Bali & Lombok Tuttle Travel Pack. Paul Greenway

      Perched on a rocky outcrop along the southwest tip of Bukit Peninsula, Pura Luhur Ulu Watu temple is certainly less touristy than its sister at Tanah Lot, but also less impressive. The grounds aren’t nearly as extensive and the temple itself is underwhelming: small, newly-renovated, and closed to non-Hindus. But Ulu Watu is understandably popular for the cliff-top setting 80m (260ft) above the crashing waves and even more so for the extraordinary Kecak dance. The low-key atmosphere with zero souvenir stalls and hawkers is also definitely part of the charm. Constructed about 1,000 years ago (but rebuilt many times since) and dedicated to the gods of the sea, Ulu Watu is one of Bali’s six revered cardinal temples. It’s renowned for the arched gateway guarded by monuments of Ganesha, the sacred elephant-headed god, and particularly crowded and photogenic during the Galungan festival (see page 117). Ulu Watu is also home to hundreds of kleptomaniacal monkeys, so hang on to your hats, sunglasses, and handbags! But the main reason why the car park is overflowing from 5pm is the Kecak dance held in a special amphitheater at sunset (6–7pm). This show with its spectacular lights and music is more dramatic and entertaining than the one at Tanah Lot. (Tickets go on sale at 5pm at an unsigned counter near the temple entrance.) Unlike Tanah Lot, however, there’s nowhere to eat or drink inside the Ulu Watu complex, and the cliff-side paths peter out quickly, but they do offer the best photos of the three-tiered pagoda and the thunderous surf pounding the cliffs below.

      Times Daily 8am–7pm Address Signposted from Pecatu in central Bukit Peninsula Dress Entrance fee includes a sarong and sash Getting There On organized tours; there’s no public transport or waiting taxis. Tips A few eateries around the car park offer basic Indonesian fare. The best time for views, photos, and serenity is before 10am. There are several nearby homestays along the road to Ulu Watu beach. Also nearby Jimbaran, Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, and Ulu Watu beach

      6 Pasir Putih Beach, East Bali One of Bali’s best beaches remains blissfully undeveloped

      Only 6km (4 miles) northeast of Candidasa in Perasi village a small sign indicates a turn-off to “White Sands Beach,” the unimaginative name (translated into English) given to one of Bali’s very best. The calm waters are perfect for swimming and snorkeling—with no surf (or surfer dudes)—and the sand is white, a rarity along this stretch of the coast. It’s also an ideal place to lay down your towel and splash about if you’re staying at Candidasa, which is a beach resort without an actual beach. Pasir Putih is long and curved, flanked by cliffs offering shade and snorkeling, and backed by fields of coconut palms where kids playing soccer share the grass with cattle. The far end of the beach is lined with jukung fishing boats and huts where women weave nets and men build boats. Pasir Putih is a simple fishing village. There’s nowhere to stay (and hopefully never will be), but beachside food stalls do offer the freshest grilled fish possible and cold drinks, such as kelapa muda (young coconut) in its shell. You can rent deckchairs and snorkeling equipment and arrange a massage, so you could spend all day here—and come back again the next and the next… Another attraction is the gorgeous scenery along the 1.6km (1 mile) flat, shady, and deserted road from the sign in Perasi. Along the way, you’ll pass friendly locals collecting firewood, buffaloes ploughing rice fields, and paths leading into wild coconut groves. The road finishes at a small car park with a temple and entry post, where we beg, beseech, and implore you to leave any vehicle. From there, the 500m (540yd) path to the beach is very rough, so please walk there instead. The village is not a car park. Better still, park in, and walk from, Perasi.

      Getting There Bemo to Amlapura from Semarapura or Padangbai to the turn-off in Perasi; from there, walk or there may be an ojek (motorbike taxi) Also nearby Tenganan and Ujung water palace

      7 Tirtagangga Water Palace Fountains and lotus ponds surrounded by rice fields

      The Taman Tirtagangga complex was built over 60 years ago by the final regional king who was clearly obsessed with water palaces and based this one on the Palace of Versailles in France; well, sort of. Named after the Ganges River in India, the palace was destroyed, like many other buildings in eastern Bali, during the eruption of Gunung Agung in 1963, but the gardens (not the palace) have been lovingly rebuilt. With fountains, statues and stepping stones across ponds choked with lotus flowers, Tirtagangga is much more of a garden than a collection of buildings, and more appealing than the other water palaces at Ujung and Semarapura. Tirtagangga is tranquil, superbly-maintained and often refreshingly empty, because tour groups just dash in and out during the middle of the day. The two spring-fed pools look inviting, but the water is quite cold and there’s no privacy, and the changing sheds are decrepit. The countryside, especially behind the Good Karma restaurant at the car park, is begging to be explored on foot but, of course, trails are designed for locals traversing between rice fields and villages and not for hiking. (See Best Walks on page 114 for more details.) Tirtagangga is somewhere to linger, not rush; a place to soak up the fresh, cool air and admire the views of Agung and, sometimes, Rinjani volcano on Lombok. Better still, stay at a home-stay nearby or at the magnificent Tirtu Ayu Hotel (see Best Hotels on page 78) inside the gardens. At least, stay for lunch and/or the stupendous sunset.

      Times Daily 8am–6pm Dress A sign asks visitors to “dress appropriately.” If swimming, please dress modestly: not in Kuta-kini swimwear. Getting There Along the road between Amlapura and Culik. Go on an organized tour; take a bemo between Amlapura and Abang or Culik; or by Perama shuttle bus from Padangbai or Candidasa (minimum of two) Also nearby Tenganan, and the east coast road between Ujung and Amed

      8 Cycling on Nusa Lembongan Island Discover what Bali must’ve been like fifty years ago

      Although located between the southern beaches of Bali and Gili Trawangan, Nusa Lembongan is like neither: there are no mini-marts or nightclubs; not even a post office. And there are no cars, so with the perfect combination of (mostly) paved and flat roads, and zero traffic, it’s ideal for cycling—although a mountain bike and heavy-duty leg muscles are needed for the hilly interior. Start your trip from Jungutbatu, where bikes can be rented from shops and guesthouses. A flat road (1.2km/0.75 miles) passes through Jungutbatu village and beach before becoming progressively pot-holed as it leads (2.2km/1.3 miles) to Mangrove Beach. Along the way you’ll pass seaweed farms and often need to stop to “ooh” and “aah” at the jaw-dropping double-layered views of the volcanoes on the Bali mainland. Mangrove Beach is a dead end, so go back (1.4km/0.86 miles) to the obvious and only turn-off and follow the flat road (4.8km/3 miles) south through the uninhabitable man-grove forest—which is even more eerie at high tide—as far as the next T-junction. You now have three options: (1) pedal across the island to Jungutbatu (1.8km/1.1 miles) along a road that’s steepish in both directions, but doable; (2) head back (4.2km/2.6 miles) to the shortcut (at the new bale meeting hall) which leads back to the road that passes Jungutbatu beach; or (3) continue for a hilly, but not too steep, 3.4km (2.1 miles) to Lembongan village. If you choose option three, you can then detour across the rickety suspension bridge to Nusa Ceningan and stop for sweeping views of the remarkable harbor clogged with seaweed farms. From the T-junction in Lembongan village, it’s a flat 1.2km (0.75

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