North & East of Bali

travel time: September 2023

Watch the dolphins

Our trip continued on the island of Bali. Lovina is one of the known spots so see dolphins in the early morning or late afternoon. We were planning to do a boat ride to see the dolphins roaming around in the sea. Unfortunately, Alex (Bali Belly) wasn´t feeling well, so I had to do the boat trip alone. I was able to see the dolphins in their natural habit as they were looking for food. I even had the opportunity to swim in the sea and watch them how they dive deep down into the ocean.

Bramavihara-Arama Temple

After a lot of breathtaking moments, we had a relaxing day so Alex could get some rest and recover. In the afternoon we drove to the Bramavihara-Arama. It´s the largest Buddhist monastery in Bali and with its location in the mountain it is very peaceful there.

Twin Waterfalls

The next day we were driving to the Twin Waterfalls. From the main road a very steep and narrow path leads down to the parking space of the waterfall. The last 300 meters of the road were fine dirt (like baby powder). Maybe you can imagine how the car looked like after driving that road? We parked on the side of the road and decided to walk the last couple of meters down to the entrance. Alex still wasn´t feeling his best so he took some rest in the car and I went alone.

It was a 1,5 km hike down to the Waterfalls and expect me nobody was there. Over some high steps you make the last couple of meters down and then you find two amazing waterfalls next to each other. I had a lot of fun at the waterfalls taking pictures and enjoying the nature. The waterfalls even have a small pool where you can take a refreshing swim if you´d like to.

Trunyan Cemetry

The Trunyan Cemetry is quite a bizarre place to visit. A small village at the Lake Batur has a tradition of burying people over the ground in bamboo cages. It´s a very special tradition for them and you are only able to get buried there if you were married and died of a natural cause.

Unfortunately, it´s quite a hassle to get there. The cemetery is only reachable by boat, so we decided to head to the port and find someone who takes us. We were glad that we´ve read some reviews online because the guys at the port tried to scam us. They asked for an incredible high price (1300K IDR) that we weren´t willing to pay.

After a lot of negotiation and already giving up the plan to visit the cemetery we agreed on a price. Leading us to a counter we paid the money (600K IDR) and even got a receipt. We got our life jackets and a couple minutes later another guy showed up with a motorboat.

With the motorboat it takes you 15 minutes to cross the lake and get to the cemetery. There you must register yourself and are expected to give a small donation. The cemetery is quite small. You find 11 Bamboo Cages with skeletons in different stages, the big holy three and a lot of skulls.

Tirta Gangga

The Tirta Gangga is a Water Temple that is named after the sacred river Ganges. We visited the Temple in the afternoon and the main spot was really crowded. First we took a rest in the shadow and walked around the pools and took some pictures of the huge Koi fish. We weren´t really able to take pictures of the famous pool with the stones and sculptures as there were crowds of people.

Gembleng Waterfall

The next morning we decided to go to Gembleng Waterfall and take a refreshing dip in the pools. There are steep stairs leading up to the waterfall and the pools. On top you can find three pools on different levels to refresh yourself. The pools and the waterfall are quite small and if you don´t have your swimwear with you it´s not really worth a visit. When we arrived at 12:00 pm there weren´t too many people but more and more people came after us. From the pools you have an amazing view down and it was awesome to cool down after coming up the stairs in the midday heat. Be prepared that it´s not really a hidden gem anymore. When we left people were standing in line to take pictures in the pools.