So you find yourself having the amazing opportunity to travel to Bali, Indonesia. You wouldn’t want to pass up the opportunity to be hiking up Mount Batur at sunrise.
It is truly an incredible experience and it can bring you to those deep moments where you actually question if this is real life. The moments that are too beautiful to capture on camera, but at the same time unreal for your own eyes. It is one of those moments you want to capture in your mind for a lifetime.
I went on the Mount Batur hike in 2018 and I will never forget the amount of monkeys that ran out at sunrise. It felt like it was a whole different world on top of the mountain. I remember thinking to myself “this is real life, this is the earth”.
Here are 5 Things to Know Before Hiking Mount Batur:
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– Carl Jung
1) Where is Mount Batur?
Mount Batur is an active volcano located on the island of Bali, Indonesia in the Kintamani District. Mount Batur is also referred to as Gunung Batur. It has a height of 5,600 feet above sea level and it’s most recent eruption was in the year of 2000.
Mount Batur does not have a marked path to hike so it is recommended you hike with an experienced tour guide.
Depending what part of Bali you are staying in, the drive to Mount Batur will differ:
- Ubud to Mount Batur | 30 miles (49 km) 1 hour 20 minutes
- Kuta to Mount Batur | 49 miles (79 km), 2 hours 10 minutes
2) How hard is it to climb Mount Batur?
Rating the level of the Mount Batur Sunrise Hike on a scale of 1-10, it would be a hiking level 5. There was plenty of people I know that have done this hike and that are not regular hikers.
That being said, you will encounter rocks you may have to hop over; but, your tour guide will allow you to take plenty of breaks. Keep in mind you will also be hiking in the dark, but most tours will provide you with a flashlight and breakfast to eat at the top of the Mountain at sunrise.
3) Where do I book my sunrise hike?
You can book your tour online at GetYourGuide or you can book it at a tourism booth when in Bali.
I found booking it at a tour booth while in Bali is easier and more cost efficient because different booths will give you different prices. You also have the flexibility to do it whatever day you would like instead of booking it way far in advance.
There are tourist booths everywhere so no need to worry about finding one in Bali if you decide to book last minute. I went to a tourism booth in Ubud and booked it a day before.
Most importantly: try to pick a day with nice weather to hike Mount Batur (not rainy, gloomy, or cloudy) the clearer the day the better the sunset!
4) What to wear when hiking
- Running shoes. I used Under Armour Woman’s Shoe’s and they were super comfortable. You don’t need hiking shoes for this hike but if you have them then why not!
- Comfortable workout leggings
- Sweater. It gets colder the further you climb up the mountain.
- Lots of water. Trust me you will be drinking a lot, get yourself a nice big bottle like the Takeya 32 ounce water bottle or there are plenty good one’s that keep your water cold from Marshall’s.
- Snacks. I love bringing a few protein bars with me like energy Cliff Bars, and Larabar Nut Energy Bars.
- Camera. This one is a must. You are going to be taking a lot of photos. I just brought my cell phone camera but if you have a DSLR even better.
- Excitement. You will be hiking around 2:00am so excitement is necessary if you want to be up and ready! But who wouldn’t be excited climbing a mountain in Bali anyways?
5) How long is the hike?
The total Mount Batur sunrise hike will take around 5 hours, starting at the bottom of Mount Batur around 1:30am and reaching the bottom by around 6:30am .
You will have about an hour to see the sunrise and take it all in, you’ll need some time because it is absolutely beautiful. Be prepared to see the most monkeys you have probably ever seen all running out of the mountains at once. The second the sun came up tons of monkeys came running out, it was my favourite part!
The hike up is typically 1.5 hours – 2 hours depending how quick you or the group you are hiking with is in terms, and the hike down is relatively the same (1.5 hours – 2 hours).
For more travel tips and guides you can check out the travel content!
