Beyond Kuta: Six underrated Bali attractions most visitors miss
From island-hopping and manta spotting to getting muddy in a rice paddy, these are the experiences that fly under the radar.
Manta rays and sunfish
Bali’s Nusa Lembongan island, a 45-minute ferry ride from the beachside village of Sanur, is known for its dream surf breaks: Shipwrecks, Playground and Lacerations. But you’ll also hear keen snorkellers and divers waxing lyrical about the marine life. Various dive locations around Lembongan and neighbouring Nusa Penida island are aqueous wonderlands where coral walls, reef fish and nudibranchs thrive in a habitat known for its high-visibility and strong ocean current. Sightings of mega pelagic species are almost guaranteed.
At Manta Bay cleaning station, graceful manta rays with two-metre wing-spans rise from the deep to dance and swirl in the clear blue current just below the water surface. At nearby Crystal Bay, extraordinary mola mola or sunfish, the largest bony fish in the world, can be found in the cool, deeper waters.
Various boat tours operate from both islands.
Green Camp
How do you turn the annual family holiday to Bali into a natural world adventure, a learning experience even? Green Camp runs family and kids’ camp adventures that focus on immersion in Bali’s jungles and beach habitats all the while connecting with the environment. Based at the Green School, famed for its innovative bamboo campus and nature-based curriculum, Green Camp’s itineraries range from one-day camps for under-fives to five-day family getaways and eight-day all-in youth adventures. The Island Explorations Camp is a good example. On it, kids, aged 11-16, come together from around the world to explore four of Bali’s idyllic islands. Staying in yurts and homestays they’ll kayak in mangroves, explore coral reefs, enjoy beach lunches and cook Indonesian food. The days end with campfires and storytelling.
See: greencampbali.com
Coast to Coast walk
The bucket-lister of all Bali experiences is the Coast to Coast regenerative trail, a 10-day, nine-night pilgrimage from Bali’s southern surfie coast to its mountainous north coast. The 135-kilometre peripatetic journey traverses rice paddies, traditional villages, bamboo forests and volcano ridges with pit stops at memorable waterfalls and temples. Along the trail, guests sleep in comfortable jungle-immersed bamboo pavilions and are hosted by rice farming families who have taken on the enormous task of reverting to regenerative rice farming. They share their knowledge and culture through activities including food foraging, cooking, circle time and wellness practice such as meditation and morning stretching. Shorter two- and five-day journeys are also available.
Seseh neighbourhood
As Bali’s surf crowd makes its way west along the south coast, it can be tricky getting a jump on beachside places that retain that traditional village vibe. Seseh, a pocket of Cemagi in Badung Regency, is holding out as a neighbourhood where Balinese life still plays out among the rice paddy vistas. General Store on Seseh’s main crossroad is a chilled place to pass the time under outdoor umbrellas and bearby Seseh Pizza gets thumbs up from a small expat community. Bu Reka is owned and operated by the original Seseh family, whose eponymous matriarch, Ibu Reka, graces photographs around the romantically lit open-air dining room. For beachside eats, Warung Alus is perfect for nasi goreng and fresh coconuts as the sun goes down.
Mepantigan
In the jungle of Gianyar, in southeast Bali, Mepantigan takes the traditional Balinese martial art of wrestling and fine-tunes it to today’s audience. Loosely translated, the word means ‘throw to the ground’ and fortunately for those who participate, the knee-deep mud pits of Bali’s harvested rice paddies are a soft, if dirty, landing. The cultural attraction, created in 2003 and originally developed to promote Bali’s tri hita karana culture, has grown into a performance workshop that uses the simple art of getting muddy to encourage community and connection. It starts with a drum-beating, foot-stomping warm-up and ends in the mud pit where, to the sound of war cries, participants slip, flip, fumble and tumble ’til they’re loamy black from head to toe. The mud is washed off in the creek afterwards, along with some of life’s worries.
Bali Campers
What with all those luxury resorts, why would you choose to camp around Bali? Bali Campers is why. The idea of transforming a couple of joe-average vans into four-wheel, go-anywhere campers germinated during COVID-19, when spirits were low and boredom was high. The upshot is a home-on-wheels in which to adventure beyond the crowds to Bali’s remote beaches and secret campsites. Each vehicle has space for four passengers, with the rear bench seat converting into a comfy double bed, and a two-person tent for the kids. Souped-up features include an extended high roof, solar panels and a lithium battery to power fairy lights, a hot water shower and refrigerator. Camp chairs, a shade awning, kitchen facilities, clean water dispenser and bedding are all cleverly compartmentalised for a tetris-like pack away. Hot spot destinations include a grassy campsite with a view of Mount Batur volcano.
See: balicampers.com
The writer has travelled as a guest of Bali Campers.