Mount Agung Sunrise Trek – Your Comprehensive Guide to Volcano Hiking

Mount Agung or Gunung Agung, is the highest mountain in Bali and the fifth highest volcano in all of Indonesia. It is believed to be God’s home. According to the belief of locals, Agung was created by the Hindu God Pasupati when he split Mount Meru and formed Mount Agung with a fragment. It is located in the Karangasem Regency of Bali. 

Mount Agung Bali peaks at 3,142 meters above sea level which can be reached after a trek of about 3 to 4 hours when started from Pasar Agung Temple and around 5-7 hours when commenced from from Besakih Temple. Of course, the trek timings mentioned above are for physically fit hikers. Mount Agung offers an amazing sunrise view, that will make your jaw drop. You also get to see Mount Rinjani outside of the Bali Island that is located at Lombok island from the Peak of Mount Agung.

If you are an adventure tourist who is up for challenges, and who enjoys treks or climbs, this trek will be a good choice for you. Climbing Mt. Agung with the assistance of a Bali local Mountain Guide will help you discover the depths of the spirituality in Bali. This trek will definitely be the best highlight on your Bali vacation.

Two ways to reach the peak of Mount Agung : 

There are two commonly used climbing routes to trek Mount Agung. Both are challenging and needs you to be physically fit and have some serious trekking experience.

Route 1: Mt. Agung Trekking Via Besakih Temple

This is the best route to hiking the Mount Agung but also the most challenging one as it takes longer time to complete the trek between the two routes. The trek starts adjacent Besakih temple called the Mother Temple of Bali. Besakih is usually densely covered with jungles and the trek is through the jungle of Besakih. The ascent approximately takes about 6 to 7 hours.

Route 2: Mt. Agung Trekking Via Pura Pasar Agung Temple

If at all you feel, a full day trekking will be little too much for your capabilities, then you can always choose this route to have pretty much the similar experience. A 3 to 4-hour hike in which time you ascend about 2,000 metres, but with not a very steep climb as the Besakih route. The route comes to an end about 100 metres below the actual summit, but fret not, the views are not compromised.

Ascent up on the Mount Agung Sunrise Trek:

You’ll be starting the trek at midnight, depending on the route chosen the start time differs. Either ways, you’ll be reaching the peak at the right time to witness the sunrise. 

It will be pitch dark and you can wear a headlamp to make sure you have your hands free. As you progress, very quickly the path becomes quite narrow but would be still manageable. Though you’ll be fighting against the cold as the altitude increases, the silence of the night and the dark blue sky will make it feel worthy enough. 

Climbing through the sleepless night, at about 06.00 am you’ll be reaching the summit. The last part of the climb with the cold wind blowing very strongly against your face, is definitely an experience worth having.

Although, Mount Agung is far less touristy than Mount Batur because of its difficulty of climb and also because you will not find warungs or shops at the top. You’ll be just enveloped with the beauty of the scenery to keep you company and a few other adventurers.

Descent on the Mount Agung Sunrise Trek:

After spending about 45 minutes at the top and fighting the freezing cold, you will descend back to the valley in daylight. During the descent, you’ll be amazed about how you managed to get up there despite the steepness. Since at night, its dark, and you are just taking one step at a time, so you are not very aware of how much you have climbed.

The descent will be the far more challenging part of the trek. You surely will regret if you don’t have a good pair of shoes as it will be slippery while coming down. You need to have a good grip on the ground to be safe.

Useful Tips for the Mount Agung Sunrise Trek

• Shoes!!!!! – Reason for me to reiterate the importance of a proper pair of shoe is that it can turn your vacation into a medical emergency.
• A walking stick –  We are not addressing only the elderly people out there, you will be surprised to find many with a walking stick. If at all you can’t find a proper walking stick the guide might help you in getting one, so no worries there. It is a pretty useful tool, especially when climbing up in the dark.  
• Gloves – During the descent, you’ll obviously be holding the branches or anything that really gives you some balance. So wear some light gloves to protect your hands. 
• Clothing – This is where it becomes a little tricky. The temperature is not going to be constant throughout the trek. So make sure you wear clothes in layers. So that it gives better protection against cold in the night and in the day when you feel the hotness, it becomes easy for you to just take it off rather than switching to a new outfit altogether. 
• Food –  During the trek, you will be on your feet for many hours, Obviously you need something to energize yourself with at regular intervals. But if you think of taking more food in your rucksack, you are at high risk. It increases the weight you carry, which results in enhancing your rate of dehydration. During the uphill, you won’t require more food, water and some energy drinks would do. You’ll start getting hungry as the sun rises, you’ll feel the urge to have breakfast as soon as you finish watching the sunrise.
• Sunscreen –  During the descent, you’ll be exposed directly to the sunlight, so having sunscreen always comes in handy.

And after all that’s been said, it all comes down to the physical and mental strength of an individual. There is nothing to be hidden, the Mount Agung Sunrise trek will be really hard. You will be proud of your mental toughness once you’ve done this. You will surely feel the worth of it when you see the mother nature smiling at you. It’s absolute bliss! So, get packing and book away your Bali holidays with Pickyourtrail already!