Out of love for outdoors and for hiking in particular, getting to the top of some mountain(s) was certainly on our list of things to do while in Southeast Asia. After a bit of research we decided upon going for the Mount Batur sunrise trek, which meant getting up at 2am to start the drive towards the volcano. The drive itself was already interesting as we followed a road through villages in a pitch-dark night, listening our driver yawning every two minutes like he was about to fall asleep right there and then. He then explained how he was really tired because he had been driving all night. Wonder if that was supposed to make us feel better...? However, we did get to our destination in one piece, and after a hot cup of coffee we were each given a flashlight and introduced to our guide. And just like that we were ready to start the push to the summit in the darkness of the night...with only dim lights swaying around us.
The first part of the trek was easy as we walked through the vegetation. Aside from the quiet chatter, we could hear the nature's nocturnal sounds all around us and not being able to see where we actually were, was quite thrilling. You could only use your imagination. About an hour into the walk the trail had gotten narrower and rockier. We had reached the part where the trail would slope steeper towards the top. It was the most magical view though, to see the flashlights lined up all the way to the top...
After a couple of hours push, we reached the caldera and we could start seeing some light on the horizon. Fast forward 30 minutes and we were standing on the summit- just in time for the sunrise! As the sun started to reveal the stunning scenario around us, we were beyond thrilled to be standing there, witnessing the beautiful sunrise with views all the way to Mount Rinjani over in Lombok. It was all worth the nightly wakeup call alright...
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| Light on horizon around 5.30-6am. |
A breakfast, some pictures and a meeting with caldera monkeys later, we started the descent. It was actually more fun than usually as it was the first time we could actually see how the trail and everything around us look like. Not exactly like I had pictured it on the way up, but honestly it had been quite a rocky climb in the dark. Especially that we had seen some people going up in their flip-flops! Bad idea. The rest of the walk down was very pleasant having the views over the lake and passing by some chilli plantations (!). And since I do have a slight obsession with those spicy little things, I had to refrain myself from snatching some to my pockets...;).
We were done with our day around 10am and had the entire last day to spend by the pool, having a few Bintangs, getting a Balinese massage and enjoying a nice dinner in town. We couldn't have been happier with this little adventure, and most of all I was just proud of my parents who tagged along all the way through.
Sunrise at the Summit
The Scenic Descent
{All pictures © Voyages of Discovery}
TIPS & LINKS
Trekking in Bali
- There are many organisers for trekking in Bali, and they vary on cost / quality. It really is a business for the locals and even though you would not really need a guide on this hike, it's made almost impossible to go solo.
A little heads-up: These hikes are quite popular, and although we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, we did find it a bit over-crowded.
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