Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Whichever route you take, you'll need to set out in the middle of the night to be at the top for
the
sunrise
(6-7am); clouds often obscure the view by late morning.
The routes
From Pura Pasar Agung
, at an altitude of 1600m, it's at least a three-hour climb with an as-
cent of almost 2000m, so you'll need to set out by 3am from the temple, depending on how fit
you are. The track initially passes through forest, ascending onto bare, steep rock. It doesn't
go to the actual summit, but ends at a point on the rim that is about 100m lower. From here,
the summit masks views of part of the island and, between April and September, the sunrise
on the horizon, but you'll be able to see Lombok's Gunung Rinjani, the south of Bali and
Gunung Batukaru, and look down into the 500m crater.
From Besakih
(950m), the climb is longer (5-7hr) and much more challenging; you'll need
to leave between 10pm and midnight. This path leads to the
summit
of Agung, with views in
all directions. The initial climb is through forest, but the path gets very steep, very quickly,
even before it gets out onto the bare rock, and you'll soon need your hands to haul yourself
upwards. The descent is particularly taxing from this side and feels very precarious when
you're already exhausted; allow at least five hours to get down.
A less-used route,
from Dukuh Bujangga Sakti
, inland from Kubu on the northeast coast,
is offered by Mudi (see
Trekking guides
). Starting out at an altitude of 300m, the climb is
greater but not as steep as the other routes. You begin in the afternoon, camp on the mountain
at 1750m and complete the three hours to the summit before dawn. The north of Bali is drier
so is less often shrouded in cloud. You can walk round the rim to the absolute summit if you
climb from this side and can see the sunrise on the horizon all year round.
INFORMATION: CLIMBING GUNUNG AGUNG
You'll need a
guide
, strong footwear, warm clothes for the summit, a good torch (ideally a
headlamp to leave both hands free for climbing) and water and snacks; for the descent, a
stick is handy. Climbing is not permitted at
certain times of the year
because of religious
ceremonies at Besakih or Pura Pasar Agung. The
dry season
(April to mid-Oct) is the best
time to climb (particularly in July and Aug); at other times, especially between December and
March, wind and rain can render the ascent too dangerous or may mean aborting an attempt.
There have been fatalities due to a combination of slippery conditions and poor footwear.
TREKKING GUIDES
As this is a serious climb you need to have confidence in your guide and be able to commu-
nicate well with them. For these reasons it's strongly advised to climb with an established
trekking guide; the freelance guides who hang round Pura Pasar Agung and Besakih tend to
have very limited English and may not be as safety-conscious. In addition to the guides listed
here, you'll find a wide choice of scenic accommodation and many guide services in the vil-
lage of
Sidemen
, 18km from Pura Pasar Agung;
Tirtagangga
is also a convenient base, with
