Bangli

Bali's only landlocked regency compensates for its coastal deficit with some of the most spectacular scenery on the island. Shaped like a ragged keyhole, Bangli has endured a history of internecine warfare and occupation, and was one of the first kingdoms to fall to the Dutch Empire. Yet its people have survived these turbulent times and remote climes with a fiery temperament and ready humor. The administrative center of the regency is Bangli town in the south, where cool, fresh air complements the manicured roadsides of this pretty hamlet. Apart from Bali's main psychiatric hospital, Bangli town is also home to the island's second largest temple, the beautiful 11th-century Pura Kehen.

Mount Batur

Bangli's mountainous Region centers a round the spectacular volcanic crater (or caldera's) of Batur. Mount Batur itself is actually just a small volcano, but its setting is in the heart of a huge crater 14km in diameter. Adjacent to the volcano is the large crescent-shaped Batur Lake, all surrounded by the high walls of the crater rim. As the road rises steadily from Bangli or Tampak Siring, nothing in the surrounding gray landscape of bushes and garden plots suggests the presence of a volcano. But over one more small ridge a dizzying view awaits the ayes, encompassing the crater and beyond. From Panelokan, the main road runs right round the rim towards Kintamani, the panorama shifting as you circle around the crater.

The sheer size of the crater conjures up images of the massive eruption of the original Mount Batur that occurred tens of thousands year ago. The volcano is still active today as Balinese all over the island who 
still remember the great eruption of 1917 will ratify. It claimed thousands of lives and destroyed hundreds of temples. Old people might tell you this was & quote the year when the world shook & quote. Other eruptions have taken place since, forcing the local population to be relocated, along with several of their temples including one of the main Bali temples, Pura Ulun Danau. Initially inside the huge crater, this temple has been relocated to the top of the ridge overlooking it. Here it now offers an impressive view of Mount Batur

Gianyar

The Gianyar regency was home to Bali’s oldest kingdoms, the Buddhist Warmadewa dynasty in Bedulu-Pejeng that ruled until the fourteenth century, and another in Batuan. The conquering Javanese set up court in Samprangan, which later moved east to Gelgel and Klungkung. The area faded in history until the eighteenth century when the Klungkung family founded Sukawati, a short-lived dynasty that fell with the rising Gianyar kingdom. Rivals from Sukawati set up courts in Ketewel, Singapadu, Negara, Peliatan, Ubud and Tegallalang, which led to decades of warfare. A powerful Gelgel family in Blahbatuh rose during the nineteenth century. Dutch assistance restored Gianyar, but not without gaining concessions from the king which spared it the fate of other South Balinese courts in the early nineteen hundreds. 
Gianyar is the district to which many a sun-struck tourist flee the heat of the coast, for it is in this district that the cool highland village of Ubud is located. Increasingly popular Ubud is an ideal base from which to explore the many attractions of the surrounding countryside.

Ubud

Ubud is around 45 minutes drive from the international Ngurah Rai Bali. Ubud is picturesque township and visitors have been attracted by its charm and beauty for decades.
The Ubud of today is far from undiscovered. Hotels are plentiful; home stays and Indonesian guesthouses (losmen) are easily available to the foreign tourist. Ubud is popular in part today because it is the best place in Bali to break out of the tourist mode and get off the beaten path.

Ubud is attractive to tourists for a variety of reasons. On a relatively small island with a horde of attractions, Ubud is centrally located; many tourists simply base their entire stay in the city and travel to other destinations from Ubud. Accommodations in Ubud are also somewhat more reasonably priced than in the beach towns of Bali. But atmosphere is perhaps the major attractions. One writer sums it up this way: Kuta is madness, Sanur is sterile, and Nusa Dua is culturally isolated; Ubud is the place to go.

Tabanan

Has its roots in the 14th century when Javanese invaders settled in the area. As they expanded their territory, they came into conflict with the Mengwi house, founded during the mid-1600s with the fall of Gelgel and allied with Buleleng. In the eighteenth century Mengwi was the second most powerful royal house after Klungkung, whose support it enjoyed. Internal conflict in the late 1700s weakened Mengwi and led to territorial losses to Tabanan, which were retaken in the mid-1800s. By the late 1800s further conflict erupted and Klungkung withdrew its support, opening the way for its destruction by Klungkung, Badung, Bangli and the Dutch. Tabanan got most of Mengwi, but rising Dutch interests in Bali and the refusal of Tabanan to give in led to its end in 1906 with the imprisonment and suicide of the ruler and his son. 

Bedugul

Is one of Tabanan’s main points of interest, This crisp mountain town boasts three crater lakes, which are hemmed by untamed jungle and patchworks of market gardens, and the tepid water of which sends a mist into the icy air above the surface. This is another place to retreat from the heat of the coast, to fish, or to wander through the lovely botanical gardens. Recently a number of companies have established walking trails, most of which take visitors through the spectacular rice paddies of Jatiluwih. The district of Tabanan boasts Bali’s most famous temple, which is set on a rocky protrusion that becomes an island at high tide, offering spectacular sunset views in the dry season. There is also the Ulun Danu temple on the edge of Bedugul’s Bratan Lake. The temple is devoted to the goddess of the lake, which irrigates the rice fields of Tabanan. The beautiful Alas Kedaton located in Petanahan is also worth a visit. 

Tanah Lot

The famous sea side temple, Tanah means earth and Lot (lod) means south or sea. Thus something like "temple of the earth in the sea". Like so many other temple in Bali, Tanah Lot is connected with the famous Brahman Priest, Danghyang Nirarta, who wandered from Java to Bali in the 16^th century. On one of his journeys he decided to sleep in this beautiful spot and than afterwards the Balinese to erect a temple here. This is one of the six most holy temples for all of Bali. Many Balinese love to sit on the beach overlooking the temple in the late afternoon, watching the tides change and enjoying the silhouettes of the temple mere against the brilliant setting sun

Klungkung

With Bali’s defeat in the fourteenth century, invading Javanese set up court in Samprangan and then at Gelgel in the 1500s. An internal revolt during the mid 1600s moved the capital to Klungkung. Strife over the next two centuries caused factions to set up rival courts throughout Bali, yet all recognize Klungkung as the highest authority. In the early 1900s as rulers of South Bali were subdued by the Dutch, Klungkung remained the last stronghold until 1908; a towering new monument commemorates the final battle. Most of the palace was destroyed except for the main gate and two pavilions.

These two pavilions are testimony to Klungkung’s artistic wealth. The Kertha Gosa pavilion is famous for its painted ceiling of punishments in hell, animal tales and an earthquake chart, and the Bale Kambang has paintings of Buddhist lore, folktales and traditional astrology. The village of Kamasan is home to a school of art which is perpetuates the traditional Balinese ‘puppet style’ of painting, and musical instruments are made in Tiingan. Also, in the city of Klungkung is an art market, which is a great place to buy textiles from the district’s highland villages.

Nusa Penida

 Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan. Nusa means island. You get here in 40 min by boat. This is the best diving site but it can be tricky sometimes because the currents can reach no less than 5 knots, but usually they are just right for diving. The visibility is always good, 25-40 meters. The reefs outside Toyapekeh at Penida are of world class and well worth a few dives. If you are lucky you will bump into the uncommon gigantic deep sea fish mola mola. Other quite common animals here are manta, shark, large turtles, moray, lionfish and clown triggerfish.

Karangasem

Has a rich variety of older customs found in villages that resisted Javanese influences after the 14th century. The royal family, related to Gelgel, became independent and in the early 1700s challenged Klungkung. Internal strife led to exile and the formation of a rival house in Lombok, which returned to defeat its own family on Bali and also took Buleleng. By recognising Dutch superiority, Karangasem remained intact when South Bali was conquered in the early 1900s. After Mount Agung erupted in 1963 the capital changed names to Amlapura. 
With its history of rivalry among factions of its royal family, it’s hardly surprising that Karangasem harbors numerous old palaces. The Puri Agung Kanginan palace features a blend of Balinese, Dutch and Chinese architecture. In Karangasem’s south are the ruins of the Taman Ujung pleasure palace, and in the north the Tirta Gangga water palace, the most intact of all, boasts a series of spring-fed pools, which are welcomingly clear and a treat to bathe in after a long drive. Traditional arts The main point of interest for traditional arts in Karangasem is Tenganan, a Bali Age (indigenous Balinese) village renowned for its double-ikat gringsing cloth, and annual festivals featuring wooden ferris wheels and ritual battles with thorny leaves. 

Tenganan Village

From Padang Bay the road follows a beautiful stretch inland and turns off at the mountain village Tenganan. Tenganan is a Bali Aga village-one of the few Balinese communities to resist the Majapahit invasion of 1343. It is a walled village consisting of two rows of identical houses. This is the only place in Indonesia where double-weaving ikat, Geringsing, is produced. The village is also famous for its lontar sacred books, traditional Balinese palm-leaf books.

Candidasa

Candidasa is around 2 hours drive from Kuta or the airport of Bali. Candidasa Tourist resort is beautiful place to feel the other parts of Bali, most hotels in Candidasa are located by the beach. Unfortunately the beach is not suitable for swimming. The beach at Candidasa has been marred by T-form jetties protruding into the water, intended to stop the erosion from years coral blasting. These structures make it imposible to walk more than 50 meters on the beach, once truly lovely landscape. In any case, now the beach is only visible at low tide.

Amed

Is one of Bali's diving spot. It is around 3 hours drive from the airport of Bali and is 2.5 hours from Sanur.
Ten years ago Amed was just a quiet fishing village with one losmen. It's still quiet - there's no phone line into Amed yet - but being developed fast.

Amed is north west of Amlapura, and a couple of hours drive from Candi Dasa. The drive is as rough as it is scenic, so once you get to Amed it's a good idea to stay a few days. There's a collection of beaches around this part of the coast, and they are all good for snorkeling. Off the coast there's a shipwreck, famous in diving circles, and boats can be hired to get there. This is a place to lounge on the shady beach with a good book.

Singaraja

Lovina is the name a beach in Kalibukbuk village, 12 km to the west of Singaraja. This beach is an 8km strip of black sand on Bali's arid northern coast, renowned for its serenity and a local school of dolphins. The location is peaceful and its beach still natural. There are many pleasant guesthouses to accommodate you.
Singaraja is around 2.5 hours drive from the airport of Bali or 2 hours from Sanur.

Jembrana

Jembrana’s main point of interest is its West Bali National Park and reserve, which encompasses the forests, mountains, and coasts of much of the district. To enter the Park, visitors must obtain a permit at Cekik, A good road provides a pretty, scenic drive from the Gilimanuk end of the park, in the west,, almost all the way to Lovina in Buleleng. It is in the forest that hems this road that the long-extinct Balinese tiger once roamed, and here also the rare white Balinese starling may be sighted.

Menjangan Island is also a part of the National Park, and is renowned as harboring the best reefs in all of Bali for snorkeling and diving. Boats leave regularly to Menjangan from the port adjacent to the island in the park, and diving trips to here can be arranged from Lovina and other major tourist centers. As for surfing, go no further than Medewi beach, on the southern coastal road leading from Kuta to Tabanan and through to Negara. The Rambut Siwi temple complex, located on the north coast road that links Singaraja with Gilimanuk, is without doubt the most renowned temple complex in Jembrana. But in Negara itself, the riverside Gede Prancak temple is also well worth a visit. 

Jembaran Beach

Jembaran Beach is a new tourist resort in the southern part of Bali and is only 10 minutes drive from the international airport of Bali. Jimbaran is welknown for its beach restaurants, offer fresh sea food at reasonable prices. Beach restaurants open from 17:00 until 23:00.
Enjoy the beautiful sunset while having dinner with your partner.

Uluwatu

Uluwatu temple is precariously located at the point of a sheer cliff on the island's southern peninsula. It is one of the oldest and most important temples in Bali, one of the six original sad Khayangan (territorial) temples on the island. More recently Uluwatu has also become famous for its challenging surf break (experienced surfers only), and spectacular views from the warungs (restaurants) perched on the cliff.

Kuta

Kuta is now a thriving tourist resort, popular mainly among the young. It is a beach for surfing although currents make it less suitable for swimming. Coast guards, however, are on constant duty during the day. Kuta faces toward the west offering beautiful sunsets. There are a lot of hotels from budget to luxury villa with private pool. Kuta and Tuban is the busiest shopping and dining area in Bali. You can find restaurants, art shops, travel information center, spa treatment, water sports operator just outside of the hotel prices.

Seminyak

Seminyak is not as popular as Legian and Kuta. It is 25 minutes drive from the airport of Bali or is just 10 minutes drive to the north of the business shopping area of Legian and Kuta. Seminyak offers beautiful scenery of rice fields surrounds the villas and hotels.

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