Asian Mountains, Bali

Gunung Agung/ Mount Agung, 3031m - High point Bali

 


Primary factor: 3031m
Hiked: Nov 2012
See also:
Gunung Batur Gunung Abang
Gunung Bratan
See also : Other Asian mountains on westcoastpeaks.com


Gunung Agung (background)

Gunung Agung (background)
(Click for larger image)

Introduction

Gunung Agung (Mt. Agung) is a (perfectly) cone-shaped stratovolcano (last eruption in 1964) and is the most sacred mountain on Bali. The two main routes runs from the mother temple of Besakih and from Pura Pasar Agung near Selat. This page will describe the route from Besakih, which is by far the hardest of the two routes.

The Besakih route starts at approx. 970m and is more than 8km long (one way). The vertical gain to the summit is approx. 2100m. The vertical gain alone makes this quite a tough hike (although the route is technically easy) and you might need to allow up to 6-8 hours for the ascent. It is normal to walk the route at night and arrive on the summit at sunrise. And from the top, you can enjoy the view of Rinjani (105km to the east) rising 3700m up from Lomboc island.

Do hire a guide! Although it is not a requirement, finding the route from the Besakih temple can be tricky without someone who knows the area. It is not very expensive, and the mountain guides need the jobs. It is a win-win situation. You find mountain guides everywhere, and some are of course more skilled than others. It is important to find guides who speaks decent English. Lonely Planet lists a few guiding companies, including Gung Bawa Trekking, which we used and would recommend to others.

 

The main Agung crater

The main Agung crater
(Click for larger image)

 

Primary factor:

Agung has a primary factor of 3031m, being the high point on Bali island.

 

 

Agung summit

Agung summit
(Click for larger image)

 

Google map

Google's interactive map. You can zoom, pan and click on the markers.
 

 

Trail descriptions

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These route descriptions are valid per November 2012
 

Route 1: Besakih temple - Agung

Difficulty : YDS Class 2 on marked path
Comments : Long and tough hike
Distance : Approx. 8,1km to the top
Time : Approx. 6-8 hours to the top
Starting Elev.: Approx. 970m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 2100m (total)

 

The route:

 

The route, as seen in Google Earth

The route, as seen in Google Earth
(Click for larger image)

 

 

The route starts at the Mother Temple of Besakih (S8.37420 E115.45236). Allow for a couple of hours drive from Denpasar, if this is where you are staying on Bali. It is normal to start from the temple between 10pm and midnight.

Navigate through the temple complex and continue northeast for 1,6km on small roads and trails. Pass another temple (S8.36388 E115.46142) and then follow the path into the forest.

The route climbs steeply up the forest, and occasionally you might need to use your hands to negotiate big roots and high steps. Higher up in the forest, the forest ridge can feel a bit exposed and a stumble can actually lead to some bad consequences.

At approx. 2600m, you rise above the forest and pass steep cliffs. There is a small shelter here. Above the cliffs, you start climbing Agung's west ridge which takes you up to the west top (S8.34033 E115.49848) - approx. 3020m.

Continue 550 meters along the ridge crest (don't stumble!) to the east to get to the high point (S8.34146 E115.50330) - 3031m. Some maps use 3142m as height, but this seems to be too high. Hopefully, you've timed the hike so you reach the summit at sunrise. Note that the weather can be quite severe and do not attempt to reach the summit during lightning strikes.

 

Summit ridge

Summit ridge
(Click for larger image)

 

 

Pictures and Trip reports:


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