Explore Bali — from the heart of Tabanan
Millions come to Bali for its nature. Start where it is still quiet — in Tabanan: terraces watered by a thousand-year-old system, a sacred mountain in cloud forest, hot springs and an empty black-sand coast. Then go further: the cliffs of Nusa Penida, the lakes and waterfalls of the north, Agung’s valleys and quiet coves in the east.
Bali is a chain of volcanoes rising from the sea. Agung, at 3,031 m, dominates the east; the Batur caldera holds a lake in the north-east; and in the west rise the Bedugul highlands, crowned by Batukaru at 2,276 m.
From the forested heights, rivers run to the coast through terraces watered by subak — a system of channels, tunnels and water temples that farmers have shared for more than a thousand years.
Tabanan stretches from the cool lakes of Bedugul to the Indian Ocean. It holds the largest part of the UNESCO-listed Catur Angga Batukaru subak landscape, including Jatiluwih, and it is still mostly villages, fields and forest.
From Canggu, Seminyak or Ubud it is one to two hours by car — close enough for a day, rich enough for a week.
Nineteen places across Tabanan, from the mountain to the sea. Filter by type; open a card for details and directions.
Terraces stepping down the slopes of Batukaru — the heart of the UNESCO-listed subak landscape of Catur Angga Batukaru.
Walk the paths between the paddies instead of looking from the road: the view changes with every turn and every season, from flooded mirrors to green rows and the golden harvest. Come early, before the day tours arrive.
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Bali’s irrigation system, over a thousand years old, in which water is shared by temple calendar and village agreement.
In 2012 UNESCO inscribed the Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the subak system as a manifestation of Tri Hita Karana — harmony between people, nature and the divine. Around Batukaru it is still a working system: channels, small water temples and farmers sharing the flow.
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Village roads, bamboo groves, small shrines and paddies — the quiet side of Tabanan, best on foot or by bicycle.
Choose an hour for an easy loop or half a day for fields, a village and a warung lunch. Farm roads link one village to the next, and the mountain is always in view when the clouds lift.
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A dormant volcano wrapped in cloud forest, sacred to the Balinese and far less climbed than Agung or Batur.
The summit trail is a long, steep day through wet montane forest and needs a local guide. Lower trails through ferns, moss and streams let you feel the mountain without the climb. Climbers traditionally pay their respects at Pura Luhur Batukaru first.
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Cool, damp and dark green: trails along mountain streams, minutes above the rice fields.
Where the paddies end, the forest begins. Short trails follow streams through ferns and moss — an hour or three of shade and the sound of water, no summit required.
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An 11th-century forest temple on the southern slope of Batukaru, one of Bali’s directional temples, guarding the west.
Once the state temple of the Tabanan kingdom, it is quieter than the island’s famous temples: mossy stone, a seven-tiered meru dedicated to the god of the mountain, forest on three sides. A place to feel more than to photograph.
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The temple on the water of Lake Bratan, dedicated to the lake goddess Dewi Danu, in the cool Bedugul highlands.
Built in the 17th century, its shrines stand on small islands at the lake’s edge. Come early, when mist lies on the water and the coaches have not arrived yet.
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Bali’s best-known sea temple on a rock in the surf — and the start of Tabanan’s wild black-sand coast.
Sunset is crowded for a reason. Arrive earlier, walk the cliff paths to the neighbouring rock arch, then follow the coast west, where the beaches empty out.
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A crater-lake landscape at the island’s cool centre: lakes, fern forest, the Bali Botanic Garden and a morning market.
At over a thousand metres the air is fresh and often misty. Walk the Botanic Garden, take a slow boat on the lake, and stop at the Candikuning market for fruit and flowers.
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A narrow, tall fall in a green cove, reached by a walk of about 500 m through gardens and fields.
Best when the morning sun lights the falling water. The last stretch has steps and wet stones — take your time.
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A small, quiet fall in a jungle ravine just outside Jatiluwih — easy to add to a terraces walk.
The path leads past banana trees and bamboo into a cool ravine. Few people, fresh air, the sound of water — the opposite of Bali’s famous waterfalls.
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A waterfall deep in west Tabanan, among forest and plantations — for those who enjoy the road as much as the arrival.
The drive through the western highlands is part of the trip: coffee gardens, clove trees, mountain air. Pair it with a slow day in the hills rather than a quick stop.
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A small fall between mossy cliffs just north of Sangeh, with natural pools and a river below.
Hundreds of steps lead down through the forest, with gazebos to rest on the way. No grand scale here — just shade, stone and water.
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A village hot spring among rice fields, part of the small temple Pura Batu Panes — simple, local and warm.
Locals come here to soak and heal; visitors are welcome to join quietly. Bring swimwear and a towel, and remember it is a temple spring.
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Hot water from the Pura Yeh Panes spring by the river — a soak on the way to Batukaru.
Pools sit right beside the river and the rice fields. A good end to a day of trails and temples on the slopes above.
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Long beaches of volcanic sand, empty headlands and rice fields running almost to the surf.
West of Tanah Lot the crowds thin out. Kelating has a wide black-sand bay; further on, the coast road passes paddies and river mouths. The ocean is powerful here — swim only where locals do.
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A surf village at a river mouth — black sand, steady waves and a slow pace.
Balian is known among surfers for consistent waves; for everyone else it is a place to watch them from the river bank with a coffee. Currents are strong.
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A rice-growing village at the foot of Batukaru, inside the UNESCO subak landscape — daily life, springs and paddies.
No staged show: farmers at work, offerings at small shrines, children cycling to school. Walk or cycle the village roads in the morning and end at the hot spring.
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On the cooler slopes, coffee, cacao and fruit grow in mixed gardens; a farm visit shows where the cup begins.
Ask in advance and visit with a local host: see how beans are picked, dried and roasted, and taste them fresh. Small farms, not show plantations.
Good to knowSeven regions within a day’s reach of Tabanan — Nusa Penida and Lembongan included. Tap the map or a tab. Times are approximate, by car from Tabanan; traffic can add a lot.
A limestone island across the strait from Sanur: higher cliffs, wilder coves and manta rays offshore. It is bigger and rougher than it looks, so give it a full day — or better, a night.
The T-Rex-shaped headland above a hidden beach — the most photographed cliff around Bali.
The viewpoint is at the top. A steep, rough path drops to the sand far below: a serious climb, not a walk. Go only in dry weather, in proper shoes, and leave time for the way back up. The surf at the bottom is strong — swimming is not safe.
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A stone arch over a round bay where the ocean flows in through the rock.
A short path loops around the rim of the bay. Next door is Angel’s Billabong, a rock pool that looks calm but is swept by waves at high tide — admire it from above rather than swimming.
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White-sand coves under limestone cliffs, with rock spires standing in a turquoise sea.
Diamond Beach is reached by about 166 steps carved into the cliff; neighbouring Atuh has a sea arch just offshore. The east coast is 30–60 minutes’ drive from the harbour, so it is worth its own half day.
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Reef manta rays come to feed off Penida’s cliffs; Crystal Bay is a calmer snorkel cove in the west.
Snorkel and dive boats go out in the morning, when the sea is calmer. Keep your distance from the mantas and never touch them. Currents here are strong — go with an operator who checks the conditions.
Good to knowTwo small islands next to Penida, joined by a yellow suspension bridge: mangroves, seaweed farms, coves of startling blue and low cliffs where the swell explodes into spray. Slower and easy to see in a day.
A mangrove forest explored by traditional wooden boat, poled slowly through the channels.
The quietest hour on the island: roots in clear water, herons and kingfishers, no engines. Trips depend on the tide, so ask the boatmen at the jetty when to come.
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Low cliffs where the swell bursts through the rock in plumes of spray — and rainbows in the evening light.
Spectacular and genuinely dangerous: people have been swept off these rocks. Stay well back from the edge, especially at high tide and in big swell. Late afternoon is the classic time.
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A narrow suspension bridge over a channel of seaweed farms, linking the two islands.
The original bridge collapsed in 2016 and was rebuilt. Cross on foot or by scooter, and look down at the seaweed plots that islanders tend in the shallows at low tide.
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A cove of startling blue water under low cliffs on the smallest of the three islands.
Best seen from the cliff top. Swimming near the coast is not recommended: the waves and current are stronger than they look from above.
Good to knowThe cool highlands continue where Tabanan’s Bedugul ends: twin lakes in an old caldera, clove and coffee hills around Munduk, and the island’s most beautiful waterfalls.
Two lakes in an old caldera wrapped in rainforest — once they were a single lake.
Tamblingan has a small temple at the water’s edge, Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan, and fishermen still paddle dugout canoes. From the ridge road above, at around 1,200 m, both lakes lie side by side below you.
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Two veils of water, about 30 m high, falling into a green pool in the forest.
A steep path leads down from the road. Swim only when the water is low and clear — after rain the pool is murky and the flow strong.
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Seven waterfalls in a jungle valley — the tallest about 80 m. Many call it the most beautiful on Bali.
A half-day trek of 3–4 hours with steps, river crossings and mud; guides from the village lead the way. After heavy rain the river rises fast and trails may close.
Good to knowOld Bali in the shadow of Agung: the Sidemen valley of terraces and weaving villages, with the island’s highest and most sacred volcano always in view.
A green valley of terraces and villages, with Mount Agung rising at its head.
Walk between the paddies at sunrise, when the summit is usually clear. The valley is known for its hand-woven songket cloth and its slow pace — the opposite of the south.
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Bali’s highest volcano and its most sacred mountain, home of Pura Besakih on its slope.
Agung erupted in 2017–2019. The climb is a night trek to see sunrise from the top — only with a licensed local guide and only when the authorities allow it; the mountain may close during important ceremonies.
Good to knowBali’s calmest sea: small white-sand coves around Padang Bai and Candidasa that few people know, black-sand fishing bays at Amed and coral a few strokes from the shore.
Two small white-sand coves on either side of Padang Bai: one for snorkelling, one for doing nothing.
Blue Lagoon has coral close to shore; Bias Tugel is a 15–20 minute walk over the headland and usually quieter. Beyond the bays the current is strong — stay inside them.
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A long white-sand beach in a palm-fringed bay east of Candidasa — once a secret, still unhurried.
About 4.5 km, or 20 minutes, from Candidasa down a small road through the hills. Fishing boats, simple warungs and clear water on calm days.
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A string of black-sand fishing bays under Agung, with coral a few strokes from the shore.
Jemeluk Bay is the classic snorkel stop, and the coast road between the bays has viewpoints over the outrigger jukung boats. Mornings are calm; afternoons are often windy.
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A Second World War shipwreck just off a pebble beach — one of the easiest wreck dives anywhere.
The US cargo ship Liberty was torpedoed in 1942 and beached here; the 1963 eruption of Agung pushed it off the shore. It now lies about 25 m from the beach at 5–30 m depth, covered in coral and fish — snorkellers can see the top.
Good to knowThe quietest corner of the island: the forests and savanna of West Bali National Park, the coral walls of Menjangan and a long surf wave at Medewi — and almost no crowds.
A small island ringed by coral walls — home to deer that walk down to the beach.
Boats leave from Labuan Lalang. The walls drop steeply, close to 60 m in places, and the water is usually clear and calm. "Menjangan" means deer.
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About 19,000 hectares of forest, savanna and mangrove on the western tip of Bali, with more than 160 bird species.
Trails are open only with a park guide and permit, arranged at the park offices. Early morning is best for birds; the park is a refuge for the rare Bali starling, found only on Bali.
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A long left-hand wave rolling along a boulder point between rice fields and the sea.
Known as Bali’s longest left, it suits intermediate surfers. Even without a board it is worth the drive: a quiet black-sand coast, fishing boats and paddies running down to the shore.
Good to knowThe Bukit peninsula beyond the resorts: limestone cliffs and long, almost empty beaches at the bottom of steep stairways.
A long, wild beach below the cliffs, reached by a steep 15–20 minute path.
About 500 steps down — and up again. The reward is a long strip of sand with almost no buildings. Waves and currents are strong; swim only when it is calm.
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A small cove at the foot of about 300 steps, with bat caves in the cliff.
Best at low tide, when the reef and rock pools are exposed. The current is strong — be careful in the water.
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A quiet beach below a clifftop temple, reached by a long flight of steps.
No facilities: bring water and come back up before dark. On weekday mornings you may have it almost to yourself.
Good to knowUpdated November 2026
From November the rains return: waterfalls are at their fullest and the terraces turn green. Plan outdoor trips for the morning — afternoons often bring showers.
13–23 January 2027. Bamboo penjor arch over every village road. Visitors are welcome to watch: dress respectfully and give way to processions.
Early March 2027 (8–9 March; check the official date). The whole island stops for a day: no traffic, no lights, the airport closes. The evening before, villages parade ogoh-ogoh figures.
In rough weather boats to Nusa Penida and Lembongan can be cancelled. Keep a spare day and check the forecast the evening before.
Dry season runs roughly from April to October: clearer mornings and easier trails. November to March is the wet season — the greenest terraces, afternoon rain and slippery paths.
Bedugul and the slopes of Batukaru are noticeably cooler than the coast, often misty. Bring a light jacket.
Wear a sarong and sash, keep shoulders covered, and give way to ceremonies — they always come first.
Walk only on the paths between paddies, never through planted fields, and leave channels as you found them.
Waterfalls and rivers rise fast after rain. On the coast, currents are strong: swim only where locals do.
Many places ask a small entry fee or donation. It goes to the village that keeps the place.
RESET is a nature retreat venue in Tabanan for yoga, wellness and group programs: you bring the program, the place, stay and dining are arranged. Tabanan’s places are right around it, and the rest of Bali is a day trip away.
Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you would like to see. We reply within 1–2 working days with ideas and options.