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Buleleng
North Bali's serene coastline (North Bali)
About Buleleng
North Bali's Buleleng regency runs along most of the north coast, from Pemuteran and West Bali National Park to Tembok in the east, and up to the lakes and highlands around Munduk. Singaraja is its capital and Lovina its main beach area. Black sand beaches, dolphin watching at sunrise, calm seas, hot springs and waterfalls make it a peaceful retreat far from the crowds, at a very different pace from the south.
Best for: Nature lovers & those avoiding crowds
- Dolphin watching
- Hot springs
- Waterfalls
- Quiet beaches
Buleleng at a glance
- Beach: Good (3/5). Calm black-sand beaches along the north coast.
- Nightlife: Poor (1/5). Very little outside a few Lovina bars.
- Prices: $ · Budget. Inexpensive: food, stays and drivers cost less than in the south.
- To the airport: 85 km · 2½–3 h. By road to Bali airport (DPS), in usual traffic.
- Climate: Hot & humid · coast
Ratings
- Calm-water swimming: Very good (4/5)
- Surfing: None (0/5)
- Diving & snorkeling: Good (3/5)
- Sunsets: Good (3/5)
- Restaurants & cafés: Fair (2/5)
- Culture & temples: Good (3/5)
- Nature & landscapes: Excellent (5/5)
- Yoga & wellness: Fair (2/5)
- Family-friendly: Good (3/5)
- Peace & quiet: Very good (4/5)
- Remote work: Poor (1/5)
- Walkability: Poor (1/5)
Rated from 0 (none) to 5 (excellent), compared with Bali's other areas.
Resorts in Buleleng
- Sanak Retreat Bali: Buleleng, from about $150 a night
- Amertha Bali Villas: Buleleng, from about $100 a night
- Sunari Lovina Beach Resort: Buleleng, from about $50 a night
- The Kirana Tembok: Buleleng, from about $50 a night
- Munduk Moding Plantation: Buleleng, from about $150 a night
- The Lovina Bali Resort: Buleleng, from about $150 a night
- Plataran Menjangan Resort & Spa: Buleleng, from about $160 a night
- The Damai: Buleleng, from about $150 a night
- Handara Golf & Resort Bali: Buleleng, from about $60 a night
- Taman Sari Bali Resort & Spa: Buleleng, from about $45 a night
Sights in Buleleng
- Gitgit Waterfall (waterfall). Gitgit is a single waterfall of about 35 m that falls into a rocky pool in a wooded ravine, just off the winding road between Bedugul and Singaraja. A paved path of a few hundred meters, lined with small stalls, leads down from the road to the base. It makes an easy stop on the drive between the lakes and the north coast.
- Pura Beji Sangsit (temple). Pura Beji is a subak temple in the village of Sangsit, east of Singaraja, where farmers honor Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice. Its gates, walls and stairways of pinkish sandstone are covered in the dense, flowing carving typical of north Bali, with barely a plain surface left. It lies just off the coast road, and a sarong is needed to go in.
- Pura Meduwe Karang (temple). Pura Meduwe Karang in Kubutambahan is a temple for the spirits that protect crops grown on unirrigated land, such as coconuts and corn. Rows of stone figures from the Ramayana stand on its front terrace, and a relief inside shows a man on a bicycle, said to be the Dutch artist W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, who toured Bali by bike in 1904. It is about 12 km east of Singaraja.
- Gedong Kirtya (museum). Gedong Kirtya in Singaraja is a library of lontar, the palm-leaf books in which Balinese texts on religion, medicine, history and myth were written, founded under Dutch rule in 1928. Its small rooms hold bundled leaf manuscripts, copper-plate inscriptions and colonial papers. It stands in the old Buleleng palace grounds next to the Buleleng Museum, so the two make one visit.
Beaches in Buleleng
- Bungkulan Beach (beach). Bungkulan Beach is the shore of Bungkulan, a fishing and farming village in Sawan district east of Singaraja on Bali's north coast. It is a quiet strip of black sand backed by rice fields, where local fishermen pull up their outrigger boats. Sea turtles nest along it, and the village has held festivals and celebrations on the stretch it calls Pantai Segara.