History of the Batur Caldera

There are many reasons to visit Bali but one of them should be it raw and unchanging natural beauty.  You can bear witness to the uniqueness of the Balinese religion by seeing their ceremonies or visiting their shrines or temples close to your hotel room or even in the property of many Bali villas for rent. Most of this is in part to their belief system. That belief system is a mixture of Hinduism, Buddhism and animistic beliefs. They believe that every plant, every source of water is a blessing from the gods and goddesses and has a part of their energy infused in it.  To damage, destroy or disrespect it would being the wrath of the gods down on them.  But they also believe that their supreme god created their land to protect them and nurture them.  The Batur region of Bali is one of those places.

Going back to around 23,000 BC, the earth experienced a pole shift which created an explosion of such great force that the enormous Batur caldera was formed. This caldera today measures a little over 8 miles in diameter, which makes it the largest and most demonstrative evidence of what nature can do. Again the poles shifted around 10,500 BC. This time a smaller but still impressive caldera was formed in the southeaster part of the larger caldera created over 12,500 years prior. This one only measures nearer to 5 miles across. This smaller crater is home to the Bali Aga villages of Songan which offers an amazing panoramic view of the village of Penelokan on the rim of the crater close to an active volcano.  Imagine what the view would be from the nearby Bali villas rental, hotel or motel.

The entire Batur caldera is actually a double elliptic crater measuring 6.2 miles by 8 miles in diameter. The lava flowing from Mt Batur is highly viscous and moves quite slowly compared to the lava flows of Hawaii.  Here the lava has time to cool which can cause a blockage which in turn allows for the magma to build up pressure until it erupts with tremendous forces sometimes every few decades. And then the process starts over again. Every time it erupts it moves further west but leaves smaller craters in its wake.  The craters have been named Batur I, II and III.  As it moves west it starts to intrude on the lake that shares the larger Batur crater with it.  You may enjoy this beauty from a nearby hotel room or even a Bali villas rental located close but not too close to the Batur crater.

Batur Lake sits in the old crater of Mount Batur. This lake is the largest lake on the island and is a neutral dilute lake.  This means that there is no known hydrothermal activity underneath its waters and if there is, the generous rainfall would be more than sufficient to stop any activity. There is a hot spring located near the lake. The Mount Batur and Batur Lake are surrounded by the rim of the ancient crater which creates a place for tourists to get away and enjoy the raw power of the gods.  You can leave the comfort of your Bali villas for rent and hike around the lake or even up the volcano. You can take a boat across the lake into Trunyan village where the Bali Aga (the original inhabitants of Bali) people live.  They have their own dialect of Balinese. These people also have a unique way of caring for their dead.  The allow nature to takes its course by allowing the natural decomposition process to happen in a special cemetery. Coming to Bali shouldn’t just be about doing the tourist thing but also to experience their way of life. Whether it be the traditions of the original inhabitants of Bali or the ones who came over from distant shores of other islands and continents.  But make sure to open your eyes and your mind to the natural beauty and ancient ways of Bali.