The Agung volcano dominates the island's eastern part with a towering height of 3,142 meters. The volcano is still active to this day. Since Bali is the most renowned area as a tourist attraction in Indonesia , naturally the Agung Volcano is probably the most-climbed volcano in the country. There are three hiking trails to reach the peak of the Agung volcano, but the most commonly used is the one going from the Besakih temple.

The Besakih temple is the largest and holiest temple complex in Bali , and its composition is highly intricate. Route to the Agung Volcano is fairly straightforward, yet not without difficulties. While following the trail you can enjoy the historical sights of other holy temples such as the Puseh temple, Plawangan temple and the Telaga Mas temple. After passing the temple complex, the path becomes smaller, wilder and more dangerous. This is the forest path and you would have to keep your balance steady since the road is quite slippery. When the forest path ends at the height of around 2500 meters, you will come across a landscape ideal for camping. There are plenty of monkeys dwelling in this area but, unlike those in the Rinjani mountain, usually they will not be daring enough to come near the climbers and would only watch from a distance.

If you are not an experienced climber, you would probably want to think twice before resuming your journey to reach the crater on top of the Agung volcano, because the route gets even more risky.

There are also many rules to remember while climbing this volcano. For instance, it is very unadvised to bring along beef (meat from cow) on the journey, and take care to bring water while climbing through this trail since the water source in the trail is considered sacred. Since this area is considered to be very magical, many rites are performed here and it is not a good idea to climb the Agung volcano while there a big ritual is being held. Aside from the fact that your presence could be very disturbing for those performing the rituals and walking back and forth through the narrow paths, it is said that many climbers had gone missing or be a victim of an accident when they tried to climb the Agung volcano while a ritual is going on.

From the Besakih pure/temple, it seems that the Agung volcano is cone-shaped, yet the upper part is actually a very deep and huge crater, which occasionally lets out smoke and steam, showing how the volcano is still active today. The highest point of the Agung volcano is the southwest part of this rim. Although it is usually covered in clouds, you can get an excellent view of the Rinjani volcano at the neighbouring island, Lombok , and sometimes if the weather is clear the other mountainous range could also be seen.