Most climbers who want to reach the summit in one day (affectionately referred to as ‘summit attackers’) spend the night at Pura Pengubengan, at 1160m above sea level. They begin their climb from there at around 3am. Others choose to take the climb over two or three days, stopping to rest here and there in places where there is a water source. It is important to remember that Mount Agung is a volcano with a homogeneous type ecosystem, and therefore has very few water sources. Climbers are advised to augment their supplies before they set out, by requesting water from the locals who are usually camped out temporarily among the edelweiss at Pura Pengubengan.

Around Pura Pengubengan, the forest is overwhelmingly made up of pine trees and the ascent is relatively steep. Large roots and fallen trees often block the path, making the walk rather difficult. It takes between two and four hours to pass through the pine forest, and after that the path becomes sandy and pebbly, and a little slippery. At several points the path leads into a cliff, sometimes as high as three metres, which climbers have to traverse.

At 2560m above sea level, climbers come to the ‘flying camp’ known as Boyke. Apparently, the camp was named after a climber from Jakarta who died after falling off a cliff. The Boyke flying camp is little more than a small shelter, about 6m2 in area, which is nevertheless sheilded from prevailing winds by the large boulders that surround it. Having walked non-stop from Pura Besakih for four or five hours, most ‘summit attackers’ rest here for a little while before continuing straight on. Meanwhile, those intent on reaching the summit right on dawn usually spend the night here, postponing their departure for the summit until 3 o’clock the next morning.

After the Boyke flying camp the trek becomes more interesting as the summit comes more clearly into view. Moreover, the vegetation starts to change radically as the pines fade away and short, hardy highland shrubs like edelweiss become dominant.

The trek from the Boyke flying camp to the summit takes around 2 hours. The terrain is pebbly, at some points traverses more cliffs, and steep. Climbers have to take extra care here not only because the pebbles are slippery, but also because it is very windy - every five or ten minutes a great gust blows that seems strong enough to lift you off your feet. With these factors combined, it would only take a small slip for climbers to be sent toppling back down the slope. Another danger factor is the ease of getting lost when descending from the summit, because much of this rocky terrain looks the same so it is easy to forget which way you came on the way up.

At around 2870m above sea level, which is the point of the first summit, the ascent starts to get easier as the ground gets firmer. The second summit, located at 3180m, has been dubbed by many climbers as the ‘summit of deceit’ because it is the highest point visible from the Boyke flying camp and therefore many assume it is the main summit. Not until reaching the second summit do they discover that the main summit still lies 500 meters beyond their grasp.

The path to the main summit from the second summit is relatively flat and sandy. Located at 3142m above sea level, the summit itself covers an area of around 10m2, and is covered in burnt incense sticks, offerings to Siwa. The view from the summit has to be seen to be believed. Through the soft blanket of clouds, which imbues the experience with other-worldly nuances, pokes the cone of Rinjani’s summit to the east, and to the west that of Semeru. Every now and then, Agung’s smug crater gestures arrogantly, puffing its foul gas in the faces of those who have come to honour the greatness of the almighty mountain.

end

top : the summit of deceipt, with the main summit in the background
above : the sign at Mt. Agung's main summit. it reads 3142 m -summit

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