3 weeks in Bali in 2025 (page 2 of 3)

Hello, what a journey! And what weather! I'm currently in Java. The weather isn't exactly August-like, but it's manageable...

We followed each other in Jordan, now we're following each other in Indonesia... Let me know where I should go next time!

You’ve got options! After Sri Lanka in December, I’m heading back to the US for the umpteenth time in February... then Namibia in April. Unless Réunion in July sounds more appealing to you?

Great to see you here again!

PS: We’re wrapping up our Javanese trip with a few days in Bali, and the forecast is terrible...

Friday, August 8th, on the way to the North.

We leave Candi Dasa around 9:00 AM and hit the road. Our driver is friendly and suggests our first stop at the Tirta Gangga gardens and pools. The place is really nice!



In the area, the Abang rice terraces offer stunning views.



And we’re still circling Mount Agung little by little.



We soon reach the North coast and head west. Bathroom breaks are always an experience in Indonesia...



Arriving near Pemuteran, we stop at Pura Pulaki, a local temple overrun by a monkey colony that requires fencing to avoid being bothered.







A few kilometers later, we arrive in paradise! This "paradise" is the "Taruna," where we booked a suite for around 50 € per night (for 4 nights). Taruna has everything you’d expect: a family-run hotel with a warm welcome, delicious food, an enchanting garden, a gorgeous pool, the sea just 500 meters away, and fun activity options.

What a joy to follow your trip to Bali and Gili Meno, two islands I loved so much and haven’t returned to in about ten years. You weren’t lucky with the weather in Ubud—we had the same issue in Gili Meno: 2 days in a beach hut under torrential rain in August and just one day of sunshine! I’m happy to see there are still beautiful, affordable accommodations. But there are fewer and fewer rice fields; we already noticed this in Sidemen, where we stayed several times. The rice was being replaced by more profitable vegetable crops due to tourism development, or so we were told.

The offerings and ceremonies still seem to be there—we saw lots of cremation festivals and the tooth-filing ceremony in Ubud!

I’ll be following your adventures in the north of the island!

I really like your way of photographing and your straightforward, no-frills storytelling; it’s a travel journal I enjoy following.

Saturday, August 9 and Sunday, August 10, two days for one night.

On Saturday morning, we decide to chill because tonight, we're doing the Kawah Ijen on Java. A quick trip to the beach before enjoying the pool and the beautiful garden at Taruna.





At 11:00 PM, the driver is waiting for us to start the marathon. Around midnight, we arrive at the port of Gilimanuk, and the driver lets us board in the middle of the trucks. The atmosphere is a bit creepy—my wife isn’t reassured, and I take off my watch to put it in my bag. No need to attract unwanted attention. Outside, the drizzle returns.

About an hour on the ferry, where we meet a French family being taken care of by the same driver who brought us back from Candi Dasa. They’re really nice, and we swap stories. The other passengers are all locals.

At 1:00 AM, we meet our guide—a super-friendly 23-year-old who hikes up Kawah Ijen every night. The excursion was arranged by Taruna (2.2M IDR for the two of us), and the organization is flawless. We hop into an old 4x4 (an Asian model similar to a Land Rover 108), and off we go to the Kawah parking lot in torrential rain.

At 2:00 AM, it’s time to start! There’s a crowd—we knew it’d be busy, but this is beyond anything we imagined. Picture the Champs-Élysées on a Saturday night...



The hike to the crater’s edge is short but steep: 3 km uphill with 600 meters of elevation gain (an average 20% slope). Along the way, there are three small warungs to take a break—and at nearly 60 years old, we’ll take any chance to rest.

At the base of the slope, there’s a fleet of "Lamborghinis"—the nickname for the little carts for those who don’t want to walk... and who can afford it (1M IDR for the ascent and 500k IDR for the descent). Three guys work together to pull and push the carts, and given the slope, it’s a real workout. It’s exhausting having to step aside every 5 minutes when you hear "Lamborghini, Lamborghini!" But it’s their livelihood, so we respect it.

After the 3 km climb, there’s a 1.5 km false flat before finally reaching the crater. Well, we’re *told* we’re at the crater—because at 3:30 AM, in pitch-black darkness (it’s still raining), our headlamp doesn’t reveal much... even though it’s a full moon tonight! Time to put the masks around our necks.



At the crater’s edge, we have two options: 1/ Descend to the lake for the blue flames 2/ Climb to the summit for sunrise

I vote for the blue flames... but I’m not the only one. The entire crowd votes the same way, and it’s a traffic jam on the treacherous trail. While the uphill path allowed three or four people side by side, the crater descent is single file.

After 30 minutes, we’ve only covered 50 meters. Our guide looks hesitant and advises us to forget the blue flames ("too many people, too dangerous, we might arrive too late..."). Plus, he makes it clear I risk slipping (with my 6’6" frame and 220 lbs, I don’t have Nadia Comaneci’s balance!). So we turn around to head for the volcano’s summit, arriving around 5:30 AM—one hour before sunrise. It’s stopped raining, but it’s cold, so we huddle on the ground and try to rest a little.

Around 6:10 AM, it starts to clear up...



And by 6:45 AM, pure bliss!



We take a few photos of the lake from above.



But we need to start descending soon. At the crater’s edge, three or four porters have set up stalls selling little sulfur sculptures and displaying their baskets. But we won’t see much more—the guide says they usually arrive after 9:00 AM.



The descent goes smoothly. Our guide discovers the trekking poles we brought along. He thinks they’re a great idea and wonders where he can buy some in Java. I doubt he’ll find a Decathlon there!

By 8:30–9:00 AM, we’re back at the parking lot. An hour later, we’re on the ferry, and two hours after that, we’re back on the Bali side. On paper, we have one more hour to reach Pemuteran by noon. But our package includes an "Indonesian lunch" on the way back, so we stop at a small warung.



Instead of a warung, we end up at "ACK Fried Chicken" in Gilimanuk—a KFC-style fast-food joint, Indonesian style. There, we reunite with the French family we met on the ferry ride over. They managed to see the blue flames but missed the sunrise... so we swap photos on WhatsApp. I’m a little jealous, even though they confirm it was a total nightmare down there—absolute chaos with the crowds.

The KFC manager offers to take a photo of the French group. Like all drivers, it’s a way to feed their Instagram loop and showcase bits of their activities. We play along with a smile and the obligatory "Tonigencyl" pose.

The rest of the day is dedicated to napping and swimming... After all, we’re in paradise!

Monday, August 11, The Big Blue (the return).

Via the Taruna, we head out for a snorkeling activity on Pulau Menjangan Island.

At 9:00 AM, a pick-up (which looks like it’s from the late René Coty / early Charles de Gaulle era) comes to "pick us up" at the hotel to cover the 500 meters to the beach. We meet up with other tourists (there are 9 of us on the boat, including 7 fellow countrymen), and off we go for a half-hour boat ride to the swimming spot. It’s quite different from Gili Meno: the corals are more beautiful, there are more fish, it’s less crowded, but no turtles, and above all, it’s not a "private" experience despite the price, which is even more expensive (1.2M IDR for the two of us).



We splash around for 1.5 hours at two different sites, and around noon, we head back to Pemuteran. The "captain" explains that the swell picks up in the afternoon and it’s not safe to stay. So, we do the third "dive" as planned at Pemuteran Beach, where a dock has been set up at Biorock—a place where they’re trying to recreate a coral reef using an electrolysis system powered by solar energy. That said, the seabed is much less appealing than at Pemuteran, so we take the opportunity to "enjoy" our lunch (rice and a cold egg with a banana for dessert). By 2:00 PM, we’re back at the hotel after the "tour" in the prehistoric pick-up.









In the afternoon, it’s pool time until 4:30 PM, and then the rain returns.

Tuesday, August 12, the mountain gets you every time. The driver is there around 9:00 AM to take us to Munduk.

This morning, we had several options: leave early to see the dolphins in Lovina (but we weren’t up for waking up at 5:00 AM), stop by the Air Panas Banjar hot springs along the way (but we weren’t in the mood for a swim), or visit the Brahmavihara-Arama Buddhist temple, which turned out to be a great choice.

Here, you’ll find all the classic elements of a Buddhist temple—colorful facades, white or golden Buddhas, multicolored dragons, and even a mini Borobudur (like France Miniature). I highly recommend this stop, especially since the setting is gorgeous, overlooking the sea from the first foothills of the mountains.











We hit the road again, and from Mayong, it climbs a bit to reach the village of Munduk.



Munduk and Pemutran—two vibes in one. The blue of the sea gives way to the green of rice terraces and clove, banana, avocado, and vanilla plantations. The village stretches along the road between 700 and 1,100 meters in altitude, and we chose to stay at the very top in an "ecostay" with wooden chalets "lost" in the forest: Gumi Ayu Hotel. We arrive around 3:30 PM and start with a quick lunch at the restaurant, which offers an extraordinary view over the valley. Then we settle into our chalet for the next two nights (there are only 7 accommodations) and enjoy the view.



Right after, we head to Tutub Waterfall, just above Gumi Ayu. It gives us a first taste of the waterfall vibe we’ll experience the next day. At 6:00 PM, we’ve booked a massage for two. Even though it’s pricier than at previous hotels (350k IDR vs. the usual 150k or 180k), it’s still a steal for an hour of relaxation, and my partner confirms it was worth it.



Around 7:30 PM, we head to the restaurant. It’s starting to get a bit chilly in the dark night (18°C at that moment). Gumi Ayu has one big downside—it’s a bit out of the way from Munduk (and the road there is sketchy), but it has an even bigger upside: its restaurant. Sure, it’s a bit pricier than the warungs, but the food is so good, especially since they serve dishes with "mash potatoes" and "sweet potatoes"... after two weeks of nasi goreng, it’s pure bliss!



We’re on dessert (I recommend the "lava cake") when our server brings us "hot water bottles"! "You said what? Yes, hot water bottles, like hot water bags!"



The idea is to warm up a bit on this windy terrace and keep the "hot water bottles" for the night since the temperature will drop to 14°C. We laugh at the local expression, which isn’t so surprising after all—French travelers are everywhere in this Pemuteran/Munduk area.

We end up having a cozy night under the covers.

Wednesday, August 13, the waterfall hike.

After a good night's sleep, lulled by the sound of the Tutub, we recharge with breakfast at Gumi Ayu (the best of the stay) and its 180% view of the forest.





This morning, we do the hike to the 3 waterfalls (which turned out to be 4). To reach the top one (Golden Valley – free entry), we walk down for 10 minutes along the road (it’s like a Squid Game challenge) before heading into the "jungle."



In reality, there’s no jungle here—just forest agriculture with the different plantations mentioned earlier. It’s nice and bucolic. From Golden, we head down to Labuhan Kebo waterfall (entry 20k) before climbing back up to Red Coral (entry 40k) and then descending to Melanting (entry 20k), tackling the dizzying stairs of Melanting on the way down.











The walk is really great, and I recommend doing it in this descending order (we passed some hikers who weren’t looking too fresh). At regular intervals, little "grocery stalls" sell spices and fruits. That’s where we stocked up on vanilla pods to bring back to our parents (subliminal message: we love your crème renversée).



It’s hotter now, and the mist from the waterfalls is a blessing to cool off before heading back from Melanting via a rougher trail that takes us back to the center of Munduk (via Jalan Taman). I’d planned to do the rice terraces right after, but our French friends from Kawah-Ijen talked us out of it (they did it over 2 days).



We have lunch around 3 PM at a little warung ("Enjoy Café 2") with a nice view (even if it’s getting cloudy) before heading back up to Gumi Ayu with the hotel’s designated driver (150k for the ride, but we could’ve paid 10 times that to avoid the sketchy route). A quiet evening at Gumi Ayu, another great dinner, and hot water bottles to ensure a good night’s rest.

Went to Kawa Ijen 2 days ago. What a letdown! And yet, unlike you, we had amazing weather! Everything’s about business at the expense of safety (and the magic of the moment).

You’ll have to tell us all about it...

Thanks for this travel journal. The photos are gorgeous. I’d considered this destination for this summer, but I waited a bit too long and got worried about overtourism. We ended up going back to the US for a road trip in New Mexico (which we loved) and Arizona (which we already knew).

This journal is slowly making me feel better about the idea of a future trip to Indonesia. I’ll definitely be following it closely.

Thanks so much, Manu, for this Bali update—it brings back great memories! 😊 Unlike you, we didn’t get any rain during our trip in August 2016. Those turtle encounters sound amazing—we didn’t have time for boat excursions, what a shame! Plus, the photos really make this travel journal shine! 😍

White Sands in August—it must be a bit scorching ;)

For us, it was in 2009... https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=2531862;#2531862

White Sands in August—it must sting a bit ;)

More than a bit... even after 6 PM! I’d been tempted by this destination for a while, but I couldn’t get more than a week off during New Mexico’s "ideal" season. And since we didn’t want to wait until retirement to go, we headed there in August. Sure, we definitely felt the heat at times. But not a single regret about going—we loved it. (Ten degrees cooler would’ve been amazing, but we made do.)

Thursday, August 14, from mountains to rice terraces.

Around 9:00 AM, "John Lennon" is waiting for us in the parking lot. John—whose real name is Kabi—is our driver (super friendly and a bit quirky), and he’s the one taking us to our final stop, "D'Ume Bendoel Homestay" near Jatiluwih.

The road winds through the mountains, and we quickly reach the Twin Lakes viewpoint. The view is really nice and reminds us a bit of our "cow mountains" back in Auvergne.





From the summit, we head down to Lake Bratan to visit Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, an iconic temple set in the lake. The place feels a bit like Disneyland, but it’s still fun to watch Indonesians enjoying a bit of tourism. Heavy clouds loom over the lake, but luckily, the sun makes a few rare appearances—just enough to make me happy. It’s nice, but we’ll see better later.









Next, we head to the rice terraces of Jatiluwih to do the short loop and explore the area (we’ll be back tomorrow). A 1-hour-15-minute walk through the terraced rice fields is beautiful, even though the sun’s gone AWOL and the clouds are looking a bit more threatening.





After that, we make our way to Pura Luhur Batukaru, a temple we really loved.

It’s the complete opposite of the last one—jungle vs. lake, authenticity vs. Disneyland, solitude vs. crowds, quiet reflection vs. a wild party. A great moment on the slopes of Mount Batukaru... and on top of that, I discover the udeng suits me perfectly (the udeng is a headband Balinese men tie around their heads).





Then, it’s time for us to head to our chalet...

D'ume Bendoel Homestay is a truly special place.

Tucked away at the foot of Batukaru Temple, this homestay offers individual little cottages right in the heart of the rice fields. You're 25 minutes from Jatiluwih, but it's just as charming here—though very secluded... so it's perfect for spending a night (or even two).

One small downside: the welcome felt a bit too commercial. It’s a shame they only push the (paid) activities they offer. We would’ve liked a little more spontaneity.

So we set off on foot to explore our little slice of paradise.

In the evening, dinner choices are simple: Nasi or Mie Goreng (plus a soup). We’re starting to get a bit tired of potatoes, though ;)

The night is filled with the sounds of the rice fields (but why do roosters in Bali start crowing at 1:30 AM?!) and the gecko that never fails to make its presence known.

Friday, August 15, how beautiful the rice terraces are!

I was up before 7:00 AM to capture the rice terrace in the morning light, and it was totally worth it!





Around 9:00 AM, John Lennon is back for a day of sightseeing. We start by heading back to Jatiluwih, which makes us so happy. The weather is great, the parking lots are still empty, and John takes us on a 2.5-hour tour that’s absolutely breathtaking.









It’s worth noting that the rice terrace isn’t just a postcard-perfect scene.

Late morning, John Lennon takes us for coffee at a "plantation" just past the rice fields, the "Jati Wangi Luwak Coffee."

Let’s be honest, it’s super commercial: 5 minutes in a garden looking at coffee plants and other vegetation, 5 minutes to see a civet and catch the smile of a woman showing us the roasting process, and then they sit you down to taste flavored coffees and teas. The good news is it’s free... unless you try the Luwak (50k, but we do it because it’s a chance to taste it) or if you can’t resist the shop (and we do that too). In short, it’s well-oiled!









Next, John suggests stopping by the "Bayan Ancient Tree" of Kayu Putih, a 700-year-old tree that’s supposedly the oldest on the island and makes a great playground for kids. It’s nice.





Final stop at the chocolate plantation "Desa Coklat Bali," where we have lunch around 3:00 PM (they serve dishes without rice!). The alternative was scooter meatballs, but we’re not risking it!



Right after, we do the tour (330k), which includes a walk through the plantation (2 hectares of cocoa trees) to open a bean and a presentation of the different steps in making chocolate. It was okay, but it felt more "alive" in Colombia.







After that, back to our chalet and its nasi goreng...