Bali has a population of about 4.5 million but receives well over 6 million foreign and over 10 million domestic tourists. No wonder the cries of over tourism are getting louder and louder. But with tourism and related industries contributing 80% of Bali’s economy, is there a way out? Like many other places around the world, Bali too is an island of contrast – on one hand, it is known as the island of Gods, as it is deeply religious place, with numerous temples and performance of daily rituals. On the other hand, there are western style hubs for partying creating specifically for travellers.
Many of Bali’s attractions are hyped up
Bali has a long list of attractions but as I discovered, most attractions (including sunrise and sunset points) are hyped up, temples look similar and worse, some of the photographs are not real. Many of these tourist places have provided ‘instagram’/’selfie’ spots to click pictures that appeared to be very popular with tourists.
Temples :
Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of temples across the island. Key features of the temples include walled compounds, 3 zones with the inner zone being the most sacred, split gateways, platforms for making offerings and pagoda like towers. I learnt that the idols are not kept inside the temple like in India but brought during special occasions only. I could not verify this as the inner zone in all the temples is out of bounds for tourists. To my untrained eye, every temple looked familiar. What made the distinction and added to its beauty was the location.
Some pictures are fake
It is also true is that the pictures of various temples from different angles make them appear much more beautiful than they actually are. Some of the pictures are downright fake, especially the scenes behind split gateways or reflections in water.
While visiting any temple, do ensure you are appropriately dressed. All the temples I visited had clean washrooms. Small payment was required for usage at couple of places.
Temples I visited in Bali:
Tanah Lot
From the drop off point, I walked a long way through a maze of shops before entering the split gateway. The smallish main temple is situated on a rock and gets cut off from the mainland during high tide. When I visited in the evening, the tide was high and I was unable to cross over. The coastal views from either side of the temple were quite nice. There are more shops here and few restaurants. The area is scenic but the temple itself is ordinary.
From Seminyak, it took me over an hour to cover the distance of ~17kms to Tanah Lot. I spent a little over 2 hours here that included a bit of time on shopping and drinking tender coconut water while enjoying the views of setting sun.
Uluwatu
This temple is situated on cliff top and is more famous for the Kecak dance performance. The temple is nothing to write about but the area has been fairly well developed with walkways to scenic view points and couple of larger than life statues. There are numerous monkeys who have no fear of humans! One of them plucked the water bottle from my shoulder bag while I was busy clicking the scenery!
Kecak dance
The performance is held in an amphitheater and presents stories from Ramayana. Kecak dance could be termed exotic but having seen Ram Lila several times during my childhood, it had limited appeal to me personally though most other tourists appeared to have enjoyed it, especially the character of Hanuman with his long tail. There were no dialogues but only ritualistic chanting.
The queues to buy Kecak dance ticket can be long and normally gets sold out an hour before the show start at 6pm. Good to book online. The seats for the 6pm show started getting occupied an hour before the show and by 5.30pm, it was almost full! The entire performance lasted about an hour.
Traffic is heavy
It took me over 1.5 hours to reach Uluwatu temple from Seminyak. Traffic was extremely heavy as soon as my car passed the airport. As a result, I had to cancel plans to visit Garuda Wisnu statue. Not that I was keen as the statue was clearly visible as my plane was landing at Bali airport.
The fee to witness Kecak dance is IDR 150k per person. Entry fee is IDR 50k per person that includes returnable Sarong that needs to be wrapped round the waist while in the temple premises. There is a restaurant here but I am not sure if vegetarian items are available.
The entire trip to Uluwatu from Seminyak needed 5.5 hours.
Besakih temple
This temple is at the foothill of Mount Agung in the north-western part of Bali. The 45kms distance from Ubud took 1.5 hours to cover. Dedicated to the Trintiy, Besakih is the largest temple in Bali and well spread out. The entry fee is IDR 75k per person that includes shuttle from the parking lot, services of a guide and returnable Sarong which needs to be wrapped round the waist while in the temple premises. The guide expected tips but since he was nice, I tipped him generously.
There are 23 temples in this complex built at varying levels. The views of surrounding areas from the highest level are quite scenic. But nothing beats the full view of the temple against the backdrop of Mt. Agung. The day I visited, there was heavy rain and Mt. Agung kept playing hide and seek with the clouds. Eventually I did get to view the peak for a few minutes.
Fake pictures here also
The staircase that leads to the split gateway is the defacto identifier of Besakih temple. One of the local photographers offered to click my picture on the staircase with several options for the background – water reflection, sun/moon or Mt. Agung between the split gateway and so on. That is when I realised many pictures of this temple are fakes. The reality is still beautiful but quite ordinary.
It is best to visit Besakih temple in the morning. Like every other temple, there are quite a few shops selling food and beverages, souvenirs and other items. I spent about an hour here.
Ulan Danu Beratan Temple
Ulan Danu was the most impressive in my view. Its location on the edge of a lake with mountains on the other end of the lake is unbeatable. The entire complex, with its landscaped gardens is beautiful and there are several ‘instagram’ points for clicking pictures. I visited around 2pm and it was quite crowded.
For vegetarians, there is a pizza joint that serves only margherita(they declined to add vegetables!) and another restaurant that serves vegetarian buffet. Did not look very appetizing so I settled for boiled vegetables/vegetable rice.
Ulan Danu Beratan is located ~45 kms from Ubud and the journey takes about 1.5 hours. The drive is very scenic, first through lush forests and then up and down a hill. The entry fee is IDR 75k per person. Boating is also possible from a nearby location.
Other temples I considered but did not visit:
Tirta Empul temple is famous for its spring water and purification rituals. I was told even foreigners can take part, if dressed correctly.
Pura Lempuyang temple is situated on the eastern side of Mt. Agung. This temple is famous for its ‘gates of heaven’ that has spawned fake photos.
Rice terraces : Jatiluwih
Rice fields are dime a dozen in Bali but two of the larger and more popular ones are Tegellalang and Jatiluwih. I visited Jatiluwih as it was conveniently located on the way from Ulan Dhanu Beraton temple to my Ubud hotel.
It was drizzling when I got off the car to buy the tickets(IDR 75k per adult) at the entry to Jatiluwih. After I had walked a short distance and gained a little bit of elevation, the unfolding scenery was quite stunning. The distant mountains and the low hanging clouds only accentuated the beauty of the rice fields on undulating hills. Jatiluwih rice field follows the ancient Subak system of irrigation that manages the flow of water from the mountain springs to rice fields through canals, tunnels and weirs. Developed in the 9th century CE, the Subak system finds a place in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
There are numerous trails through the rice fields
I spent an hour walking on paved surfaces. There are much longer trails available, with possibility of renting a cycle. If interested, one can learn more about rice farming and also turn a farmer for a day! Needs advance booking though.
While the best time is stated to be morning hours, I visited late evening, around 4pm. If walking tires you, there are cafes and restaurants at the village, not to mention the small shops along the trails.
Bali is not the only place with rice terraces. If you have seen it elsewhere (India, Nepal, Vietnam, Philippines, China), you can either skip or just stop by to click pictures.
Beaches/Islands
I visited Seminyak and Kuta beaches. Nothing special really but lively in the evenings. Surfing is possible during the day, and beginners are welcome too.
A visit to Gilli islands or Nusa Penida island would have required another day or two. Canggu is where most expats live and stated to be a vibrant locality, especially for nightlife.
Waterfalls : Leke Leke
Like everything else, there are plenty of waterfalls listed as very beautiful, very scenic and must visit. And like elsewhere, some of the photos are edited to make them look better than they actually are.
I went to Leke Leke Waterfall more out of convenience as it was easily accessible. After buying the tickets(IDR 50k per person), I had to climb down a hill for about 15-20 minutes. Nice lovely trail through lush forests which was more enjoyable than the waterfall itself. The waterfall itself was a thin stream of water falling from a height of maybe 100 ft. Might have felt good sitting under the waterfall but I had not come prepared for that.
There is a café, a restaurant, instagram spots and as well as the ubiquitous Bali Swing. Be prepared to pay a premium though. One tender coconut and one ice cream bar cost me IDR 130k.
If you enjoy hiking through forest trails, then pencil 2-3 waterfalls in your itinerary. Most of them are in or around Ubud. But temper expectations.
Activities :
Bali Swing
After seeing the photos where one is literally seen hanging in mid air, I went to Real Bali Swing with very high expectations. It did not take long to realize those were just trick photos. While I was looking forward to spending few minutes on each swing, I was only allowed a minute or so, enough for the photographer to click few pictures from different angles, but each showing a depth that makes one believe one is swinging on top of a canyon! The story got repeated on every swing and there were 5-6 varieties of swings.
There is protection
There is protection, with a safety belt as well as a safety net on the ground to cushion against accidental falls. The safety net is obviously not visible in any of the photographs. There is no doubt this is more about ‘instagram photos’ and less about enjoying a swing. The views from the swing are nice though, to the extent the photographer actually allows you to enjoy by not asking you to turn to face the camera!
The fee is IDR 300k per person. Rental dress(popular with ladies) costs IDR 250k per dress and each photo costs IDR 20k. Only soft copy is provided. Best to visit in the morning before the crowds arrive. Waiting time can be long if there is crowd. I got there by 9.15am and was out by 10.45 pm. The entry fee included a simple meal but I was too early for that. I settled for a coffee.
While I was totally disappointed at the lack of adventure, my wife loved the photos. And that was also the case with few of the couples I met there!
Mount Batur trek
At a height of 5630 ft., Mount Batur is an active volcano. It last erupted in the year 2000. Mt Agung, the other active volcano, is much taller, at ~10k ft.
The popular sunrise treks would have required me to wake up around 3AM and it did not take me long to reject the idea! I chose to trek to Mt. Batur early afternoon and thereafter relax at the hot springs. I opted for a Jeep tour that first took me to an area covered with volcanic ash from earlier eruptions. The actual climb started from a temple(Pura Pasar Agung) near the parking lot. There were few shops at the parking lot but all were closed. I guess they open only for the sunrise trek as not many visit thereafter. It took me about 45 minutes to the top. It was steep in sections but not too difficult overall. Another 10 minutes later, I was at the crater.
Cloudy weather meant the crater was not visible. I could barely see couple of steaming vents. However, the views of Lake Batur from the top were fantastic.
I was down to the temple in about 35 minutes. It was just as well it did not rain.
Batur Natural Hot Spring
After the trek, it felt fantastic to get into the warm natural spring water. There were several pools but the temperature was about the same. The water certainly felt good.
The Jeep tour to Mt. Batur followed by the hot spring took about 6 hours, from pick up to drop. The only vegetarian item the restaurant at the Jeep tour company had was plain bread and bananas. It is meant for those coming in for sunrise tours but that was my lunch! The Jeep tour cost IDR 2 million for the two of us, including the guide. The guide for Mount Batur trek was a young college student who had been woken up to guide us. So I had to tip him generously!
Mt. Agung too is an active volcano and open to trekking. But it is a much longer trek.
Campuhan Ridge Walk
Stated to be a nature trail with stunning landscape and lush greenery, this one is avoidable in my view. Starts from Gunung Lebah temple near Ubud market, goes up a hill where there are shops, restaurants, spas, hotels and cafes. I was a bit surprised to finds hotels here as the road was very narrow, barely wide enough for one car to pass through. This is where I should have turned back but I was unaware and kept walking for another kilometer or so, reaching a wider motorable road. That’s where my doubts grew and upon enquiry, I was advised to turn back.
The scenery, though nice, is nothing to look forward to. Couple of shops were interesting though, and I managed to find a very nice souvenir.
I must have covered about 5+ kms over 2.5 hours, resulting in a delayed lunch!
Other activities
I had planned for water sports near Nusa Dua but ran out of time. From Seminyak, it is an easy drive especially if one takes the Toll road built over sea. Even the ATV rides and river rafting in Ubud has takers, especially among youngsters.
Wildlife : Ubud Monkey forest, Safari and Marine park, Bird park
I had no interest in any of these. I did get inside the Monkey Forest in Ubud while waiting for the shuttle back to my hotel. It appeared quite dense. If you wish to do ‘forest bathing’ and are not perturbed by the monkeys, maybe worth going inside.
What I covered in a day from Ubud
Day 1 – Bali Swing, Tegal Sari Luwak Coffee plantation, Leke Leke waterfalls, Ulan Danu Beraton temple, Jatiluwih rice terrace
Day 2 – Besikah temple, Mount Batur trek, Thermal spring
I normally left hotel around 8.45am and returned around 6pm on Day 1 and 7pm on day 2.
Car drivers tend to encourage you to visit plantations or artisan villages or other shops. I visited the plantation of Tegal Sari Luwak Coffee. It was on the way from Real Bali Swing to Leke Leke waterfall. The story about how Luwak coffee is made was interesting, and the varieties of tea and coffee offered for tasting even more so. The only problem – the samples were served without adding sugar/milk but the coffee/tea packets sold commercially were premixed with brown sugar and creamer.
Other than plantations, there are artisan villages that specialize in some form of traditional art-wood carving, painting etc. These too find a place in a tourist itinerary but I declined.
From Seminyak, I visited Tanah Lot and Uluwatu on 2 separate evenings.
Attractions worth visiting
In summary, I found the following attractions worth visiting:
- Ulan Danu Beraton temple;
- Besikah temple on a clear day when Mt Agung is visible;
- Tanah Lot(sunset is honestly not that exciting…go in the morning to avoid the crowds). Swap for Uluwatu temple if you wish to watch Kecak dance;
- Mt. Batur trek and hot spring;
- 1-3 waterfalls if you enjoy walking through forest trails, and are prepared to get wet.
- Jatiluwih rice fields
For more information
https://lovebali.baliprov.go.id
