Sunbathing or surfing on the coastline of beautiful beaches in Bali is a fun thing to do while spending a holiday in the island of God. But there are many more that you can do while being in the island.
Aside from the beautiful beaches, there are also other natural attractions such as caves in Bali and lakes in Bali. And if you are open for an adventurous holiday where you can challenge yourself and blend with the nature, then Bali could offer you a list of mountains to hike that worth your holiday time.
Some of the mountains are active while others are not. The mountains are already well-known among locals as great hiking spots where you can immerse yourself with the nature spirit.
So, without any further due, here’s a list of 5 mountains to hike in Bali for your adventurous holiday.
1. Agung Mountain
Agung Mountain is the highest mountain in the island with 3,142 meters high above sea level, which makes it the first and foremost mountain that you need to hike once you begin your adventurous journey.
It sits in Rendang Sub-District, Karangasem Regency, Bali. You can arrive at the site by driving around 2-3 hours from Denpasar.
Since it is the highest mountain in Bali, you will need to prepare extra energy in order to hike it. In order to arrive at the top of the mountain, you will need around 6-8 hours of hiking, which depends on your physical condition.
Balinese believe that the mountain has spiritual energy to the island and it has become a solid component to Hinduism belief in Bali. At the foot of the great mountain, situated the biggest temple in Bali, which is Besakih Temple. This further magnifies how Agung Mountain is viewed by Balinese.
Actually, all of the mountains in Bali are viewed as something crucial to the local belief. Every aspect of the nature is highly respected by Balinese according to their belief of Tri Hita Karana, where humans are obliged to tie a good relationship with God, other human beings, and the nature. Thus, it is best to keep your attitude while hiking the mountains in Bali.
2. Batur Mountain
Situated 1,717 meters above sea level in Kintamani Sub-District, Bangli Regency, Batur Mountain is a well-known site for hiking where the hikers can enjoy the magnificent scenery of sunrrise.
The site can be accessed for about 2 hours driving from Denpasar city. You can hike the mountain for about 2-3 hours in order to arrive at the top, which again, depends on your physical conditions and the weather itself.
From the top of the mountain, you can see Batur Lake, the caldera of the Batur Mountain explosion. Apart from just hiking, there are many other things to do on Mount Batur.
It’s one of the popular campsites in Bali which is also one of the famous stargazing sites in Indonesia. The beauty offered by Batur Mountain that is located quite far from the typical Bali’s tourist crowd attract many people to come hiking the mountain.
You can have millions of stars right above you at night, a shining sunrise waking you up in the morning, and white thick clouds laying before your eyes right after you open up your tent in the morning while spending a night on the mountain. No wonder, you can find many people sharing their hiking experience in this mountain on the social media.
3. Abang Mountain
Located in the same region as Batur Mountain, Abang Mountain sits in Kintamani Sub-District, Bangli Regency. It is 2,152 meters above sea level. Abang Mountain is situated in the middle of the previous mountains, where Batur Mountain is on the western side of Abang Mountain while Agung Mountain is on the eastern side.
On your way to the top, you will pass many temples with Balinese ancient architecture. The area of the mountain itself is the home for the origin tribe of Bali, which is Bali Aga tribe. There are two main accesses in order to arrive to the top. One is the longest horizontal hiking path in Bali that is accessed through Songan Village, while the other one is through Suter Village.
4. Batukaru Mountain
Batukaru Mountain sits in the second position of the highest mountain in Bali with 2,276 meters high above sea level. It is located in Penebel Sub-District, Tabanan Regency, which can be accessed for about 2 hours driving from Denpasar city.
Even though it is the second highest in Bali, the top of the mountain is actually the highest one around the area of Beratan ancient caldera. The forest area around the mountain is used as a rain catchment area.
On the southern slope of the mountain, sits a Hindus temple named after the name of the mountain itself, Batukaru temple, which was built as a protection for Balinese from evil spirits.
5. Catur Mountain
Catur Mountain is in the fourth position of the highest mountain in Bali with 2,096 meters high above sea level. It is located in the area of Bedugul. The mountain is not really familiar as a hiking spot among locals since the mountain is often referred to as Puncak Mangu, the location of Puncak Mangu temple where Balinese Hindus pray.
As you arrive at the top of the mountain, which takes about 3 hours of hiking, your eyes will be pleased to see magnificent scenery of Buyan Lake and Beratan Lake and also the area of Tabanan Regency and Buleleng Regency. The mountain is located in the middle of mountains line in Bali, no wonder you could see many things from above there.
At the top of the mountain, situated Puncak Mangu temple, the place where many Balinese Hindus pray for the better world. Thus, when you arrive there, you can see many Balinese Hindus praying with their traditional clothes.
Well, you can see that there are always temples situated on every mountains mentioned above. This indicates how mountain is viewed as an important aspect of spiritual and religious belief in Bali. Therefore, always remember to watch your language and attitude while visiting or hiking the mountains.
Remember to prepare yourself with a good energy and warm clothes as the hiking will be exhausting and cold, yet exciting and challenging. Also, be careful when hiking as the path can be slippery due to the cool weather.
So, are you ready to begin your adventurous holiday in Bali?