The crescent-shaped crater lake of Batur, 1,031 meters above sea level, is seven and a half km long, with a maximum width of two and a half km, and a depth of between 65 and 70 meters. The western side is barren lava rock while the eastern side is lined with trees. The average height of the huge outer rim is around 1,300 meters. Though there are no surface river outlets, the waters of the lake feed underground rivers which emerge as holy springs in the southern part of the island.
Eight villages huddle along its shores: the ancient Bali Aga settlements of Seked, Prajurti, Kedisan, Buahan, Abang, Trunyan, and Songan, and the newer village of Toya Bungkah. These small fishing settlements are characterized by their archaic layout and unusual, fully enclosed, pavilion-style, single-family houses-steep bamboo shingle roofs, low eaves, and walls of clay, mud, brick, woven bamboo matting, or wooden planks. Fish provide most of the protein for these lake dwellers. After your three-km corkscrew descent from Penelokan down to the lake (Rp1.000 by bemo, or walk it in 45 minutes), turn left and journey two km on the northwest side of the lake through a strange moon-like landscape. Rivers of black lava, a layer of gravelly volcanic ash, sparse scrub, a few onion fields, and scattered houses now occupy an area where villages stood before the 1926 and 1963 eruptions. After seven km, this switchback, undulating road arrives in Toya Bungkah. The road down from Penelokan ends at an intersection-to the left is the way to Toya Bungkah and to the right is Pelabuhan Kedisan for boats to Trunyan and the villages of Buahan and Abang.