Climbing Gunung Batur, Bali’s Volcano
I didn’t want to climb a volcano. One of my biggest fears is to be burnt alive by lava. Ever since watching Volcano with Anne Heche and Tommy Lee Jones, I have visions of slowly burning alive. The way that guy from Fargo did during the scene in the subway.
As a matter a fact, Dave and I had a huge fight the night before. I was blaming with him for wanting to climb Gunung Batur even though I had said that I wanted to as well. But I wouldn’t admit that I didn’t want to so I was just angry and he couldn’t understand why. We had come to Bali for many things however, and climbing a volcano was one of them, so I wasn’t about to admit that I was chickening out.
As it turns out, Gunung Batur is not a frightening lava flowing volcano at all. Yes, it is an active volcano, but you won’t see any lava fields flowing by as you walk up the trail and you won’t have to worry or fear that you may tumble into molten lava.
I really should have done my research before we climbed and I would have known this. Instead I lay awake all night fretting and waiting for our 2:00 am wake up call.
It seemed that I had just finally closed my eyes when our driver Anung, met us at our bungalow in Ubud. He lifted my spirits with his warm smile and breakfasts in hand. We hopped in the back seat of his shiny SUV and we drove in luxury eating our hard boiled eggs and fresh fruit.
I was pretty stressed out as we approached the base of the mountain and tried to hide it to no avail. We stopped to get our permits to climb and then with a quick introduction to our guide Nyoman and armed with our boxed lunch, we were off by 4:00 am.
He set a fast pace and there was little talking as we hiked in the dark. I didn’t enjoy myself at first as I still didn’t know what to expect. I had never seen a volcano before this climb, let alone climb on one.
We stopped to catch our breath. Climbing a volcano is pretty tiring. The black rock is loose and the slope is steep. We had just climbed Mount Kinabalu in Borneo a few weeks earlier so I thought I would be a breeze after that, but I was breathing heavily all the way up.
You can see our video of the climb in our featured videos to the right
Everything ended up being fine and we made it to the lookout with more than enough time to catch the sunrise. We found a nice spot in a shelter with benches to sit on even. There were quite a few of us lined up side by side waiting for the sun to come up, and as soon as it crested the horizon we were armed and ready with our cameras and videos.
The sunrise was spectacular. We were on the top of Bali and the sky was ablaze the sun rose over Lombok and Gunung Rinjani. It was a slow rise and we had more than enough footage. By the time it was actually daylight we were frozen wrapped in our sarongs. The climb was a sweaty one and to sit for an hour waiting in the cool and damp darkness took its toll. The warmth of that sunrise couldn’t have come too soon and now that all of my fears had subsided, I couldn’t wait to move on to see the crater of Gunung Batur.
Our first stop was a deep hole in a cave where we watched a lot of steam rise from the depths of the earth. Steam was everywhere and Nyoman told us that yearly sacrifices are held each year by the local villagers to appease the volcano Gods. Live water buffalo, goats and chickens are ceemoniously dropped to their deaths. This will hopefully stave off another eruption. I just felt bad for the animals and I imagined the sight of the poor buffalo being hoisted by rope and pulley over the deep crater.
Our oven for the Egg
We climbed on after sunrise to the rim of the newest eruption. After cooking an egg in a steaming hole, yes, it is that hot that one can boil an egg, we went on to view the old lava flows and more smoking cones of sulpher. You could feel the heat all around you and steam rose from everywhere.
Vulcanologist’s are expecting Gunung III to go next and although they monitor regularly, you just never know when it will erupt. All around you could see rocks that had been thrown into the air from the angry depths of the earth. They left behind holes with gas spewing from within and I imagined being right there when it happened. There is potential for some serious injury if you happen to find yourself standing next to a spot that is ready to blow.
Steam Rising
I was amazed to think that people can comfortably build homes and businesses at the base of this still active mountain. Earthquakes occur more frequently and there is a lot of activity.
We hiked through the morning on trails right along the craters edge. The landscape changed drastically as we walked from black loose sand from the most recent eruption to lush green grass on the older craters. You could see first hand the strength of Mother Nature, she can rebuild and thrive even after disaster.
Hiking on the Craters Edge
It ended up being a beautiful day. I walked and talked with Nyoman as Dave stopped regularly for photographs. He was in his element as usual.
I am very glad to have sucked it up and climbed Gunung Batur. It wasn’t the big bad scary experience that I was expecting. It was an invigorating climb with spectacular views and a leisurely hike down to end in early afternoon.
Changing Landscapes
We said goodbye to Nyoman after tipping generously. He earned it. At first he was quiet and probably didn’t know what to expect from us, but as the day went on we talked openly and frequently. We talked about family and friends and life in Bali. We enjoyed his company but knew full well that we would never see him again. And it ended with a wave goodbye as we caught our air-conditioned van back to Ubud.
Tips for the Trek
1. Bring something warm to keep yourself warm while waiting for sunrise.
2. Book your trek in Ubud it is cheaper and always remember to haggle on the price.
3. Drink lots of Water.
4. Tip your guide. They work hard and make most of their money from your tips.
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