Gunung Batur (1717m) , the large volcano located in the eastern highlands has caused all kind of trouble in the past from its eruptions, which have occurred more than 20 times since 1800. A 1917 eruption killed 1,000 local people and amazingly the boiling lava stopped just short of the temple at Batur village. In those day the village of Batur was located on the west side of Lake Batur, which is inside the crater.
August 3rd 1926 was the next big eruption that surrounded the village of Batur and the temple. The locals were evacuated and the village of Batur and the temple were relocated to the crater rim. This eruption formed Batur I, the main crater.
September 1963 saw another eruption that continues till May 1964. Things stayed peaceful until March 1974 when an eruption emitted lava flows as far as Yehmampeh on the crater floor.
Batur IV, which is the most recent crater, was formed by an eruption in 1994. This eruption continues sporadically as do eruptions all over Indonesia. For people thinking of climbing to the summit of Gunung Batur at 4am, it is a reasonably easy hike. Some steep slopes but you are looking at about 2 hours. At the crater you will able to smell sulfur being emitted. Locals will try to sell you hard-boiled eggs that have been cooked by the steam emitted from the cracks in the volcano wall. You will notice the starkness of Batur on one side and it is amazing that communities exist inside the crater.
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