In the course of the last years Bali has lost it´s charm for many travelers, especially backpackers, because of the increasing tourism. Although there are some parts of Bali that have been “conquered” by the occidental culture, I´m happy to say that we still found that natural beauty that characterized the Bali travelers fell in love with some years ago.
How to get from East Java to Bali
We started our Bali-expedition in the northwest of the island. To get there we took a ferry from Ketapang to Gilimanuk. From Gilimanuk we took a bus to Banyuwedang, a small village in the far north of Bali, not well known to turists seeking luxury. The ride cost us 25.000 IDK each (~1.44 EUR, ~1.75 US).
Kebunaya Backpacker Hotel (the best hostel with the best host!)
By pure chance we ended up staying at one of the accommodations we most liked in our trip to Indonesia. The Kebunaya Backpacker Hotel is run by a man named Kadek. He comes from Ubud (one of the most turisty places in Bali), but when it got too crowded for him he decided to move upward and start his own hotel buisness for backpackers in the hopes of attracting those travelers still interested in the culture and natural beauty of Bali. It was 150.000 IDK per night each (~8.80 EUR, ~10.70 US).
Kadek took us to a tiny beach near the hotel. He helped us rent a motorbike to move around the area and also thaught us how to use it. He gave us plenty of advice on which temples to visit. He organized two dinners for us at locals homes. The experience of meeting people that live there and how they do it is something beautiful. Kadek was our translator and as we ate the best food we got in all of Bali, we were able to get to know the people a little bit better.
Our host got some local boys to climb some palm trees around the hotel so we could taste the different types of coconuts. We had so much fun trying to cut them open with the other hotel guests and failing terribly. We also went to a school nearby to try and teach the teenagers english. Their teacher had to leave so that part of their education was put to the side. I´m not sure we managed to teach them a lot, but it was a great experience being there with them. Kadek then took us to a primary school where we had fun dancing and playing with the kids.
The local experiences were really good, but it´s not all we did while in Banyuwedang.
Pura Melanting Temple
We visited some temples while in Banyuwedang. Our first and favourite was the Pura Melanting Temple. It was full of colour and had a beautiful entrance.
To enter the temples in Bali you have to use a sarong around the waist, whether you´re man or woman. You can normally rent these at the temple, but if you bring your own they let normally let you use it. Something we didný know is that over the sarong you must use another piece of fabric to tie it, so if you carry that too you won´t have to pay for it.
Pulau Menjangan Island
Banyuwedang is on the coast of Bali, so you can enjoy some swimming, snorkeling or diving here. We went to the Pulau Menjangan Island with a couple of the other hotel guests to snorkel.
Although it was a nice place, we were sad to realize that many of the corals there were dying. If you go I would recommend snorkeling instead of diving, because most of the fish are on the shallow part and it isn´t as deep for it to really get a diving experience.
Taman Nasional Bali Barat
On north-west part of Bali there is a huge nature reserve named Taman Nasional Bali Barat. It is very big and can be unsafe, so they recommend hiring a guide to explore this area. Alex, two of our fellow hotel guests and me decided to wander a little bit into this park on our own. Entering alone is on your own risk. We weren´t planning on doing a long hike so we took our chances.
There are some trails that lead into the park. There isn´t much to see, but if you love nature like I do, you will enjoy a stroll through this beautiful place. If you however want to see more interesting things, like the animals that live in there, you can hire a guide that knows his way around and can take you safely through the park.
Although we didn´t visit a lot of places, we stayed more days at Banyuwedang because of Kadek and the local experiences. Being so young (19 at the time) and moving around every few days, we didn´t get to socialize a lot. Our stay at Kadek´s backpacker hotel gave us the opportunity to experience the local culture and the people. We got to do things we wouldn´t have if we had stayed somwhere else and we took our time to slow down and appreciate the people around us.
If you want to experience Bali in a more intimate way I would 100% recommend staying at the Kebunaya Backpacker Hotel (not sponsored), it was an amazing experience!
We have a video of this trip, you can watch it here!
What to do in East Java
If you want to read my previous posts where I give you tips on where to go and what to do in East Java, I´ll leave them here.
Ijen, the sulfur volcano with the blue flame!
Bromo, amazing experience at an active volcano!
