Top 7 Best Volcanoes in Bali & Indonesia That You Can Climb
✔️ Quick Guide – Best Volcanos for Every Traveler
| 🏆 Most Popular Volcano Trek | Mt. Batur Sunrise Trek – Bali |
| 🚗 Best Easy Volcano | Mt. Batur Sunrise via Jeep – Bali |
| 🌋 Best Adventure Volcano | Kawah Ijen Acid Volcano – East Java |
| 📆 Best Multi-Day Hike | Mt. Rinjani – Lombok |
| 🥾 For More Serious Hikers | Mt. Agung – Bali |
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All About Bali’s Awe-Inspiring Volcanos
Bali has the best of everything; the best beach clubs, restaurants, beaches, you name it, but what really stands out about visiting Bali and Indonesia are the volcanos. Unique to a trip to Indonesia, the volcanos on Bali and the outer islands host some of the best views and hiking opportunities in all of SE Asia – You can’t plan a trip to Bali without visiting at least one volcano, here’s a short list of all the best volcanos in Indonesia.
👉 Tip! Bali is famous for having awe-inspiring volcanos, but did you know that some of the Best Bali Volcano Tours aren’t on Bali at all, but rather on Indonesia’s outer islands? This list includes volcanoes on Bali & on the nearby islands + How to travel to them.
1. Mt. Batur Sunrise Trek – Bali
Mt. Batur is by far the most famous volcano in all of Bali and Indonesia. Hundreds, if not thousands, of tourists flock to Kintamani to hike Mt. Batur’s scenic slope for sunrise every day of the year. The reasons Mt. Batur is the most popular volcano in all of Bali and Indonesia are two-fold:
1) It’s an extremely photogenic sunrise spot, most Bali travel experts consider Mt. Batur’s Caldera to be the most beautiful sunrise in all of Bali!
2) Mt. Batur is conveniently located in Central Bali. Officially located in Kintamani, which is only an hour East of Ubud, Mt. Batur is the easiest volcano to get to.
Combo Tours: It’s only a 1-2 hour hike up to Mt. Batur’s peak for its famous sunrise spot, and once you’re in the Kintamani area there are a ton of amazing other activities you can do. Most Mt Batur Tours also offer add-on services, since the sunrise tour ends around 9 AM, there’s lots of time in the day for more activities. The most popular combo tours for Mt. Batur are White Water Rafting, and taking an Ubud day tour that includes a high-swing over the rice terraces. After climbing Mt. Batur for sunrise, you can also take an ATV or Motorbike tour of the Kintamani Lava Fields.
🚩 Need to Know: There’s a “Volcano Association” (Tourist Mafia) that makes everyone use a guide to hike Mt. Batur, and most of the volcanoes in Indonesia.
2. Mt. Batur Via Jeep (For Those Who Don’t Want to Hike!) – Bali
If you don’t want to do the 1-2 hour trek up to Mt. Batur’s Caldera, you also have the option to take a private jeep tour up. The Mt. Batur Jeep Tours are also considered a bit more luxurious and romantic than the trekking ones. Mt. Batur Jeep Tours also usually include a sunrise breakfast served on the roof of the jeep, and an offroading tour of the Kintamani Lava Fields.
👉 Budget Tip: There are also motorbike taxis available to summit Mt. Batur, but you still need to hike around 15 minutes uphill from the motorbike parking station, which makes the Jeep tour a much nicer alternative for those who do not want to trek.
3. Mt. Agung for Sunrise: The Hardest Volcano Hike in Bali
Considered the most challenging hike on the island of Bali, Mt. Agung is perfect for those who want to get a good trek on their holiday. Both Agung and Batur volcanos in Bali are famous for their sunrises -Your reward for choosing Mt. Agung, the more challenging of the two volcanos, to hike for sunrise is that far fewer tourists will be there. Mt. Agung is located in the far North East region of Bali and is the highest peak on the island at 3,142 meters above sea level.
🥾 How Long is the Hike: The “short route” for Mt. Agung is a 3-4-hour hike up, and the long route is 5-7 hours.
🛕 Tip: Tours to Mt. Agung also usually include Besakih Temple, the largest Balinese Hindu Temple in the world.
3. Kawah Ijen Acid Volcano: Overnight Tour to East Java
Climbing Kawah Ijen was the highlight of my first trip to Indonesia all the way back in 2019 – To this day, I still haven’t come across anything quite like it! Kawah Ijen is the most unique and adventurous volcano in all of Indonesia – Kawah Ijen isn’t just any volcano, it’s a sulfur volcano.
Colorful and poisonous, Kawah Ijen Volcano has an active sulfur mine in its center where miners work 24/7 hauling baskets of bright yellow rocks from the inner crater. The sulfur mine lies on the shores of a bright baby-blue acid lake, whose PH is comparable to battery acid. During the nighttime, tourists can witness sulfurous fumes self-combust and ignite into the world-famous “Blue Fire”. Mt. Kawah Ijen Volcano is one of the only sites in the entire world where naturally occurring blue fire can be seen.
Located on East Java, an island just west of Bali, getting to Kawah Ijen is quite tricky for most travelers visiting Bali. You need to take a 3-5 hour car ride, depending on your starting point in Bali, all the way to the furthest western part of Bali. From there, you can take a ferry to East Java, and then another car around 40 minutes to the base of Kawah Ijen Volcano. 👉 This overnight Kawah Ijen tour from Bali includes all transport from central Bali to Kawah Ijen, all entrance fees, tour guide services, and meals.
4. Mt. Bromo & Ijen Volcanos: 3-Days in East Java
Mt. Bromo is one of the most amazing volcano views in all of Indonesia, in my opinion, I believe it to be an even more impressive volcano than Mt. Batur in Bali. However, Mt. Bromo gets far fewer tourists than Mt. Batur because you cannot visit it on a 1-day tour from Bali. If you have more time in your Bali travel itinerary, it’s well worth it to visit East Java on a Multi-Day tour that visits Kawah Ijen Acid Volcano, as well as other adventurous spots such as Tumpak Sewu Waterfall, and Mount Bromo Volcano.
Located a bit further inland than Kawah Ijen Volcano, Mt. Batur Volcano is best visited on at least a 3-day tour of East Java. The island of Java is much more remote than the neighboring island of Bali. While you won’t get the luxury cafes and beach clubs you can expect in Bali, East Java is the best spot in all of Indonesia for adventure tourism.
5. Mount Rinjani 3-Day / 2-Night Trek – Lombok
Mt. Rinjani is the highest point on the island of Lombok, which is an island located immediately East of Bali. You can easily get to Lombok by fast boat, local ferry, or by flying. Most travelers choose to visit Lombok after visiting the Gili Islands from Bali, as it’s just a 20-minute or so boat ride from the Gilis.
Often touted as being like “what Bali was 20 years ago”, Lombok is a relatively untouched paradise – Filled with lots of great surfing, waterfalls, and beaches. Mt. Rinjani is the only notable volcano on Lombok, and it’s the toughest hike on this list. Perfect for serious trekkers, Mt. Rinjani is usually done by a 3-day / 2-night trek up to the volcano’s caldera.
🥾 Hike Difficulty: 2-3 Day Treks – At 3,726m from its highest peak, Mt. Rinjani is the second tallest volcano in all of Indonesia!
6. Mount Kelimutu 3-Color Lake Volcano – Flores Island
Mount Kelimutu within Kelimutu National Park is renowned for harboring a volcano that cradles a tri-colored lake within its volcanic basin. Kelimutu’s three lakes, which are vibrant shades of red, green, and blue, are steeped in local lore. According to the beliefs of the indigenous people, Mae, the deity presiding over the afterlife, once chose this sacred spot to gather and safeguard the souls of the departed. These three mystical bodies of water are known as Tiwu ata Mbupu, meaning the “Lake of Old People,” Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai, signifying the “Lake of Young Men & Women,” and Tiwu Ata Polo, denoting the “Enchanted Lake.”
✈️ How to Get There: Mount Kelimutu is located on the outer island of Flores, which many travelers in Indonesia visit after doing a boat tour of the Komodo Islands. You can visit Flores, the Komodo Islands, and Kelimutu Volcano by taking a quick 1-hour flight from Bali.
🥾 Trek Length: Kelimutu 3-Color Crater Lakes is most typically visited via a 2-day / 1-night guided tour.
7. Padar Island Viewpoint via Komodo National Park Multi-Day Boat Tour
Not necessarily a volcano tour in the traditional sense, but I felt like it was worth mentioning in this article because Komodo National Park is made up of an archipelago of around 30 islands, formed by both active and inactive volcanos. The most astounding view in Komodo is the hike up to the Padar Island viewpoint, which is done for sunrise and sunset. You can only visit the Komodo Islands via island-hopping cruises, which are usually 3-days/2-nights or 4-days/3-nights.
✈️ How to Get to the Komodos from Bali: It’s a little difficult to get to the Komodo Islands from Bali, you can either take a short and cheap flight to Labuan Bajo, Flores, which is called the “Gateway to Komodo National Park”. Or, you can take the “Backpackers Boat” from Lombok, which sails through the Komodos on the way to Flores.
💰 Backpackers Budget Komodo Boat: The Backpacker’s Boat is super cheap, but also has very rough conditions (everyone sleeps on mats on the floor in a communal room).> > I recommend Wanua Adventure Tour Company, you have to book in cash.
🚢 Classic Komodo Cruise: For most travelers, a standard 3-day/2-night Komodo Island-Hopping Boat Cruise is the best choice. These boats feature fantastic food, a liveaboard chef, AC, and proper beds for your journey through the Komdodo Archipelago.
🥾 Easiest Volcano Hike on This List: It’s only 15-30 minutes to the top of Padar viewpoint – If you want a short, but amazing, volcano mountain hike on your trip to Indonesia, Padar Island in Komodo National Park is probably my overall favorite.
