Mount Batur is actually close to Ubud and Kute, but it doesn’t mean that time required for the tour is also short because sometimes the time length will be more than what you can expect depend on the weather and traffic condition along the way. The distance from your hotel to mount Batur will vary, but is is quite common that the tour will start at midnight and even a day before.
Here what you can expect about the distance from your hotel to mount Batur:
- If you stay near Ubud or Kute, it will take several hours to prepare for the hiking. Usually it will take two hours from Ubud to the nearby village in mount Batur, and sometimes it will only take one and half hours. So at least, you need to be ready before the bus pick you up from the hotel; and if the driver needs to pick more visitors, it means extra time for the drive.
- Some people avoid traveling at night because they are afraid that they will be too exhausted to climb the mountain, so instead of staying at Ubud these people rent a place in the villages which are near to mount Batur. It is actually quite comfortable, because you don’t have to prepare the day before, because you just need to pick up your back pack and hike. It will also be convenient for those who bring children with them, as you can directly go to your hotel after a long climb to mount Batur. while, if you stay in Ubud, it means that you have another time allocation for the drive back which will too much for some of us.
- After arriving in nearby village, then you need to wait for other hikers so you can start to hiking in groups. It will take around half hour, because hiking the mountain in small group of people will be dangerous.
- You will start to hike mount Batur at 3 am in the morning, and you are expected to arrive at the summit at 5 o’clock. Usually, it takes to hours to hike mount Batur, some people who use to do exercise might hike the mountain for one and half hour. However, hiking mount Batur is not about who is the fastest, as you can hike the mountain with our based on your own pace.
- Climbing down mount Batur will be much easier, but you still have to be careful as the ground may be slippery. It usually takes around one to one and half hour to climb down, and you can rest at nearby café while waiting for your transportation.
Although the distance from nearby village to mount Batur to the top of the mountain is quite short, but for people who stay near Kute and Ubud, you will need to prepare more time for transportation. It is more likely that you will spend more time on driving rather than climbing the mountain.