck, which offers stunning views of the Batur volcano

Here we met a Balinese woman selling herring for 3,000 rupees ($0.3) per kilogram - we have never seen anything cheaper. To celebrate, we collected several bags =)

Volcano Batur – how to climb it yourself (map)

In order not to attract the attention of guides, you can drive along the main road without turning towards the parking lot.
About 3 km after the fork, there will be a small road on the left going into the forest

And leading to Pura Tampurhyang Temple

Opposite this turn, on the right there is such a stand

A little further, there will be a right turn to the hot springs

The road leading to Pura Tampurhyang takes about 1 km. You can park not far from this hut, and then walk further (you can ride a bike further).

Update. A couple of years later we repeated the climb to Batur volcano. In principle, everything remained the same, the guides did not interfere with our climb and no one pestered us - the main thing is not to walk along tourist route. We climbed up joyfully and cheerfully =) The only thing is that on the way back we didn’t find the right path and went along another one.

Description of volcanoes and mountains

The island of Bali, like all of Indonesia, is part of the huge Pacific Ring of Fire. It is located at the point of contact between oceanic, island and continental lithospheric plates. The ring stretches from New Zealand, through Oceania, the east coast of Asia, Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands and West Coast Northern and South America. The belt is interrupted only off the coast of Antarctica, near the state of California in the USA and Vancouver in Canada.

In the region of the largest ocean on Earth there are three ocean plates - the Pacific itself and two small ones - Nazca and Cocos. The Indo-Australian, Philippine and Eurasian plates are also adjacent here. Oceanic plates gradually subduct under continental or island plates, since their density is higher. Sometimes it even sinks into the earth's mantle. This phenomenon is called subduction. It leads to the formation of active volcanoes where lithospheric plates interact, and earthquakes constantly occur here. Thus, 75% of all active volcanoes on our planet are located in the Pacific Belt of Fire and almost 90% of earthquakes are recorded.

Bali is located in the subduction zone of the Indo-Australian and Pacific plates under the Sunda plate (part of the Eurasian plate). At the bottom of the ocean, at the junction of lithospheric plates, the Sunda or Java Trench is formed with high seismic and volcanic activity. The geological age of the Bali mountains is relatively young (approximately 200-500 million years, some mountains were formed 20 million years ago). They belong to the Paleozoic, Mesozoic era, Neogene and Quaternary periods.

Now I will tell you about the volcanoes and mountains themselves.

General characteristics of mountains and volcanoes

The mountain range stretches from west to east, dividing the island into northern and southern parts, and significantly influences the climate. In the northern half it is dry, in the southern half it is wet. That's why in the south more rivers Agriculture has been developed, involving rice cultivation and irrigation. It is much colder in the mountains than on the plains. There is a lot of precipitation here and there are dense fogs. If you are going on an excursion to mountainous areas, bring warm clothes.

All mountains and volcanoes on the island can be characterized by the following parameters:

By height
On infrastructure development

1. Height

Here we can roughly distinguish three types:

More than 2,000 meters – 7 peaks
More than 1,000 meters, but less than 2,000 meters – 22 peaks
Less than 1,000 meters - the exact number is unknown, since this definition includes small hills and elevations that are difficult to count

All active volcanoes in Bali are over 1,000 meters high; the tallest of them is , its height is 3,142 meters. , which is located in the caldera of the Bratan volcano, is the second highest (2276 meters). occupies only 13th place among all peaks, its height is 1717 meters. On the edge of its caldera there is another peak, Abang. It is part of an old large volcano. The height of Abang is 215 2 meters.

2. Infrastructure:

Absent
Such peaks are rarely visited by tourists. Their slopes are overgrown with forest, there are almost no paths or they are difficult to climb. On the top or slope there may be small temples or altars, often dilapidated and rarely visited.

Poorly developed infrastructure
Most often such mountains are found in the north of the island. Near their foot there are always 1-2 villages, at the top there is a small temple. Sometimes on the slopes you can see rice terraces, coffee plantations, orchards. There are narrow roads and hiking trails, but the entire infrastructure is designed exclusively for local residents.

Well developed infrastructure
These are popular peaks among tourists, which are regularly climbed. There are well developed routes here. Near the foot you can find parking lots, cafes, restaurants, and hotels. Local guides offer guiding services. Also included in this category are mountains with large rice terraces and plantations. The infrastructure is also well developed near the large mountain temples, where pilgrims come from all over the island.

Specific characteristics of volcanoes

Almost all the mountains on the island were once volcanoes or formed on the slopes of calderas.

Now there are officially three real volcanoes:

There are some characteristics that can be attributed exclusively to volcanoes. All of them belong to the central type. This means that in the middle of the mountain there is a trench about 20 km deep (this is exactly the thickness of the lithospheric plate in this region). The lower part of the volcanic vent reaches the earth's mantle with magma, the upper part ends with an expansion - a crater. Some volcanoes may form additional craters.

Volcanoes can be classified according to the following criteria:

By activity
According to form
By number of craters
By type of post-volcanic phenomena

Below are detailed characteristics of volcanoes for each category.

1. By activity

Active - erupted within the last 3500 years
Dormant – eruptions occurred between 35,00 and 10,000 years
Extinct - have not erupted for more than 10,000 years

As I already said, there are two active volcanoes on the island - and. They are located in the province of Kintamani on east coast. The last eruption of Agung was recorded in 1963. Batur has been active three times in the last 100 years - in 1917, 1963 and 2000. The most destructive eruption occurred in 1917. The last activity of the volcano began in 2017. Read more about this in the section Volcano Agung - news.
The third volcano, Bratan, is considered extinct; the date of its last eruption is unknown. Most likely, it was several thousand years ago.

2. According to the form

Stratovolcanoes
Calderas

The stratovolcano is formed as a result of periodic eruptions; lava, ash and hot slag are deposited in layers on its slopes. The crater at the stratovolcano resembles a funnel with concave edges. Sometimes lava flows out of side cracks, and after it hardens, specific stone corridors are formed on the volcano.

A caldera is a negative landform. It is formed after multiple volcanic eruptions over a short period. Under its base, voids appear into which part of the earth's surface falls. Often part of the caldera fills with water, forming lakes. Calderas can be seen near the Batur and Bratan volcanoes. Moreover, the Batur caldera is considered one of the largest in the world.

3. By the number of craters

With one crater
With several craters

Mount Agung has one crater. And Batur has three. Bratan Volcano is a huge caldera, along the edge of which there are several peaks with the remains of old craters.

4. By type of post-volcanic phenomena

With fumaroles
With hot springs

Fumaroles are small cracks on the slopes of a volcano from which steam and gases escape. You can see them on Batur. The steam temperature is so high that you can easily cook food in them. There are hot springs in the Bratana caldera and near Batur.

Volcanoes largely determine the island's topography and soil composition. Thanks to their activities, lakes appeared here, fertile land that can produce 3-4 crops per year. Even the black and gray color of the sand on the beaches is associated with eruptions and emissions of volcanic ash.

Volcanoes and mountains on the map

RU. The gods split it into two peaks - and. Since that time, the island has turned from a desert into a fertile land suitable for human life. In part, this statement has its own logic, because, thanks to volcanic ash, the local soil became suitable for agriculture.

The Balinese believe that gods live on the mountain tops and come down to earth on major holidays. The most revered peak is Agung; on its slopes there is the sacred complex of Pura Besakih - “Mother of all temples”. The patron of the shrine is Shiva (in the Balinese version, Batara Mehadeva), personifying the masculine principle. There is also a temple near Batur, it is dedicated to the water goddess Devi Danu. In addition, there are small temples of local significance on almost every mountain.

For tourists, the volcanoes of Bali, like the local mountains, are, first of all, interesting and exciting climbing routes. Particularly beautiful views open from the peaks at dawn, when the first rays of the sun illuminate the island. The most popular routes among travelers are the routes to the craters and. In articles about these volcanoes you can get to know them in more detail.

Every time people ask me if it’s boring living for two months in Bali, I just shrug my shoulders. If Bali were an ordinary island, heavenly beaches, the perfect color of the water and palm trees framing all this splendor, may have died of melancholy within a week.
But how can it be boring when the island is so diverse? I will no longer sing the praises of Ubud, you already know everything :))

But when you live here, in the center of the island, only one and a half to two hours on a bike separates you from the ocean, with volcanic black sand and huge, kilometer-long beaches or, on the contrary, snow-white ones, sandwiched in tiny bays.

Or from volcanoes in the north, from mountain lakes and thermal springs on their shores.
This time my heart stayed right there.

As you know, there are a great many volcanoes in Indonesia. The fiery ring of the earth passes through here. Bali, of course, is no exception. We have it here sacred mountain Agung (a part-time active volcano), which is idolized by all locals, where deities live and which adds drama to absolutely any landscape, appearing majestically when the clouds clear. And since the mountain is not small, 3142 meters, and there are no high-rise buildings on the island, it is visible very often.

We are celebrating New Year 2016 in Bali again! We will be glad to see you at our bachelorette party!

The idea to climb volcano Batur(locals call it Gunung Batur) and meeting the sunrise there has been in my head for a long time. The only hindrance was the inability to climb there on our own without guides. On the Internet, I read a lot of the most terrible stories about how local guides did not allow us to climb the volcano and demanded some unrealistic money for accompanying us. Therefore, the trip required serious work in order to get there semi-legally.

Gunung Batur- an active volcano with a height of 1717 meters. At the top of the volcano there is a caldera (a relatively flat area inside the crater) measuring 13.8 x 10 kilometers. Inside the caldera there is Lake Batur (Danau Batur) is the largest volcanic lake in the world. Its size is 3 km wide and 8 km long. The caldera is also home to several villages, the most famous of which is Kintamani. Sometimes the entire caldera area is called the Kintamani area. The map below clearly shows Lake Batur and the crater of Mount Batur. You can also see dark areas to the southwest of the crater - these are traces of solidified lava.

There are essentially three options to get to the top of the volcano:

The easiest one is to buy a volcano climbing tour at any travel agency for 80-100 USD. This will include transporting you to the volcano, paying for a guide and possibly breakfast.
A more difficult option is to get to the parking lot at the foot of the volcano on your own and order the services of a guide. It will cost from 500 thousand Rp. or below as you negotiate. One guide leads a group of usually no more than 4 people.
The most difficult thing is to scout out a route bypassing the parking lot with guides, come and climb the volcano on your own.

We naturally chose the 3rd option because of the thrill. By the way, the climbs usually begin at night at 3-4 o’clock, depending on the starting point, so that by dawn (at about 5:00) you will be already at the top fully equipped.

We had to arrive a little earlier: we left Canggu, where we rented accommodation, by moped at 0:30. At about 2:30 in the morning we were already at the foot of the volcano and, armed with flashlights, a GPS navigator and a modest breakfast, we began the ascent. Our greatest fear was not the cold or the darkness, but rather that we might get caught by the local guides. Although we had never encountered them, we did not want this meeting at all.

After about 1 hour and 45 minutes we were already at the top of the northern side of the volcano. We had to wait for dawn. A few hours later the first glimpses of dawn began. This photo shows the huge Rijani volcano on the island of Lombok in the distance.

From here you can see from above the villages on the shores of Lake Batur, shrouded in clouds. The edges of the caldera break through the thick clouds

Solar glow in the sky. Dawn is coming soon.

The peaks of two volcanoes, Abang and Agung, are visible. From here they seem almost the same although the difference in altitude is about 1000 meters.

Dawn has begun. A stunningly beautiful sight. The sun appeared from behind the peaks of Rajani.

The sun rises straight up in a matter of minutes...

... and illuminates the edges of the caldera.

And everything else around.

The shadow of the Batur volcano decreases every second as the sun rises higher and higher.

In some places there is steam coming right from the edges of the caldera; since the volcano is active, it is not to be trifled with.

View of the crater, visible in the distance Lake Batur. Locals They believe that the lake is the abode of the goddess Devi Danu. She rules everyone fresh waters the entire island of Bali. If you look closely you can see the observation deck.

On the other edge of the caldera you can see tourists who climbed with guides.

On the other side of the crater. This photo shows the paths along which we climbed.

Here we are. We decided to have a little break.

View of solidified lava. When a volcano erupts, magma with a temperature of several thousand degrees flows out of its crater. As a result of reaction with volcanic gases, magma changes its composition and turns into lava. The temperature of the lava is somewhat lower - only 1200 degrees. Previously, this place was part of Lake Batur, but after a strong eruption, part of it was filled with lava and it decreased to its present size.

Batur– one of the most active volcanoes in Bali. It has erupted more than 20 times in the last 200 years. The last eruption was not so long ago - in 1994. And in 2000, the volcano spat out a stream of ash 300 meters high.

The most powerful eruption volcano Batur The eruption is believed to have occurred in 1917. It claimed thousands of lives and destroyed villages and temples. More than a thousand people died in this eruption, 65 thousand houses and 2.5 thousand temples were destroyed.

View of the crater after descent.

When we were already returning home, we saw beautiful view to the volcanoes near the village of Kintamani. We stopped and took photos.

In my opinion, an interesting climb, unlike Mount Bromo on the island of Java, where the landscape itself is beautiful, Batur is interesting for its more colorful sunrises. The climb is not very difficult; even elderly people have been seen at the top. You can do the lifting yourself. You can use the services of guides, but it is not necessary that they do not tell you.

Reference

It is customary to see all sorts of mountains and temples at dawn, as it is beautiful and there are no clouds yet, so it is better to start climbing on your own at night around 2:00. If you bought a tour, then most likely you will be brought to the foot at 4:00 and you will go up with a guide.
It is better to dress warmly, since it is night after all. When you get up, you may sweat a little and without clothes there is a possibility of catching a cold. I highly recommend wearing sneakers on your feet or, as a last resort, shoes that don’t fall off your feet.
When climbing independently, each member of the group must have a flashlight. When climbing with a guide, you will be given everything you need.
Stock up on water, because you will be very thirsty. You can take some food; after getting up, you usually have a voracious appetite.
And the most important thing self-climbing route.

Our task is not to get caught by local guides, who usually work in the parking lot located in front of the official trail to the volcano. We need to go around it. To do this, after descending into the large caldera, we drive further along the main road, passing the turn to the parking lot with guides. After about 2800 - 3000 meters there will be a path going into the forest to the left in the direction of travel. It leads toPura Tampurhyang Temple. You drive along this path for about 1 kilometer or a little more. You leave your transport there. Landmark thatched hut. Then you need to go through the forest to the northern foot of the volcano. Look at the map, the route is marked there. Click on the map to see the full version.

The black line is the route on the bike.
The orange line is the ascent and passage through the caldera.
Blue line - descent and passage to the bike parking area.

You can stay in one of the hotels at the foot of the mountain and then you will have time to look around and think through the route more carefully, especially since the place is simply excellent.

Volcano Batur on the map