Mount Batur Hike: A Blast from the Past
Sometimes we love to open the box of our memories… And when we open it, scenes of the past start rolling in front of our eyes…Memories are like that sweet Shingoda paan. It melts in your mouth, giving you all kinds of tastes. But you will love it for its unique sweet taste.
And you must be thinking, why am I telling you all these on this lazy Sunday evening…When we don’t travel on Sunday, I make sure to open our pictures from old trips and cherish all those moments again and again, and today I found this…Folder of our Bali trip…
As Diwali is approaching, most of our Gujarati family must have started planning their vacations. And if you are going to Bali, then this is the place you should not miss.
This was our first hike, in fact, my first hike. Sheel is a very outdoor person who loves hiking and trekking. So I wanted to do something special for him, and what is better than accompanying him in his favorite activity? So we planned this. As we were traveling with our parents, we did not have to worry about kids. And yes, it was in 2019 when we were not consumed by the fire of COVID.
Mount Batur, also known as Gunung Batur, is located in Bali, Indonesia in Kintamani District. Mount Batur is an active volcano with the last eruption in 2000, just like Mount Agung, which erupted last in 2019. It is a 2-hour drive from Seminyak and about a one-hour drive from Ubud. We were at Karma Candidasa, so it took us one and a half hours to reach the base point. We left almost at 1:30 early morning and started climbing at around 3:30. And Yes Its worth it ! Our driver had arranged the hike and guide for us. They provide you with a high-calorie breakfast at 3 in the morning, a giant pancake with chocolate syrup. Our only regret was we didn’t hire a personal guide. We had a few people with us. Two of them were young and enthusiastic Indian boys from Mumbai.
First, they take you to the base point at the parking in their vehicle, and from there, you have to start your walk… We did our hiking with Pineh Trekking and our experience was not as expected
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You will find in many blogs that the hike is easy and can be done without a guide. But believe us it all depends on your fitness level. It is not a leisurely stroll. The trek is moderate if you are not doing any exercises regularly, and at some point, there are challenging stretches in between. The path is slippery at places. While going up, you won’t notice all these as you will aim to reach there before sunrise, and the curved line of headlights ahead of you will give you motivation. But while coming down, you will be amazed and thrilled that have you climbed this path in the utterly dark night?
The hike is very well known, so it is crowded, but that view of headlights along the trail is worth watching from below. Reminding you that you are not alone… many crazy people like you want to get up just after midnight and come just to watch the sunrise. But when you reach the top, you will not regret any of it.
My fitness level was not at all great at that time (I mean, it is not that great at present also), so I had to take multiple breaks, and our guide didn’t wait for us. So we thought that it would be better if we had a personal guide.
Mount Batur height : 1,717 meters, or 5,633 feet, above sea level.
Mount Batur trek distance: We didn’t know then that there are two routes, with the shorter route being 7 km and steeper and the longer route being 11 km and less steep.
What to wear for trekking Mount Batur
– Hiking shoes – wear proper hiking shoes. At the top the trail will be slippery with black sand and rocks. So do wear shoes with proper grip.
– layering is a must. While climbing, you might remove it, but you will need at the top. We were there in October, and it was chilly at the top.
What to take while trekking Mount Batur
– Enough water – You must carry your water, so take it as you need.
– Snacks –some cereal bars will do if you have enough breakfast at the base.
– Basic first aid kit.
At the top:
All your tiredness and cramps in your legs will be forgotten once you reach the top. The view of sunrise is mesmerizing. You just want to sit there silently and get lost in the world of clouds below and the sun in front of you. As you all must know that we are definitely both sunrise and sunset persons, Mount Batur sunrise is one of the most beautiful sunrises we have witnessed. There is caldera at the top and you can see smoke coming out of it. It was thrilling to witness such beauty.
We met a person from Germany at the top. He was in his sixties with fitness, which made us think about ours. His wife was at the hotel as she had cooking lessons, and he came here as his interest was hiking. This was truly inspiring. At their age, they respected each others’ choices and independence. It is true love. You give space to your partner. You respect their choice and their independence. Sitting with Sheel, hand in hand, witnessing a perfect sunrise, we promised each other that day to have the same understanding and the same maturity. Sometimes a stranger will teach you a lifelong lesson.
So don’t hesitate and don’t think much. If you plan your vacation in Bali, this hike is a must. We wish to do it with kids one day!!