North
of Ubud, an almost straight road takes you through
magnificent lower rice field plains, before
becoming a narrow winding road through tropical
forests, which are slowly transforming themselves
in a very different, colder climate vegetation.
You reach Kintamani, from where you can view
the panorama of Mount Batur and a huge volcanic
crater basin. There are also several large Hindu
temples, right on the crater rim. After Kintamani,
the road keeps climbing, often through the clouds,
through dense forests with many hidden Hindu
temples and shrines.
The
downhill approach to the coast is very scenic
and one has a panoramic view of the nearby ocean.
The hills are full of orchards of mandarins,
mangoes, durian, cloves, coffee, vanilla, ylang-ylang,
cocoa and tobacco. The road goes down very steep
and then reaches, after a series of hairpins
bends, the northern coast. The whole trip is
about 100 km from the Kuta-Nusa Dua area. Transfers
organized by Unseen Bali between North and South
Bali (Nusa Dua-Kuta) allow you to visit all
of the above.
Once
you reach the coastal area, you are in the Buleleng
Regency which sprawls over the full length of
Bali's North Coast. It's hot, dry and fringed
with black sand beaches and coconut palms. Its
capital is Singaraja, which in 1882 became the
Dutch capital of Bali and the Eastern Islands
(Nusa Tenggara). It's right on the beach and
has since its early days been a bustling center
of commerce. It is Bali's second largest city
and it's cleaner, less polluted, less congested
and more attractive and relaxing than Denpasar
or Kuta. The influence of non-Balinese - Chinese,
Javanese, Malays, Indians, Arabs and Dutch -
is more noticeable in Singaraja than in other
parts of Bali, as the city has been a marketplace
for the Java sea trade for over a thousand years.
This has resulted in many imposing buildings,
many of European design, especially in the densely
packed merchant's quarter south of the harbor.
A large Chinese quarter in the eastern part
of town houses priceless vases and tapestries.
And don't miss the Hindu temple Pura Dalem,
with its incredible phantasmagoric relief's
depicting Balinese heaven and hell and the dire
consequences of earthly sins: culprits with
their tongues pulled out, arms sawed off, boiled,
beaten and stabbed. Enjoy beautiful sunsets
over the old harbor area, walk through narrow
streets and along the seawall and imagine the
days when this was once of the Dutch East Indies'
busiest ports. A bit to the south is Gitgit
waterfall, Bali's highest waterfall, a must
for nature lovers.
To
the west is Lovina, a more budget-oriented tourist
town. Rural, with relaxing scenic beaches, ideal
for swimming and diving, but not surfing. Lovina
is not known as a cultural place, but there
are sometimes performances at the tourist hotels.
The coastline east of Singaraja is less touristic,
more traditional and less developed in terms
of tourism, but with a number of secluded and
exclusive villa resorts along the beach. Unlike
the south of Bali, it is home to some of the
more traditional temples, high waterfalls, steep
mountains and the most rewarding place to take
photographs of Bali's magical scenery. Just
east of Singaraja is Air Sanih, an idyllic spot
few tourists know about: it is fresh water springs
surrounded by a large pool, just meters away
from the splash of the surf. Further towards
the east is the "Art Zoo", the main
workshop of the well-know painter Symon, specializing
in colorful nude paintings and sculptures, with
a strong homo-erotic sense.
More
to the East, at the junction to Kintamani, is
the renowned village of Tejakula with its ancient
temple, Pura Ponjok Batu, surrounded by fresh
water springs. There are also communal open-air
baths here in front of a temple. From there
you can walk uphill to a very high, idyllic
and little known waterfall, with abundant water,
even during the dry season. An ideal place for
a picnic and a waterfall-massage. The hike takes
you through small rural communities, orchards
- mainly rambutan - and dense jungle. This mountainous
region is one of the few truly undiscovered
regions of Bali. Enjoy scenic village life on
a bicycle tour or go on an early morning canoe
trip with a local fisherman and you may find
yourself surrounded by dolphins, while getting
a superb view of the first sunrays on Mount
Agung against the background of the island of
Lombok.
Further
to the East is the excellent diving site of
Tulamben, unaffected by tourism, with breathtaking
slopes of rice terraces alternating with massive
black solid lava rivers, the ravages of Mount
Agung's eruption in 1963.
The
North of Bali should not be explored in single
day trip from Kuta, Nusa Dua or Ubud, but to
fully enjoy its richness, its unspoilt and quiet
beaches and the ocean, its unique traditional
Balinese culture, character and charm, to explore
its wealthy and sumptuous nature and meet its
friendly people, not affected by mass-tourism,
a few days is highly recommended.
Unseen
Bali offers one resort, which lies right
in the middle of it all, "Bali au Naturel"
a luxurious clothing-optional beach resort set
in a spacious tropical garden, surrounded by
jungle with many of the above sites nearby.
Tours can be organized departing from this resort,
some free-of-charge (trips to Wijaya Foundation,
Art Zoo, Tejakula, the waterfall and boat trips).
