Many tourists prefer to travel to Bali as solo traveler, because the island is small and the price for single boardinghouse is cheaper than rent a full equipped accommodation. Bali has a lot of tourism attractions that can be enjoyed alone, and you don’t have to hire a car if you want to go around the city as it can be reach with walking a certain distance.
However, traveling solo to Mount Batur is not recommended, as you need to be familiar with the geographical vicinity as you hike the mountain. There are people who prefer to travel alone to Mount Batur because the distance is quite short, it only takes two hours to hike the mountain to reach the summit. Believe it or not, traveling to Mount Batur by yourself is dangerous for several reasons
Here are some reasons why you need to reconsider traveling to Mount Batur alone.
- The track might be difficult depend on the season. As a tropical island the weather can chance drastically from bright to heavy rain, and it will change the entire plan of the hiking tour. For a professional, hiking alone during worse weather is normal, as they have ability to read the locations and find places to hide when the rain is too heavy. However, it is not the case for those who hike Mount Batur for pleasure, as they visitors are not knowledgeable about the standard of safety hiking. Traveling ingroup with one or two local guides will ensure your safety, as they know the stop locations where you can rest when rain pours heavily.
- The hiking usually conducted at night, so hiking the mountain as a stranger is quite impossible. Hiking the mountain at night and alone is dangerous, because you can see or read the map perfectly. Having a local guide will ensure that you take the right track, that you will not be lost in the jungle. Although the hiking only takes two hours, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be lost in the middle of no where because in some parts of the mountains are covered with thick layers of trees.
- Traveling alone is also dangerous because you will have no body to rely on when an accident happens. Although the trek is considered easy, but it can be dangerous at night as sometimes people can’t step their food at a stable ground. Having a companion during the hiking will at least help you when something dangerous happen during the trekking, although it is less likely to happen.
So far, traveling to Mount Batur as solo traveler is not recommended for those who are not familiar with the locations as well as those who are not professional in hiking. If you are alone, it will be better to join a tour package which is provided by local tourism companies as they are cheap, and they will also provide you with some services and facilities during the hiking. You may also find friends along the way and may mingle with local people during the hiking.