What to See in Bali – East Itinerary – The Great Volcanoes
The island ofBali, theIslandof the Gods, offers a thousand destinations to see and experience, and it’s genuinely hard to choose what to see in Bali! On top of that, getting around isn’t always easy and exploring on your own becomes quite difficult. That’s why we’re giving you some practical tips and itineraries to make the most of the island and its wonders! Let’s look atWhat to See in Bali – East Itinerary: The Great Volcanoes!
InBalithe roads mostly follow the shape of the land: most cut across the islandfrom North to South, while the other roads (less frequent) runfrom East to West. So we had to keep this practical detail firmly in mind while building our itineraries.
Duration:full day
Distance:105km
For our trip to Bali we choseUbudas our base, a strategic village since it’s in the centre of the island andclose to many destinationswe absolutely wanted to visit. Starting fromUbudand heading East, the first thing you’ll come across isPura Goa Gajah, but you won’t find it in this itinerary: we chose to skip it to make room for other stops that areless well-known and just as fascinating(if not more so). If you have enough time, we still recommend planning a visit toPura Goa Gajahtoo!
Stop 1 – Pura Gunung Kawi
Entrance fee:15,000 Rupiah (€1)
Hours:8:00AM – 5:00PM
Distance from Ubud:15km
Visit time:1/2 hours
The first real stop of our itinerary isPura Gunung Kawi. We’d consider it our first real taste ofauthentic Bali. Eka, our driver, drops us at the car park, not far from the temple entrance, and we set off on foot. After paying for our tickets we’re givensarongsto wear (bring your own and you won’t need to borrow one), and we head towards the temples.
What greets us is a sight we weren’t expecting! To reach the temples you have to climb down a long, fairly demanding staircase, but completelyimmersed in the emerald green of the rice terraces!The landscape alone, before you even see the temples, is worth the trip and the entrance fee.
Stop 2 – Tirta Empul
Entrance fee:15,000 Rupiah (€1)
Hours:7:00AM – 6:00PM
Distance from Ubud:15km
Visit time:0.5/1 hour
One of the most important and famous temples in all of Bali is definitelyPura Tirta Empul (Holy Spring Water Temple). Despite being a very popular tourist destination, this complex is actually a fully functioning temple,still used for prayer by many Balinese. The main feature of this complex is the pools of holy water where Hindus immerse themselves to purify body and spirit. We didn’t feel comfortable bathing ourselves, sinceit’s a deeply spiritual gesture for them, but there are sarongs available to rent specifically for bathing if you’d like to.
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Stop 3 – Tea and Coffee Plantations
Entrance fee:Free
Hours:Any
Distance from Ubud:30km
Visit time:0.5 hour
On the way toKintamaniour driver suggests a stop at atypical Bali tea and coffee plantation.We know it’s a fairly tourist-oriented attraction, but since it’s on the way and won’t take long, we decide to go along with our guide and stop at a plantation.
We discover that behind the garden built for tourists, there’s a real plantation producing various types of tea and coffee, and we’re shownhow to identify the different coffee plants and spicesused in typical Balinese cuisine. On top of that,we get to taste 15 different types of tea and coffee for free.
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Stop 4 – Kintamani
Entrance fee:Free
Hours:Any
Distance from Ubud:35km
Visit time:0.5/1 hour
Kintamaniis an area in the north-east of the island, from which you can seeMount Batur. During our tour we tried to time our arrival for lunchtime, so we could relax for an hour or so enjoying the view of the volcano. Many restaurants in the area offer tourist menus (mostly buffets) onpanoramic terraces overlooking the volcano.
For an authentic lunch, there are also plenty of Warongs where you caneat great food alongside the locals.
Stop 5 – Pura Besakih
Entrance fee:60,000 Rupiah (€4)
Hours:7:00AM – 10:00PM
Distance from Ubud:45km
Visit time:1/2 hours
ThePura Besakih (Mother Temple)is undoubtedly the most important temple on the whole island of Bali. Set into the slopes ofMount Agung, it remained closed for months during the volcano’s recent eruption. The most important Hindu religious festivalsare periodically celebrated here.
Once you’ve bought your ticket you’ll be offered a guide, more or less insistently depending on the time and season. We were lucky enough to visit this temple right after a major celebration. So even though everything was still decorated for the festivities, everyone wastired and worn out from the long celebrations. Eka, our driver, pointed us towards a guide (free aside from a small tip at the end of the tour) who walked us around the temple (it’s genuinely enormous), pointing out the various altars and describing the area.
We recommend hiring a guide to fully appreciate the temple and the altars you’ll see:without one you risk getting bored or not understanding what you’re photographing.
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After the visit you can happily doze off while the driver takes you back to base, thereturn trip is about 45km back to Ubud, but with Bali’s roads and traffic it’s a fairly long ride.
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