SURROUNDINGS
Things to do
Our villa is located in Lovina, in northern Bali. More and more people discover northern Bali to be a great holiday destination. Famous for its early morning dolphin-watching boat trips, Lovina also offers good snorkeling, diving and trekking in the nearby mountains. Do not miss the opportunity to soak in hot springs and catch beautiful sunsets! With a wonderful variety of restaurants and bars located on or very near the calm beach, Lovina offers something for everyone. It is also a good base to take day trips to the nearby attractions of North and West Bali.
Visit nature reserve Taman Nasional Bali Barat or explore Singaraja, the old colonial capital of Bali. The volcanoes in central Bali are also easy to visit. You can expect quite an exciting day when you get a driver to show you around. We did this ourselves. We got wet at the Git-Git waterfalls and visited the peaceful half Hindu, half Buddhist temple complex Ulun Danu. On the way we stopped to feed the monkeys. We got a demonstration how typical Bali kopi (coffee) is made and were strangers amongst the locals in the hot water springs to arrive clean at the Buddhist monastery, located in the hills near Lovina.
Dolphins
The beautiful blue, calm ocean assures Lovina to be one of the most inspirable beaches of Bali. There are often dolphins playing in the waters near Lovina. An absolute must: set sail at, or even before, sunrise to look for the dolphins. The chance of actually spotting a one is over 80%. Sometimes the boat is surrounded by hundreds of jumping, playing and blowing dolphins. A lot of fun and very special! You'll find information in our villa on how to book a boat. Booking a day in advance is usually in time enough. The trip takes about two hours. The boat can pick you up in front of our villa.
Snorkeling and Diving
Lovina is an ideal place to stay to discover the underwater world of Bali. You can snorkel and dive in calm and crystal clear water; the calm sea and shallow lagoon make Lovina an eldorado to snorkel and dive. You can hire a boat to sail to the most beautiful places, more to the east of Lovina. But in the ocean, in front of our villa, it's great to have a look as well. There are two snorkel sets in the villa that you can use. There are more than enough Padi dive centers in Lovina. We've been diving with Bali spice dive and we can recommend them. They were the first Padi dive centre in northern Bali and are at the moment the only Padi 5 star dive centre in Lovina. They have English speaking Padi qualified dive masters. You can find more information in the villa or you can look on: www.balispicedive.com. The 2 most beautiful places are located near the island Menjangan, in the north-west and Amed and Tulamben (wreck diving) in the north-east. For a photo impression of the coral reef at Menjangan click here.
Singaraja
Singaraja is the former capital of Bali. It is a city with hosptials, pharmacies, various banks, and many markets where you can be impressed with the color and smell of typical Balinese food. Singaraja is the home of the Gedong Kirtya library, maintaining the famous lontar manuscripts and a lot of Balinese literature. The harbour of Singaraja shows signs of Dutch colonialism with its old storage houses.
Git-Git Waterfalls
Driving southwards from Singaraja for about 30 minutes will take you to one of the most spectaculair, breathtaking waterfalls of Bali: the Git-Git. A path of about 1 km filled with souvenir warungs and shops where you can buy cheap clothes takes you to 40 meter high waterfall. Sit down there and relax with the sound of water falling in the bouldered river.
Buddhist Monastary
In the hills of Banjar is a Buddhist monastery. It is divided over more layers and has some nice painted walls and praying rooms. It is the only Buddhist monastery on Bali and is sometimes called the little Borobodur. Definitely worth visiting! You can visit the monastery with a driver. It is also nice to walk from the villa. The roads can be somewhat steep, making it a bit of a challenge for some of you. If you consider walking up to the monastery it's best to do this in the morning when the weather is not that hot yet.
Hot Springs
Not far away from the Buddhist monastery, in the middle of the beautiful scenery, are the famous hot springs of Banjar. You can visit the famous Hot Springs with sulphurous water and large water sprouts. Some people say the springs have a healing effect. Very relaxing! There are three springs, form hot to luke warm (you really have to recuperate). You'll feel refreshed after!
Bali Temples
Bali has many temples, each with their own meaning. East of Lovina, in Sangsit, you can find the Beji Temple which is dedicated to the Rice Goddess. The Jagaraja temple remembers battles with the Dutch. To the west of Lovina is the Pulaki Temple, it's crowded with monkeys who are considered descendants of Dewa (God). The Ulundanu Temple is located near Bedugul.
Air Sanih
A few kilometers from Singaraja, a curling road takes you to Air Sanih, a natural fresh water pool.
Munduk
Munduk is located in the mountains to the south of Lovina. It's a charming mountain village with beautiful houses and a lot of opportunities to do things. Many picturesque rice terraces are located here. The temperature is a lot cooler because Munduk is located high. From here you can make great walks to Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblinha, among other things. There's a magical temple in a lake and you'll find the most beautiful botanic gardens of Bali located not far from Munduk. The botanic gardens are 130 hectare. You get a good impression of the abundant tropical mountain flora. There are numerous wild (rare) orchids.
Bali Barat National Park
Bali Barat National Park is situated in the western side of Bali and is 77,000 ha, some 10% of Bali's total land area. The park is the last refuge of one of the most endangered birds of the world: the Bali Starling. Bali Barat is mountainous and primary consists of monsoon forest, mangrove forest, savannah and coral islands. The peninsular Prapat Agung, with its extensive web of footpaths, is the most accessible part of the park. Here at Tegal Bunder, you will find the Bali Starling Recovery Project where the PHPA is trying to reintroduce Bali Starlings. The Park is a paradise for bird-watchers. They will find about 160 different species in the park. Pulau Menjangan, an island north of the mainland part of the park, is an excellent place to explore the coral reefs.
Golf
About an hours drive from the villa you find a beautiful 18-hole golf course named “Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club”. It's one of the top 5 golf courses in Asia and is beautifully located against the side of a mountain at an altitude of over 1100m. The course is designed by the famous architect Peter Thompson. For more information see: http://www.balihandarakosaido.com
Batur Vulcano
For climbing the Batur volcano, you will be picked up from the villa as early as 3 am. Together with a guide you'll climb the volcano in the ark of night. When you reach the summit of Batur volcano your effort will be rewarded with a most spectacular sunrise, while you have the 3200 meter high Gunung Agung in front of you. Agung is a holy mountain to the Balinese people. After that you will walk back to Lake Batur: this volcanic lake is surrounded by beautiful temples. A daytime trip to Batur is of course also one of the possibilities; if you go climbing or not, the view is more then worth it!
