The island of Bali lies between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is home to the majority of Indonesian Hindus and has been an immensely popular international tourist destination for many decades. The provincial capital is Denpasar. Getting to the island is easy – by plane to Ngurah Rai airport or (overland from Jakarta) by train via Surabaya and then ferry from Banyuwangi on the eastern coast of Java. Roads are generally of a good quality but taxis on the island are relatively expensive so it is better to arrange vehicle hire.
An ascent of the majestic holy mountain of Gunung Agung is one of the finest hikes in Indonesia, and Batur is a fascinating volcano popular with tourists who hike to the top every morning to watch the sunrise. It is very easy to find a guide for both mountains, either in the local area or through your hotel. Batukaru is a much less frequented forest peak and there are less hikers on its trails than the more popular two mountain treks.
Not far from Kintamani and Gunung Batur, the usually quiet Gunung Abang is the highest point on the outer Batur caldera and is a nice easy hike with pleasant views over Batur lake and to Agung and Rinjani (in Lombok).
To the south-east of the main island of Bali are the three increasingly popular ‘Nusa’ islands: Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and the much larger Nusa Penida. Lembongan and Ceningan are connected by a narrow yellow bridge (suitable only for motorbikes and pedestrians) and the relative lack of vehicles on the islands makes for surprisingly pleasant walking. Alas, Lembongan has no significant hills and the highest point of Ceningan is an estimated 105m near the popular Ceningan Cliffs area which has good views across the channel to Nusa Penida. Penida’s high-point is Puncak Mundi (529m), a collection of Hindu temples with a road leading all the way to the top and decent views down to the coast.
A Selection of Photos of Bali’s Ribus
Map of Bali’s Ribus
Download these peaks as a kml file.
Statistics and Links to Bali’s Ribus
Name |
Elevation |
Prominence |
Ribu Category |
Island |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agung | 3,031 m | 3,031 m |  Sangat Tinggi |
Bali | |
| Batukaru | 2,276 m | 1,088 m |  Tinggi Sedang |
Bali | |
| Batur | 1,717 m | 461 m |  Spesial |
Bali |
Deeply concerning news regarding the possibility of closing Mount Batur. https://indonesiaexpat.id/news/restriction-on-hiking-mountains-in-bali-touted-tourism-industry-expresses-concerns/
Let’s hope it doesn’t happen!
Man I read this the other day and was deeply saddened. It’s so crazy how some video made it to pornhub and the dude who got naked got deported. It’s a shame a few people can ruin it for everyone else. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to anything
Very sad news coming out of Bali
https://thebalisun.com/bali-bans-all-tourist-activities-on-mountains-with-immediate-effect/
https://en.tempo.co/read/1736639/sandiaga-uno-says-balis-hiking-ban-still-under-discussion
I wonder about this. Indonesia is famous for being the land of knee-jerk reactions with almost no critical analysis whatsoever and then backtracking later on. I imagine the current conversation is concerned primarily with egos and money at the moment. The poor behaviour of a small minority of foreign morons is almost inevitable in a place as immensely popular as Bali but it also sometimes feels as though the local media actively seeks out ‘crazy foreigners’ to enrage the locals and drive the clicks.
you missed out gunung catur .
You meant Batur?
No, they meant Catur…. another great hike for sure! Bali has both Batur and Catur.