September 7, 2019
Mount Batur, one of Bali's highest mountains, is an active volcano standing at 1,711 meters. Located in the northeast of the island, Batur is actually part of a much larger volcanic system rather than an ordinary isolated mountain. The wide caldera shaping the mountain's surroundings and Lake Batur, which bears the same name, carry the traces of major past volcanic eruptions. The last known eruption of Batur occurred in the year 2000.
Today, Mount Batur is one of the most popular climbing routes in Bali, especially for those wanting to watch the sunrise from the summit. We had been planning to climb to the summit since our very first day in Bali. The idea of watching the sunrise from the peak of an active volcano made this hike even more special for us.
Finally, the day we had been waiting for arrived.
For those wishing to climb Mount Batur with a guide, tour fees generally range between 40 and 50 dollars. Traveling on a world-tour budget, we didn't want to incur this expense and decided to do the climb entirely on our own. Of course, we knew this meant taking on our own risk.
Since we were staying about two hours away from the mountain, we hopped on a scooter the day before the climb and hit the road. On the way, we also stopped at one of the Luwak coffee tasting centers, which is one of Bali's most popular tourist experiences. You can read my thoughts on this unusual experience in my post The World's Most Expensive Coffee: Luwak Coffee
Our goal was to reach the summit before the sun rose. For this reason, we decided to spend the night on the slope of the mountain. The next morning, in the sweetest part of sleep around 2:30 AM, we woke up and were already on our way in the dark. Naturally, at that moment, I couldn't help but think, "Why are we doing this?"
We rode our scooter up to the starting point of the climb. From there, the portion of the journey that would continue entirely on foot began.
It was pitch black around us. We could only see ahead using our lights. The trail was much rockier and more slippery than we had anticipated. The stones were quite sharp; in some sections, the ground slid out from beneath our feet like sand.
Walking in the dark, you can't even fully grasp how steep the path really is. After a while, all you think about is seeing the next few meters ahead and moving forward step by step.
The interesting part was the surprise we experienced when walking the same path down in daylight. Even in the daylight, we had a hard time understanding how we had made that ascent in the dark. It turned out the path we walked was far rockier and more challenging than it felt in the dark.
After a long and challenging climb, we finally reached the summit. But there was still time before the sun would rise.
There is no need to talk much about the wind and the cold. This is adventure! Just as you endure the thorns of a rose, there are things you simply have to endure. We pulled out the blankets we had carried in our bags all along, wrapped them around ourselves, and waited for the sun to rise.
After a while, the darkness slowly began to scatter. As we climbed, we had been unable to see almost anything around us. Now, with the first light of day, our surroundings were slowly revealing themselves.
As the sun slowly rose, the view opening up before us was incredible. In the dark, we hadn't been able to see just how far and high we had climbed. With the daylight, we began to see the surrounding mountains, Lake Batur, and the sweeping landscape of Bali.
Watching the sunrise there after hours of climbing was a priceless feeling.
Perhaps what makes certain views special isn't just that they are beautiful, but the effort we put into reaching them. Watching the sunrise from the summit of Mount Batur, that was precisely what crossed my mind.