From Ujung to Amed, East Bali Weave around the coast through tiny fishing villages
The driest part of Bali is not the most scenic, but the landscapes and views are quite unique. And now that the road hugging the far eastern coast has been fully paved, the trip is far more enjoyable. The road is still windy and narrow, however, and there’s no public transport, but you will be rewarded with some of the island’s best panoramas, and villages where adults smile and children wave at the rare sight of a white face. From Padangbai, avoid Amlapura and its infuriating one-way streets by turning right at the junction to Pantai Jasri and then almost immediately turn left towards the Amlapura-Ujung road. After exploring the water palace at Ujung, follow the road markers to “sry” (Seraya) and then “clk” (Culik). The picturesque route is dotted with villagers eking out a subsistence living from fishing, logging, and selling the sort of rocks that line paths in the resorts down south. The road heads inland to Seraya where an idyllic hilltop temple offers views of the village and coastline. Soon you’ll be winding your way along scarred, terraced mountain slopes where attempts have been made, with limited success, to plant trees and grow vegetables in the harsh, arid landscape. Then the fishing villages appear. The most dramatic spot to photograph these is near the “clk 17” marker, where an abandoned lookout is perched on a rocky promontory. From “clk 13,” a series of villages—known collectively as Amed—starts, but the beaches are disappointing: always gray, mostly rocky and often lined with fishing vessels. The road then heads inland with more oh-my-god-stop-the-car! views—this time of Mount Agung. At the dreary T-junction hub of Culik, the road continues to Singaraja, via Tulamben, or veers left past sudden valleys of lush rice fields towards Tirtagangga.
Getting There Shuttle bus (minimum of two) from Lovina or Padangbai to northern Amed, via Culik—not via Ujung Tip Time your trip for a seafood lunch along Amed Also nearby Tirtagangga water palace
16 Snorkeling Lombok’s Gili Islands Some of the world’s best diving right under your nose
Imagine three droplets of golden sands surrounded by turquoise seas where the only form of transport is bicycle and cidomo (horse and cart). But for many, the major attractions are underwater: 3,500 species of marine life—double the number found at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef—including coral fish of every imaginable hue, as well as harmless sharks and giant (protected) turtles. Although some reefs have been partially destroyed by boats and fish-bombing, some of the coral and marine life is even accessible from the beach, so snorkelers can explore the sort of underwater delights normally only available to those with tanks. Masks, snorkels and fins are cheap and easy to rent and stall-owners should be able to point you to the best locations. Otherwise, an understandably popular alternative is a trip on a glass bottomed boat (only Rp120,000 per person, including lunch and snorkeling gear) which takes you to the best spots around all three islands to see and swim among turtles, clams, fish, and coral. There are also many wonderful places for do-it-yourself snorkeling just offshore. On Gili Trawangan, try in front of the Bale Sampan hotel (north-east coast) and at Turtle Point (north)—but don’t venture too far because currents can be deceptively strong. Very close to Gili Air’s appealing beaches, snorkeling is excellent near the Blue Marlin Dive center (north-east coast), Hotel Gili Air (north) and, especially, Air Wall (west). The best spots from the beaches of Gili Meno are Meno Wall (north-west coast), which abounds with turtles, while amazing marine life can be observed opposite the Royal Reef Resort (east), Ana Bungalows (north), and the abandoned Bounty Resort (south-west).
Getting There Refer to page 62 for details about boats to/from Bali Tip The range and cost of scuba diving and boat trips is best on Gili Trawangan.
17 Southern Lombok’s Kuta Beach Solitude that is oh so different from Bali's Kuta
Lombok’s Kuta (sometimes written Kute) could not contrast more to its (in)famous namesake on Bali: imagine a place where tourists are outnumbered in the sea by fishermen and on the beach by goats; and as surfers spread east and west during the day searching for those gnarly waves, stallholders in bamboo huts gossip while waiting for customers to saunter past. A few stalls offer surfing lessons, board rentals and repairs, as well as boat trips—but these are really token offers by boat-owners and of minimal interest to visitors (and getting the minimum required to make it cost-effective may be difficult). The beach is perfect for swimming—sheltered, shallow and surfer-free—although the eastern end at the village is scruffy. (Refer to page 69 for information about swimming and snorkeling further along the southern coast.) Other activities include horse riding along deserted beaches with Kuta Horses (0819-15999436) and bicycle tours organized by the Solah restaurant (solahlombok.com). The major scuba diving agency—Scuba Froggy (scubafroggy.com)—offers a range of dive trips as far east as Ekas and west as Gili Nanggu. Oh, and two other things: Kuta is home to the remarkable Bau Nyale festival (see page 118) and one of the best weekly markets (Sunday morning) you’ll see anywhere. This Kuta remains an anachronism reminiscent of its boisterous namesake from the 1970s. Tourist facilities remain basic, resorts virtually non-existent, and transport options limited, but this will surely change soon as the international airport has relocated nearby. The latest news is that the same company (BTDC) that built and runs Nusa Dua wants to create the Mandalika Tourism Precinct along 7.5km (4.6 miles) of Kuta’s finest beaches with a golf course, theme park and—gulp—motor-racing track.
Getting There Bemo connections to Praya are infrequent, so take a “shuttle bus” (often just a shared car) to major tourist destinations on Lombok and further afield to Bali and Sumbawa.
18 Lombok’s Senaru Village A quaint village on the slopes of a towering volcano
Clinging to the northern slopes of the mighty Rinjani volcano, Senaru is known as the best place to start and/or finish a trek to the summit or crater lake, but the village is certainly worth visiting for other reasons. The views of Mt. Rinjani and the northern coastline are splendid from anywhere along the 4km-long ridge upon which Senaru and the adjoining village of Batu Koq are nestled. And the gentle walks through lush forests to the thunderous waterfalls are so good they deserve their own section (see Best Walks on page 115). At the point where the road ends and the trail starts is the Rinjani Trek Center, which offers some informative but faded posters along its walls about the Gunung Rinjani National Park. Opposite, Kampung Tradisional Senaru, a “traditional village” with a few thatched huts, is probably less worthy of your time. About 45 minutes’ stroll downhill—and accessible on the way back by bemo if you’re lucky, or ojek (motorbike taxi)—is Bayan, center for the Islamic sect of Wektu Telu with its unique thatched mosques. The trail-head can be congested for a few minutes every day, but most trekkers these days buzz in and out of Senaru with immediate connections to Senggigi or the Gili Islands, so the village remains delightfully tranquil. Other reasons to visit and stay a while are easy access from Senggigi and the Gilis; fresher air and cooler weather than anywhere along the sticky coastline; rustic homestays (read: no resorts) with million-dollar views of rice-terraced valleys and waterfalls; and the chance to try traditional Sasak food at simple warung food stalls (read: no western-style restaurants).
Getting There Bemo from Sweta (Mandalika) terminal in Mataram
