Bali Tragedy Reminder For Tourists To Hike With Guides In Bali

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Tourists in Bali are being urged to take warnings about hiking solo or without guides on the island’s volcanoes and mountains seriously.

The warnings come after a 60-year-old Indonesian tourist lost his life on hiking Mount Agung solo this week.

Bali’s Search and Rescue Teams have carried out a tragic and herculean effort to recover the body of a 60-year-old Indonesian tourist from Yogyakarta who died while attempting to hike to the summit of Bali’s most sacred peak without a guide.

The alarm was raised by a fellow hiker who found the body of the deceased on the mountainside near the summit. 

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Speaking to reporters, the head of Bali Search and Rescue, Nyoman Sidakarya, said that his team had located the hiker at 2822m above sea level.

Sidakarya said, “We received initial information through the potential SAR group, which stated that a foreign climber found the body. Next, coordinating with the BPBD [disaster management agency] and local guides, we finally confirmed that the information was A1 at 19.00 WITA.”

He confirmed that the hiker had not registered to climb at the central office and was found on an unofficial hiking route, suggesting that he had either gone far off-piste or chosen to walk on an unmarked trail and was not accompanied by a guide.

From the moment rescue officers stepped foot on the mountain, it took 28 hours for the mission to be completed. 

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Sidakarya explained, “At around 17.00 WITA, two local guides climbed through Pengubengan, and after more than two hours of travel, they arrived at the location where the body was found. However, the weather conditions at the location were thick fog, and the wind was very strong, so the evacuation process was not possible to carry out [that] night.”

He continued, “This morning [Wednesday 13th] at 03.00 WITA, the joint SAR team moved from the Pengubengan Post. Normally the journey to and from the peak takes around six hours, of course it will take longer because of evacuating the body.”

In total, ten officers from Karangasem Regency Search and Rescue Post coordinated the recovery mission with support from Bali Police and officers from the Disaster Management Agency. 

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Tourists planning to hike Mount Agung are reminded that the sacred peak will be closed to the public from the 17th of March until the 14th of April.

In light of this week’s tragedy and extreme weather conditions in Bali for the rest of the week, tourists may not be granted hiking permits over the next few days on safety grounds.

Tourists should not attempt to hike Mount Agung during this closure. The active volcano is closed so that spiritual leaders on the island can conduct ceremonies on Mount Agung and at the Mother Temple, Pura Agung Besakih, called Tawah Tabuh Gentuh and Karan Ida Bhatara Turun Kabeh. 

Speaking on behalf of the ceremonial committee Nyoman Sudarsana explained Nyoman Sudarsana told reporters, “In connection with the Tawah Tabuh Gentuh and Karan Ida Bhatara Turun Kabeh work at Pura Agung Besakih.”

“We hereby appeal to all levels of society to temporarily refrain from climbing Mount Agung because climbing will close starting the 17th of March 2024 until the 14th of April. After that, climbing will reopen as usual.” Mount Batur and Mount Batukaru will remain open to tourists during this time.

Tourists are often reminded that hiking Bali’s mountains and volcanos is no walk in the park.

While the peaks are not as challenging as the Himalayas or the Andes, the hiking trails are objectively challenging and, in parts, treacherous.

Weather conditions on the mountainsides can change in an instant, with freezing fog not only limiting visibility but also bringing in the risk of cold exposure and hypothermia.

Changing wind speeds also make it dangerous for those unfamiliar with the hiking trials to be scaling the mountains independently.