Hidden Gems and Local Secrets in Bali
Part of the Bali travel guide — see every topic in All Bali Guides.
Bali's tourism is extraordinarily concentrated. Something like eighty per cent of visitors stay inside a triangle bounded by Kuta, Ubud and Uluwatu, which is perhaps fifteen per cent of the island. Everything outside it — the entire east, north and west — is quiet, cheap and, in several places, more beautiful. The trade-off is driving time and fewer restaurants. If you have more than a week, or you have been to Bali before, this is where the second trip should go.
Sidemen and the east
The Sidemen valley, ninety minutes east of Ubud, has terraces the equal of Tegallalang, a view straight up at Mount Agung, and essentially no tourism. Homestays run 250,000–600,000 rupiah and small design hotels are appearing without yet spoiling it. Further east, Tirta Gangga and Taman Ujung are 1940s royal water gardens that most itineraries skip. Amed is a string of black-sand fishing bays where you can snorkel a Japanese wreck from the beach and eat grilled fish looking at a volcano. Tulamben, just north, has the Liberty.
The north
Munduk sits at 800 metres among clove, coffee and vanilla, with waterfalls in every direction, cool nights and the twin lakes below it. It is the best walking country on Bali. Down on the coast, Pemuteran has the island's most successful reef restoration project — a biorock structure you can snorkel — and is the base for Menjangan island, which has Bali's clearest water. Lovina's black sand and dawn dolphin boats are the north's best-known draw and honestly the least of it. The whole northern coast is two and a half to three hours from the airport, which is why it stays quiet.
The west
West Bali National Park covers the island's far end — dry monsoon forest, mangrove, savanna and the last wild Bali starlings. Almost nobody goes. Medewi, on the west coast, has a long, mellow left-hand point break over stones and a handful of surf guesthouses, and is what Canggu was twenty years ago. The road along the west coast towards Gilimanuk passes black-sand beaches with nobody on them at all. This is also the route to the Java ferry, if you are continuing to Ijen or Bromo.
Small things in the busy parts
Even inside the tourist triangle there are quiet corners. The Sari Organik path north-west of Ubud, walked at seven. Nyuh Kuning village, ten minutes south of the Monkey Forest, which is still a woodcarving village. The Penestanan rice fields, reached by a staircase off the Campuhan road. Bias Tugel cove near Padang Bai. The Kerobokan furniture workshops where the teak actually gets made. And Serangan island near Sanur, which has a turtle centre, a surf break and a fraction of the traffic of anywhere else in the south.
Hidden Gems and Local Secrets at a glance
| Best-value valley | Sidemen — homestays IDR 250,000–600,000 |
|---|---|
| Best walking | Munduk, 800 m, waterfalls and plantations |
| Clearest water | Menjangan, from Pemuteran |
| Quiet surf | Medewi, west coast — long mellow left |
| Wildest | West Bali National Park |
| Drive from airport | 2.5–3 h to the north coast |