There are two types of people on holidays: those who are happy to laze by the pool, sipping cocktails and working on their tan, and those who think getting up at 2 a.m. to hike an active volcano in the dark to catch sunrise sounds like fun. Any guesses which one I am?
On my most recent trip to the lush tropical paradise of Bali, I thought – why not do both?
You’re far more likely to find me hiking a volcano than lounging by a pool, but after a hectic year, some R&R in Bali was calling my name. Three incredibly lazy and relaxing days by the private pool of our villa at the luxurious Maya Ubud Resort & Spa had me fully recharged, so by then, I was itching for an adventure.
In this guide, I’ll share everything you need to know about trekking to the peak of Mount Batur, helping you decide if this adventure is right for you and what to expect if you go for it!
Essential Things to Know Before Climbing Mount Batur
Mount Batur is still an active volcano, having last erupted in 2020. When you get near the peak at the crater ridge, you can even see steam coming out of vents from the volcano – a testament to the activity that is occurring below the surface, unseen to our eyes on the surface.
Rising to 1,700 metres above sea level, Mt Batur is situated on Lake Batur and is the second tallest peak on the island after the towering Mt Agung. The hike up isn’t too strenuous, however, with a 500-metre elevation and a 6-kilometre return trip (give or take, depending on your starting point) you do need a moderate level of fitness and stamina.
Now, don’t expect to be alone when you make it to the top – this is a very popular activity that draws travellers from all across Bali. I was amazed by how many people were at the top, but our guide Yus just laughed when I said that to him. He proceeded to tell me how in peak season, around July and August, they get up to 1000 hikers each day!
The town of Kintamani, nestled on the edge of Lake Batur at the base of the volcano, is about a 90-minute drive from Ubud (where we were staying when we hiked). It’s ~2.5 hours from the popular coastal tourist towns of Seminyak, Kuta and Canggu. Tours will pick you up from all of the popular tourist hubs – just be prepared for an early wake-up call!
You can hike Mt Batur all year round, but the best time to hike Mt Batur is during Bali’s dry season, generally from April to October.
I hiked Mt Batur in November, at the start of the wet season and had good weather apart from some thick clouds that rolled in after sunrise. I wouldn’t recommend hiking Mt Batur if it has been raining heavily overnight in the days before your hike, or if it is forecasted to rain on the morning of your hike.
Our Experience Hiking Mt Batur
When booking a tour, you can choose to go on a group tour or a private guided hike. Many of the group tours include some sightseeing stops after the hike, but as our main focus and priority was the hike itself, we chose to book a private tour that just included the hike. Our other reasoning for this was so we could hike at our own pace, as we are relatively fast walkers.
A Very Early Start
We were picked up from our accommodation in Ubud at 2.30 am by our private driver (organised as part of the tour) and began the drive in the pitch black. We quickly left behind the built-up streets of the popular tourist hub, with a steady incline as we drove towards the elevated mountainous region of Kintamani.
As we reached the border of the town, there was a checkpoint where it was checked that we had paid the required entrance fees – again, all organised by our tour provider.
By 3.45 am, we had reached our starting point where we met our tour guide, given walking sticks, headlamps and a chance to use the bathroom before setting off on our adventure towards the peak of the caldera.
Our guide told us there are about 10 trails to the top. When we started, we were walking through farmland in the pitch black before soon reaching a clearly trodden path leading up to the peak. We began surrounded by forest, which quickly tapered out as we got closer to the top.
The terrain itself wasn’t too challenging, mostly it was quite sandy with a mixture of loose gravel and dirt road sections. By the time we got back to the bottom, our feet and shoes were filthy thanks to the fine layer of volcanic sand that had covered them!
When you reach the main trail, you’ll have to share sections of the road with rather obnoxiously loud Jeep 4WDs that are taking other tour groups up. However, the 4WD Jeep tours don’t go all the way to the top, only about halfway. So once you pass them, the trail is a lot quieter and just frequented by hikers and the occasional local on a motorbike heading towards the top.
Sunrise
We made it to the top of the crater ridge at 5 am, 1 hour and 15 minutes after setting off. The first rays of dawn colours were beginning to peek through the inky dark sky, behind an incredible view of the towering peak of Mount Agung, Bali’s other active (and largest) volcano.
Our guide prepared a light breakfast of sandwiches, boiled egg, banana and a chocolate bar served with hot coffee and tea out of a mountain hut while we waited for the sun to fully rise.
I’ll admit, the food wasn’t anything special, but I was still impressed by what they managed to serve despite being perched on the edge of an active volcano with minimal facilities!
We were hiking in November 2024, which is the start of the rainy season in Bali, so we were a little nervous about the weather. We had clear skies when setting off, and when we first reached the peak however almost perfectly as the sun began to rise at 5.30 am, a thick cloud began to roll in.
We had a beautiful sunrise, but 15 minutes later, our view was totally obscured by a thick wet cloudy fog which only began to ease as we set off down the volcano at 7 am.
We were a bit unlucky, as we couldn’t fully appreciate the incredible views across the caldera, but I was very happy we had a clear sunrise and the thick cloud certainly added to the atmosphere!
After watching the sunrise, we walked around a section of the ridge. There’s a great spot that your guide will show you where the steam of the volcano gushes out.
The Descent
Since we had a private tour, we could spend as long as we wanted at the top and we waited for most of the groups to head down beginning our descent. There was a big group of friendly monkeys (not like the scary ones at the Ubud Monkey Forest!) that kept us very entertained until we headed back down.
It was a very cool experience seeing the terrain on the way down in the daylight, and being able to take in and appreciate the views across the town and Lake Batur in the distance!
We reached our starting point, thanked and tipped our guide and hopped back into the car, ready to head back to Ubud for a proper breakfast by the pool at our hotel and a well-deserved nap.
How Long Does it Take?
Here’s a quick summary of our timeline from our private tour.
If you book a group tour, expect to be picked up around 2 am from Ubud. Another benefit of our private tour was we got an extra 30 minutes of sleep 🙂
- 2.30 am: Pick up from our hotel in Ubud
- 3.45 am: Reached Kintamani and begun hiking
- 5 am: Reached the top
- 5.30 am: Sunrise
- 6.45 am: Begun our descent
- 7.45 am: Reached our starting point, back into the car and headed back to Ubud
You can watch a short video of my hike here
How Difficult Is the Hike?
The hike is moderately difficult – it was more challenging than I thought it would be, as it is quite steep so you quickly get your heart pumping!
However, the terrain was fairly easy to navigate and it wasn’t a long hike (around 5 – 6 kilometres, depending on your starting point), but you do need a moderate level of fitness to reach the top given the short but steep incline.
As two long-legged, fit and active 30-something-year-olds, it took us 1 hour 15 minutes to reach the top, and 1 hour to get back down.
If hiking is a concern, I recommend booking the 4WD Jeep tour instead.
How to Book a Mount Batur Trekking Tour
You can book your tour online in advance like we did, or book when you arrive in Bali at one of the many tour counters – you’ll certainly find them almost every 100 metres or so when walking around the populated main streets of Ubud.
I highly recommend booking a tour with transfers. I do not recommend riding a scooter to Kintamani in the dark at 2 am – the roads are very steep, winding and not always in great condition. I have a friend who attempted to ride her scooter to do the hike, and ended up having an accident and losing 2 front teeth!
If you are doing the trekking tour, booking a private tour is also highly recommended if your budget allows. Expect to pay about AUD $70-80 per person (~40 – 50 USD), versus around $50 for a group tour (~30 USD), but I think it’s well worth the extra to have a private guide and to be able to walk at your own pace.
When booking online, you can add on additional activities after your hike, including a visit to the natural hot springs by the edge of Lake Kintamani.
If you’re booking the sunrise Jeep tour, you can also choose add-ons that include a photo shoot with a photographer, Otherwise, your driver will help you take photos with your phone (they are all pro’s at this!).
Our private sunrise hiking tour with breakfast cost about $150 AUD (~100 USD), and we gave an additional cash tip to our guide and driver at the end of the tour of about $10 each (~6 USD, 100k Rp).
Tour Recommendations
We booked our tours through Klook, as they have a large presence throughout Bali and Asia and a very popular and reliable platform. Everything went seamlessly, including when we booked our airport pick-up transfer with them (and was a lot cheaper than other drivers I had WhatsApp’d for prices).
If you’re interested in booking a tour in advance like we did, I recommend:
Alternative Tour Times
If sunrise (and the required early wake up) doesn’t appeal to you, you can also choose to do a sunset hike.
This will be quieter than the busy sunrise period. There are a couple of potential downsides when doing a sunset tour versus a sunrise. Firstly, it will be hotter hiking in the afternoon than in the early morning. There is also a higher chance of clouds surrounding Mt Agung and Mt Batur when doing it in the afternoon, but we had thick clouds come in when doing it at sunrise anyway.
Tips for Hiking
Check the Weather: while the cloud can be unpredictable, check the weather forecast in advance and don’t go ahead if it’s forecasted to rain heavily. When booking online, you have 24 hours free cancellation for flexibility.
Footwear: Hiking shoes are not necessary, we wore our normal sneakers and they were fine. Do plan for your shoes to get quite dusty if hiking! They needed a good clean afterwards.
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What to Pack: Bring a light jacket or jumper, it can get cold up the top while you’re waiting for the sun to rise. I recommend bringing a water bottle, but you can always buy refreshments at the mountain hut about halfway up the hike. Our tour guide provided a walking stick and headlamp.
Bring Cash: you’ll need it to tip your guide, to buy water if you need it and for any other cafe stops you might make on the drive back.
Final Thoughts
Hiking Mount Batur is one of those experiences that’s equal parts challenging and rewarding. Waking up at 2 a.m. might not sound appealing, but witnessing the sunrise from the summit is absolutely worth it, and a highly memorable experience. I’d highly recommend this adventurous trek for visitors to Bali – and hey, after the hike, you can say you’ve definitely earned those cocktails by the pool!