For a complete panoramic view, you can drive half the circumference of the crater along its upper rim. The highest point is Bukit Penulisan, one of the most ancient of Bali's temples that contains the remains of carvings from the earliest Buddhist period. From here the road continues sloping down towards Kubutambahan and Singaraja.

One very interesting excursion in Batur is the climb down the inside of the crater from Penelokan to Kedisan. You can then drive around the smaller Mount Batur, through Songan, and to Toya Bungkah, across the lake on a boat to a Bali Aga village called Trunyan. This place is notorious for its mortuary traditions, i.e., instead of cremating the dead, as Balinese do throughout most of the island, the Trunyan community leaves the bodies to decompose naturally in a special cemetery.

There are also hot springs and lodgings in Toya Bungkah. From Songan there is a beautiful trek to Tianyar to the north coast of the island. The adventurous traveler may even wish to climb Mount Batur itself.