Travel Story: Mount Batur at Sunrise – Bali Bucket List Goal

Author: Matthew Stark

Date: Wednesday 10th April 2024

It was 3 AM when my alarm rang. Today was the day I’d climb Mount Batur in Bali, something I have been meaning to do since I first came out travelling. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, the fact id be climbing an active volcano was something that rushed to my mind. I was immediately awake.

Pulling on my boots, I met my guide, Wayan, outside. The air was cool and quiet, the area of the volcano is quite remote so there was a silence broken only by the occasional sound of a motorbike going past. We drove to the base of the mountain, it was dark, and my body clock was definitely not prepared!

Starting our ascent in darkness, the path was only lit by our flashlights. The ground under us was a mixture of loose stones and volcanic ash, we had to be careful as to calculate each step. At the base it wasn’t too bad but as we climbed higher, the ground become much more loose and I could feel my breath getting shorter, the air slightly thinner. Wayan pointed out plants unique to this type of volcanic soil, a buddhist temple, and various other bits and peices as we climbed up.

Halfway up, we took a break. Sitting on a large rock, we had our first sip of coffee from the flask Wayan had thanfully brought, we did see a couple of other groups flashlights further up the volcano so I knew we wouldn’t be alone up there. At one point Wayan did pull out an egg in a bizzare twist that I was like “What on earth?”, Wayan laughed at me and just said “watch”. He buried the egg in the ground as we had some more coffee. Moments later he uncovered the eggs for us and to my suprise they were both cooked! It was such a fantastic experience although the egg tasted a bit odd!

The final stretch was the toughest. My legs burned, and my breath came in short gasps, but the excitement of reaching the top spurred me on. As we reached the summit, the first hints of dawn colored the horizon. The sky turned a brilliant shade of orange and blue, and the volcanic crater was lit up, the forests below, and the sun reflecting off the distant ocean was a sight I could have never been prepared for. It was honestly a perfect moment.