balihotelstravel.info

Climbing Mt Agung. Looking inland from almost any part of the island, the volcanic massif of Gunung Agung looms on the horizon. Deep within it, awesome reserves of power lie dormant, and the Balinese spend much of their ceremonial life trying to keep it that way in a complicated array of festivals to appease the mountain gods, held chiefly at Besakih temple — one of the island’s spiritual powerhouses. Offerings are also made to celebrate the connection with the volcano as it is also viewed as the divine origin of the Balinese people. To get some idea of the significance of Bali, consider that every village on the island has three temples, and one of them, with the ‘temple of origin’ (pura puseh) is always positioned in the part of the village closest to Agung. Many Balinese still sleep with their head always oriented towards Agung.

Despite its fearsome destructive powers, there’s no doubt that Agung is the source of much of Bali’s richness. The slopes are composed of a rich volcanic soil and together with the runoff concentrated in the rivers on the southern and western slopes, this has provided ideal conditions for the growth of rice and hence the development of settlements. Only on the northeastern side, in a rainshadow devoid of water, are conditions desolate.

The huge 1963 eruption of Agung was an abrupt reminder of the volcano’s dominance of the island. It buried villages and left many dead. Some died without even attempting to escape, accepting their fate in a chilling demonstration of ultimate faith, believing they would be cleansed by the exposure to the mountain aods’ wrath.

Besakih is the most common trailhead for the climb up the mountain. The climb to the summit is not long — usually between five and eight hours and to gain the summit for sunrise means starting off late at night or in the early morning depending on your fitness and starting point. It is essential that you first get a blessing at Besakih; you may find you won’t get it if there is an important festival underway. In fact, some Balinese find the whole idea of climbing the mountain disrespectful but if you are committed to doing it, bring along a guide. Some go without but there are confusing sections on the mountain and a local guide can add considerably to your enjoyment of the natural surroundings and your understanding of Agung’s cultural significance.

Starting from Besakih takes you up through rainforest on the lower reaches of the mountain. There are many trails here and a guide is extremely useful. The treeline lies about two thirds of the way up and shortly after this there is a short cliff climb. Shelter here if the weather looks bad. The route up the rockface is not obvious — first byou must locate the graffitti. The route lies just beyond the end of this and is actually not too demanding once you’ve found it. Up above this the track thins out and the dropoffs either side get steadily greater as you approach the summit. From the top there are great views of almost the entire coastline, as well as Rinjani on neighbouring Lombok. The crater actually lies a little below the summit to the east — ten minutes takes you down there but you should be careful with your footing, especially if it is windy.

An alternative route begins at Selat and takes you via Sebudi. This route is shorter but harder, bringing you out on the crater’s lip though the view down inside is better from the summit.