Bali Heaven Official Blog

Mount Batur and Lake Batur

Mount Batur (Gunung Batur) is an active volcano which is located between two concentric calderas. It is located in the north western direction of Mount Agung in Bali, Indonesia. The larger caldera lake with an amazing dimension of 10 X 13 km has on its south eastern side a beautiful, picturesque lake that attracts many tourists.

History
These calderas and Mount Batur itself were said to have formed approximately 30,000 years ago after a volcanic eruption. The inner caldera which measures about 7.5 km in diameter was said to have formed by Ubud ignimbrite emplacement about 28,500 years ago.

Attractions
Two main villages Toya Bungkah and Kedisan are the two main villages near the caldera. These two villages primarily depend on agriculture. Danau Batur (Lake Batur) is Bali’s largest crater lake and is also a great fishing site, besides providing a breathtaking view to tourists from all over the world.  One can view the 700 meter high active volcano located on the edge of the caldera rising above the beautiful lake Batur. The crater is around 65 meters deep. There is a temple of Pura Ulun Danu Batur located on the rim of the caldera too which is dedicated to the Goddess of the Lake. Stunning views of the lake attract many photographers and nature enthusiasts. The lake often gets shrouded in mist while there are some hot springs that sometimes reach temperatures as high as 57 degrees Celsius. One can visit the caldera through the steadily rising road from Bangli to Tampaksiring and then across Penelokan towards Kintamani.

Trekking
Usually the trek starts around 3am so that one can reach the top of the crater at dawn. Most of the local guides and very well mannered and can speak English. They are patient and nimble and help trekkers out through a quite straight forward trekking route compared to Mount Agung. One of the common attractions of the trek is the guide cooking omelets with eggs on the smoldering rocks of the mountain. The luminous Bali sunrise and the craters spitting sulphur and the magnificent peaks all give tourists some unbelievable and memorable moments and the pictures stick to their minds for a long time to come.

If one is trying to reach Mount Batur by bike, it takes only an hour to reach it from Ubud. The greater part of the ride is full of rice fields on either side offering you some amazing scenes. One can also visit a few tiny villages and enjoy the local ambience. One such village is Penulisam on the western side of the volcano with a very nice temple complex too. Although one can take the trip anytime, locals believe many ghosts and spirits are trapped inside the crater. Many tourists come here to just take a relaxing boat ride on the lake which is about 10 km long and 65 meters deep at the deepest part. There are quite a few hot springs around the area too making it a wonderful terrain and a perfect tourist destination.