Climbing Mount Karangetang Volcano In Siau, Sulawesi

 You can’t go anywhere on tiny Siau island without seeing this majestic volcano and its twin smoking craters. If you’re lucky, you may even get to see it spouting molten lava and rock bombs at night, which it does pretty often.

In this guide, I’ll share my experience hiking the Karangetang volcano in 2021, and I’ll give some tips in case you plan to climb it yourself.

Drone picture of Mount Karangetang volcano\

Is It Safe?

First of all, let’s talk about safety. Karangetang is a highly active volcano — probably one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

The local guides are knowledgeable and any seismic activity is monitored by the Indonesian government, but there’s still plenty of risk involved in climbing this mountain. It may erupt at any time.

You can climb to the top of Karangetang if you’re feeling extra crazy, but to be safe most people only hike partway up this mountain and peep at the smoking craters from a distance (and even that is a bit risky).

Climbing any active volcano carries some danger obviously, but this one is unusually active, so proceed at your own risk.

Smoking dual vents at Gunung Karangetang

My Local Guide: Dominik

I would highly recommend going with a local guide for this hike, because the trail is hard to navigate otherwise.

I did this hike with Dominik, a local guide in Siau island with many years of experience climbing Karangetang. His brother also joined us for the hike and helped clear vegetation with a machete, and their dog came along too.

You can contact Dominik by WhatsApp at  +62 853-9866-6999. I paid 600k Rupiah for this hike, although that was during Covid and the prices are higher now.

He can also help arrange other tours and activities in the area, although we set those up through the Kalea Beach Resort, where we stayed in Siau.

Climbing the volcano with my guides

Summit view from the old lava field

Mount Karangetang: What To Expect

• Starting The Hike

My guides and I started this hike very early because I wanted to be sure to get clear views of the volcano.

That turned out to be a good decision, because when we exited the treeline some thick clouds began to roll in, slowly obscuring the summit.

There was a 30 minute scooter ride to the trailhead on the south side of the volcano, and then we started hiking at 3:15 AM.

We could see most of the island once we got out of the jungle

• In The Jungle

Our progress was slow because of the crazy terrain. It was dark and the path was solid jungle!

There was extremely dense foliage since the trail had basically been abandoned during Covid, which meant my guides had to hack through it with a machete. Every step required another swing with the machete.

Along the way, we saw lots of giant green millipedes, which were harmless, but we also ran into a giant centipede, which was more threatening since they can bite. He raised up in an attack position, and the guides told me their bite really hurts.

Navigating the trail was complicated by the fact that it was so steep, muddy, and slippery. We fell a lot.

It was never dangerous in terms of drop-offs, although I was a little worried about one of us falling on my guide’s machete or something like that.

Out of the jungle and into the lava rocks

Got some scrapes from falling in the jungle

• Old Lava Field

After about 2.5 hours of hiking, we reached an old lava field below the summit, just in time for sunrise.

Climbing these lava rocks wasn’t much better than going through the jungle. Some of them were mossy and extremely slippery, and I bloodied my shins from falling on the rocks multiple times, even though I was wearing good grippy shoes.

For safety reasons, we stopped in the lava field. We were about two-thirds of the way to the summit and didn’t mean to go any farther since the volcano is notoriously active.

Views from the old lava field. This is where I stopped and flew my drone

From here, I spent about an hour flying my drone and checking out the summit. This volcano is really interesting because it has dual smoking cones at the summit. So cool!

By the time we started our descent at 7:25 AM, the summit was already mostly covered in clouds. Going down was easier since the path was already cleared, but it still took about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

If I had nine lives, I’d love to climb all the way to the summit and see the craters up close. Even though we stopped before the summit, Karangetang was a great hike and we got some great views!

Discovering Bali, Indonesia: Island

 
First Impressions: A Tropical Dream
From the moment you land at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali greets you with warm air, welcoming smiles, and the scent of incense drifting from nearby temples. The island instantly feels alive — not just with people and nature, but with something deeper and spiritual.

Roads & Traffic

Bali has narrow roads, heavy traffic, and a mixture of cars and motorbikes competing for the right of way, making it a difficult place to drive.

Motorbike accidents are one of the biggest safety risks in Bali, and it seems like there are new stories every day of foreign tourists getting killed or seriously hurt on bikes. Usually they’re riding without helmets.

I wouldn’t recommend riding a motorbike in Bali unless you have plenty of experience and know-how, and you should absolutely wear a high quality helmet as well.

Even then, you’re much safer in a car in this kind of environment. Yes, it costs more, but it’s nowhere near as expensive as ending up in the hospital.

 Food Safety (‘Bali Belly’)

After many years of visiting Bali, trying all the food, and generally eating like a pig, I’ve never gotten any kind of sickness from food. And I eat everything, including fresh fruit, salad, spicy food, and street food.
In my opinion, ‘Bali belly’ is overhyped. I don’t personally know anyone who has ever had it, including any of my other expat or tourist friends.
I think part of the ‘Bali belly’ reputation came from 20+ years ago, when food safety in Bali was more of an issue than it is now.

Fruit smoothie bowl. Yum. 

There’s also the possibility that some people think they’re experiencing ‘Bali belly’ 

when it’s actually something else entirely.

I’m sure there’s seasonal sickness that gets carried into Bali from ‘snowbird’ travelers escaping their home countries in the winter, and some people probably mistake these normal viruses for ‘Bali belly’ because the symptoms are similar.

In any case, everyone’s stomach is different, so if you tend to be sensitive to new foods then you may want to start out slowly and avoid spicy food when you first get to Bali.

Floating breakfast at Maha Hills Resor  

One exception is the tap water in Bali, which isn’t recommended to drink because it might give you traveler’s diarrhea.

It’s also not recommended to use tap water for brushing your teeth, although I know some locals and expats who do it with no issues.

Bottled water is cheap and widely available, so you can use that instead.

I love Bali

 Volcanoes

Bali is home to two active volcanoes: Mount Agung and Mount Batur.
It’s possible for either of these to erupt at any time, and Mount Agung did have a major eruption in 2017-2019, when it exploded with a 4 kilometer tall ash cloud.
That’s not the first time it’s happened. In 1963, a catastrophic eruption from Agung wiped out the nearby villages and killed 2,000 local people.
However, eruptions are still rare, and you have to keep in mind these volcanoes are located far from the main tourist areas in Bali, so they pose almost no risk to the average person when they do erupt.

The volcanoes are also monitored for seismic activity nowadays, and some people even hike them. I’ve hiked to the top of both Batur and Agung multiple times.

Mount Agung eruption in 2017 (© Shutterstock)

Another view of the eruption (© Shutterstock)

• Earthquakes

One of the unnerving realities of life in Indonesia is that the whole country, including Bali, sits directly on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes. Around 90% of the world’s earthquakes happen in this zone.

I was in Bali when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Lombok in 2018, and it was a scary experience. It rattled our hotel, spun our ceiling fan a few times, and even made waves in the pool.

On the nearby island of Lombok, the quake did a lot more damage and killed almost 600 people. And that’s nothing compared to the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra, Indonesia, which killed almost 230,000 people.

What’s keeping the same tragedy (or worse) from happening in Bali someday? Nothing, really. But the truth about earthquakes is that it’s impossible to predict when the next big one might happen. It could be tomorrow, or it could be 1,000 years from now.

If you’re ever caught in a strong earthquake that lasts a long time, you should try to get away from buildings and the beach, and seek higher ground in case the earthquake triggers a tsunami.

f that’s not possible, you should at least take cover in bed and protect your head and neck with a pillow. Avoid windows and glass.

In Bali, there’s a handy app you can download from BMKG for real-time alerts and info about any nearby quake activity.

Famous lake temple in Bali — Ulun Danu Beratan

A drone pic of the coastline in Nusa Penida

What About Animals?

• Dogs

It’s common to see stray dogs in Bali, and they generally won’t bother you, but if you happen to be bitten by one you should go get a rabies vaccine immediately.

There was a serious outbreak of rabies in Bali from 2008-2011 where more than 130 local people died.

In recent years, Bali has gotten better vaccination and sterilization programs, but they’re still not perfect. There were a few deaths in 2023 and 2024.

Dogs are the main vector for the rabies virus, and rabies has a 100% fatality rate in humans if you delay treatment long enough to become symptomatic.

Don’t take a chance with this. Any dog bite in Bali should be treated with a rabies shot as soon as possible.

On the other hand, it’s not something that should scare you away from visiting Bali. As a tourist you probably won’t ever get bitten, and it’s pretty easy to get a rabies shot if that does happen.

How To See The Best Of Zhangjiajie Forest Park

Where To Stay

Before we get into the itinerary, the first decision you need to make is where to base yourself.

Here are the options:

• Zhangjiajie Town — This is the main town with the airport and train station. Even though it has the same name as the park, it’s located 30 kilometers south of it. I decided to stay here because I also wanted to visit Tianmen Mountain, and the cable car for that is located in the middle of town. I can recommend Hotel California as a great place to stay. The owner is super helpful.
• Wulingyuan Town — This is a small town right outside the east entrance of the forest park. It has plenty of hotels and restaurants, so you can stay here if you want to be right outside the park for easy access.
• Zhangjiajie National Forest Park — There’s one hotel directly inside the park and it’s called YOLO Resort. Staying here can be advantageous if you want to beat the crowds and also watch the sunrise and sunset after hours. Next time, I think I’ll do that.
  
  

 By Taxi

This is an easy option and it’s not very expensive compared to western prices. Taxis are widely available in town, but you might want to make a booking the night before.

If you’re staying in Wulingyuan town, you can book a transfer from the airport here. Otherwise, if you’re staying in Zhangjiajie town, you can book a taxi to the park through your hotel, which is what I did.

You can also use a combination of bus and taxi. In other words, you can take a taxi to the park in the morning, and then go back to town with a bus in the evening.

That’s what I did, because I wanted to get an early start and didn’t want to risk missing the first bus of the morning, but also wanted to save some money getting back to town.

Another nice platform with 360 degree views

About This 2-Day Itinerary

Here’s a summary of my recommended route for the Zhangjiajie forest park:

• Day 1 — Yuanjiajie + Tianzi Mountain
• Day 2 — Golden Whip Stream + Huangshi + Old House Area

Areas Of The Park Explained

There are 5 main areas of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

In this itinerary, we’ll visit all of these areas at least briefly

• Yuanjiajie (袁家界) — Extremely popular area with a lot of great sights, including the world’s tallest outdoor elevator and the ‘Hallelujah Mountain’ from Avatar.