Climb Mount Agung, Bali During High Volcanic Activity

CLIMB MOUNT AGUNG

Let’s get one thing straight from the start, Mount Agung is a monster! Even in favourable conditions the journey to the summit is a challenge for experienced climbers/trekkers in great physical condition. There are many reasons why this trek is so hard. Some of the main ones include harsh weather conditions (extreme heat/humidity when the sun is up, and freezing cold at night), the terrain can be challenging, and most treks begin after midnight so you are running on little-to-no sleep.

Mount Agung is an active volcano stands at 3,031 meters and is the highest peak on the island of Bali. The volcano last erupted in 2019, in a spate of three seperate eruptions in May. Before that, the last significant eruption was in 1963, when over 1,700 people lost their lives. The volcano presents significant and realistic threat to the lives and livelihood of Bali’s inhabitants, so do remain respectful when talking to the locals about the volcano.

The owner of the hostel I was staying at in Ubud told me point blank not to attempt to summit because I could be killed. Call me crazy but I decided to push on despite the warnings. Looking back I think this was definitely a decision influenced by Bintang, rather than bravery.

Climbers traditionally start at Besakih Temple and take approx. 5-7 hours to reach the summit. When you eventually reach the summit you will legitimately feel like you are on top of the world. You will be high up above the clouds, trekking across a huge summit ridge-line, and taking in 360 degree views of the entire island of Bali below you.  

FINDING A GUIDE

When tour operators are not running, finding a local guide to take you to the summit is one of the biggest challenges. Due to government mandated closure, none of the official trekking companies will accept your booking.

I would strongly advise against taking on this climb without a guide for a number of reasons:

The monks at Besakih Temple (the official starting point) will not let you pass. In order to bypass the temple, you will have to navigate your way through the surrounding dense jungle. This involves fighting your way through bushes that are over head height in pitch-black darkness as you attempt to connect with the trail after about an hour.

There is a good chance you / your group will be the only expedition on the entire volcano. If something were to go seriously wrong, you want a local who knows what he’s doing there to support you.

Local guides are not expensive and they go above and beyond to get you to the summit and back down safely. Support them.  

PAK NYOMAN

Now, we found an ‘unofficial’ local guide who was willing to take us on the epic journey to the summit. His name was Pak Nyoman and our group couldn’t of been happier with the service he provided. Nyoman took three of us to the summit for Rp 2 100 000 (roughly $70.00aud each). You can search for Nyoman on Trip Advisor and see his perfect 5-star rating (link below). Nyoman has summited almost 1,000 times and understands the mountain really well. This was ultimately the reason we decided to go with him.

HOW TO CLIMB MOUNT AGUNG

PRE-TREK ACCOMODATION PICK UP / TRANSFER

Nyoman will happily pick you up from your accommodation wherever you are on the island. The time of pickup will depend on how far away from Mount Agung you are staying. For us, we were staying at the Pillow Inn Hostel in Ubud. 

We were picked up from our hostel at 9:00pm and drove roughly two hours to Nyomans house where we stopped for a feed and coffee. This is where Nyoman will show you evidence of his previous summits, explain the itinerary to you and you can stock up on snacks and water. Be sure to say hi to his family if they are awake, they are lovely people! From here it is a short drive to the starting point.

MIDNIGHT START

The official starting point of the trek is Besakih Temple. But, as I mentioned above, if the mountain is closed, you have to sneak past the Temple. At midnight you will literally get dropped off on the side of the road with Nyoman and hike cross country through really dense, overhead rain forrest for about an hour before you meet up with the official trail.

Once you come out the other side of the forrest and reach the trail, you will reach the section I call that resembles a dried up river which is actually the trail. For the next 3-4 hours you will be fighting your way up through really loose dirt/muddy terrain, clutching at tree roots, weeds, shrubs and fallen branches as you climb your way up to the top of the tree line. As tiring as this section is, it is quite fun. Just be prepared to get really dirty. Also, you will quickly realise this endeavour is way more of a scramble/climb so don’t be fooled by the tour companies marketing this as a ‘trek’ .

4AM DON’T LOOK DOWN, AND DO NOT SLIP!

When you get to the top of the tree line the fun really starts! The street lights of Bali will already look like specs beneath you and you will be amazed at how far you’ve already come. By this point it will be roughly 4:00am and you will be exhausted. Not to worry, the adrenaline rush you are about to experience will get you to the top. 

The final segment on the way to the summit is absolutely gnarly! The final two hours is an dangerous but epic rock scramble to the summit before sunrise. You will literally be on all fours climbing up the side of the mountain. The terrain is made up of very steep, often loose, large volcanic boulders that you will cling to like a Gecko lizard. Every step is crucial and what makes it particularly tough is you will start to feel the affects of altitude sickness. The wind will pick up and you will be cold, even though you are pushing your body physically. By this point, the thought of an eruption will be the least of your worries as you focus entirely on your next foot/hand placement.

6AM THE BEST SUNRISE OF YOUR LIFE

Crack a Bintang as you reach the summit as the sun rises at 6:00am – you made it! Nyoman is very chill and is happy for you to spend as much time at the summit as you like. He will even provide breakfast and warm coffee while you’re up there. 

Follow the same path as you make your way down the mountain. It took us 6 hours to reach the summit and 6 hours to return to the drop off point. We arrived back in Ubud just after 3:00pm. 

TIP: If you run out of water on the way back, ask Nyoman to take a quick detour to a waterfall. We did this and filled up our drink bottles straight from the waterfall. Nobody fell ill and the water was super fresh! Take some water purification tablets if you are worried 

WHAT TO PACK

It is important to have a really good small bag pack that you can carry with you on this journey. On the way to and from the summit you will be boiling hot, but as soon as you get near the summit you will start to freeze. For the bulk of the journey I wore trekking boots, shorts and a singlet. At the summit the wind picks up and you will be burning much less energy.

All you should have in your pack is a jacket, camera, spare batteries, sunscreen, toilet paper, snacks and water, water, water and more water. And a summit Bintang ofcourse. 

TIP: Ensure that your back pack can be tightened to hold everything in place in order to avoid neck and back pain on your journey. 

CLIMB MOUNT AGUNG VS CLIMB MOUNT BATUR

Mount Agung	Mount Batur
3,031m	1,717m
Only group on the volcano	Hundreds of people daily
Challenging terrain	Easy terrain
Bad Ass.	Meh.

ALTITUDE SICKNESS

Given that the summit is just over 3,000m people often overlook the danger of altitude sickness. The higher up you go, the less oxygen there is for your lungs to consume. This can lead to headaches, dizziness, ‘walking drunk’, vomiting, etc. Essentially this is a result of ascending too quickly. Each member of my group experienced shortness of breath near the summit and slight head aches. My advice is to be mentally prepared for it and drink plenty of water – take it slow!