Ricky and I did the Mt Batur sunrise hike in Bali a couple weeks ago, and I really wish I had the following 8 tips before I went:
1. If you get motion sickness, take motion sickness meds and sit in the front seat of the car for the journey to Mt Batur!! On the way to the volcano, the roads were so incredibly windy that I got the most motion sick that I’ve ever been in my life. When we arrived at the base, I threw up everything that I had eaten the night before for dinner. Yuckkkk!!! No bueno!! That also didn’t help my hike, because I was running on an empty tank.
2. If you’re planning on sleeping in the car ride to Mt Batur and you’re sensitive to light, bring an eye mask! The route is super foggy that time of morning, so the on-coming cars will have their brights on.
3. Wear proper shoes: I knew this one, but in a mad rush, I accidentally packed the wrong shoes. *face palm* Do not go in low-tops!! Bring proper trainers or hiking boots, mid to high rise!! I brought low-tops, and had so much regret, especially on the way down. The path that we took looked like this:
On the way up, sometimes it felt like you weren’t moving at all because as soon as you stepped down, the rocks and dirt would all sink down, so it was as if you were on a never-ending stair master. But on the way down, once you stepped down, the rocks would all sink down… into your shoes!!!! I had to stop numerous times to pour all the dirt and rocks out of my shoes.
4. Bring a backpack and pack the following: heat packs/hand warmers, gloves, blanket, jacket, snacks, toque, thermos with hot coffee/tea/whatever. You will sweat during your hike, but when you reach the top and have to wait for the sunrise (Ricky and I had to wait for an hour and a half!) you will freeze. They sell hot drinks at the top and you can rent blankets, if you don’t feel like carrying them. But if you’re on a budget, bring your own, since the prices are heavily marked up! I really wished I had those little hand warmers when I was at the top. I held onto the hard-boiled eggs that they gave us for breakfast as my hand warmers.
5. Wear a hoodie or a hat that covers your ears. I noticed that all the guides did this! I had a hoodie, but Ricky only brought a cap, and he said that his ears froze. Don’t make this same mistake!
6. When you’re offered a hiking stick at the base, take it. It’s really helpful.
7. If you’re fit and can hike fast, plan your trip accordingly and don’t go up too early or you’ll have to wait for longer in the cold. Ricky and I had Speedy Gonzales as our guide (we did a private tour) who went insanely fast, and we made it up the volcano in an hour.
8. Not affiliated in any way, but I had to ask around for reasonable rates and whatnot. I contacted this guy directly via WhatsApp: +62 831-2233-3378 and we paid 550,000 IDR each for a private tour for the two of us!
