Mt. Batur is the most active volcano in Bali and its last eruption was recorded in 2000. The peak sits at 1717 meters (5,633 ft.) above sea level and offers breathtaking views of Lake Batur, black lava from the last explosion, and surrounding mountains. Whether you love photography or just want to have the best possible experience, the best way to enjoy this hike is by getting up bright and early for the sunrise hike. Oh and don’t forget to pack some water!

Note: Mt. Batur overlooks Mt. Agung, another volcano on Bali which has been having a lot of activity in 2017 & 2018. Make sure to stay up to date on all the volcanic activity for your own safety and travels.

Best time to do the Mt Batur Volcano Hike 

May through July is deemed the best time to go to Bali, but as long as it’s not raining the sights will be stunning. Since Bali is located so close to the equator, the sunset doesn’t change much. You can expect the sun to be setting from 6-6:30 anytime of the year that you go.

We got to our hike a little late starting at 6 am and missing the sunrise on the summit of the trek. We had a local tour guide with his own adorable 11 year old side kick who carried bottled water and coca cola for sale on his back. 

It is practically impossible to climb Mt. Batur without a licensed guide. This is not only a tourist attraction and a way you can help support the locals who run and control tour guides up Mt. Batur but also for your safety. Tourists have been killed and seriously injured by falling mudslides, and even rocks and gas that are spit out by vents.

While we didn’t think the hike was particularly difficult, there is a huge benefit to having a local with you who knows the terrain really well.

 

You can get a package deal of a guided tour and driver for around $75 through your hotel. If they don’t offer it ask around in Ubud, and be willing to negotiate. Just remember, the average cost for a car for a day is $55! So you’re paying $20 for tour guide for the hike. Use that knowledge to help you negotiate. If you are solo traveling, it may be best to try to join others to help split the cost up.

If you plan on booking this trip independently and not through hotel/resort be sure to plan at least a day in advance because you will be having an early wake up call to make it to Mr. Batur for sunrise!

Safety Tip:

Doing the Mt Batur Volcano Hike without a guide is no longer easy or recommended at all. Locals will tell you its too hard, and during our visit, we were warned that some may even try to tell you the wrong directions on purpose. There aren’t any trail markers, but still, the path is very obvious. Doing it on your own could save you anywhere from 20-40 bucks but honestly, just get a guide. It’s not worth the danger and as mentioned before many tourists have been seriously injured and even killed on this hike from not knowing the terrain. Save yourself the trouble and risk.

Our Experience on the Mt Batur Volcano Hike

This wasn’t quite “our guide.” He was accompanied by an older man who helped us out as well. But this kid schlepped up a backpack filled with water and Coke to sell to us. He later challenged us to run down the mountain to see who could do it faster. We bonded with our guides, hopefully, you will too.

The hike is relatively easy with a few steep, but brief parts of the trek. The summit can be reached within an hour to two hours depending on your level of fitness. We have read that some people struggled with this hike, however we did find it easy and were able to do it with our parents who were in their 50s and 60s.

There are two ways to go up, whichever way you do you will come down the other way. The Mt Batur volcano hike is approximately 5 km roundtrip. You will walk along some leaves, some dried lava, and some epic paths that look like they were right out of Lord of the Rings.

 

Once you get to the top your guide will cook you an egg in the steam from the mountain making a delicious hard boiled egg. But that’s not all! They also made us a fried banana sandwich and offered us coffee for a small price. The food was part of our hiking fee at the bottom of the mountain with our guide. If your guide carried a backpack, you can buy water or coke from him for a small upcharge.

After enjoying your volcanic breakfast you can relax and enjoy the breathtaking views for as long as you like before starting the descent. Be prepared to literally be sitting in a cloud when you are on the top of the volcano.

We only had brief moments of clear sky until another cloud rolled through. Being inside a cloud is a pretty awesome experience, but it can hinder your ability to see some of the amazing views.

Overall, this hike was refreshing and beautiful. This is a great way to experience Bali and say you were standing atop an active volcano. We loved our tour guides, they were helpful and spoke very good English, oh and they made us food! People of all ages can do the hike and you may even have a wild dog follow you to the top!

We enjoyed the hike a lot and it was one of our highlights of Bali. We definitely recommend making the journey to go do this, especially for those who can wake up early!

Check out the rest of our photos from our trip below. Let us know of your favorite part of this hike if you have done it before. If you have any hiking recommendations for Bali share them with us in the comments below.

Also be sure to check out Alternatives to Touristy Things to do in Bali, safe travels!