Bali: For nature lovers
Six places where you can connect with the wilder side of Bali
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Bali: For nature lovers
Six places where you can connect with the wilder side of Bali
Above: Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, in central Bali
Busy day? If you’d prefer to listen to this post – read by me, not a computer – then this is for you:
Dear NE-One
Night falls silently on the north-west coast of Bali. I know this because I slept there, on a beach – and in the early evening as I watched a volcano disappear into the darkening sky, there was barely a sound. Behind me an entire national park clambered back from the shore’s mangrove fringe and stretched towards distant mountains of rainforest – and as night evolved, the world was almost silent.
Perhaps the evening calls from the forest were muted by tiny waves that rustled against sea shells and broken pieces of coral – or maybe my ears, tuned into the gentle crackling of our driftwood fire, were deaf to the sounds of the falling night. Or perhaps for those moments when light transitions into dark, the world had simply fallen into a beautiful state of calm.
The day hadn’t been that still, of course. As Mark and I rested in the afternoon shade at a ranger’s station in West Bali National Park we listened to calls of turtle doves, cuckoos, barbets, oriole, woodpeckers and drongos as they flitted between trees. The constant swirl of birdsong was occasionally punctuated by rustling leaves as shy Balinese black monkeys moved through the branches of white bark acacia, sandalwood and crocodilewood trees.
Mark was working on a story about the critically endangered Bali starling and so we’d asked special permission to camp at the ranger station as it’s not something that’s usually allowed – but that doesn’t mean we had exclusive access to the wilds of Bali. If you’re wanting a “nature experience” that is more authentic than warding off the marauding primates at Ubud’s Monkey Forest, here are a few places to put on your list:
West Bali National Park
West Bali National Park is on the northwest coast of the island – the opposite “end” of the island from popular spots like Uluwatu, Sanur and Kuta – and not many travellers realise that it exists. The park has almost no visitor facilities, there is no boundary fence and there are few signs to signal your approach. But as you take the coastal road from the south of the island past the town of Negara, the landscape slowly ceases to be shaped by human hands, and the carefully cultivated rice paddies – often ploughed by buffalo – soon give way to densely jungled mountains that slip down into coastal savannah and montane forests, and a coastline fringed with mangroves. Wildlife here includes sambar, barking deer and mouse deer, as well as wild pigs, monkeys, civets and 160 species of birds. You can spend a day trekking or cycling in the park, and Menjangan Island, which falls within the park’s boundaries, offers the most spectacular diving and snorkelling in Bali. For more details click here.
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The Menjangan
This eco resort has long been one of my favourite properties in Bali: it’s surrounded by the national park and various elements of the hotel are tucked away in the forest. Activities offered here include sunrise bird walks, forest horse rides, kayaking and of course snorkelling and diving too. The eight Beach Villas are sublime – they’re strung along a small white-sand beach; at high tide the clear water almost laps at each villa’s deck, and at low tide I’ve watched menjangan deer walk through the water just metres away from my bean bag. Monsoon is The Menjangan’s luxurious lodge; it’s built around a pool and is hidden among the trees. It’s a lovely location – close to the stables and the property’s small Bali starling breeding centre, but there is no café here and you need to drive to the beachfront or tower restaurant for a meal or even just a coffee. The Menjangan’s beachfront restaurant is particularly lovely. It’s called Pantai (which means “beach”) and is set on a wooden deck that stretches between mangroves and out over the water – pop in for lunch if you’re in the area. Click here for more info.
Bali Bird Walk
Just a hop and a skip from the traffic-jam mayhem of central Ubud are the rice fields of Penestenan, and it’s here that Wayan Sumadi – better known as Su – leads her exceptional Bali Bird Walks. You don’t need to be a birder to appreciate the time spent meandering through the paddies, and Su’s wonderfully wild energy and enthusiasm for the island’s birds and insects brings something very special to the experience. The bird walks are held on four mornings a week, and you can find more details here.
Sarinbuana Eco Lodge
I’ve not yet been to Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, but it’s been recommended to me by
, co-founder of Travelfish.org (a brilliant resource for travel in SE Asia) and who’s big into sustainable tourism (and whose recommendations I value highly). This sensitively built lodge is on the slopes of Mount Batukaru – almost in the very centre of Bali – and is engulfed by a rainforest that is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the island. Activities here include forest, birding, river and paddy walks, as well as tree-top yoga classes and cooking, traditional medicine and wood carving classes with people from the nearby community. This lodge is on my Bali wishlist – and you can find more about it here.NE Where is an independent, reader-supported publication. If you found value in this piece please consider sharing it with someone who might appreciate it too. If you’d like to support NE Where financially without committing to a paid subscription, you’re welcome to make a small one-time contribution – every bit helps to keep NE Where going.
Bali Botanic Garden
Set in the cool, misty hills of Bedugul is the 157-hectare Kebun Raya Bali, or Bali Botanic Garden, the largest botanic garden in Indonesia. The trees of the tropical forest are enormous; and the property is said to have the largest collection of wild orchids in Bali, as well as the world’s most comprehensive begonia collection. There is a garden containing plants used for traditional medicine, and also the Panca Yadnya Garden (Garden of Five Offerings), in which grows the plants that were used in ancient Hindu ceremonies. It is extremely picturesque, and a wander through the 200 species of ferns and mosses in the fern garden is a real step back in time. The garden’s website is in Indonesian only, so you can find open times on Google Maps. This is the popular Instagram page – posts are usually in Indonesian, so hit “see translation” if you’d prefer to read in English.
Hidden Well cottage
This colourful little cottage has become our haven in West Bali. It’s surrounded by coconut and banana trees and is less than 200m away from a vast beach that is usually void of humans. It’s an affordable, peaceful escape from the world – a place I dream of returning to when I am away. It’s available through Airbnb, and you’ll find it here.
Bali has felt very, very far away, these past few months. I returned to South Africa in early April, just in time for the autumn chill and after spending May in Madagascar, I’ve been well wrapped up and working from the cosy sun-trap that is our dining nook at home in KwaZulu-Natal. This coming week, however, things change. Mark will be leaving Ecuador, where he’s currently wrapping up a big assignment, and we will meet up in Bangkok and spend the rest of the year around South East Asia. So many adventures to look forward to – and, I can’t wait to be reunited with my love.
Until next week,
Narina x
In a reading kinda mood? Put the kettle on…
Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives: “I want to do things that challenge my destiny” – Emma Vånemo, who walked solo across Africa
Mary Anning: The woman who chipped at rocks and uncovered the mysteries of our planet
Author interview: Mark Eveleigh on his Bali-based novel Driftwood Chandeliers
Dervla Murphy: The solo adventurer considered the greatest female travel writer of all time