This Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide offers everything you need to know from booking the trip, what clothes and gear to bring, what to expect on the hiking trip and additional packages that can be added to the basic trip. It’s a wonderful way to participate in a different activity as a couple while travelling in Bali, Indonesia. We were able to communicate with most people by speaking English. Mount Batur sunrise hike was a unique experience! I don’t normally do well on a lack of sleep but it was interesting to get up in the middle of the night to experience the sunrise bright and early. I had never hiked to see the sunrise before; it was an opportunity Kris and I couldn’t miss! This Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide will help you prepare physically, financially, and mentally for this ascent.
Table of Contents
Booking Mount Batur Sunrise Hike
We booked the Mount Batur sunrise hiking trip online through Bali Sunrise Trekking & Tours three months before we arrived in Bali, Indonesia. This company offers many different tours that can be added on after completing the Mount Batur Sunrise Hike or done as an alternative excursion, depending on your preferences. Mount Batur Sunrise Trekking is their most popular package. For Kris and I back in 2019, it cost us 1,000,000 Indonesian rupiahs (approximately $88 CAD) to do the excursion, plus 100,000 IDR ($9 CAD) for a taxi ride there and back. We chose to add natural hot springs after the Mount Batur Sunrise Hike for an additional 200,000 IDR ($18 CAD) for a total of IDR 1,600,000 ($140 CAD for the two of us for our trip). Since our trip, the prices have gone up. Now the prices start at $119/person. The excursions will be an additional price.
Tip: I recommend booking with this company. Everything was handled well by Bali Sunrise Trekking & Tours: the transportation, the Mount Batur sunrise hike, breakfast at the mountain summit and the hot springs. We didn’t have any worries. It was wonderful that we didn’t have to rely on separate companies to manage our entire day.
Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide: Gear to Bring
In this Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide, here’s the gear and clothing I suggest bringing.
Gear
- camera!
- Headlamp
- water bladder
- backpack
- hiking boots
- hiking socks
- sunglasses
- hat
Bring a phone or camera that takes excellent pictures to capture the beautiful sunrise! It’s important to have a headlamp that is bright and offers a wide beam to illuminate as much of the trail as possible while hiking up to Mount Batur’s peak. A water bladder is an easy way to carry bottled water (tap water could make you sick) in your backpack and be able to drink as you hike up the mountain. Bring a backpack to easily carry your water bladder as well as additional clothing, mitts, snacks and whatever else you might need.
Sturdy hiking boots and thick hiking socks are important to avoid blisters on the trail. Sunglasses are important to have with you once the sun rises. You’ll be happy to have them to hike down the mountain. A hat can also protect your head and eyes once the bright sunshine shows up first thing in the morning.
Clothes
- Merino wool T-shirt
- Merino 250 Top Base Layer
- Fleece
- Windbreaker
- Zip-off pants
- Mitts
Layers are crucial when you arrive at the summit as you could potentially be waiting one hour or so in the wind and the cold for the sun to come up. The base layer is a Merino wool T-shirt, followed by a Merino 250 top base layer, and covered by a fleece and a windbreaker. I suggest bringing zip-off pants in case you get warm hiking down the mountain; the leg portion can be zipped off as the pants turn into shorts.
Tip: If you think you’ll need more or fewer layers, adjust accordingly. Bring mitts to wear when it’s dark at the top, as my hands were frozen.
Trip to the Base of Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking
We received a reminder email indicating that Kris and I, staying in Ubud would get picked up between 2:15 AM to 2:45 AM at our hotel lobby. After two and a half hours of sleep, it was time to get up. We were given a number to call in case we needed a status update on when our driver would arrive as he would be picking up other guests along the way. People in Kuta, on the southern part of the island, would get picked up between 1:15 AM and 1:45 AM. I was happy, we had a later pick-up time than Kuta. The drive was approximately one hour long, picking up another couple along the way (we ended up hiking with them). The driver drove quite fast on the winding roads which caused Kris to feel nauseous by the time we arrived.
Tip #1: Try to book this adventure when you’re visiting Ubud, to avoid getting picked up an hour earlier in Kuta.
Tip #2: Take Gravol to avoid feeling nauseous on winding roads in the pitch dark while potentially having a fast taxi driver.
We had tea, coffee and water offered to us at the meeting point at the base of Mount Batur. I only took a bit of water, knowing we wouldn’t be able to pee along the way. Many people were in this room hydrating before heading up on the hike.
Tip #3: Head to the washroom before starting the hike.
Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide: Hiking up the Mountain
Good Di, our guide, lead our small group of Kris and I and another couple up Mount Batur, starting at 3:45 AM. Many tour groups were in front of us. It was nice to have the light from their headlamps to guide us upwards. Tour groups, including ours, took turns moving over to the side and passing each other as we took frequent breaks. If many people were hiking behind each other, the path was quite lit up but once hikers spread out, the path was extremely dark. We had to make numerous stops. I found myself tired of hiking up the mountain. Thankfully, our guide Good Di was very patient and willing to stop often.
Ride on a Motorcycle
If you get tired of walking, you can pay 300,000 IDR ($26 CAD) to ride on a motorcycle (that acts as a taxi) to bring you to the top. The unfortunate part of the motorcycles on a hiking path was that they had the right of way; we as hikers had to move over and sometimes stop for them making it difficult to keep a consistent pace. The motorcyclists were constantly passing us as they dropped off hikers and went back down to grab some more. The diesel coming from the bikes made it awful to hike beside, breathing in and smelling their fumes while hiking made it hard to breathe.
Quick Hiking Pace
In this Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide, here are some things to keep in mind. It’s important to hike fairly fast straight up the mountain in two hours (while dealing with acclimatization) so as not to miss the sunrise! A motorcycle’s fumes don’t help the cause! This is in addition to hiking in the pitch dark in the middle of the night with only a headlamp path lit up to guide a tired hiker on only a couple of hours of sleep. Conditions won’t be perfect to hike but it’s an experience to remember that’s for sure! Push yourself out of your comfort zone! What can you accomplish?
Tip: Get in shape to hike this mountain by Hiking to Laughing Falls. Otherwise, you’ll miss the sunrise!
Waiting for Sunrise
Once arrived at the top of the mountain, Good Di placed a carpet on top of the bench to help warm us up as we sat down. It was cold at the summit with the wind. I was happy to be wearing my Merino T-shirt, Merino 250 Top Base Layer, fleece, and windbreaker but I found myself cold at times wearing all my layers. Kris was happy that I highly encouraged him to bring his fleece as well. It saved him! Remember that once you stop hiking, you can get cold quickly!
Tip: In this Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide, I suggest bringing many top layers as well as mittens to keep your upper body and hands warm.
Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide: Breakfast at the Top
I bought myself tea for 30,000 IDR ($3 CAD) to warm me up; which helped. Good Di served us banana sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs and chocolate bars for breakfast. Breakfast is included in the total cost. We had Chips Ahoy cookies to eat until our food was served (we brought them), which took a couple of minutes to prepare and cook.
Tip: Bring additional snacks to eat at the summit in case you’re hungry before you get served breakfast by your guide.
Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide: Gorgeous Sunrise
The sunrise was gorgeous! We had plenty of time to take pictures before heading up to hike towards the crater. It was awesome to see the sunrise in different layers and slowly illuminate its surroundings. It was also wonderful to warm up as the sun appeared.
Views From the Top
We were happy that the sun had arrived and would warm us up! It was awesome to see our surroundings and what we climbed to get here. The scenery was beautiful!
Hiking to the Crater
Our group of four was happy to spend twenty minutes looking at this crater. We were told that we could spend an hour here but decided against it as it was windy and we didn’t feel like spending more time exploring. The crater was cool to check out and see the steam rising from it.
Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide: Bathrooms
In this Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide, bathrooms are important to keep in mind. They encourage hikers to drink lots of water to help with acclimatization, but then you need to pee. There aren’t any washrooms at the top, so we had to run down for thirty minutes to the halfway point to find a toilet (a hole in the ground in a building) and pay 10,000 IDR ($1 CAD) to use their washrooms. I was so desperate that I was willing to pay for the washroom. Others opted to use the bush.
Tip: They have washrooms at the bottom and the halfway mark. Keep that in mind when you’re drinking water while hiking.
Farms we Walked Through
A lot of the trail in the daylight was on volcanic rock and dusty; I didn’t take any pictures.
Closer to the bottom, we didn’t see the farms hiking up in the dark at 3:45 AM but they were gorgeous to see on our way down. We are not sure what they were growing but it’s plentiful. As we finished the hike, we spotted many different farms closer to Danau Batur Lake.
View from the Bottom
On our way down, it was awesome to see where we had hiked in the daylight. The peak looked close but having to keep a steady fast pace on a steep incline, it was harder than it looked.
Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide: Hot Springs
We chose to add an additional activity to our package by going to the hot springs for 200,000 IDR ($18 CAD) for the two of us. Warm water is always a nice way to end the hiking day! There were many different pool temperatures to try out depending on how warm (wasn’t very hot) you wanted the water to be. We had the opportunity to revel in them for one hour, which was the perfect amount of time to enjoy them together. We headed back to Ubud, with a different driver, thankfully (Kris was happy about that).
The Joy of Experiences
This Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking Guide includes everything you need to know about the hike from booking it, to hiking the mountain, additional trips enjoying the hot springs and everything in between. It was an unforgettable experience!
Getting up in the middle of the night after two hours of sleep, then hiking up the mountain in the dark at 3:45 AM isn’t normally the type of activity that I strive to partake in but many people seem to do it in Bali, Indonesia. I didn’t want to miss out because of it qualifying under something I wouldn’t normally do. The reason I went to Bali was to get immersed in their culture and get to do activities that I wouldn’t get to do at home. This active volcano hike encouraged me to push myself out of my comfort zone. It’s funny how I have a more open mind when travelling. Why is that? I’m thankful for it though! I encourage you to do something different, something you’ll be proud to have accomplished.
If you’re looking for another hike abroad that isn’t at sunrise, try Unforgettable Hiking Holiday in Bolzano, Italy. It offers gorgeous scenery and the opportunity to speak German and Italian.
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Additional Links
- City to Wilderness Hiking: Where to Start?
- Jasper Hikes: Best Memories
- 4 Best Larch Hikes
- Athabasca Glacier Hike: What to Expect?
- 4 Spectacular Drumheller Hikes
Bali Resources
- Book your flights with Expedia
- Book your hotel with Booking.com or Hotels.com
- Book your hostel with Hostelword.com
- Book your vacation rental with Vrbo
- Book your experiences through TripAdvisor, Viator or Manawa
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Yes, I agree. Snacks to fuel yourself during the hike is important. I was thankful for breakfast to be provided at the summit. Yes, we drank lots of water to stay hydrated.