Tourists Hiked Mount Agung Despite the Fire and Religious Restrictions

Tourists from Germany decided to climb Mount Agung without a guide. Moreover, they succeeded, despite the ban on climbing the mountain until November 30. However, it turned out that trouble with the authorities, if caught, was not the worst thing that could have happened to them.

As the travelers began their descent, a fire broke out on the sacred mountain. They were trapped, surrounded by thick smoke with no visible path. Their only option was to return to the summit and spend the night there. The next day, one of the tourists, a man, made a desperate attempt to descend, while the woman stayed on the volcano, waiting for help.

According to I Gede Mundut, a local guide, a foreigner approached them on the trail and reported that his companion was still at the summit, surrounded by flames engulfing the slopes.

To rescue the stranded tourist, 20 local guides decided to climb to the top. They started their ascent at 6 a.m. and only returned with the rescued woman by evening, around 10 p.m.

“The total time for the evacuation was 16 hours, after which our guests were safely brought home. They were exhausted, having spent almost three days on Mount Agung,” he said.

Despite the visible smoke from the fire and repeated media and social media reports about the climbing ban, five more tourists from Germany and Switzerland still attempted to climb Agung. Fortunately, they failed, and no rescue operation was required. When they tried to pass by the Pasar Agung temple, they were spotted and immediately stopped. The group consisted of three young men and two women. After being caught, the police and temple staff gave the tourists a detailed explanation, after which the now-aware travelers left.

“I hope these people will just go home after we explained the situation to them, and won’t try to outsmart us by looking for other routes to climb Mount Agung,” said Suara, a representative of the Pasar Agung temple.

The forest fire on the southwestern slope, at an elevation of about 2,300 meters above sea level, lasted for almost a week. It affected an area of 145 hectares of forest but eventually went out on its own after a rainstorm. Firefighters and rescue teams are continuing to monitor the slopes, but they report no signs of the fire reigniting.

Sources: balitribun, detik