So, you want to climb Mt Batur?
Remember, Bali is a cultural destination, some people forget that when they come to Bali. They party for days at the hottest night spots in Bali, and then they get a great idea “let’s go climb a volcano”. So, we suddenly have a different type of tourist visiting our area.
The guests that come on our tours, come with an interest in Balinese Culture, they do their research, and they read the information we provide them. However, many of the tourists that come to our area, just for that overnight climb, planned it last minute, and probably have not done any research, they have no idea about Balinese Culture, Balinese beliefs etc, they just want to climb a volcano. They are more concerned about getting up at 1 am, and where to get a coffee, which is perfectly fine, however, there are some important things to consider before climbing Mt Batur volcano, and we are not talking about whether you need hiking boots or not.
Mt Batur is considered the second most sacred mountain to the Balinese people.
A lot of time and money is spent by the Balinese people with ceremonies and offerings to this mountain. The people living around Mt Batur area hold a very large ceremony every 6 months, along with other smaller ceremonies.
Being a sacred site, just like Lake Batur is a sacred Lake, you must cover up when climbing, well, it’s cold very up there, so you will want to wear lots of clothes, but even just being in the area around the Lake and the mountains you should not be wearing revealing clothing. Cover shoulders to the knees.
Many tourists approach us and ask why the people in the area are so aggressive, when we look at what the tourists are wearing, we know why immediately. Girls wearing booty shorts and men in singlet tops, obviously have not given much thought to the area they are visiting. Singlet tops are only worn around the house, not out in the streets, especially not when visiting another area, or village. Booty shorts, well, these are never worn by the locals, covering the navel to the knee is a must.
In the Kintamani area, the Balinese are very traditional people, there are a lot of elderly farmers. The elderly women only wear sarongs, so seeing a woman’s thighs, and sometimes their booty can be quite shocking, it is considered very disrespectful to dress in such a way, so you may get an aggressive approach, it mainly stems from absolute frustration. I have seen a tourist walking down the street wearing a t-shirt and a batik sarong, and an old man giving her a big thumbs up, there was no aggression, just appreciation.
While many tourists had, an education growing up, where asking questions was how you learnt. Traditional Balinese education is based more on observing, doing, and knowing that your teachers, elders etc are telling you to do these things for the good of your learning. To the traditional Balinese, questions to your teachers/elders, are considered quite disrespectful. Be patient, and you will learn what you need to know, and you do not need to know it all. There are people with roles in every village in Bali, that will have knowledge in certain areas, and they will guide you, and protect you, so you do not need to question anything, just accept, and live in harmony, knowing that the village is balanced in knowledge, and therefore balanced as a community.
But for those tourists that want to understand, here is some information:
Mt Batur, just like the Lake is sacred to the Balinese, Balinese people believe the mountain is the home to Lord Brahma. Mt Batur is active, and the frequent activity symbolizes the fiery Brahma. When there is significant activity, lots of offerings must be made, to appease that fiery God.
Balinese believe there is a Lake Goddess, Dewi Danu, and there are Temples in the area dedicated to her, the belief is that Dewi Danu, the Goddess of the Lake, gives the fertile soil, which maintains the society around the Lake, you will see the amazing vegetable farms around the Lake when you climb Mt Batur.
Many tourists complain that they must use a Guide to climb Mt Batur, and do not understand why. This need to understand everything is unusual to the people around Batur. Balinese do not usually question someone else’s beliefs, they just respect other people's beliefs, and they never overstep someone else’s role in society or their jobs.
There are licensed, trained Guides that will escort you up Mt Batur, this is their job, their livelihood. Other Balinese know this and do not just take a tourist up Mt Batur. Just like you don’t go to the Post Office and start sorting the mail, it’s not your job.
There are other important things to note before you climb Mt Batur.
Just like Temple, you cannot climb Mt Batur if you are pregnant, menstruating or have a cut.
There are no toilets on Mt Batur, so you need to hold it till you get down
No alcohol (or drugs) on the climb
No bad talk on the mountain – no negativity, Balinese believe you manifest negativity when you speak negatively
No public displays of affection, no kissing etc
Keep your feet on the ground, feet - no handstands or yoga poses that point your feet out or up, this is very rude and disrespectful (this is not India). Pointing your feet out to the Lake in one of those Yoga poses is extremely disrespectful to Dewi Danu.
No dying on the mountain - follow your Guide's instructions on where to, not walk, if you die on the mountain, this is a tragedy to your family, it is also a huge burden on the locals, and a very expensive cleansing ceremony will need to be performed.
The main thing is Respect, respect the people, the beliefs, and the roles of the people. Respect the place you are visiting.
What to pay? Besides your Guide
There is a compulsory entrance fee to the Mountain (payable to your Guide, or at the Guide Association office at Toya Bungkah), currently, it is 100,000IDR per person, this ticket was introduced after the major landslides in the area, and you can see the new road that the money has been used for to get from Kedisan to Mt Batur.
There is another ticket you pay for when you enter the Kintamani area, this has insurance for accidents, and the insurer will liaise with your travel insurer. So, please make sure you have travel insurance, as the local cover won’t cover you once you have been taken out of the area, for example to a hospital
If you have an accident on the mountain, your Guide will call a rescue team and your entrance ticket will cover the rescue costs. If you choose to break the rules and not pay for the entrance fees, and go it alone and have an accident, do you know how to get in contact with the rescue team? Also, your rescue costs must be covered by someone else. Many locals here have volunteered countless hours and risked their own lives rescuing silly tourists, who have gone it alone.
We at C.Bali believe that tourists should adapt to the place they are visiting, not expect the people/place to adapt to the tourists