The Transbalinaise

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Denpasar – Ubud

  Arrival at Denpasar airport and transfer to Ubud, a city located on the hills north of Denpasar, in a hilly landscape of lush rice fields and ravines. Ubud is renowned for its painting school. Despite the exponential tourist development it has experienced in recent years, the city has managed to preserve its tranquility and beauty. The rest of the day is free. Overnight at the hotel. 1 hour transfer Meals: – Ubud, city of art A prince from the kingdom of Gianyar (Cokorda Gede Sukawati) had the ingenious idea of inviting artists from all over Bali to settle in Ubud in order to freely practice their arts, even offering asylum to those rejected from their original kingdom. Many artists from all disciplines then settled in Ubud, which slowly became the main cultural center of Bali. The palaces and temples are today richly decorated with the works of craftsmen who came to seek refuge in Ubud or artists who developed their art for the benefit of the local nobility.

• day 2

  Ubud – Tampaksiring – Ubud

  The morning is devoted to a walking tour of Ubud, then at lunchtime, we head towards Tampaksiring. A family of Balinese artists welcomes us into their traditional home and offers us a typical and delicious meal, accompanied by Balinese dances. In the afternoon, we begin a short walk to the "Gunung Kawi" temple, or even to the "Tirta Empul" temple. Return to Ubud. 30 minutes transfer – 2 hours walk Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

• day 3

  Ubud – Jatiluwih

  In the early morning, transfer to Jatiluwih, a small village located in the heart of the most beautiful rice fields in Bali, in the central-western part of the island. We then begin, in the early afternoon, a superb hike through this true ocean represented by the terraced rice fields that surround us. Overnight in a guesthouse. 2 hours of transfer – 3 hours of walking Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

• day 4

  Jatiluwih – Wongayagede

  We begin today our great trek that crosses Bali. Tropical forests and terraced rice fields are the landscapes that line our path to the village of Wongayagede, located on the southern slopes of the Batukaru volcano (2278 m). Visit to the Luhur Batukaru temple, which emerges in a setting of lush greenery and where several multi-roofed "meru" stand, some of which date back to the 17th century, dedicated to the ancestors of the Tabanan dynasty and to local protective deities. Night with a local host. 5 hours of walking Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner The 6 temples, cardinal points of Bali According to the Balinese, the island is a representation of the Hindu cosmos. The 6 most essential elements of Bali are thus marked by 6 temples, dedicated to the worship of the mountains, the sea, the earth, the lakes, the rice fields, and the forests. Pura Luhur Batukaru, mainly dedicated to the worship of the lord of Mt Batukaru, is one of these 6 most sacred temples.

• day 5

  Wongayagede – Starfruit

  We continue our hike through fields and rice paddies towards the village of Belimbing. Night at the hotel. 7 hours of walking Meals: breakfast, lunch.

• day 6

  Belimbing – Munduk

  In the early morning, transfer to Munduk, via an extraordinary waterfall located near the village of Pujungan. Munduk is located in a region of Bali rich in history, considered the cradle of Balinese culture. The former Dutch colonists liked to stay there for holidays, coming from the former colonial capital of Singaraja (on the north coast). In the early afternoon, we walk around the village to discover the beauty of the surrounding nature. The surroundings of Munduk indeed form a picturesque scene with its coffee and clove plantations near forests and waterfalls. Overnight in a guesthouse. 1 hour 30 minutes transfer – 4 hours walking Meals: Breakfast

• day 7

  Munduk – Tamblingan and Buyan Lakes – Ulun Danu Bratan Buddhist Temple – Catur

  Our trek of the day takes us to Candi Kuning, along the volcanic lakes Tamblingan and Buyan. These two lakes once formed a single body of water, until the huge landslide of 1818 that permanently separated them. This magnificent hike is an opportunity to discover local agricultural and cultural life, as we walk along and through the beautiful tropical forests of the island. A short vehicle transfer takes us to the peaceful waters of Lake Bratan, the source of life for all the rivers, rice fields, virgin forests, and streams located below. In the afternoon, we visit the superb Hindu-Buddhist temple of Ulun Danau. This place is enchanting, with its huge banyan tree at the entrance and its beautiful gardens. One of the temples is set on a small island, and its 11-tiered roof is elegantly reflected in the waters of the lake. We then soak up the atmosphere of the picturesque Bedugul market, before continuing our journey to the village of Catur, located halfway between Lake Bratan and the caldera of Mt Batur. Overnight with a local host. 1 hour transfer – 5 hours hiking Elevation gain: 500 m – Elevation loss: 100 m Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

• day 8

  Catur – Penelokan – Toyabungkah Mt Batur

  In the early morning, a short walk around the village, through lovely orange and coffee plantations. Back at our host's home in the late morning, it is an opportunity to deepen our knowledge of rural life by possibly attending a cockfight (one of the main passions of the Balinese, which is also considered a sacred local ritual) and by observing the customs and traditions of these villagers, who are hardly used to mass tourism. In the early afternoon, we reach the edge of the Batur volcano caldera (1717 m). From Penelokan, we enjoy an exceptional view of the crater of Mt Batur, which is 14 km long. This impressive size testifies to the tumultuous past of the volcano and to a dimension that once must have exceeded that of the current Agung. At our feet, we discover the cone of the volcano in the middle of a vast caldera, partly occupied by the largest lake in Bali, and also covered with plantations and lava fields, remnants of the eruptions of 1917 and 1926. We then descend into the caldera to get closer to the lava flows. Short transfer to Toyabungkah, located at the foot of the volcano. Overnight in a guesthouse. 45 minutes transfer – 5 hours walking Elevation gain: 300 m Meals: Breakfast

• day 9

  Toyabungkah – Mount Batur – Toyabungkah – Kehen Temple – Sidemen

  At the end of the night, we begin the ascent of Mount Batur. A little before sunrise, we first reach the summit of the oldest crater, then start our descent by going around the adjacent craters and taking a break near (but at a safe distance from) the most recent and most active crater. In the afternoon, transfer to the famous Kehen temple, one of the most important and most aesthetic temples in Bali. Transfer to Sidemen. Overnight in bungalows. 1 hour 30 minutes transfer – 5 hours walking Positive elevation gain: 600 m – Negative elevation gain: 600 m Meals: Breakfast The Ritual: Eka Desa Rudra Every 10 years and every 100 years, two major ceremonies of purification and regeneration are organized at the "Pura Besakih" temple: Panca Watikrama and Eka Dasa Rudra. The latter, the most exceptional ritual of all, took place twice in the past century, in 1963 and in 1979. The reason is tragic: in the middle of the month of celebration, Mount Agung entered an eruptive phase of a force never before known in living memory. Some interpretations linked the volcano's great displeasure to the clumsy choice of the ceremony date. Eka Desa Rudra was therefore repeated in 1979.

• day 10

  Sidemen

  The morning is devoted to a lovely hike around Sidemen, through highland plantations and rice fields. During this walk, we pass by many hamlets, which are ideal for meeting the local population, and we also cross an old suspension bridge. The vegetation is lush and the landscape very exotic. Overnight in the same bungalows in Sidemen. 4 hours of walking Meals: Breakfast

• day 11

  Sidemen – Selat – Ascent of Mount Agung – Sidemen – Tirtagangga

  Night ascent of Mount Agung (it is imperative to reach the summit early in the morning to have a clear view). At dawn, we reach one of the edges of the crater, at an altitude of 2,850 m. We are, in a way, at the fore-summit of Mount Agung. The highest and most revered mountain in Bali, Mount Agung dominates almost all of the south and east of the island with its imposing silhouette, often shrouded in a veil of clouds and mist. Although most books and maps give it a height of 3,142 meters, some say that the summit did not withstand the 1963 eruption and that it is now only 3,014 meters! After the descent, we return to Sidemen. Late in the morning, a short transfer to the royal baths of Tirtagangga (whose exact translation is "The waters of the Ganges"), on the southeastern slopes of Agung. Officially known as Tirta Ayu, this complex of freshwater pools was one of the many water palaces built by a king of Karangasem. This place, surrounded by a beautiful display of terraced rice fields, is the ideal spot to relax after our long hours of walking. Overnight at the hotel. 1 hour transfer – 7 hours of walking Positive elevation gain: 1,200 m – Negative elevation gain: 1,200 m Meals: Breakfast

• day 12

  Tirtagangga – Tenganan – Klungkung – Sanur

  We resume our trekking, through fields and rice paddies, towards the Bali Aga village of Tenganan, which has preserved Balinese culture prior to the Javanese influence of the Hindu Majapahit dynasty. To protect their village from the harmful effects of the intrusion of non-initiates into the cult of Batara Indra, every visitor is welcomed from noon until nightfall, after which everyone is asked to continue on their way. There was a time when the villagers of Tenganan would even sweep away the footprints of their visitors to completely erase their presence. In the afternoon, transfer to the seaside resort of Sanur. The rest of the afternoon is free. Overnight at the hotel. 2 hours of transfer – 4 hours of walking Elevation gain: 200 m – Elevation loss: 200 m Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (picnic) The Chosen People Unlike other Balinese villages, Tenganan traces its origins to an ancestral chronicle called Usana Bali. According to these writings, this people were chosen by the creator god, Batara Indra, to administer the region and dedicate their lives to the worship of the deities. Since everything is written in this sacred text, nothing must be changed or removed from the organization of village life. Violating these principles would bring the curse of the gods and the ruin of the village inhabitants. Those who dare to disregard these commandments or fail in their duties are banished from the village and from participating in its spiritual life.

• day 13

  Sanur – Denpasar Airport

  Free day until transfer to the airport. 40-minute transfer. Meals: Breakfast Copyright thumbnail: pixabay (c) Reisefreiheit_eu