21/04/2023 From Tanah Lot to North Bali
Away from the crowded tourist places
Today we woke up early as we were on a mission: we wanted to do a scooter tour to North Bali to see the more rural side of Bali (away from the tourists) and to see as many waterfalls as possible.
Travelling light and leaving late
For that we left our backpacks in the luggage store of our hotel D’Sawah Villas and only took one day bag for the two of us on the scooter.
What to expect
North Bali
After a filling breakfast at T.M.O Coffee Bali close to our hotel (and driving back to our hotel again since we forgot the drone), we were ready for our road trip at 9.30 a.m.. We weren’t leaving as early as planned after all. But with our time management we prpbably shouldn’t be surprised…
See Leke Leke Waterfall
First, we stopped after 50 minutes at Leke Leke Waterfall. After paying IRD 50000 (= 3€) for the entry, we hiked down to the waterfall for about 15 minutes. The waterfall was gigantic. Besides us there were only eight other people.
Visit the Ulun Danu Bratan Temple
Then we stopped at the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple.
Pura Ulun Danu Beratan […] is a major Hindu Shaivite temple in Bali, Indonesia. The temple complex is on the shores of Lake Bratan in the mountains […]. The water from the lake serves the entire region in the outflow area.”
wikipedia.org
For IRD 75000 (= 4,50€), we received a “free” water with our entrance tickets. However, our plan of getting away from the other tourists didn’t really work here because the temple site was filled with other tourists taking photos – just like us.
Clouds are coming
We stopped for a snack and a coffee at the café inside the temple when the clouds were turning darker. Usually the humidity is very high and it’s always hot in Bali. However, going further up north and being at a higher elevation, the air can get a little cooler here. By the time we wanted to drive to our next destination, it was pouring buckets. Thankfully, we had brought our raincoats. However, with just one day bag between us, we didn’t have a lot of options to change into dry clothes.
An unexpected stopover
We ended up at a pretty fancy golf course where we sneakily took a hot shower to warm up again. This reminded us a lot of sneaking into the hostel showers on our camper van road trips in Australia and New Zealand. Once we were warmed up again, the weather luckily changed and we could continue our scooter ride up north.
The rural north
The north of Bali is much more rural with less tourism and a lot of vast nature. Kids on the side of the road were waving at us and locals were asking us where we were headed.
Incredible hotel in the jungle
Our hotel (Villa Manuk) was located in the middle of nowhere in a little village with chickens running around and only one tiny road which was too small for an actual car.
A very friendly Balinese man welcomed us with fresh coconuts and nasi goreng (fried rice) for dinner. Even in the dark the villa looked beautiful. So we couldn’t wait to see what it would look like during day light in the next morning.
22/04/2023 North Bali
A very relaxing morning
Waking up in nature always feels calming – especially underneath a mosquito net.
After a large breakfast, we relaxed at the pool all morning.
Not every day does it happen that we are surrounded by nature while being the only guests in a beautiful villa in North Bali.
At noon we left for our actual goal in North Bali: seeing more waterfalls!
Chase more waterfalls
Our list of waterfalls was long. However, due to our late departure, we only made it to three of them that were right besides each other. But if you’re coming up north and your time management is as poor as ours, make sure you’ll get to see these three waterfalls: Fiji Waterfall, Sekumpel Waterfall and Hidden Waterfall.
A guide and the entrance fees to the waterfalls was IDR 250 000 each (around 15 euros). We were pretty sure you could get this for cheaper, but looking back we were so grateful for our guide! Not only did he know the best spots, he also turned out to be an amazing photographer!
The best waterfalls yet
All three waterfalls were absolutely incredible. Fortunately, we had all three falls entirely to ourselves most of the time! Seeing those ginormous waterfalls was definitely one of our highlights in Bali! It was so worth getting wet (from the rain first, then from standing too close to the waterfalls and in the end from swimming underneath Hidden Waterfall) as well as climbing down the steep steps to reach all three waterfalls.
From north to south
On the way back to Tanah Lot, we stopped at a local warung for dinner.
Once we got back to Tanah Lot, we dropped off the scooter, picked up our backpacks and ordered a taxi back to Uluwatu as one more highlight was waiting for us there.
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