Mount Daun (Bukit Daun)

2,467 m (8,094 ft)

A trek up to the eastern summit of Bukit Daun will take you 7-9 hours depending on your pace. The complete hike, up and down takes 1.5-2 days including one night in a camp on the trail.

On this trek you’ll make your way through the shaded Indonesian jungle, seeing moss-covered trees, coffee and tobacco plantations, and a waterfall. The lower slopes are gentle, but the terrain gets steeper as you progress.

The hike starts with about 2 hours of walking through plantations on rough rocky roads before you reach the entrance to the forest. This section can be transversed by motorbike if you don’t want to walk.

Once you enter the forest, the trail is shaded for pretty much the whole way up. The jungle is dense, and the overgrown trail is not easy to follow. Some sections require a bit of climbing using your hands to grab onto surrounding vegetation.

At the top, you’ll reach a viewpoint where you can see Palm Lake (the crater lake) down below and the surrounding mountains. You can set up camp here or you can opt to continue for another 30 minutes down some steep terrain to make your way down to the lake. Here you can also set up camp and rest. 

To get back to the forest entrance it can take as little as 3 hours, but it will be another 2 hours back through the plantations from there if you haven’t arranged for someone to pick you up.

In the province of Bengkulu, where Bukit Daun is located, it is hot year-round with temperatures typically ranging between 23°C and 31°C (73.4°F and 88°F). The year-round average temperature is about 27°C (81°F).

The best time to visit the area for a hike is from early June to late September, with July being the best month within that period. This is when you get the best combination of moderate temperatures, slightly less rain, fewer clouds, and slightly lower humidity. Do note that the wind is quite strong at this time of year though.

The monsoon season takes place from October to February.

You’ll need good hiking boots, and camping gear for one night if it is not provided by your tour operator. Insect repellent is essential to keep the biting insects at bay. 

Leech socks would also be helpful since there are some leeches, but not as many as is typical for other Indonesian Hikes.

There are two campsites along the trail. Both have water available for drinking from streams nearby. There is also water at the lake, however, it is recommended to boil this water or use a water filter bottle before drinking it.

A guide is necessary as a large portion of the hike has no signs and many places where you could go wrong on the trail, especially for the section going through the plantations.

Bukit Daun is part of the Barisan Mountain Range and is located in the province of Bengkulu, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is a 1-hour and 15-minute flight from Jakarta to Bengkulu City.

The starting point to climb Bukit Daun is at Pintu Rimba in Sentral Baru Village about 2.5 hours away from downtown Bengkulu, and can be reached using a hired vehicle to get to PT Agrotea Bukit Daun (corporate office) and then an ojek (Indonesian for motorbike) to Pintu Rimba if you don’t want to walk this section.

Safety for this mountain is mainly focused on avoiding biting insects, blood leeches and other such dangers posed by the jungle. Make sure to go with a guide and take a first aid kit equipped with contents tailored to the jungle.