Mount Batur Sunrise Hiking and Coffee Plantation Tour

I recommend this tour. It was very enjoyable. We were well looked after and the sunrise was amazing.

For the price- I didn't think it was worth it. While it was nice to have a ride to and from the mountain, you don't really need a guide to take you up. The coffee plantation afterwards just seemed sad. The civet cats are in relatively small cages which just makes you think they are being force-fed coffee beans for the sake of production. Speaking of which, Luwak (Cat poop coffee) really doesn't taste different at all (to me) and is a wholly pretentious thing. I'd much rather support Organic fair trade coffee that has a history of ethical standards. If you rent a car/scooter yourself you can just hike it yourself by following the crowd up, pack a good breakfast and hike down. You don't need advanced knowledge to hike this mountain but I would call it a beginner-intermediate climb. Roughly 2.5 miles with 1,000ft elevation gain as per my Apple Watch. Our group hiked quickly and made it to the top in 75 minutes- this also meant that we were waiting at the top, shivering because we were underprepared with our layering, for over an hour. Don't be like us, bring layers. Key tips I wish I knew beforehand: *Use the free bathrooms before you go (all the way to the left). They're not in great shape but at least they're free (the paid ones encourage a 5k RM "donation"). On the hike down, DON'T use the first bathroom on the right, it's the worst bathroom since it's the first one hikers see when coming down. *Bring a headlamp. It's much easier to see, balance and have 2 hands free when hiking in the dark w/ a headlamp. *Bring more layers than you think. AT LEAST a fleece, +- pants, +- windbreaker. *Bring more water than you think. You will be dehydrated. *Bring more breakfast. The breakfast at the top was not great (1 cinnamon roll, 1 other bread-type item, 2 green bananas, 2 cold hard-boiled eggs). Our guide said he was "making" us breakfast. This is not what a "made" breakfast should entail. Tea or coffee at the top will cost you 30k RM.

The first question to ask is whether or not you want to do a tour with Mount Batur and second whether or not this is the right tour company? To the first question, I'd answer a tentative yes. To the second question, I'd say no. Based on what I observed, there are better tour operators. I enjoyed the hike but found it very difficult to see where we were going, even with flashlights. My guide was great at helping me along but I still wished we had head lamps. The breakfast on this tour was mediocre at best and we weren't offered any beverages other than the water we carried up with us. I saw other groups drinking hot chocolate and tea, which I would have welcomed given how cold it was. One thing that really irked me is that many tour groups picked their guests up at the top of Lake Batur. Instead, we seemed to be the only group to walk down all the way. By the time we finished, the other four people in my group no longer wanted to go to the Coffee Plantation so we didn't end up going. I would like to have still gone. So my answer is go if you enjoy hiking but go with another tour company.

Great Experienced! From 1.30am hotel pick up by MR Budi Very Friendly and informative , to the challenging hike and climb of Mount Batur! Breathtaking views at the top! Fantastic 19yr old young man guide named Kadek, he always make sure everyone are safe. Highly Recommended!

A very nice trip. Well, it is surely tough and my legs are still aching even though two days have passed. The route is tough and some part of it could be dangerous, so tourists need to be mentally prepared. After half way through the journey, I was regretting that I booked this trip. However, when you reach the top and reflect the way and have seen the magnificent view, you will realise that it is worth it! Will recommend to people who loves adventure and it physically fit. You need to take care of your knees.