Place of Interest

Place of Interest

Amed and Tulamben
Amed refers to a long stretch of coast running from the village of Culik about 14 km eastwards incorporating the seven villages of Amed, Jemeluk, Bunutan, Lipah, Selang, Banyuning and Aas. The pace of life here is slow and the coastal scenery quite stunning making Amed the perfect place for a relaxed holiday in Bali. Amed is the most recent tourist development area in Bali. It was only in 2000 that tarmac was laid on the roads. Telephone lines were installed in around 2003 and it took until 2007 for a bridge to be built over a section of the main road that regularly washed away during the rainy season. This is the most commonly used base for visitors wishing to dive the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben. There are other good dive sites close at hand and a thriving dive industry has developed all the way along the coast here.

Amed is inhabitants live from fishing, salt-making and tourism. The lack of tourism-based revenue, its remote nature and the generally harsh environment for farming, meant that this area was very much one of the poorer areas in Bali. Amongst others, the East Bali Poverty Project drew attention to the plight of the local villagers in this area and that, together with recent tourist development, has gone a long way to improving general standards of living, health and education.

Amed is famous for its beaches, lined with traditional outrigger fishing boats. There is quite coarse black volcanic sand at Amed village beach. As you move further east (and away from Mount Agung), the beaches have softer sand and become more of a mid grey-brown in color. The prettiest bays are probably those at Jemeluk and Lipah but the whole stretch of coastline is very attractive.

Salt production is a declining but still important industry in this area. As you drive along the main coast road through the villages you will see large open drying pans crusted with salt crystals. Those little boxes of gourmet Bali salt crystals you see in delicatessens and specialty food stores all over the world may have started their long journey from these places.

There is vibrant marine life close offshore in clear seas. Most tourist come to Amed as a getaway, including expats from other parts of the island. It is a favorite honeymoon destination for tourists and is very popular with divers and snorkelers.

Bedugul
The direct road from Denpasar to Lovina traverses some of Bali’s prettiest hill country, with views of dormant volcanoes and three crater lakes. At about 1,300m (4,300), the spring – like climate has made Bedugul – the village has lent its name to the whole area into something of mountain retreat. The Bali Botanical Gardens and orchid nurseries are both at their best in the rainy season and make an agreeable place for a stroll or a picnic at any time.

Candi Kuning market nearby is bright with flowers and superb fruits, ranked as one of Bali’s most photogenic until its recent refurbishing with garish colors and tacky statues. There are water sport facilities on Lake Bratan, while the lakeside temple of Pura Ulun Danu. Pancasari has variety of attractive cottages style hotels, and the views of the mountain side towering above Lake Buyan in the distance, seen from the championship golf course at Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club, are superb. The road winds its way up to the old crater rim above the lake. You will find monkeys congregating wherever you decide to stop and look at the view.

Candi Dasa
Candi Dasa is a seaside town in eastern Bali that rests on the edge of a fresh water lagoon. It is a popular tourist stop and is often described as quieter than Kuta and lower prices than at Sanur and Nusa Dua. It has an easygoing atmosphere, a beach of grey volcanic sand and snorkeling over the reef.

The town began to catch on as a tourist destination in the year 1970’s since it has great snorkeling and diving in the area and the town provides easy access to other destinations in eastern Bali.

Denpasar
Denpasar is the capital city of Bali since the end of World War II; Denpasar was still a small market town only about 25 years ago. Now, ten times the size, fuelled by prosperity from the tourism boom, with all the government institutions and buildings to match its status, its noisy, polluted urban sprawl. Rush hour last most the day, and when the traffic lights change there’s a cavalry charge of motorcycles and scooters. In the middle of it all, the better off live in traditional family compounds, extra high walls are the main concession to this kind of life.

The most prominent central landmark is a big grey statue of the four faced Hindu God or Catur Muka, looking each way on the main intersection. Denpasar has main fresh produce market called Pasar Badung and traditional market for craft and textile in Pasar Kumbasari. It has also a bird market not so far from the market. The bird market caters to the local liking for caged birds, from big hornbills to tiny songsters. Beside those areas, Denpasar still has Puputan Square (the big area of grass, site of the puputan or mass suicide in 1906 of the King of Bandung’s court). At the furthest corner of Puputan Square, you’ll find the Bali Museum (the antiqued museum of ethnography, history and art was created by Dutch in 1937). The temple adjoining the museum is Pura Jagatnata, known as the only famous and important public temple for local people in Denpasar. Art Centre, the major Bali Art Festival is held here every year June-July. The last one is Renon or the Hero Monument in the southeast.

Jimbaran
Jimbaran is a fishing village and tourist resort in Bali. Located just on the south part of Ngurah Rai International Airport, the beach has famous for its barbecued seafood restaurants with live music performances, luxury hotels (including the five star hotels), fish market and one of the best places to enjoy the sunset. The beach itself is clean and calm and ideal for swimming.

Kintamani
Kintamani is the highland area in the north of east Bali. Penelokan, Toya Bungkah, Batur and Kintamani villages, is known widely as just Kintamani. Kintamani, Batur and Penelokan villages sit on the rim of huge Batur caldera about 1,500m above sea level, and offer dramatic views of the active volcano Mount Batur and serene Lake Batur. Toya Bungkah is down at the lake edge.

As well as the lake and the volcano, Kintamani is home to Pura Ulun Danu Batur, one of Bali’s key nine directional temples. This area very famous for its fruits stall around the Penelokan (place for looking), many of local restaurant normally to having lunch while see the spectacular view of Mount Batur. Toya Bungkah village famous for its accommodation/modest home stay, hot spring and makes a good base for two hours climbing of Mount Batur.

Tourist will come as early as 3.30 am because they won’t to miss the sunrise. Local guides are available and able to suggest various longer hikes. Across from the lake there is a few small village well known as the Bali Aga Village (Original Balinese Village) called Trunyan Village. It has very unique culture in this village where if someone dead, the local people will not bury the dead body but they just put them on the ground and surrounded by a bamboo’s wall. Therefore if you come to visit this village you’ll see a lot of skull and bones on the cemetery.

Kuta
Kuta is a beach area, known as the most famous stretch of white sandy beach in Bali. It forms the western shore of the narrow neck of land just north of Ngurah Rai International Airport. Kuta is a very modern city where a lot of young Australian loves this place very much. Tales were told in Australia about the ‘perfect wave’, and Kuta became the dream destination for every surfer.

Kuta, and its progressively upscale neighbors to the north like Legian, Seminyak , Krobokan and Tuban on the south provide an enormous selection of hotels, restaurants, pubs, nightlife and shopping places.

Lovina
Lovina is the beach north of Bali or known as the grey sandy beach. This beach located on the west of Singaraja city, began to attract escapist travelers in the early 1970s, and simple and fairly inexpensive accommodations was built to house them. Slowly, the number of visitors grew, and the small home stays were converted into larger bungalow type hotels. Now a day, many tour groups come for short or long stay. As everywhere in Bali, standard and prices are steadily going up.

Actually, Lovina is not one village but a string of small ones, starting 6 km west of Singaraja and continuing for 10 km up the coast road. Shops, restaurants and money changers are scattered along the busy stretch.

Lovina also famous for its Dolphin show every morning on the ocean and some site are good for snorkeling and diving.

Munduk
Munduk is a remote town in the north of Bali set on a ridge running down from the northwestern rim of the Bedugul caldera. The ridge falls steeply on either side into the valleys below, where distant paddy and spice plantations create a spectacular scene both to the north and the south. The town itself is located approximately 800 meters above sea level, giving it slightly cooler and less humid weather than the lowlands on the coast.

A place which away from bustle and hustle South Bali. Within Munduk it there isn’t much to see or do aside from taking in the amazing views of the surrounding landscape, but step out of town and a range of nature activities is there for the taking. The town was historically used by the Dutch colonial administration as a mountain retreat and some of the Old Dutch houses are still standing today.

Most of the houses within the village are now private residences, but a couple of hotels have converted the houses into rooms for guests and their charm is a good enough reason to visit in itself. Most guesthouses and hotels in Munduk are able to arrange trekking within the local area and the nature reserve at Lake Tamblingan is a great spot to commence treks into the surrounding forest.

Just north of Munduk town are Tanah Barak and Melanting waterfalls, which are excellent local attractions.

Nusa Dua and Tanjung Benoa
Situated on the eastern edge of Bukit Jimbaran and at the southern end of the Ngurah Rai bypass, it’s about 20 minutes from Ngurah Rai International Airpot. Nusa Dua is a special tourist enclave which is hometown of more than 30 deluxe hotels, white sandy beaches, The Bali Convention Centre and a very popular golf course.

There are many restaurants and shops within the actual enclave, and more just outside it. Tanjung Benoa is a peninsula which faces Benoa Harbour to the north. It is lined on both sides by hotels, restaurants and boutiques. It is known primarily for its water sports like parasailing, paragliding, jet skying, flying fish, banana boats, snorkeling, sea walking etc.

Pemuteran
Pemuteran is located on the North West coast of Bali, approximately 1 hour drive from Lovina and 4.5 hours from Ngurah Rai International Airport and 15 minutes to West Bali National Park and Menjangan Island for diving site.

The village has two backgrounds which is the wonderful sea with black sandy beaches and the beautiful of mountain scenery along North West coast of Bali with the energy of Balinese concept “Nyegara Gunung” (the energy of connection between mountain and sea). Pemuteran is a perfect place for relaxing out from daily of busy activities and the area is free from the aggressive seller which is you normally fine at other tourist object in Bali.

This peaceful place is ideal for natural excursion activities such as trekking at the National Park, swimming, snorkeling, diving or explores the sacred of the big temples surrounding the area such as Melanting Temple, Kerta Kawat Temple, Pulaki Temple, Pabean Temple and Pemuteran Temple.

Sanur
Sanur was the original tourist destination starting in the 1930s and continuing after the end of World War II. Bali’s five star hotels were built here in the 1960s. Nowadays, it is favored destination of those that want a serene and peaceful holiday compared to the hustle and bustle of Kuta.

Sanur has a traditional village atmosphere, a beautiful golden sand stretch of beach with a lagoon, fringing reef, fishing village and one of the best places to watch a sunrise. It is quiet streets are lined with nice restaurants, interesting art shops, hotels and trendy boutiques.

Seminyak and Umalas
This suburb immediately north of Kuta and Legian is Bali’s sophisticated shopping, dining and nightlife centre, and is also home to many upscale villas & hotels. Seminyak also encompasses Petitenget, Batu Belig and Umalas, all of which have desirable accommodations, restaurants, bars and boutiques. The Laksmana Street is widely known as “Eat Street” for the many very popular restaurants which offer cuisine from all over the world.

Expensive and exclusive boutiques also line both sides of this street.

Sidemen
One of greatest place in Bali that has strong spiritual aura is Sidemen valley that located in Karangasem East Bali Regency. There are many Balinese Hindu temple, the majority religion of Balinese people are located in this village. This village just set on the beautiful valley surrounded by hills and mountains and most of the area is rice field which is irrigated by Subak, the Balinese traditional water system for the rice field. Many of local people live around the valley but most of them are live on the main road of Sidemen village.

The area is famous for stunning scenery and simple traditional way of life. Sideman has produced masters of Balinese literature and Hindu theology as well as generation of skillful weavers. For decades, perhaps millennium, Sidemen has also served as secluded heaven for the world weary. It just a few home stay and hotel in this village, but you will not difficult to find an accommodation here for stay. Many tourists from over the world come every year to this place to get and fell an absolute tranquility holiday. Many tourists said that Sidemen just the same like Ubud or called by the people as the second Ubud in Bali.

Therefore, for many tourists who would like to go out from the hustle and bustle area they will come here to stay or just for visit to enjoy fresh air and to fell the authentic Bali village. Now, Sidemen also famous for retreat destination, many accommodations provide healing and Yoga.

Ubud
Ubud is the most famous Balinese art and cultural destination village. Set high in up hills and 1.5 hour drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport. It takes its Hindu heritage very seriously. Back in the year 1930, a number of famous European artists came to visit and many settled there. This, combined with the major talents of Ubud’s own painters, sculptures and craftsmen, resulted in it becoming the island’s Artists Colony.

In addition it has a centre for the western New Age movement, particularly yoga schools and alternative healing. Ubud has many wonderful art museums and galleries, a great arts and crafts market, interesting boutiques and important temples and palaces. It is hugely popular with a visitor who wants to experience the spiritual side of Bali.

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