Sunrise at Mount Batur, Bali, Indonesia

This series of ten posts comes from a three week trip to Indonesia. I traveled to the islands of Java, Bali and Lombok with G-adventures. Along the way, I saw incredible cultural sites, enjoyed delicious foods, met great people, and took in beautiful views. Here’s the story…

Arriving in Kintamani, Bali

From our lunch stop on the coast, we drove two hours up into the mountains to Kintamani. We stayed at the Lake Hotel Bali which has a stunning panoramic view of Mount Batur with Lake Batur at its base. The balcony of our hotel room overlooked the lake with the late afternoon fog rolling in. We dined together in the hotel restaurant. After some delicious sweet and sour chicken and a glass of wine, it was early to bed for the morning hike.

Sunrise Hike on Mount Batur

Setting Out

My alarm sounded at 2:30 am for the early hike. I made a quick exit and met Maria, Lucy and Bebez in the hotel lobby for the volcano trek. We set off from the hotel and down to the base of the volcano. On the way down we stopped at a small cafe for a quick cup of strong coffee and fried bananas to warm up. A few other groups also stopped there on their way to the trailhead. Then in the parking lot we met Karma, our guide for the hike. He handed us each a bamboo stick for a hiking pole and a small flashlight. 

Up the Volcano

For two hours we hiked up the volcano, back and forth up the switchbacks. The first part was a smooth incline and then for the last 45 minutes, the trail got quite steep and we had to scramble up a few sections. Fortunately, the path was wide enough for comfort; no steep ledges and plenty of foliage on the downhill side of the trail. 

Overall I felt pretty physically fit for the hike. As we climbed, I was huffing and puffing along with everyone else but with breaks and the cool mountain air, it was a pleasant hike. We increased our elevation just over one vertical kilometer from the base to the peak, or 150 flights of steps. 

Dressing in layers was the key to this hike. The air was chilly but hikers were shedding layers as they climbed. By the time we made it to the top, I was down to a tank top but quickly put on two long sleeve shirts at the top once we stopped moving. At the crest the temperature was down to about 50 °F.

At the Top 

We started to see a ribbon of light on the horizon on the final stretch of the hike. At the top, there were so many people. Tourist hikers filled the benches at the top of the volcano. We even witnessed a proposal! (She said yes.) In the background, the guides scurried around to a kitchen shack to prepare warm drinks and food. 

Here we said goodbye to our mini-guide. Throughout the hike, our guide had a 13 year old sidekick who tags along on his hikes to sell drinks on the trail and at the top. He didn’t speak much English, but shared his story via Karma’s translation. He said he’s currently in school but on holiday at the moment and wanted to work to further his education. 

Indeed we had a stellar view of the sun rising. The clouds were high but reflected a pink glow from above. Right in front of us, we could see Mount Abang across from Lake Banur. Across the strait on Lombok Island, we could see the silhouette of the Mount Rinjani in the morning light. 

Once the sun was up, we took more pictures and walked a bit around the top. Behind the viewing area where we watched the sunrise, there was a large carter. There some hikers were cooking eggs on the rising steam. In fact, steam seeped out between many of the rocks at the top. A few monkeys were lurking around, hoping to score a snack from the departing tourists. 

On the Way Back Down 

There were two paths down from the top of Mount Batur. We decided to take the same path that we came up. This route was safer and didn’t have any areas with steep ledges or cliffs. The other trail was supposed to be more scenic but it had some drop offs. I read about a few accidents on the trail and my fear of heights led me to prefer the safer route. 

The views on the way down were incredible, now that the sun was out and we could actually see. The path was slick and we experienced a few small spills on the sandy trail. Motorbikes zoomed up and down the trail taking some visitors up toward the top and back down to the parking lot; however, they also kicked up a ton of dirt, creating dust clouds for the hikers.

We made it back to the bottom around 8:30am and then took a jeep back to the hotel. We had just enough time to take in the breakfast buffet, have a hot shower and hop on the bus to visit the coffee plantation.

Coffee Plantation

What’s the most expensive cup of coffee in the world? It’s Luwak Coffee. A single cup of this coffee can cost up to $100 around the world. That’s because each bean is selected by the luwak, an animal that looks like a lynx or a raccoon. This animal is an expert in eating only the best beans. After the beans have been digested and excreted, they are thoroughly cleaned and are then processed into the pricey grounds.

At the coffee plantation, I had a cup of Luwak coffee for 50,000 rupiah, or about $3.50. The flavor was nice and smooth, but really just tasted like regular coffee. When in Indonesia, you have to give it a try. It’s not everyday that you get to try the famous “poop coffee.”

While at the plantation, we also sampled twelve different coffees and teas that they produce. We shared sips of vanilla, Bali coffee and chocolate coffees as well as ginseng, fruity, lemongrass and ginger tea. 

In addition to the many coffee bushes, they also had cocoa trees with fruits maturing from green to yellow to red. They showed us cinnamon trees and how cinnamon comes from the inner bark of the tree. They also grew lemon grass, oranges, pineapples and sugar.

G-Adventures and Planeterra

The Planeterra Foundation is G-Adventure’s investment in socially responsible tourism. On each G-Adventure trip, part of your payment funds programs around the world that empower women, create opportunities for youth, conserve cultures and preserve the environment. While traveling with G-adventures, we have the opportunity to support the projects by visiting the locations, spending money locally and learning about diverse people and places. 

In this section of the trip, we visited the foundation Yayasan Bhakti Senang Hat. Its name means “happy hearts” in Indonesian. The foundation was started by people with disabilities to help others contribute and be active in society. As in many places around the world, people with disabilities in Bali are discriminated against and often lead limited lives. This is especially true here where many Baliense view babies born with disabilities as bad karma. 

When we entered the patio, two men played musical instruments and then, a young woman gave a short presentation in English to tell us about the programs. Some of the program participants live on site, others with their families. They participate in classes such as reading, computers, English and dance. She also told us about the different community excursions she participated in around the island. 

We shared a lunch with the residents at the foundation. They prepared a delicious buffet with rice, corn fritters, chicken cooked in banana leaves, tempeh and potatoes and fried noodles. Several travelers purchased their art work, which is a source of funding for Yayasan Bhakti Senang Hat. It was really special to visit the foundation to meet the participants, learn about and support their programs and experience a different side of Bali than most tourists. 

Next stop, Ubud!