The Islands of BALI, JAVA, LOMBOK, KOMODO, SUMATRA & SULAWESI

BALI is probably one of the most interesting islands of the world, here the gods have created a paradise with an unusual cultural and scenic diversity. Bali is still a byword for a dream vacation, even the bombing on even the bomb attack of October 2, 2002 could not prevent. Holidaymakers from all over the world have pushed the number of visitors in 2009 again to a gigantic peak, although there is no or very little commercial advertising in Europe. It seems to be the word of mouth advertising that makes Bali one of the most popular islands. The extremely great friendliness and open-mindedness of the inhabitants of Bali as well as the unique culture seem to play a big role here. Dream beaches, lush tropical vegetation, lush green gorges, palm groves and volcanoes characterize the landscape.

If you want to experience Bali still traditionally, you should go off the beaten track of the tourism industry. tourism industry. The tourist strongholds KUTA, LEGIAN, SEMINYAK as well as SANUR are often without exception overcrowded in the high season. The "Ballermann" is in Kuta and Legian strongly pronounced, here especially the Australians are very active at night. KUTA SQUARE became a ghost town during the pandemic and has not recovered well even now, January 2023. The popular seaside resort of Sanur is still, like Jimbaran, one of the quieter areas, although SANUR has developed very positively, because during the pandemic a wide beach promenade was created, whereby cyclists and walkers can enjoy. NUSA DUA was built in the 70s and often serves for meetings of government leaders (G20 2022). Increasingly, in recent times, many Russian guests. Not far from Nusa Dua, 100m above the surf, is the temple ULU WATU, a sought-after photo motif at sunset. Here there is also the daily Kecak-Fire-Dance, probably one of the most most interesting dances at dusk. If you are interested in culture, painting and dance, you are in good hands in UBUD. Many stores, restaurants, cafes and galleries line up like a string of pearls. pearl necklace. A gallery worth seeing is located right near the famous suspension bridge that connects Ubud with Campuan. Not only the gallery, the whole complex of the Spanish-Filipino artist Mario Blanco is worth seeing, entrance fee 50.000Rp. A BALI ZOO can also be found near Ubud, it has recently been expanded and is becoming more popular. greater popularity. In the Bali SAFARI & MARINE PARK, a spacious new facility on the route between Sanur and Candi Dasa, you can see rare animals in large enclosures from the passing truck. from a passing truck. However, if you want to observe animals in the wild, you are better off on the other islands (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, etc.) of Indonesia.

Among the scenic highlights are definitely the rice terraces, which characterize almost the entire image of Bali. Particularly worth seeing are the rice terraces at Jatiluwih (world cultural heritage) and Tegalallang. Unfortunately, at the latter the views are increasingly disturbed by the development with stores and the resulting annoying vendors. Somewhat more undisturbed one can enjoy the terraces around GUNUNG KAWI near Tampaksiring, with the approximately 900 year old memorials carved out of the rock in this valley providing an overwhelming backdrop. The Jatiluwih rice terraces are a World Heritage Site and are truly worth seeing. With an easy BIKETOUR from the jungle temple Batukaru one can combine both sights and enjoy a touch of exotic in an active way. https://www.cocostravel.de/trauminsel-bali/tagestour-reisterrassen-im-paradies/. Another scenic highlight is the canyon of the Ayung River, especially if you go by rafting boat through the green gorge. green gorge. This humid experience is offered by many domestic and foreign companies. SOBEK, MASON, Paddy Venture, White Water Rafting to name a few. to name a few.

For those who like it a bit more adventurous, there are plenty of opportunities in the mountains. possibilities. With a VULCANO TOUR one has from the crater edge of the still active volcano BATUR (1717 m) at sunrise a great view of the nearby volcano Agung (3142 m), the lake Batur and with clear view even up to the island LOMBOK with the active volcano RINJANI (3726 m). Lake Batur and with clear view even up to the island LOMBOK with the active volcano RINJANI ( 3726 m ). In any case, it is recommended to spend the night here near the volcano, because the guides already start at 3:30 am. The difference in altitude is about 500 m, it is almost always steeply uphill without serpentines, the walking time is about 2 hours. The mountain does not require special alpine knowledge, but you should not go without a guide. Unfortunately, there are no fixed prices for a guide, here is the The price per person is between 400.000 and 600.000 Rp. Sturdy shoes and long clothing should be in any case. The Accommodations at the edge of the Batur are simple and quite inexpensive. Directly at the Batur lake there are HOT SOURCES, 10 USD entrance fee. Toya Dewasya has developed quite creatively in recent times, the operator is very profit-oriented and the HOT SPRINGS have become somewhat kitschy, but the Chinese seem to like it. Furthermore, there is a glamping (glamorous camping) on a hill with great view to the volcano and the lake, the tents are very comfortably equipped and the restaurant offers a good selection of food and drinks. We offer both accommodations on our 2-day tour VULCAN BATUR https://www.cocostravel.de/trauminsel-bali/vulkan-batur-2-tage/

Furthermore, the area in the central highlands around BEDUGUL with the 3 crater lakes quite good active recreational opportunities. In any case, the temple on the shore of Lake Bratan, the postcard motif par excellence, is a sight to see. It was built for the goddess of water and ceremonies can often be observed here. Besides the Hindu temple, there is also a Buddhist stupa in this beautifully maintained complex. The somewhat tourist market in Candy Kuning is to be enjoyed with caution, here there are a lot of fruits, spices, vegetables and also orchids to admire, who wants to buy, must be prepared for extremely excessive prices and act stubbornly! A walk is also worthwhile in the Botanical Garden, there are more than 1100 different plant species growing on an area of 154 ha. Since some time it is also allowed to ride with bikes, not only with cars through the wonderful landscape. A beautiful HIGH ROPE GARDEN is located right at the entrance of the area. For those who prefer a natural adventure garden, we recommend a TREKKINGTOUR to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Bali. During this challenging day tour through the rainforest we will learn with a local guide we will get to know a lot of herbs, medicinal plants and exotic fruits. A tingling bath in a pool with crystal clear water in a jungle book scenery, could be the icing on the cake of this day. https://www.cocostravel.de/trauminsel-bali/regenwaldtrekking/

For divers and snorkelers Bali also has a lot to offer. There are diving opportunities around the island, whereby the north with the two wrecks at Tulamben and Amed and also the island Menjangan in the north-west is particularly recommended. The German Diving School PARADISE DIVING offers safety, fun and complete service. The diving mobile drives to all diving places around Bali. The diving base, -school is located Padang Bai. Who does not like it deep and still want to admire colorful living fish and also corals from close up, should plan a trip to MENJANGAN National Park. The distance from the tourist strongholds in the South is about 150 kilometers, in Germany a stone's throw, on Bali you have to reckon with a driving time of 3-4 car hours for one trip. Therefore it is advisable, if it is not to become a stress should rather plan an overnight stay in the north. Near the small island there is enough accommodation in the village of Pemuteran in different price ranges. The snorkeling places can be reached in 30 minutes by boat from the mainland. The two more or less small boat landing places are Labuan Lalang and at Hotel Mimpi Resort near Banyuwedang. More service and less garbage at the Mimpi Snorkeling Point. For those who want to be a bit more active and see the beautiful rice terraces not only from the vehicle, we have an easy BIKING TOUR with all the highlights along the way. https://www.cocostravel.de/trauminsel-bali/insel-menjangan/

The temples TANAH LOT and the mother temple BESAKIH have a magnetic effect on the visitors. especially when visiting the mother temple strong nerves are needed because of the more or less annoying guides and sellers. Sellers are everywhere where the tourists a worth seeing object discovered, naturally also in Tanah Lot, nevertheless a attendance of this sea temple ranks with security with sunset among the high points of an island attendance. Who visited the temple ULU WATU on the cliffs in the very south of the peninsula Bukit, should keep glasses, caps, wallets and the like safe, here seems to be a horde of trained monkeys seem to be keen on these items. With the help of a "friendly" Balinese, these things can usually be recaptured in exchange for a reasonable fee. Besides temples and monkeys there are still a few really worth seeing beaches on this relatively dry peninsula Bukit, which are especially appreciated by surfers. The probably most spectacular surfbeach of Bali can be reached in a few car or moped minutes from the temple to the left. Here the daredevil guys and also a few girls meet to find the right tube. A view from 20m height from the iconic Warungs and simple accommodations on the breaking waves is worthwhile. A steep stairway leads down to the beach, several small white bays, which can be reached through rocky passages at low tide. at low tide are worth the effort. Other surf beaches worth seeing are along the west coast from ULU WATU north-west via Blue Point, Padang-Padang, Impossible, Bingin, Pecatu (former DREAMLAND) to Balangan.

The only way to reach the island of LOMBOK by ferry from Bali is by sea. by sea is from the small fishing town of Padang Bai. The place has developed well in recent times, some new small hotels have been built and there are 2 beautiful beaches, which invite you to swim. If you go left along the promenade by the traditional outrigger boats, the path leads up a steep staircase to the small mountain, from here you can already see the bay. the bay. At the Blue Lagoon you can even snorkel quite well, the equipment can be rented in the warungs for a fee. The White Sand Beach can be reached by a path on the right side over a Unfortunately there is still some garbage on the way there. The beach itself is clean and there are also some small warungs with drinks and snacks. Accommodation is available in Padang Bai in different price ranges, also dive schools are plentiful, including the German dive center Paradise Diving. In the Bali Aga Village Teganan, a traditional village, is very much focused on tourism, one has the feeling of being in a large open-air theater. Everything from parking to the sale of items, not all of which are from the village not all of which come from the village, everything seems to be organized. If you don't absolutely have to go here, you can safely leave it alone. The beach in Candi Dasa unfortunately fell victim to lime mining in the 80s. the extraction of lime. The offshore coral reef was systematically mined and the coral was burned to lime. A ban by the Indonesian government unfortunately came too late, Now the fishing village, which was once an insider tip, has plenty of hotels but few paying guests. There is no beach at high tide or low tide, gray concrete walls protect the hotels from the ocean waves. from the ocean waves. Too bad!