Mount Batur

Batur is a young cone sitting inside an old caldera in the highlands of northeast Bali, with a crescent-shaped lake filling the low ground beside it. The standard trip is a two-hour climb starting around two in the morning, on a loose path of ash and scree, to reach the crater rim in time for sunrise over Mount Abang and, on a clear day, Rinjani away across the strait on Lombok. Steam still leaks from vents near the top and guides use them to warm eggs. Below, black lava fields from twentieth-century eruptions run down towards the lake, and hot springs on the shore are the usual stop afterwards.

What you actually see

• The sunrise from the rim - first light over Abang, Agung and the sea beyond.
• The steaming vents - fumaroles near the summit, still warm enough to cook on.
• Lake Batur - the crescent lake in the caldera floor, with hot springs on its shore.
• The lava fields - black flows from twentieth-century eruptions cutting across the caldera.

When to go

April to October gives the best odds of a clear sunrise; in the wet season the summit is usually in cloud and the path turns to mud. Groups leave hotels in south Bali around midnight. Bring a fleece, a head torch and proper shoes: it is cold and dark at the top before dawn.

Honest expectations

Climbing without a local guide is effectively not allowed, and the guides' association sets the price, which is high for a two-hour walk. The path is a queue of head torches in high season and the rim gets crowded. Cloud ruins the sunrise often enough to matter. The night start plus a long drive makes for a wrecked day afterwards.

Nearby

Kintamani's rim viewpoints, the hot springs at Toya Bungkah and Ubud are within reach.