Mount Agung Trekking

Written by Marvin Wijaya on Sunday 24 September 2023

Mount Agung, also known as Gunung Agung, is an active volcano located on the island of Bali in the Indonesia island arc. It is the highest point on the island of Bali at an elevation of 9944 feet (3031 meters)

Mount Agung is a stratovolcano built by a long history of recurrent eruptions. The stratovolcano has been built up from eruptions that produced andesite lava, volcanic breccia, volcano ash, and pyroclastic debris.

Eruptions at Mount Agung can be deadly and present a variety of volcanic hazards to nearly a million people who live within a 20-mile (30-kilometer) radius of the mountain. The 1963-1964 eruption at Mount Agung was one of the largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th Century, rating VEI 5 on the Volcanic Explosivity index.

There are two main routes to reach the crater rim which leave from different places. If you aim to reach the highest point of Gunung Agung without scrambling then one needs to depart from Pura Besakih (1,180m), Bali’s most sacred temple. The best guides are to be found in the nearby village of Selat. However if you are happy to reach the rim only which is short by about 150 meters from the very top, or are are a confident scrambler, then start hiking from Pura Pasar Agung (1,600m) which is Bali’s highest elevated temple. Views from both sides are just spectacular. 

Significantly increased volcanic activity at Agung started in mid-September 2017 not long after hikers filmed minor fumarole activity in the crater. Since then there has been an exclusion zone extending several kilometres from the crater meaning no hiking has been legally permissable since. Thousands of local people have already had to evacuate. Agung was at the highest level of alert – (Level 4 AWAS) for a number of weeks and an eruption looked imminent in late September. However, activity then slowly decreased and the alert level was brought back down to Level 3 SIAGA (of a total of 4 levels). Local people began to return home and a small number even made religious offerings at the crater. In late November 2017, after some phreatic (steam-based) eruptions, activity increased again considerably, with a genuine magmatic eruption occurring and the alert level was been raised once more. What happens in 2020 and beyond is difficult to predict, but further activity is fairly certain.

Pura Besakih route :

To reach the summit from Pura Besakih takes approximately 6 hours, and many people climb at night in order to reach the top for sunrise. Pura Besakih is not one temple but a vast complex of temples sprawling across the mountain side. For most visitors the first impression is of the hundreds of towering meru, their many tiered roofs of black palm fibre thatching pointing skyward. Their structural core, is an unobstructed square tunnel down which deities, ancestor, and spirits can descend on festive occasions to take their places in the shrines at their base. Pura Besakih is a landing field for the Gods.

The central temple in the complex, Pura Penataran Agung, is dedicated to the God Shiwa. Pura Batu Madeg (Temple of the Standing Stone), approached from behind the Pura Agung and to the left (northwest) is dedicated to Wisnu. Pura Kiduling Kreteg (Temple of the South Bridge) over a bridge and across a gully to the right (southeast) is dedicated to Brahma. There are nineteen more temples spreading up the mountain slopes, each with its own purpose and ceremonial season, but the three dedicated to the Hindu trinity are the most important. Almost every day village groups come to pray and collect holy water to take home for local temple ceremonies, or to pay their respects upon completion of the complicated cycle rituals.
Each temple in the complex has its own annual ceremony and approximately every tenth year the impressive Panca Wali Krama, a purification for the whole of Bali, draws almost everyone on the island to refresh their links to the Gods.

Pura Pasar Agung route to the crater rim or summit :

Traditionally, the route from Pura Pasar Agung was used by tourists as an easier option in order to reach the crater rim only but not the summit. However, it is now possible to reach the true summit but you will need a guide who is experienced and knows the way and be a confident scrambler. The junction is about halfway up the crater rim route described below: straight on for the crater rim only, or west towards the true summit. Only recommended for confident scramblers.

There are always guides waiting at the car park of Pura Pasar Agung (1,600m). The hiking adventure starts at the car park with a welcoming or heart breaking 297 steps to, or from the temple. At the gates of the temple, guides will make an offering to the Gods, to ask for forgiveness, protection and a safe return from this sacred mountain. It would be terrific if you also show your respect and light up a few incense sticks, place them on one of the shrines and say your own short prayer as a sign of respect to the people and culture of Bali.

Good viewpoints for photographs of Gunung Agung

Obviously not everyone that is interested in the volcano has the energy or the interest in making the gruelling ascent. Therefore we thought we would add a small number of good places that are accessible and offer decent views from afar.
Jemeluk Beach, Amed, East Bali. This lovely, laid-back area is a great place to gaze up at Gunung Agung, especially during late afternoon and sunset if the sky is relatively cloud-free. You can photograph the volcano from the beach itself or from ‘Jemeluk Viewpoint’ which although only 20 metres or so above the sea is a very nice spot. You can also get to the Gilis quite easily from Amed, with daily fast boats.

Pura Lempuyang (Lempuyang Temple), East Bali. This hillside temple complex with numerous steep stone stairways on the slopes of Gunung Lempuyang has become immensely popular in the last couple of years thanks to Instagram. Located about 30 minutes before Amed (assuming you are driving out there from the Denpasar or more central region), Agung is clearly visible on the other side of the valley and looks especially enchanting from the entrance portal known informally as heaven’s gate. The recent increase in popularity has meant long queues, numerous ‘fees’ to pay and a crass commercialization of what is a very special location. However, if you go before 8am to beat the crowds, put up with all the different mini-payments required, and are lucky with the weather then you will certainly get some superb photos.