Holidays in Bali - Traveling around Bali with a child - Day climb to Mount Batur

Walking track: Climbing Mount Batur (1717 m), Bali, Indonesia, 7.65 km in 5 hours

When planned a trip to Bali, in our very, very priorities there were two points - Climbing Mount Batur(1717 m) and to Agung volcano(3142 m).

Batur at the same time, it was considered as a “training track” - according to the principle “if we cope with it” (approx. we traveled around the island of Bali with our eight-month-old baby), which means that we Agung be absolutely the same.

Ascent to Batur turned out to be quite simple - if you close your eyes to hot weather and then rain with a thunderstorm. But first things first.

Volcano Batur(1717 m) is not just a mountain in the middle of an open field. This handsome man has his own special zest. It is a "volcano within a volcano".

And here is such a scale that all this gigantic space does not fit in your head when you stand at the very top of the volcano, which is in the volcano, and there are two calderas in the distance - rims along the edges.

Note: Below on the map of Bali, the red dots mark the directions where we were brought there, including Batur volcano.

And a lake with locality at the foot of Batur - they are all inside the caldera ...

And on the one hand, the expanses of water of the lake, and right next to the other, the black expanses of the once solidified lava. Wow how interesting! And it's all Bali!

Below in the photo: Two lakes - blue is Lake Batur, black is frozen lava. There seem to be tracks on the lava.

... Gunung Batur is a caldera reaching a height of 1717 meters. It is located in the northeast of the island. The diameter of the outer caldera is 13.8×10 kilometers. There is a lake in the caldera, various volcanic formations: volcanic cones, craters. The top of the main cone, consisting of 3 craters, rises to a height of 700 meters above the main terrain.

Volcanic activity in historical times had a moderate explosive character, lava flows reached the waters of the lake, this can be seen from the frozen basalt flows. Sometimes there were victims, so during the eruptions of 1963-1964, 16 houses of a nearby village located in the valley were destroyed. Currently, the volcano is active and tremors occur from time to time ...

Below in the photo: We are on the right peak - this is the highest point of the Batur volcano.

Climbing Mount Batur is one of the popular tourist activities here in Bali.

Climb this volcano in different ways:

- by purchasing a tour (ca. 30 Australians), the price of which includes delivery to the mountain, the ascent to the mountain with a guide and breakfast there.

– independent getting to the mountain and from there climbing with a guide (the price tag for the services of a guide depends on the ability to bargain).

– self-guided climbing and climbing without a guide; they say that the guides pierce the tires of such “tourists”, so in such a case it is recommended to leave your vehicle away from the eyes of conductors.

In general, in most cases, they climb the Batur volcano at night (start at 4 o'clock) to meet the dawn on its top, and accompanied by a guide, because at night it is unreasonable to navigate the terrain there without knowing it at all (there is no track marking along the way generally).

But daily climbs to Batur is also there. Well, since with a baby in our arms, the night rise did not shine for us, so we went in the afternoon and were very pleased with everything we saw and experienced there.

Below in the photo: You know, it’s not funny ... On the way, we stumbled upon this - the imprint of a bare foot of gigantic size ...

It was fresh and… What is it?… Local yeti?…

At the entrance to the "foothills of Batur" they took 10 Australians from us. At first they asked for 125 thousand rupees, but after staring at our cheerful company for some reason they made a discount and returned 25 thousand back with the note “discount for you”. They are funny...

Then, already in the parking lot, Tyoma “bargained” with local guides. They initially wanted 50 Australians per soul (i.e. 200 bucks for the four of us, not counting baby Nikita). Tyoma insisted on 10, in the end, after a short debate, both sides agreed on 15 Australian dollars per adult. Those. for $60 we were given an 18-year-old guide.

There is an interesting story with the conductors. We tell from the words of our guide boy named Katut Soma. As for Mount Batur itself, here is sa. 67 licensed guides and about a hundred "on the hook" without a license (such as our Katut Soma).

The earnings of the latter depend on the number of "walkers" - they went so many times, fulfilled the "norm", received their salary. When we returned back and gave a tip to our guide - 60 thousand local tugriks (6 Australian dollars), Soma already glowed with happiness.

How is it supposed to be that the guide is “responsible” for those he leads, and if God forbid something happens to the client, then supposedly the whole world will save him here (helicopters were even mentioned, perhaps for a red word, but who knows, but what if…).

The same applies to Agung (local guides told us the same thing there). I would like to believe that it is true, especially in relation to the ascent to Mount Agung, because if Batur is a walk, then Agung is a real very bumpy ascent and the same descent.

So, having got our guide, we hit the road.

To the first observation deck - Sunrise Point– Approximately 3 km climb. It is not difficult to go, but it was somewhat very hot for us, so we did not stomp quickly.

There is a cafe on the observation deck. There we were met by a couple of dull and bored comrades, the main stream of tourists had long passed, the “cafe employees” were already just sitting out their working hours, buried in their phones.

Below in the photo: Sunrise Point observation deck, views of Lake Batur and Mount Abang - it is the third highest mountain in Bali (2151 m). Behind it is Agung volcano (3142 m), but it was not visible that day because of dense low clouds.

Pro Abang – Gunung Abang is the highest point on the Batur caldera's rim and, at 2,151 m, the third-highest in all of Bali. It lies to the east of Danau Batur. Abang used to be part of the original Mount Batur, but when this 4,000-meter volcano had an enormous eruption in prehistoric times, it left nothing but a large caldera and a small cone, the present-day Batur, within. Abang is not a popular peak among mountain climbers, although it is not a strenuous climb.

Our male part of the rise in the heat turned out to be very little as a physical exercise - the guys “caught up” with push-ups, which clearly added variety to the boring rest of the working day of the “cafe employees”. Those, in turn, were almost ready to run for popcorn, what an amusing movie had begun before their eyes. Naturally, they filmed on their phones, then definitely in the evening they told their own about us, clearly showing photo-video evidence that the story about strange Russians was not invented by them.

Our Katut Soma patiently waited for his funny “clients” to frolic to their heart's content. He politely refused the offer to do push-ups on his fists “who is bigger”, because he still had to lead us back.

Below in the photo: Views of Sunrise Point with a cafe from the trail during the ascent to the highest point of the Batur volcano.

Cheered up at Sunrise Point, we stomped on, pointwise stopping here and there to take pictures.

And if before this observation deck the sun was still shining brightly in our crowns, then after it the clouds began to thicken.

Panoramic views of the environment Mount Batur the area began to partially disappear in a misty haze.

When we got up there, the clouds began to thicken in general. One big one was heading straight for us. At the sight of her approaching, and very quickly, partly eerie feelings were seized. You stand so high somewhere, and suddenly a gray cloud swallows you ... And that's it. Hedgehogs in the fog all of a sudden.

When they reached the high point Mount Batur - the clouds completely embraced the volcano and we could not see anything acres of that heel, on which we hung out for some time to have a bite, rest, change clothes of a mouse.

There were amusing sensations - nothing is visible, but the mind understands that you are somewhere high on the mountain. Step left or right - head over heels down ... Let me remind you, we were on the edge of the volcano.

Below in the photo: It's a pity, but here at the top there was quite a lot of garbage ...

Having replenished energy reserves with cookies and leopards, we stomped further behind our Katut Soma.

The width of this edge sometimes reached only a meter or two, on both sides there were steep cliffs - one inside the caldera, the other ... - also inside the caldera, only already mega-giant, it looks like a valley below. And fog all around...

I Nata was “closing” and often stopped to take pictures, the guys left and sometimes only their silhouettes were visible.

Fortunately, the fog was short-lived and in some places it nevertheless dissipated, and then gorgeous panoramic views. It's very beautiful there! It's just mega picturesque there in cloudless weather - climbing here for the sake of these views is definitely worth it!

On the edge of Batur volcano we stomped something about 2 km “in a circle”, eventually returning back to Sunrise Point.

But the edge of the caldera is uneven, part of the path was on the same level, the other part was a descent.

And vychipuristy - a trail going down, in the form of volcanic black sand. It was very slippery to go down, there we stomped on a teaspoon at an hour (do not forget, we carried our little mouse on ourselves).

By the way, not at the top of Batur there are places where the soil is hot and you can easily bake bananas and eggs there - this is what guides entertain their tourists who come up here at night and have breakfast here at dawn.

Plus, monkeys live here. They are not as brazen and aggressive as in the Monkey Forest in Ubud, but not very polite either.

One took and pushed Christina in the shoulder, and with such force that a little more and Christina would have been flying head over heels down the slope ...

Here you have the little whisker-tailed monkeys ...

Below in the photo: The first monkey we met is sitting in ambush, you won’t notice right away ...

For some time we were accompanied by four furry beasts, getting under our feet, chasing us along the path, trying to pick out something from our backpacks. In general, it was fun.

Dense clouds, a narrow path running along the edge of the volcano and marches dangling underfoot… What else do you need for a great hiking route?…

Having overcome the track edge of Batur volcano we went back to observation deck sunrise point. The cafe was already closed. And then it began to rain. And the storm rumbled nearby.

At first it was decided to wait. But after 10 minutes it became clear that you can wait until night. They covered the baby with a windbreaker and stomped down.

Katut Soma led us in a different way, easier in his words. Because of the rain, the descent seemed to us simply endless. Simple, but just long, long.

At some point we descended into the valley and walked along the road in the rain. Among rural fields, low forests and rainy rivers, they finally stomped to the hut-shop, hid under its roof.

A “smart thought” came - Tyome, together with Soma, to run to our driver Vayan and return for us here already by car. We discussed this “jogging” long and hard, finally realizing that Christina and Igor’s guys have a phone and that you can just call Vaillant without running anywhere ...

They called, Vaillant told us to stomp ourselves to his car, because he couldn’t get on the broken road ... The rain did not stop pouring ... It was already dripping from Nikita despite covering him with a windbreaker.

Here again the “smart thought” came - Vayan gave Tyoma and me his raincoat on the way. They uncovered it - it turned out to be a handy contraption - with buttons in front. Dressed in a dry little mouse, hid in a raincoat. By the way, the mouse never uttered a single peep all the way, and even being partly wet, he smiled with all his sweet muzzle.

So in the rain we stomped to Vaillant, said goodbye to Soma and loaded into the car, damp. I wanted to dry and eat.

We ate right there not far from Mount Batur at the lake of the same name with it in a cozy restaurant. There they all changed into dry clothes.

Great walking track. Easy climb. Wonderful scenic panoramic views. All in all, a very beautiful area.

We were very pleased that we were able to climb Batur volcano- and together with our baby and in a fun company of guys Christina and Igor .

The version of this event from the guys here:

We really liked our guide Katut Soma. At the age of 18, the boy is a very responsible worker, he watched us so that they didn’t get lost anywhere, didn’t fall anywhere, so that they didn’t forget anything at intermediate stops. He ran between us if we suddenly stretched along the way, was always ready to help, even to the point of dragging our things. He even offered me a “cleaner” to clean the protective filter at the lens (go ahead and guess what it might be useful for a tourist on the way ...). Darling!

Communicates well on English language, at the very beginning of the journey even thanked us in advance “for the opportunity to practice your English with us”.

In general, a great day spent in our best travel traditions! We all liked it very much!

Returning from Batur, we immediately began to estimate our strength in relation to Agung. Whomever we asked, everyone unanimously told us that the ascent to Agung would be much more difficult.

We took note of this (it’s one thing to read on the Internet, it’s another thing to already understand “what is Batur” and what can be expected from Agung approximately) and began to wait for the right weather, because contacting with rain, as it was on Batur, in relation to Agung was it is forbidden.

For sim we bow. Continuation of our story about our independent travel on the island of Bali follows.

Your restless travelers Nata, Tyoma and Nikita

Climbing Batur - an excursion during which you will climb Batur volcano - one of the most high peaks on Bali. You will meet the dawn and have breakfast near the crater, admire the views of the caldera. All organizational issues I will take over, you just have to enjoy the journey. Below I will tell you in detail how the excursion to the Batur volcano takes place, I will give you the prices and the main conditions of the tour.

How is the tour organized?

Dawn on Batur - best time when from the top of the volcano the most beautiful views. Therefore, I suggest you a night ascent. During the day it is cloudy, you will not see even half of what you can see in the early morning. I will pick you up from the hotel around 03:00 so that we will be there at 03:00. The road from the south takes approximately 1.5-2 hours.

We will drive to the village of Songan, which is located almost on the slope of the volcano. From there your ascent will begin. At the foot of the volcano we will be met by a local guide who knows the route very well. At this point, we will part temporarily. Further ascent to the volcano will be accompanied by one of the local guides.

Climbing Batur with a local guide is a prerequisite for an excursion, since it is dangerous to climb to the top without a guide, especially at night. It is easy to get lost in the dark, even a detailed study of the road on the maps on the eve of the trip will not help here. In addition, all guides have walkie-talkies. If something happens during the ascent, they will quickly contact the "earth", and help will arrive in time for you.

Note! The guide on Batur speaks only English.

Sunrise on the Batur volcano begins at about 6 am. The ascent lasts approximately 2 hours, so you need to start it at 03:30-04:00 so that you can get to the top by sunrise. There are halts along the way. Their number depends solely on your desire and level of training. If you get tired, do not hesitate to ask for a stop.

The first part of the path goes through the forest, it is relatively easy. Closer to the top, the path becomes steeper, in many places it is covered with pieces of solidified lava. Steam, mixed with volcanic gases, can come out from under the ground to the surface in some places. They are not hazardous to health. Along the way, you will see lava fields, traces of recent eruptions. The lava that entered the valley at the beginning of the 20th century has already begun to be covered with forest. The streams that appeared as a result of the 1964 eruption are still black and lifeless.

The mountain has two peaks, on which observation platforms are organized. You will reach the first one in 1.5-2 hours, the distance here is approximately 2.3 km. The second ascent is a bit harder and steeper and takes about 30 minutes more. You don't have to go all the way to the main peak, the view from the bottom platform is just as good. If you feel the strength to climb Batur and reach its highest point, the guide will be happy to take you there.

Breakfast will be provided at the top. For you, they can boil eggs and fry bananas right in the crater of the volcano. On the observation decks there are small cafes serving hot tea, coffee and simple snacks. Apart from a cafe and a few shops next to them, there are no other amenities, including toilets, at the top. Don't be surprised if monkeys come to you for breakfast. They climb everywhere where there are people and you can beg or steal a treat.

After breakfast, you will have some rest, take photos, admire the surrounding landscape. Then the guide will offer to walk around the crater of the volcano. There are three of them on Batur, and there is a convenient path around the largest one. At the end of the walk you will go back. The descent is quite difficult at first, as the paths are covered with volcanic rock, steep and a bit slippery. Closer to the foot you will again fall into the forest, it will become much easier to go.

I will meet you at the foot of the volcano in the very place where your ascent began, accompanied by a local guide. The further route will depend on your desire and degree of fatigue. You will have the opportunity to walk around the caldera. There are hot springs near the volcano. The water is warm and very relaxing. In the village of Kintamani, you can go up to the observation deck and see the Batur volcano from a completely different angle. But we can immediately get in the car and go to the hotel. The tour ends at approximately 14:00.

Important information on organizing an excursion

Now that you know how the tour is organized, I would like to mention a few more important points regarding the organization of the trip.

Is it worth climbing Mount Batur?

Climbing Batur with a guide is a fairly simple trek, suitable even for people with minimal physical fitness. But still, there are some limitations. Do not go on a tour with small children. Also, the rise should be abandoned to the elderly. According to the rules, you can take a child at least 7 years old with you to the mountain. I do not advise pregnant women to book a tour, the journey will be too difficult for them.

What do you need to take with you?

• Warm clothes
• At night, the temperature on Batur drops to 15-16 degrees, take a windbreaker with a hood or a cap, if possible a warm sweater. Do not go on a tour in shorts. Firstly, you will freeze, and secondly, you can fall and injure your leg.
• Comfortable shoes
• It is desirable that these are trekking shoes or light boots. You can't climb the mountain in flip-flops.
• Light snack
• Chocolate, cookies, fruit or something like that will do. If you get hungry during the ascent, you will have the opportunity to eat.
• Thermos with tea
  The cafes at the top are not always open, so you should play it safe and take hot drinks with you.

Usual drinking water a local guide will offer, he will also help you carry a backpack if you get hard. You can take things for climbing the mountain with you in your bag. Change clothes on the spot, and all excess baggage leave it in my car.

Gunung Volcano Batur is one of the most interesting places that gives us the island of Bali. Height 1717 m. This is one of the volcanoes, the activity of which was observed in 1964, and in 2000 there was an ash emission. Now you can observe the emission of steam flows in some places of the volcano.

On the top of the mountain, where the volcano is located, organized. From the top of Batur, a beautiful panoramic view of the surroundings opens up. The spectacle is truly breathtaking.

One of the favorite tricks that guides offer to tourists is the opportunity to boil an egg in the mouth of a volcano.

How to climb

Climbing the volcano can be done in the following ways:

• In any travel agency, purchase a tour for an excursion as part of a group. The price for the tour will be from 35 dollars. For this price, they offer guide services and a light breakfast.
• Get to the volcano on your own. To do this, it is enough to get to the place by bus and hire a guide. As a rule, such groups are recruited up to 4 people. The guide asks for organizing the tour 500 rupees, but you can bargain.
• Familiarize yourself with the route on the map, drive to the foot of the volcano and, without a guide, along the path get to the top of the mountain to the volcano. But still, in a foreign country, not knowing the features of the terrain for the first time, it is not recommended to make your way to the volcano on your own.

The most interesting thing is to get to the top by night. Meet the dawn on the volcano high mountain- that sounds interesting. Yes, and walking uphill in the cool of the night is much more pleasant. But without a guide, you should not move at night.

Facts about the volcano

• It is believed that the active activity of the volcano began almost 500 thousand years ago.
• in the crater the largest lake in the mountains. Just imagine, its width is about three kilometers, and along its length it stretched for eight.
• The foot of the volcano also meets tourists with an attraction - there are thermal source Hot Spring (pictured). Swimming in the spring you can admire the lake.
• The consequences of the largest eruption in the 60s were the destruction of many settlements on the island. The restoration took a lot of money and effort.If we recall the activity of 2000, then it was limited only to the emission of ash 300 meters high.
• In 2011, another tragedy occurred - the release of sulfuric acid intensified on the volcano, which caused panic and health problems among the inhabitants, and facts of the death of fish were recorded in the lake.
• The Balinese are anxious about their "miracle". They are not afraid of either periodic excesses or the threat of eruptions - they carry out agricultural work at the very foot, since the land there is fertile.

If you decide to climb the Batur volcano, then carefully read the tips given by guides and experienced travelers:

1. Climbing shoes should be comfortable and simple. Climbing in comfortable soft sneakers will be much easier.
2. Refuel your car or motorcycles during the daytime before starting your trip, as there will be no place to fill it up at night - gas stations are closed. There is a chance that you will meet gasoline dealers on the side of the road, but you should not rely on this at night.
3. You will need warm clothes. It will be cold at night. Even if you don’t feel cold while climbing the mountain, you will meet a piercing, by no means warm wind at the top. The possibility of rain is not ruled out, so a great option would be to grab a raincoat that will cover from the rain and save from the wind.
4. Take care of the lights. It's better if he's not alone. At night, it is quite scary to walk along a dark forest path. With a lantern, you will overcome the path with much more pleasure.
5. Photos and videos of your trip are a memory for many years, so do not forget to capture interesting moments.
6. Take food and water with you. On the way, you will want to drink, and after conquering the peak, you will definitely overcome the feeling of hunger.
7. You must have a compass or navigator. Do not forget to mark the place where your car or bike will remain parked.

Self-climbing the famous volcano Batur, which is located on the island of Bali, is one of the most popular topics among Russian travelers. Scrolling through forums and groups about Bali, I keep seeing questions about how to get around the ubiquitous guides and get to the volcano without paying a penny, especially since climbing Batur is officially free, and a guide is available upon request.

Briefly about our ascent of Mount Batur in 2016: fleeing from angry Balinese at night on bikes along a serpentine, flying sticks and whisks in our direction, cooking sausages in the volcano crater, falling off a bike, mega-speed running up the volcano, walking along the edge volcano and, finally, meeting the dawn on Batur - for the sake of which we, in fact, got up at 2 am and sawed across the entire island for several hours.

1. What you need to know about Mount Batur
2. Tracking
3. Our adventures
4. Weather, utilities and what to bring

1. What you need to know about Batur

• The ascent to the first place where you can meet the dawn takes 20-40 minutes, depending on your speed. Then 1 hour - rise to the highest point (1717 m). Then an hour walk along the edge of the volcano's crater and descent down in a different way, which will take 1.5 hours. We were constantly stopping, taking pictures and just admiring the beauty, so we covered distances much more slowly :) But at a normal pace, everything should be like that. The ascent and descent are sometimes steep, but quite manageable, just put on your running shoes.
• Batur or Gunung Batur is a caldera and the volcano of the same name in this caldera, located in the northeast of Bali (see map above). A caldera is a huge basin formed after the earth settled, releasing lava through a volcano. Batur volcano now reaches a height of 1717 meters.
• Tourists are allowed to walk along the edge of the Batur volcano. From it you can see Lake Batur, the edge of the inner and outer caldera (which is covered with clouds in the morning) and 2 neighboring volcanoes.

2. Tracking

Maria and Alexei Glazunov have an excellent track map, the entire route is marked there. Here you can download this map to your phone. We buy an Indonesian SIM card, download a track card, install the application and you are ready to conquer the volcano!

3. Our adventures

If you, like us, live in Bali in the Canggu region, then in order to have time to see the sunrise on Batur, you need to leave at 2 am. If you live in Nusa Dua and other southern resorts then leave 15 minutes early. We rode in a big company on bikes, built clear rules for who rides for whom, so as not to get lost on the poorly lit streets of Bali at night and set off. The ride is pretty cool, it's good that we were warmly dressed. By the way, about what time of the year what clothes to take, I will write at the end of the article. Read it, it's important. The first sign that the trip promises to be remembered for a long time was waiting for us around a sharp turn, illuminated by a single lantern - one of our bikes slipped on the rubble and fell. The guy was not weakly injured, but his companion had exactly 1 scratch. Apparently, Batur was waiting for this girl to visit him unharmed, otherwise how to explain the fact that a man just magically landed next to the bike on bare asphalt like on a down pillow? Having treated the wounds, we moved on.

Further, another bike began to run out of gas. It's night outside, even gouge out your eyes, gas stations are behind, not a single living soul is around. Things would be very bad if it wasn't Asia - it works here round the clock service assistance to tourists in the face of the local population. Having learned where gasoline is sold during the day, our guys knocked on the door of the owners of the shop and asked them to open a couple of hours earlier, that is, right now. And the owners immediately opened up and, right in their pajamas, literally saved our trip. Without taking a penny on top of the required amount and treating the wounds of the wounded for free, they happily waved after us. All the same, Asians who do not work in the tourism sector never cease to amaze us with their responsiveness.

Full of anticipation, we began to approach the point of ascent to Batur. Here, out of the darkness, a Balinese on a bike joins us and, right on the go, begins to tell us how much we need him - after all, he is a guide, and without a guide you cannot go to the volcano. In fact, we can safely move on. And here we attack an ambush - the non-tourist path leading to Bata, which Masha and Lyosha Glazunov wrote about, is blocked by several tales, and the most interesting - by evil guides. Really evil, and careless, as we found out in a second. They were indignant that we do not respect them, because we do not want to hire, shouted and waved their hands. We stand silent. To make it more intimate, the guides began to break out branches from their hut, break them on their knees and, swinging with force, throw them at our bikes. We stand silent. Overzealous with breaking their hut, the guides touched the flimsy wiring and plunged their point in complete darkness to intimidate tourists. I wrote above that they are careless, right?)) Realizing that it is impossible to agree with these guys and since they are ready to take apart their own property, we turned around and drove away to discuss aside the whole comicality of this situation. But the guides were not simple, they chased us and then the serpentine races began - will we break away from these gopniks or not? They did not break away, they continued to guard us, driving at a safe distance. Having decided that Batur was worthy of our attention and it was stupid to leave with nothing, we had no choice but to go to the official ticketing station.

Let me tell you, we made the right decision :)

We were 9 people, according to the rules at the official station, 1 guide is issued for 4 people at a cost of 400,000 Indonesian rupees for four. So basically we need 3 guides and we had to pay a total cost of IDR 1,200,000. The guys somehow agreed with other Balinese, who were very affectionate, for 1 guide with a total cost of 900,000 rupees, so each of us gave only 100,000. Indonesian rupiah.

We were given 1 guide and we sawed on bikes up the off-road, periodically almost falling and not understanding how you can kill the road so much and let people who just paid you on it at night.

After reading all this, you might think that we have spoiled the mood. Not at all. I was even glad for this adventure, because for the first time we see such deliberately aggressive behavior. local residents accompanied by theatrical gestures and staged phrases. And everything that happens for the first time is always interesting.

After 10 minutes of off-road, we went to more or less good road, which also went up. It would be difficult to get up there on a weak bike, so make sure your bike is in good condition before riding.

Leaving the bikes, we finally went on foot. Or rather, run. Dawn is about to begin, and we are still at the foot of the volcano!

How we ran, how we hurried, how my legs were shaking from tension, all this was unforgettable - we just flew up to the volcano! With a wide smile on our face, crazy eyes and greedily swallowing the air, we reached perfect place to meet the dawn.

There were already a lot of people there. But no one bothered anyone.

Selfie sticks, where without them :)

Clouds hovering in the Batur caldera.

Batur volcano is active: tremors occur and fumarole smoke rises from cracks in the craters. We did not feel the tremors, but we saw plenty of smoke. The presence of smoke indicates the final attenuation of the Batur volcano, or at least its transition to an intermediate stage between eruptions.

In general, the volcano should not boil in the near future, which is why tourists are allowed on it. The last significant ash emission occurred in 1999-2000. In 2011, there was a release of sulfur dioxide, which caused a lot of fish to die in Lake Batur.

After a half-hour rest, the guide took us higher. In fact, there are so many people on Batur after dawn that it is simply impossible not to understand where to go. After all, there is only one road, so we would have done just fine on our own. The rocks turned to sand and the early birds, already descending from the summit, slid across the sand, falling over and over again. Someone fell, and then sat for a long time, they say, that’s how I originally planned to just take a break on the ground))

Climbing a little higher, we stumbled upon the camp. Prudent Europeans climbed here yesterday afternoon and set up camp. Cunningly invented.

The Europeans set up camp right on the territory of the monkeys, which, unlike ordinary monkeys, begged not for food, but for water. With what greed they drank from bottles, it was necessary to see it! Already a whole queue was organized.

And then we saw a faint smoke coming straight from the ground. We go down a little into the crater to find out what's the matter and then it dawns on us - this is volcanic steam coming from the very bowels of the earth! If you put your hand in the hole, it gets oh so hot. Unforgettable feelings.

We climb a little higher, it gets hot, we take a break and see in the distance the camp we just left. On the left, clouds over the caldera. The spirit is captivating!

Higher and higher and higher.

Slowly we reach the transshipment point.

Cozy bench, isn't it? What a view mmm...

I don't understand those who run fast beautiful places, having time to see a lot of things in 1 day. A bunch of people, in a hurry, were already running down. What for? For me, it’s better to visit few places, but remember them, leave them in your heart and remember everything live, and not from quickly taken pictures of the camera.

The neighboring volcanoes are Agung and Abang. I would forever admire the way the clouds envelop them.

I didn't want to go anywhere.

But the guys said that ahead of us is a walk along the edge of the Batur volcano! And that means it's time to move forward.

We walked quite a bit and ran into an observation deck where you can order something to eat and drink tea. Hot volcanic steam tea sounds great, doesn't it?

But even more chic is to prepare an exotic dinner for yourself: hot-steamed sausages in a jar. When they tell me once again that I live wrong, I will remember this moment: you go down a little into the crater of the volcano, put a jar of sausages and in a couple of minutes they are ready. I, damn it, want to cook sausages in the crater of the volcano, and not in the kitchen of Khrushchev!

Having refreshed ourselves, we finally went for a walk along the edge of the volcano's crater. Whoo!

Sometimes the edge was very sharp. It tickled the nerves nicely.

But most of the time the trail was very easy.

Big caldera. I didn't know those words before. And now I can proudly say that I saw a large caldera - a basin of volcanic origin. Not only saw, but also walked inside it, along the edge of the volcano crater. Wow.

An hour later, a gradual descent began. We returned to our bikes. But they would go around so as not to repeat the route.

It was already getting quite hot, we were all covered in volcanic dust, but the smiles, although tired, did not leave our faces.

4. Weather, utility and what to bring

We were at the foot of the volcano at 6 am. Dawn at 6.30. We were supposed to arrive at 4 in the morning, we left on time, but, as you know, we didn’t manage to arrive on time. Therefore, we did not need warm clothes, we climbed when it was already more or less warm. If you do not want to climb the volcano at the speed of light to see the sunrise, as we did, then you need to be at the foot at 4.00. And at this time it is cold, so take a warm jacket with you.

• Raincoat. Firstly, it is from the rain (cap), and secondly, from the cold wind.
• Comfortable shoes.
• First aid kit with the most minimal set: peroxide, bandage, tourniquet, plasters.
• Torch.
• Water and snack.
• A phone with maps.me and a tracking card from Alexey and Maria Glazunov.
• Navigator or compass, if available.

Before climbing Mount Batur take a look latest reviews on TripAdvisor. There may be relevant tips and impressions.

By the way, already after the ascent, on the way home, we stopped at a cafe and there was a magical view from the window. The cafe is easy to find, it will be on the right along the highway.

And finally, a few photos of our company from