The hills of eastern Bali were once home to some of the most powerful kings of Bali. The few remains of their palaces and playgrounds, such as the Tirta Gangga water palace, give you a glimpse into the Bali that existed before World War II and independence. The area is also home to several of Bali's most important temples, such as the Besakih 'mother temple' and the Goa Lawah bat-cave temple.
East Bali is very popular with scuba divers, and several of the main destinations around the region are heavily oriented to those seeking underwater sights. Among the various developed areas, Candidasa is probably has the most to offer, and is the one town you'll likely find the most non-diver friendly.
What you won't find much of in east Bali are sandy beaches. Thanks to some badly degraded reefs, and the geology of the landscape, the region has a mostly rocky shore line. There are beaches around the southern area of Padang Bai, and you will find some beaches here and there, but east Bali is not the best destination for those that need to lay around on sandy beaches.
Amed sits on the northern edge of the very eastern tip of Bali. The area actually encompasses a whole string of little beach villages. These are still mostly fishing villages, so those that want to lie on the beach will have to find space between the traditional jukung fishing boats, which usually put to sea late at night or in the wee hours of the morning, and return with their catch around sunrise.
Candidasa (also spelled as two words - Candi Dasa) is one of those surprising 'unknown' destinations around Bali. It doesn't figure large in most guidebooks, but it does have a surprising number of small resorts and an even more surprising number of great restaurants. More importantly, for me, it feels more like the 'real' Bali, with lots of locally owned businesses with local employees (the majority of workers in South Bali tourist businesses are from elsewhere in Indonesia) and Balinese people going about their daily life, more or less ignoring the few tourists.
Photos of the Goa Lawah Temple in east Bali. Click on any of the thumbnails to see the full size image. On Bali's eastern coast is the small but important temple of Goa Lawah. The temple itself is built just in front of a cave opening in the coastal cliffs. The cave is home to thousands of fruit bats, and according to legend, a giant dragon-like snake called Basuki also makes the cave its home.
Padang Bai Area Map Padang Bai is where the main ferry terminal for boats to Lombok is located. Both slow and fast boats to Lombok and the Gilis can be boarded here. The bay is also used as the departure point by a lot of dive shops for trips to Nusa Penida and other off-shore dive sites. The town has a somewhat wild-west gritty feel to it, with lots of budget accommodations lining the bayfront, while dive boats and other craft line the beach.
Photos of the King's Palace in Amlapura, east Bali. Click on any of the thumbnails to see the full size image. The town of Amlapura is the capital of Karangasem ('East Bali'). The palace of the former kings of the region is located here, and their descendants have opened parts of the complex to the public. The Puri Agung displays a mix of Balinese and European styles. The very European main residence building was built by the Dutch in the late nineteenth century as a gift to the King to help strengthen ties with the local royalty.
Photos of the Tirta Gangga Water Palace in east Bali. Click on any of the thumbnails to see the full size image. Northeast Bali can get quite hot and dry compared to the much wetter south, so in 1948 the King of Karangesem, based in nearby Amlapura, started construction of a "water palace" to escape the summer heat. The complex was almost completely destroyed during the eruptions of Mount Agung in 1963.
Tulamben Travel Guide Tulamben is where one of the Bali's most popular scuba dive sites is located: the wreck of the World War II era supply ship Liberty. Aside from the diving, there isn't a lot to recommend the area to non-divers. The beaches around Tulamben consist of large stones, so they're not good for sunbathing or beach sports at all, and there's generally very little surf to speak of. The hand full of hotels and resorts in Tulamben cater almost exclusively to divers, and many of them play host to van-loads of divers who make a day trip to Tulamben from more southern parts of Bali.
Photos of the Ujung Water Palace in east Bali. Click on any of the thumbnails to see the full size image. On the seaside at Ujung, the King of Karangesem built the Ujung Water Palace between 1912 and 1919. This King was the father of the King who built Tirta Gangga. The complex was heavily damaged by the 1963 earthquakes accompanying the eruption of Mount Agung, and more or less abandoned.
