18 tips and trips
From villa Cape Gulah in Tejakula you can visit more than half of the island with day trips.
1. Stroll along the beach and visit the public bath house. Do this beach walk only at low tide! Turn right and walk past the fishing boats, you will pass hotel Cili Emas and after 45 minutes you will arrive at hotel Gaia Oasis (with reef shoes it is easier to walk). Go back along the main road, turn left at a statue at a three-fork in the center of Tejakula to see the village's famous public baths (still in use) and climb to the temple behind and above these baths (wear a sarong). Nice view of the village!
2. Walk along the beach to Bondalem. Turn left towards Bondalem to see sea salt production (in summer) and have lunch at Bondalem Beach Club (1 hour). Take enough water with you. Do this beach walk also at low tide!
3. To the waterfall of Les. Follow the main road to the east for about 5 km, then turn to the right (follow the signs), after a kilometer follow the road right along a temple. After a short time the road ends at the entrance of the path. There the walk of 25 minutes to the waterfall starts. You cannot get lost (no side paths). Back to the main road and turn to the east for a lunch at Alamanda, a ten minute drive.
4. Go boating and fishing in front of the villa at sunrise. You may rent a fishing boat; ask Dewi how. But do it early in the morning only when the sea is calm! Dolphins (if you are lucky)…
5. Go to the local market. Walk down the street, turn to the left at the first road intersection, follow the bend of the road and you will find the early morning market on your left, a 1,5 kilometer walk.
6. To Singaraja and see temples along the way. Main road to the west. Singaraja is a drive of about forty five minutes. On the way: have a stop at the hilarious Art Zoo of the artist Simon (see his paintings at the back side of Cape Gulah)! You must visit the beautiful temple of Kubutambahan. And a few kilometers further away: Sangsit. Turn right at an intersection in this town and see an amazing temple after 200 meters on the right. A little further away in the rice fields you will find another temple with erotic sculptures. Take a lunch in Singaraja in front of the harbor, visit the Chinese temple and don't forget the covered main market. Or enjoy a lunch at Penpen restaurant (see the sign of the road upwards in the village of Sembiran) with breathtaking views!
7. To Lovina to see the dolphins. Early in the morning (5 am) head to Lovina (west of Singaraja). Boats depart from different hotels (for example hotel Aneka). Dolphins by the dozen! Or see them in front of Cape Gulah (if you're lucky). In Lovina you can also snorkel well.
8. To the waterfalls of Gitgit and the Bratan lake. Again to Singaraja, and then drive to the south. After 15 kilometers there are two waterfalls. Both nice. Continue to Bratan lake with the beautiful Pura Ulun Danau Bratan. Still one kilometer drive further: in curve road with arch on the right side: this is the road to the botanical gardens of Kebun Raya. You can combine this trip with a visit to a Buddhist monastery (see 9). Or drive further to the amazing rice fields of Jatiluwih. A beautiful day tour.
9. To the Buddhist shrine of Brahma Vihara Arama and to the hot springs. Drive to Singaraja and Lovina in the direction of Seririt. A few kilometers before this city go to the left at a sign to Banjar. Turn left at the market in this village and at end of the road turn right, after a kilometer you arrive at the temple. Return to the market, turn left and follow on you left side the Air Panas sign to the hot springs. Popular by Balinese people.
10. To Lake Batur and Trunyan. Take the road up to Kintamani. Drive along the lake to Penelokan. Take the road downhill to the lake and Kedisan. At the lake: turn right until you see a large parking lot where you can rent a boat. And sail to Trunyan cemetery (half an hour) where the dead lie above the ground... For the living people: combine this tour with a wonderful visit of the hot spring of Toyadevasya (drive back to the other side of the lake, follow the billboards). Also beautiful view from restaurants of Penelokan.
11. Climb the Batur volcano and see the sunrise. Turn left down towards Kedisan by the lake. After a kilometer or five you will find some starting points for the climb (takes about 2 hours). Best start in de middle of the night to see at 6 am the sunrise! Ask Dewi for a driver. For young legs...
12. Tour to the rice fields of Tirtaganga + Lempuyang and water palace in Amlapura. Long day trip to the east. Detour possible to explore Amed. You can take the big loop around the volcano (scenic road) or a short cut through amazing rice fields near Tirtaganga (see the beautiful water complex). Take a detour halfway to Lempuyang Temple with stunning views of Gunung Agung Volcano. If you take the big loop you will drive past a beautiful water palace just before Amlapura. Alternatively, you may drive back a different way and visit the Besakih temple.
13. To Pura Besakih. The most important ‘mother temple’ of Bali. Again drove along Lake Batur. Can also be visited from Ubud, along with Pura Kehen (between Ubud and Pura Besakih).
14. To Kerta Gosa at Semarapura (formerly called Klungkung). Long journey to beautiful ceiling paintings of the Kerta Gosa juridical complex at the traffic junction of the last Puputan in 1908 (collective suicide). Nice covered cloth market (100 meters from the intersection, behind an arch). Also interesting: Gunarsa museum (drive from Semarapura in the direction of Gianyar, after about a kilometer of 5-10 you see the museum right at a crossroad with a large statue of a policeman).
15. Snorkeling and scuba diving. Snorkel right in front of our house! Nice drop off with great variety of fish (or a turtle). The drop off extends from our villa to that of our neighbors right across the road. Diving school in hotel Teluk Karang (Penuktukan, a 10 minute drive east) or hotel Alamanda (Sembirenteng, 20 minute drive east). Superb wreck diving in Tulamben (north-east) or Menjangan Island (north-west). There is hardly any current in front of our villa. But only junp in the sea when there are few waves; the visibility is good (especially in the morning). Snorkeling equipment is present (handle with care; rinse and dry after use). The coral is fairly good, but head nearby to Teluk Karang for great snorkeling! Amazing coral patterns…
16. A day trip to Ubud, the cultural centre of Bali (start early for this nearly 2-hour drive). See the famous (renovated) market and wander through the Monkey Forest Road, the central shopping street. Head to the Neka Museum, Museum Lukisan or Agung Rai Museum if you are interested in the famous and intriguing tradition of painting in Bali. Museum Antonio Blanco is also spectacular. Delicious lunch in Casa Luna, the Bridge or Indus with a fabulous view of Mount Agung. Or walk through the rice fields north of Ubud. Visit Goja Gajah near Ubud!
17. Massage at home. There is a massage bed in our villa. Have a 1 or 1.5 hour traditional Balinese massage. Have Lusi call. Addictive… Important: Thoroughly remove the massage oil by showering before jumping into the pool! Sunburn also affects the quality of the water. Please don't jump in the pool; there is a problem with the tiles coming loose.
18. A traditional dance performance at Cape Gulah during lunch or dinner time.
Ask our house manager! Apart from a romantic dinner in the villa you can also enjoy a chic dinner at the Jing, a 300 meter walk on the left along the beach. Book a day in advance (Will and Vera: +62 811-3941-6424).