Uluwatu Temple

Uluwatu temple or Pura Uluwatu is located in the Pecatu Village, Kuta district, Badung.

Uluwatu Temple is located at the southwestern tip of the island of Bali on the bridge of rocks and high cliffs jutting into the sea and is Pura Sad Kayangan believed by Hindus as a buffer from 9 of the compass. 

Uluwatu  temple was originally used to place worship a holy priest from the 11th century named Empu Kuturan. He lowered teaching traditional village with all the rules. Uluwatu temple is also used to worship the holy priest followed, namely Dang Hyang Nirartha, who came to Bali in late 1550 and ended the trip with a so-called holy Moksah or Ngeluhur in place. That is the word from which the name of Uluwatu.

Uluwatu Temple

Pura Uluwatu or Uluwatu Temple is located at an altitude of 97 meters above sea level. In front of the temple there is a small forest called kekeran base, serves as a buffer sanctity of the temple.

Pura Uluwatu temple has several pesanakan, the temple is closely related to the main temple. Pura pesanakan it is Pura Bajurit, Pura Pererepan, Pura Kulat, Pura Dalem Selonding and Pura Dalem Pangleburan. Each temple has a close relation with the Pura Uluwatu, especially in the days of his piodalan (temple festival). Piodalan at Pura Uluwatu fell on Tuesday Kliwon Wuku Medangsia every 210 days. Manifestation of God who was worshiped in the Pura Uluwatu is the god Rudra.

the Monkey at Uluwatu Temple

Uluwatu temple is also known for directly below is the beach Pecatu often used as a place for surfing sports, even international events are often held here. The surf beach is very suitable to be famous surfing spot in addition to the natural beauty of Bali are indeed very beautiful.
at Uluwatu Temple you can see there are a lot of monkeys, so be careful carrying your stuff, handbags, hats, sunglasses, wallets etc.  There you can also see the Kecak performance during sunset, the scenery is very beautiful.

Kecak Dance during the sunset

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Tulamben

The town's name is derived from the word batulambih, which roughly translates as "many stones" a reference to the destructive eruptions by Mount Agung that have effected this part of Bali from time to time. The beach in Tulamben is not made of sand, but entirely covered with fairly large, smooth stones. The modern name evolved over time, first to "Batulamben" and finally settling on the contraction Tulamben ("batu" means "stone" in Indonesian)

Fish

Tulamben Beach

Diving in Tulamben

Tulamben is a small fishing village on the north-east coast of Bali. It is among the most popular dive sites on Bali since the wreck of the Liberty, a US Army Transport ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942 lies just off shore. During high-season, up to 100 divers descend to the wreck each day

Tulamben Map

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West Bali National Park

West Bali National Park (Taman Nasional Bali Barat in Bahasa Indonesia) is the most north-westerly point of Bali. It includes the whole of the Prapat Agung Peninsula, and large swathes of land around the towns of Gilimanuk, Cekik and Banyuwedang. The official area inside the park boundaries is 190 square kilometres, with a further 580 square kilometres of protected reserve in the highlands to the east. In total this accounts for some ten percent of Bali's total land area.

The habitat is very varied with rainforest, dry savanna, acacia scrub and lowland forests, as well as more montane forests in the higher centre. There are also some pockets of dense mangrove forest. 

West Bali National Park

In the north of the park there is an obvious north jutting peninsula called Prapat Agung. Around this peninsula there are long stretches of protected beach and offshore coral reef as well, as a small offshore island called Menjangan. The latter is a very popular diving destination.

There are several long extinct volcanoes in the protected reserve area to the east, with Mount Patas (1,412 metres) and Mount Merbuk (1,388 metres) being the highest points. These peaks are dominant visual landscape features from within every area of the park. 

West Bali National Park Map

One hundred and sixty species of bird have been recorded in the park, including the near extinct Bali Starling, Bali's only endemic vertebrate species, and a key reason why this national park was created in the first place. By 2001, as few as six individuals were thought to survive in the wild, all of them in this park. Since then captive breeding and re-introduction efforts have continued apace, but poaching pressures are a large problem. With that in mind, a seconf re-introduction programme was started in remote regions of Nusa Penida in 2004. Keen birdwatchers can find a checklist of likely species and their status here.

Mammals found inside the park include Banteng, a species of wild cattle from which the familiar Bali cows are descended. Java Rusa and Indian Muntjac deer are quite widespread, and Menjangan Island is in fact named after these (Menjangan means deer in Bahasa Indonesia). Wild Boar and Leopard Cats are both quite common but seldom encoutered.

A Bali Tiger (a full sub-species of Tiger) was shot here in 1937, and despite rumours to the contrary, that is the last ever confirmed sighting of an animal considered extinct since that moment. 

Jalak Bali

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Pemuteran

This is a small laid-back village which has become increasingly popular with visitors in recent years. There are a number of waterfront resorts and its proximity to Lovina and West Bali National Park together with the extreme natural beauty of the area, has fuelled quite rapid growth in tourism infrastructure in the area.

Pemuteran is home to the largest artificial Biorock reef project in the world and there is a real spirit of marine conservation effort in this area.

Pemuteran Beach

Pemuteran Beach

Pemuteran Diving

 

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Medewi

This is a tiny, remote village in one of the least visited areas of Bali. It is very much a surfing hot spot, and most visitors who do stay here stay for that reason alone. For non-surfers, it does offer a glimpse of what so much of Bali was like before the growth of mass tourism in the 1970s, and is a great place to relax. 

Medewi is located about 75 kilometers west of Denpasar on the main south coast road, about 34 kilometers further west than the town of Tabanan. Anyone who traveling from the south of Bali by road to the west coast port town of Gilimanuk will pass by here.

The origin of Medewi as a place name. This area was a forest with many Ketket or thorny trees. In Balinese, thorny forest is Alas Meduwi hence the place was named Meduwi which then became Medewi.

Medewi Beach

Medewi Sunset

Surfing at Medewi

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Lovina

Lovina is a relatively new name coined in the 1950s by a local Buleleng Regency official with a good eye for future tourism-based development. It essentially consists of seven traditional villages, which all slightly merge into one on a ten kilometre stretch of the main road which hugs the north coast to the west of Singaraja: Temukus, Kalibukbuk, Anturan, Pemaron, Tukad Mungga, Banyualit and Kaliasem. Kalibukuk is the main hub of this area and is often thought of "Lovina town centre".

The whole stretch of coast here is fringed by quite narrow black sand beaches, which are accessed by a multitude of small lanes which run perpendicular to the east-west coast road. The beaches are generally safe for swimming, and the waters of Bali's north coast, in direct contrast to the crashing surf of the south, are relatively calm.

Diving, snorkeling and dolphin watching are the main activities, but perhaps above all else, this is an area in which to relax and take in a very slow, traditional pace of life. It can get a little crowded in July and August, but outside that peak season, this is a quiet part of the island.

Lovina Beach

Lovina Map

You will be offered dolphin sighting trips every other minute. These leave the main beaches each morning at dawn, and have mixed reviews as the boats tend to outnumber the dolphins. It can though still be an enjoyable ride, and if you do find a pod of dolphins it is of course very worthwhile.

Dolphin

Dolphin

Banjar Hot Springs (Air Panas), Dencarik (about 10 km west by road to Dencarik, then an ojek ride on rough paths). 7AM-6PM. Located west of Lovina, this is an enchanting hot springs with stone carved mouths gushing water in a lush garden setting. The waters are naturally a very pleasing temperature and have a high sulphur content. The whole experience here is extremely therapeutic and cleansing. Changing rooms and lockers are provided on site. This is not a straightforward place to get to, and for that reason it is often way less crowded than you would expect for such a lovely spot.

Banjar Hot Springs

Banjar Hot Springs

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Padang Bai

Most visitors to Padang Bai are there to catch a boat to Lombok and Gili Islands. It is though a charming little place in its own right and many people cancel their trip in order to spend more time in this lovely village. Spending a night or two here will certainly not be time wasted.  

There is good diving and snorkeling in the immediate area, and a number of operators are present to cater for those activities. 

This is also a fairly convenient base from which to explore some of the wider attractions of East Bali. Accommodation tends to be quite basic and aimed at the backpacker market.

Padang Bai Beach

Padang Bai Beach

Padang Bai Map

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Amed

Amed refers to a long stretch of coast running from the village of Cucik 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 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 and that area is also covered by this article. There are other good dive sites close at hand and a thriving dive industry has developed all the way along the coast here.
Amed's 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 Beach During Sunset

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Amed Map

Amed Black Sand

Amed View

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Candidasa

The stretch of coastline from Manggis through Candidasa town itself and east to Bugbug, is normally just referred to as Candidasa. 

This is a laid back and very relaxing area of Bali with a wide range of accommodation options.

Many visitors, especially Europeans, combine a stay in the hotspots of south Bali with a more relaxed break here. The black sand beaches are very narrow and often disappear altogether at high tide.

Candidasa Fishing Boat

Candidasa Beach

Candidasa Fisher Boat

Map of Candidasa

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Goa Lawah

Located nine kilometers from Klungkung, Goa Lawah is a cave in which the walls vibrate with thousands of bats. These creatures' bodies are packed so tightly that the upper surface of the cave resembles undulating mud. 

A temple, which is believed to have been founded by a sage nine centuries ago, guards the entrance to this cave. 

This temple is said to extend all the way back to Pura Besakih and may continue to an underground river that comes up at Pura Goa, which is within the Besakih complex. Naga Basuki, the mythological gigantic snake, is believed to live in this cave.

Goa Lawah Temple

Goa Lawah Temple

Hanging Bats

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Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot is one of the important directional temples in Bali. The temple is located on a rock just offshore. It is said to be the work of revered 15th century Hindu priest Nirartha and forms an important element of Balinese spiritualism and mythology.

This is an extremely popular tourist destination and the whole area is often very busy indeed, especially in the late afternoons, pre-sunset. The area between the car park (Rp 5,000 per vehicle) and the beach adjacent to the temple is a maze of souvenir shops selling just about every Balinese trinket imaginable.

Once you have fought your way through the souvenir vendors to the beach, you will see the magnificent temple perched on a rock just a few meters offshore. There is a footpath to the raised cliff area just to the south from where the views of the temple and the sunset behind it are outstanding. Photo-opportunities abound.

Tanah Lot Sunset

Tanah Lot Map

Tanah Lot Temple

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Nusa Dua

One of the most recent tourist centers, Nusa Dua has some of the most beautiful and luxurious hotels. This resort is known for its clean, white beaches and pristine waters. 

Nusa Dua differs from Bukit Peninsula despite being a part of it. It is sheltered by coral reefs, which makes it an ideal family beach.

Nusa Dua Beach

Nusa Dua Map

Nusa Dua Beach

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Kuta

Once a lonely village and the entry point to southern Bali since the 18th Century, Kuta is now a thriving tourist resort especially for the young and young at heart. 

A favorite beach for surfers, it is less suitable for swimming due to strong currents; however, there are coast guards constantly on duty during the day. Kuta is one of the most dynamic places in Indonesia and accommodation ranges from international hotels to home stays. 

The village abounds with restaurants, shops, discotheques and tourist facilities. It is easier to find regular Balinese musical and dance performances here than anywhere else in Bali. This would be the ideal place to mingle with other people, locals as well as visitors abroad. 

Kuta Beach

Kuta Map

Bali Bomb Memorial. This is a memorial to the 202 people murdered by the bombs on 12th October 2002, and is on Jl Legian opposite the corner of Poppies II. This is the former site of the old Paddy's Bar, and opposite the former site of the Sari Club, which is still an empty space, next to the Billabong shop. Every year on the anniversary date there is a ceremony mourning those killed or wounded by the bombs. Whilst viewing the memorial, please be calm and silent out of respect. The local Balinese will often be curious to learn if you knew or were related to any of the victims.

Monument

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Sanur

Sanur beach has long been a popular recreation site. The palm-lined beach curves from the Bali Beach Hotel toward the south and faces the Indian Ocean to the east. 

On this beach, you will discover many wonderful hotels, restaurants, shops, and other tourist facilities. Sanur is only a short distance from public transportation accesses in Denpasar, and trips to and from the city are available well into the night. 

Offshore reefs protect the beach from waves and it is thus a great site for windsurfing, boating, and various types of water-sports. Sanur is also famous for its black and white sorcery practices.

Sanur Beach

Sanur Map

International Kite Festival, Padang Galak beach (just north of Sanur, east off the main Jalan Ngurah Rai bypass). The annual international kite festival takes place here every July. Traditional Balinese giant kites up to 10 metres in length are made and flown competitively by teams from different villages around Bali. The origins of this event are as a festival intended to send a message to the Hindu Gods to create abundant crops and harvests. Aside from the actual organised festival, from June through to August each year, visitors will see many giant kites being flown in this area.

Kite Festival 

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