Climbing an active Volcano! My Mt Batur Journey

Mt Batur - one of bali's treasures - is a must-see when you're in Bali! My friend and I decided to take up the Mount Batur Sunrise Trek, and it was definitely an unforgettable experience. Our tour package consisted of a visit to the Rice Terraces, Tegenungan Waterfall and a Santi Coffee Plantation. Our total came up to about $73SGD per person.

Our adventure began in the wee hours in the morning, when our guide came to pick us up from our accommodation at 2am. We drove to the base of Mt. Batur, and immediately began our climb. We started at 3.30am in pitch darkness and made our way up Mt Batur.

THE ASCENT

The 2-hour trek was suited for a beginner-intermediate level, and can definitely be challenging closer to summit. If possible, please bring a mountain stick! It will definitely help in navigating the uneven terrain. Don't forget to look up every once in a while to enjoy the stars in the sky while it's still dark, and appreciate the sky transforming before your eyes as the morning sun rises. This will also hopefully encourage you to stay on your path for the rewarding sunrise at the summit - along our way we unfortunately saw 2 girls who gave up halfway because they found the hike to be tough - trust me, it's worth your effort. Press on!

THE SUMMIT

After 2 treacherous hours, WE FINALLY MADE IT!!!

There are simply no words to describe the view from the top - it was truly incredible. We spent some time admiring the view at the summit, and watching the beautiful sunrise. We could also see some of the volcanic hot springs from the top.

Our guide was super knowledgeable as well! He knew the best photo spots to take photos on Mt Batur. We also made some new friends, and took some pics together!!

We met some fellow Singaporeans at the top!

Many pictures later, our guide then served us a very hearty, simple breakfast (the banana bread was so bomb!!!) We took some time to chit chat, appreciate the views and rehydrate before we embarked on our descent, which took about 1.5 hours.

Pro-Tip: Make sure to bring sufficient water up, because the climb is quite exhausting!! While you're there, beware of the monkeys at the top too - they're up to no good.

SANTI COFFEE PLANTATION AND RICE TERRACES

We headed to this Kopi Luwak plantation, where we learnt more about the different types of coffee available in the region, and got to taste some samplers! It was a really interesting experience, and I was compelled to buy some back for my family to try. Definitely visit if you have the chance!

We next headed towards the luscious rice fields, and boy, they were a sight to behold - there was even a large Bali Swing for those who want a little more adventure!

We also made a trip down to Tegenungan Waterfall, but it was slightly underwhelming in my opinion, feel free to give it a miss.

We ended off our day with some lunch at a local Babi Guling our guide recommended to us, which was also widely popular among locals. The food was affordable and good, but I unfortunately don't remember the location of it. Fret not, head on over to my post on some un-bali-evable food finds in Bali for more food recommendations, or if you are keen to check out lit clubs, I've got you covered too. In all, definitely have Mt Batur on your to-do list when you're planning for your Bali visit!