Hiking Mt Batur: Everything You Need To Know

Hiking Mt Batur, one of Bali’s famous live volcanoes, is one of Bali’s most popular bucket list items.

But is climbing Mt Batur even worth it? Is it even ethical? How do I get there and what is it REALLY like?

These are some of the questions I’ll answer for you in this post!

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What is Mt Batur?

Mt Batur is an active volcano on the north-east side of Bali. 

Eruptions that occurred thousands of years ago caused the land to hollow out and form a caldera, which makes the view from Mt Batur especially breathtaking. 

Mt Batur is close to another active volcano, Mt Agung. Mt Batur is more popular for hikers because it only takes 2-3 hours to reach the top comapred to 5-7 hours for Mt Agung.

When to Visit Mt Batur?

It’s best to hike Mt Batur during the dry season, which is from May to October in Bali. 

Is it Ethical to Climb Mt Batur?

In 2023, the Indonesian prime minister announced that all of Bali’s mountains would be closed to tourists and locals. 

Locals were NOT happy about this decision because many communities relied these mountains for income through tourism. 

So local kept allowing tourists to climb Bali’s most popular mountains, including Mount Batur, Mount Agung, Mount Abang, and Mount Batukaru despite this government decision.

The decision was overturned at the end of 2023, probably because Balinese people just refused to respect the decision. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to navigate the ethics of tourism, when an activity may be encouraged but it’s not clear who is benefiting from our participation.  

In this case, it is ethical to climb Mt Batur because local communities not only allow it but actively encourage it. They directly benefit from our tourism because they are our tour guides. 

Can I hike Mt Batur without a tour guide? 

While you physically can climb Mt Batur without a tour guide, meaning the path is well marked and safe to traverse, the locals will not allow you. 

This is because, as I’ve already mentioned, Mt Batur hikes are a significant form of employment for the region. A lot of locals rely on guiding you up the mountain as their sole form of income. 

My lovely tour guide, Wayan, told me that he led groups on the sunrise AND sunset hike every single day and he got paid $350 each month. 

With that knowledge, I’m sure we can all understand why it’s important that we use a tour guide. 

 Not only that, in the rare case of fire or eruption, a local guide will know the safest and most direct route down the mountain. 

Is Mt Batur Difficult to Hike?

I have seen a lot of blog posts harping about how easy and short hiking Mt Batur is. I’m bringing a different perspective. While the actual hike is not that challenging (fairly steep but with plenty of rest spots), many blogs don’t mention the literal hordes of people that will be joining you. 

When I climbed Mt Batur, there was a large crowd of people that all departed at the same time. This made the hike harder, especially where the travel was gravel, because people were slipping and sliding and bumping into others, making them slip and slide. 

Please don’t take this to mean that I don’t think climbing Mt Batur is worth it, it absolutely is. But make sure you are wearing appropriate shoes and take one of the walking poles the tour guides offer you. 

How to get to Mt Batur?

Mt Batur can only be visited as part of a tour.

I joined this tour which included pick-up and drop-off from almost anywhere in Bali. It also included a soak at the Hot Springs and a tour of a coffee plantation. 

What Should I Bring to Hike Mt Batur?

Wear comfortable walking shoes that have decent grip.

Bring a jumper for the summit – it is surprisingly cold and if you don’t you will have to pay to rent a blanket!

If you join the tour I went with, don’t forget swimmers for the hot springs.

Hiking Mt Batur, Hot Springs & Coffee Plantation Experience

We woke up bright and EARLY at 2am to be picked up by our tour van.

Unfortunately, I had eaten something bad the night before and woke up with a severe case of Bali Belly (throw-up only, phew). The other guests in my tour van weren’t too happy when I had to pull us over to throw up on the side of the road.

We arrived at the tour centre around 3am.

There were several other groups already there, and so we freshened up (the last flushable toilet for the foreseeable future), met out tour guide, Wayan, grabbed our walking sticks and set off into the dark.

The trail was easy going for the most part (except when I had to sidle off to throw up).

You have to stick with your tour guide and group, so he will stop if someone is trailing behind.

The last part of the trail was the most difficult; the path was covered in gravel, causing people to slip and slide all over the place. I was grateful to have grabbed a walking stick, because without it I would have totally stacked it in front of all these people.

When we reached the summit, the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon.

Wayan led us to a quiet viewing area and then bustled off to prepare our breakfast: eggs hard-boiled in the volcanic heat.

It was very chilly on the summit and I realised I hadn’t packed appropriate clothes. When I couldn’t tolerate it anymore, I rented a blanket for a couple of rupiah.

The sunrise on the summit was really incredible; we were lucky to have fairly clear sky.

As it got brighter, I could see down into the impressive caldera where the villages were just beginning to wake up.

Wayan gave me and my sister a photo shoot in front of the sunrise and caldera. The photos didn’t turn out great, not any fault of Wayan’s, but just because of the fact that we both looked like we had been run over by a car and vomited on by a dog (that was my vomit in my hair, Bali Belly remember).

We head back down the hill. Going down was far easier than going up. Wayan took us a different way to avoid the crowds; the trail took us through the forest and past rice fields until we reached the tour centre once again.

We tipped Wayan everything we had and hopped back in the tour van.

This ride was brief; it was just 10 minutes to the Mt Batur Hot Springs.

A soak in the Hot Springs was exactly what I needed. There were different pools with varying temperatures, so we hopped around between them.

It felt like not long enough before we had to get back into the van and head to the Coffee Plantation.

It was a 40 minute drive to the coffee plantation, and at this point, I was exhausted and needing a pick-me-up.

I didn’t get any photos at the coffee plantation because honestly, I was basically a zombie.

All I remember was trying a cup of Lewak coffee, a special kind of coffee that is made by roasting beans that have been half-digested by the Asian Palm Civet. Yep, it’s made out of monkey poop.

The Asian Palm Civet is a strange creature, a weird mix between a cat and a monkey- and maybe a raccoon.

We drove back to the hotel and lazed around in the pool for the rest of the afternoon.

Be Honest … Is Hiking Mt Batur Worth It?

Hiking Mt Batur (with Bali Belly) was one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences I had in Bali.

I won’t lie, it was challenging, but the view from the summit and our lovely tour guide made it all worth it.

If you have the time and the ability, I would highly recommend adding Mt Batur to your Bali itinerary.

Where to Stay in Ubud

Although you could visit Mt Batur from almost any town in Bali, I stayed in Ubud.

$ Hostel $

Sunshine Vintage House
F7M6+GVQ, Gg. Anila, Ubud, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
This hostel is a short walk from central Ubud and features cubicle-style beds with curtains, lockers, newly-renovated bathrooms and a homey traditional Balinese feel. Check availability or see other options.

$$ Hotel $$

Alam Terrace Cottages
Jl. Bisma, Ubud, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia
This guesthouse is situated in a cul-de-sac near central Ubud, providing a balance between quiet and convenience. It offers huge, luxurious rooms, a lovely gardens and an awesome pool, all for a pretty decent price. Check availability or see other options.

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