Bali | Be an audience under the sunset of Mount Agung
Bali is quite large, and it's not just about unbeatable beaches and artistic Ubud; there's also a volcanic area in the north, with two volcanoes. The larger one, continuously erupting, is called Mount Agung, while the other, which has been dormant for decades, is called Mount Batur. Coming out of the airport, you see a large tourist advertisement, with a person leaning against a solitary tree, standing on a platform against the backdrop of a huge volcano waiting for the sunset. The image is truly stunning. After spending some time, I finally found this place online, called Lahangan Sweet, so obscure that even locals hardly know about it. Watching the sunset here is a unique experience.
⛰【Travel Tips】
📍Detailed address: Search directly for Lahangan Sweet on the map, and you can navigate there; there's basically no public transport, and chartering a car in Bali is very cost-effective. This place is located in the northeast corner, about two hours from Ubud, very far, near the crowded and popular 'Gates of Heaven'.
💰Ticket price: Navigate and park at the bottom of the attraction, then you can pay an additional 50,000Rp to take a jeep to the entrance of the attraction (it's not far to climb the mountain yourself, but it's quite tiring), but it's only a 10-minute walk down and not tiring. The attraction itself also charges 30,000.
🌟Highlights:
👉If you can handle the crowds at the popular 'Gates of Heaven', then Lahangan will definitely become even more popular in the future. It's also a photo-centric attraction, but with a sufficiently stunning backdrop. Mount Agung often hides in the clouds, and even being so close, it still feels oppressive. Here on the mountain, the clouds are just below your feet, and under the sunset, you can even see fiery clouds. Is it the fire from the volcano?
👉There are not many people here, with four or five key scenes for taking photos, including a small 'Gates of Heaven'. The most popular are two wooden platforms with trees, where people can climb up from under the trees. Each person can only take a few minutes of photos. There are also pavilions facing the volcano, various seats, a volcanic viewing platform, swings, and so on. This is much better than the experience of queuing for 3 hours and taking photos for 2 minutes at the 'Gates of Heaven'.
👉I arrived quite late, almost around six o'clock. It's basically dark by 6:00 here, and the scenic area seems to be still under development, with a public toilet, and the roads are all dirt. If you come to the northeast of Bali for tourism, I highly recommend this place, especially seeing Mount Agung, which feels even more spectacular than Mount Fuji. Keep in mind, its most recent eruption was in 2019, with volcanic ash rising to 5 kilometers high, which had a significant impact on Bali's tourism industry at the time. These events are not long past, and the power of an active volcano is still very formidable.
📌Little Tips:
The journey is long, and the price of chartering a car is slightly expensive. In addition to the 'Gates of Heaven', you can also arrange a few waterfalls nearby, such as Gembleng Waterfall, or the cave waterfall Tukad Cepung Waterfall. Such an itinerary would be more enriching.