Sunrise at Mount Batur, hot springs, and waterfalls in Bali (Indonesia)
After resting well for several weeks following my long period of stress, I finally decided to do some sightseeing. But by going through an agency, because I no longer feel like organizing anything. Unfortunately, tourists have been absent for a long time, so no one knows the new prices, what time you need to leave, etc. We end up making a deal with a taxi driver, who seems to know the points of interest and rates better than anyone we’ve asked. We set a meeting for 4 AM.
Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips
Part 1: Travel Journal
The early wake-up was tough for everyone, including our driver, who preferred to pull an all-nighter to make sure he’d pick us up on time. Luckily the drive is long (1 hour), which allowed me to sleep a bit. The road is narrow and cars speed through the dark night at a dangerous pace, which is why you need someone experienced, and you definitely shouldn’t drive yourself. Driving in daylight is already difficult and dangerous…
Upon arrival, our driver shows us the jeep we’ll take almost to the top of Mount Batur. There are several volcanoes, active and inactive, in Bali; this one is the second highest (1717 meters). There are two types of tourists: those who hike to the summit (in that case, contact this agency), and motorized ones like us, who just ride up in a jeep. From our spot, it’s still a 1-hour walk to the summit, which we skip—let’s not overdo it. I’m not here to suffer, okay?
I thank JB for grabbing my sneakers before we left, because I was about to come in sandals. It’s freezing cold, and we made the bad choice to dress for spring/autumn. It’s 5:15 AM, and the jeep driver tells us sunrise is at 6:15 AM. What will we do here for an hour? Nothing. But there’s a small stand selling tea, coffee… I opt for a hot tea while JB eats instant noodles to warm up a bit. 40,000 IDR, that’s fine.
Around 5:45 AM, the sky starts to get a bit prettier; in the distance we see a volcano on another island (Rinjani), and to the right, Mount Abang. Mount Agung is completely hidden by clouds; we’ll see it later.
There are benches, but we preferred to sit in the jeep, which is half-covered; it helps against the wind.
As soon as the sun appears behind the mountains, everything happens very fast: in just one minute, the light illuminates everything else, and we clearly see the lake and the various volcanoes.
It’s 6:30 AM. The driver said we could stay until 7:30 AM, but what’s the point? We ask to leave. The advantage of having everything private is you leave when you want and often have the places to yourself.
The fresh morning air, riding in a jeep through fields of aromatic herbs, watching farmers water their fields… all of this calms me immensely. I feel good. Behind us, Mount Batur slowly sheds its clouds.
Lava field
The driver takes us to see a lava field; the stones are beautiful and very heavy. He tells me some people sell them in Denpasar, but the government has since banned it.
I notice smoke and we get closer to see what it is. I think we’ve found a small hot spring, because the surrounding stones are wet and slightly warm. The driver is very surprised because he’s never seen this spring before. Could the small earthquake a few days ago have caused some minor changes?
Once again, we’re alone and only leave when we see other jeeps arriving.
The way back takes a good twenty minutes, and it’s so pleasant that it’s actually my favorite part of the morning. JB pays 750,000 IDR directly to the jeep driver.
Thermal water
If there’s a volcano, there are hot springs.
We meet our taxi driver again, who suggests going to a well-known hot spring in the area: Toya Devasya. But the entrance is overpriced (250,000 IDR). There’s a kind of “aquapark” area, several pools, several pools with a view, slides. It’s exactly the same spring water in all the pools, so we don’t see the point of having such a large facility and paying so much. The driver takes us to another: Batur Natural Hot Spring. Same thing, for 190,000 IDR, there are many pools. When we see a busload of tourists arriving, we know for sure this place isn’t for us either.
We ask to see BMAS Natural Hot Spring, a human-sized place, right next to the parking lot where the jeep departed. The entrance costs only 80,000 IDR. There are 4 hot pools and a lukewarm pool. But it works for us because (1) there are very few people (2) the thermal water is tiring, and in general, we don’t stay more than 20 minutes. The facilities are a bit outdated, but we get a lockable locker and a towel included in the price. I know there’s the SEGARA spring nearby for 50,000 IDR, but our driver said there were lots of mosquitoes, so I didn’t want to try it this time.
The water is super hot, especially if you sit right under the faucets. The shower is also very hot. We’re surrounded by lava stones. I really like this place.
Breakfast with a view
Even though we ate a bit this morning, my stomach reminds me it would like breakfast. We ask the driver to take us to a restaurant with a view, thinking he’d take us near the lake. Not at all; he takes us all the way up to The Amora Bali, where you get a breathtaking view of three volcanoes. I had no idea this place existed. Wow. When I tell you this guy knows the area better than anyone. However, I think he takes us to places where he gets a small commission, because we saw other small groups of tourists too. But hey, I don’t care. The restaurant prices are very reasonable, and if the commission helps him make ends meet right after Covid, good for him.
The waitress wants to offer us a buffet-style breakfast on the rooftop, where the best spots are already taken by other tourists. I gently make her understand that I’ll leave right away if she doesn’t let me sit on the floor below, where no one is, and we have a 180° view of the surroundings, because I’ll order à la carte. Following that, she gives in: “normally it’s not open in the morning, but OK.”
So we’re alone on that floor, enjoying this crazy view.
The restaurants next door also have a nice view, but the view of Mount Atung seems to be blocked every time by a wall. If you want to enjoy the view without paying, look this up on Google Maps, it’s a viewpoint: Kintamani Lookout. This Mount Atung is a bit capricious because there’s always a cloud blocking the view. We get about 5 seconds each time to take a photo without clouds 😀
Now that I’ve seen a good number of volcanoes, I realize it’s hard to get a perfectly symmetrical cone like Mount Fuji.
Mount Batur is absolutely not symmetrical, but we have an incredible view of its craters, I’m at a loss for words it’s so grand. From this restaurant, we can see the lava field we observed earlier and catch a glimpse of the aromatic herb fields at its base.
I feel so good, so calm and at peace (despite the recent sad news) that I wonder if I love volcanoes this much. A few days ago, there was a small earthquake in Bali, not strong and deep, no damage, nothing to report. And since then, I’ve been feeling much better. Earthquakes, according to a geologist I met in Rome, are a way for planet Earth to release its energy, so after each earthquake (we’ve experienced quite a few), I absorb that energy and feel better.
On the way, we chat with the driver and agree on the stops to make on the way back. Usually, I’m supposed to know everything and plan the itinerary myself, but this time, I’m tired (and I kind of don’t care) so I let it go. The driver suggests visiting a coffee plantation and two waterfalls. OK, let’s visit them. I haven’t even researched Bali, so I don’t even know what there is to visit here.
Coffee Plantation
The driver gives the garden tour, showing the plants and their uses. I appreciate him more and more because despite his intermediate English, we manage to understand each other well, and I was able to ask him lots of questions about Bali, about some things I observed and didn’t understand. He was a freelance guide/driver like this before Covid, that’s why he knows so many places and good spots. He’s able to propose a freestyle program, and that’s his added value compared to agencies or pre-made excursions. Because of Covid, he had to become a Grab driver to survive, but in normal times, he’s a private driver.
Update: Unfortunately, I can’t share his contact details because he stood us up a few days later, at the last minute. Ah!! You’ll easily find other drivers; we saw ads for 400,000 IDR/day.
The coffee-making process is explained by a plantation employee. It’s the umpteenth time we’ve visited this type of plantation, so we didn’t learn anything. However, the tasting with 5 types of coffee and about ten teas pleased us a lot. The tasting is free but encourages you to go to the shop afterward. I buy a box of tea for 50,000 IDR.
Here, you can swing like you see on Instagram for cheaper than other places (200,000 IDR), but I’m not really interested in that kind of activity.
Tibumana Waterfall
Off we go for another visit. The first waterfall is about 800 meters from the parking lot. Entry costs 20,000 IDR/person.
You still have to go down, cross two little bamboo bridges… but everything is easy. I just warn my readers with reduced mobility: there are no facilities for you.
There’s a kind of halo when you approach the waterfall. Everything seems so unreal. The beauty of this waterfall seems to hypnotize other tourists, as they don’t swim, don’t take photos, and just sit on rocks and watch it. JB wants to swim, but I point out that the water doesn’t look that clean.
Kanto Lampo Waterfall
We hit the road again to reach a second waterfall. Entry costs 20,000 IDR/person.
We didn’t know, but to see the waterfall better, we should have put on swimsuits and walked 5 meters to get in front of it. Oh well, because I don’t want to swim in yellowish water like that either.
There are very kind and helpful guards who can take your photos for free, so don’t hesitate to ask.
It’s already 1 PM, and it’ll take us 1 hour to get back to Ubud. We made good use of the taxi privatization, because in general, the rate he gives us is for 9-10 hours of service. So we didn’t overuse it either, and we fully enjoyed that time. We pay the driver 600,000 IDR plus a tip, before taking a well-deserved nap.
Part 2: Practical Tips
Budget
- Privatized taxi (9-10 hours): 600,000 IDR. Some places offer 400,000 IDR, but I don’t know if that’s excluding taxes or tax-inclusive.
- I can’t share his contact details with you because our driver stood us up a few days later, at the last minute. Ah! You’ll easily find other drivers
- otherwise Civitatis offers more or less the same tour
- Jeep: 750,000 IDR for them
- Altitude stand: expect 20,000 IDR/30,000 IDR for a tea/coffee. Toilets: 10,000 IDR
- However, if you want to go hiking, book through an agency like Civitatis (link)
- Hot spring source: BMAS Natural Hot Spring 50,000 IDR/person, towel and lockers included
- Restaurant with a view: The Amora Bali: expect 50,000 IDR to 70,000 IDR/dessert. Breakfast set from 100,000 IDR
- Waterfall: 20,000 IDR/person
- Coffee plantation: free tasting. Expect 60,000 IDR to 100,000 IDR for purchases on site (if any)
Planning a trip to Bali? Our partner Get Your Guide offers entry tickets and guided tours with French-speaking guides at very reasonable rates. Click here to see what they offer and book online.
