So you’re heading to Bali and planning to do the Mount Batur hike at sunrise. HELL YEAH!! So excited for you!!! It’s gonna be an awesome experience! Hiking a volcano in the chilly hours of the night/morning to watch the sun peak around the corner of Mount Agung and Mount Agang is definitely a bucket list adventure. 

It’s a pretty popular thing to do (for good reason) but thankfully not something you need to worry about booking way in advance. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan ahead though! Since you’re gonna be hiking a volcano, you are gonna wanna come prepared. Here are 17 things to know before you embark on the Mount Batur hike at sunrise:

Planning Your Hike

1. You don’t HAVE to do the Mount Batur hike with a guide, but it’s HIGHLY recommended

While you can technically hike up without a local guide, I would not recommend it (& it might even be against to rules to hike without a guide). There are multiple routes up, and the guides know their routes like the back of their hand. They step in all the right places, stop at all the right times, and pause to assist you up the extra steep rocks. Don’t feel bad if you’re sweating and out of breath and your guide is as calm as a cucumber. Most guides make the Mount Batur hike everyday so they’re super well conditioned. Another perk to hiking with a guide is being able to chat with them on the way down (I say on the way down because I was way too out of breath on the way up to engage in any meaningful conversation). On the hike back down our guide told us about the last time the volcano erupted in 2000, pointed out different mountains and islands we could see in the distance, and all around enhanced the experience.

2. Not all tours are the same

Tours vary widely in price and size. Some offer different amenities to up the price such as snacks, water, breakfast, lunch, etc. When picking a tour, I’d recommend sticking to the basics and selecting a private or semi-private tour. That way, you aren’t stuck standing around with a large group every time someone needs to take a breather. We did a semi-private tour with us, another couple, and our guide. Luckily the couple we hiked with were pretty in shape and we pushed each other along quite well.

3. The Mount Batur hike starts EARLY AF

It’s so early that I’m not sure it’s even fair to say it’s “early” in the morning. It honestly might be more accurate to say it’s just really late at night. Our driver picked us up at our hotel in Ubud around 1:45 am. After an hour ish drive, we arrived at the meetup spot just before 3:00 am. The hosts served us coffee and thin banana pancakes before hopping in another van to get to the base of the hike. By the time we were ready to actually begin our ascent, it was a few minutes after 4:00 am.

What to Bring & Wear on Your Hike

4. You need good shoes

Tennis shoes will do just fine, just make sure they have some grip to them. You don’t want to hike up in shoes with slippery bottoms, and for goodness sake they need to be closed toed shoes. Definitely would not recommend doing it in sandals or Chacos. I will say we saw a guide doing it in plastic flip flops but omg that’s just insane.

5. It’s best to wear long pants

The benefits are twofold! Long pants will keep you warmer when you start the hike (it’s pretty chilly in the beginning) and when you get to the chilly summit. But not only that, if you do happen to slip on a rock and end up on your butt for a few seconds at least your pants will protect you from little scratches and volcanic dirt.

6. It’s cold on top – bring a jacket

The day we embarked on the Mount Batur hike, the winds on top of the volcano were whipping and the temperature was around 50-55 degrees fahrenheit. That may not sound cold to you but after you just hiked for almost 2 hours and you’re sweating, it’s pretty freaking chilly. We brought sweatshirts and rain jackets (to block out the wind) which made waiting on the sun much more enjoyable.

7. Bring snacks

Most tours will provide a basic breakfast at the summit while you wait for sunrise. It typically consists of hard boiled eggs, bread, and maybe a banana if you’re lucky. After a 2 hour hike I was starvingggg, especially because I’m a huge breakfast person and my thin pancake before the hike didn’t sustain me for long. Either way, I’d recommend bringing some granola bars or something to snack on in case hard boiled eggs aren’t your thing or you need a bit more sustenance.

What to Expect on Your Hike

8. You will hike in pitch black darkness

When I say it’s dark, I mean it’s DARK. You’re gonna want to bring your own flashlights. The ones they provided us were cheap and weak making it significantly harder to see than if we’d had our own LED flashlights. A lot of people opted for headlamps instead, which honestly is probably safer because….

9. The path is pretty rocky

It is a volcano after all. Most of the path is covered in large and small rocks which can make it dangerous on the steeper parts of the hike. If you misstep and plant your food on a loose rock the rocks try to roll underneath you. It’s not scary! You just need to be pretty careful where you’re stepping (just follow your guide’s steps, they’ve got this down pat).

10. The hike is physically challenging

Before deciding you want to embark on this adventure, you definitely want to make sure you’re in decent shape. I’m not saying you need to be an expert hiker or seasoned marathon runner (because I’m sure as hell not), but you do need a base level of cardio fitness. The total round trip distance is around 3 miles, and unfortunately some people realize halfway through that they aren’t cut out to make it all the way up and end up turning around. How disappointing! I think most people should be able to do this hike with enough breaks, just keep in mind that it isn’t a leisurely stroll by any means. On the plus side, every time I felt like my muscles were on fire and I wasn’t going to be able to take another step, our guide decided we needed a quick break (can you tell he’s done this hike a few times?).

11. The hike up takes around 2 hours

We made it up in around 1.5 hours and it definitely felt like we were bookinggggg it. Our smaller group allowed us to move a bit faster and only take quick breaks when it was actually necessary. Some of the larger groups said it took them almost 2 and a half hours because of the long breaks. The length of the hike is fully dependent on your and your group’s stamina. I will say, making it up quicker allowed us to get a prime spot to wait for sunrise.

12. It will still be dark when you get to the top

Depending on how fast you get to the top, you may have anywhere from 30 min to over an hour of sitting in the dark waiting for the sun to make an appearance. It sounds a bit boring but it’s honestly an experience in itself. The multitude of stars above are incredible and the flashlights of hikers below slowly making their way up looks like little trails of ants carrying orbs of white light. .

13. Locals sell hot tea while you wait

Okay yes the tea is “overpriced” but it is soooo worth it. To be fair, they are making tea on the top of a volcano so I think the price hike (no pun intended, okay maybe a little) is reasonable. Holding onto that warm mug of tea kept the feeling in my cold fingers in the chilly wind. If you aren’t looking to spend any extra money, make sure to ask your guide if the hot drinks are included in your tour. Our guide offered us hot tea or coffee with our breakfasts to which we accepted. Then before we left a woman came over asking us to pay for the drinks, to which our guide admitted were extra and not included in our tour. All in all it wasn’t a big deal, but it’s nice to know before you drink something that you’ll end up having to pay for it.

14. The sunrise is magical

It’s not hard to see why this tour is so popular. I won’t speak too much to it because you just have to experience it for yourself! The day we hiked the clouds began to roll in right as the sun started to rise, and it was honestly such a cool experience! Moral of the story, if there are clouds, don’t fret, it’s still going to be incredible.

Hiking Back Down Mount Batur

15. The hike down takes around 2 hours

Even though it’s a lot easier physically than the hike up, it’s a pretty slow hike down due to the steep decline. You have to be super careful everywhere you step to make sure you don’t end up falling. We saw multiple people slip on the way down and slide a few feet (no injuries thankfully!). A lot of the route we took back down was paved which was actually pretty enjoyable as we got to walk past farmers and families beginning their days. I walked backwards down some of the paved path down because it caused less impact on my knees. Austin said I looked ridiculous but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. .

16. Watch for the monkeys!

Just after sunrise, the troupe of monkeys who live on Mount Batur begin to wake up and come out to socialize. Thankfully the ones we encountered weren’t aggressive in any way, but were a fun added experience on the hike back down. I was particularly impressed by one of the monkeys who caught a small piece of bread our guide threw to him. I think his hand-eye coordination may rival my own.

17. You will be exhausted

By the time we got back to the starting point, we had over 20,000 steps and it wasn’t even 9 am yet! You could stay up and continue exploring all day. Or, you could do as we did and head back to your hotel, eat a huge breakfast, and go back to sleep for 3 hours (after a quick dip in the pool of course!). Whatever you decide to do, that early morning hike will be a memory that sticks with you, long after your muscles recover.

If you do the Mount Batur hike at sunrise, please send me your photos!! I’d love to see them and hear all about your experience!

Planning a trip to Bali? Make sure to read up on things to know before visiting the famous Nusa Penida Treehouse!