Trip report: Round trip and diving in Bali
Last August the time had finally come: the diving trip to Bali. This particular island had been high on my “to go-list” for quite some time, both because of its impressive nature as well as the enthusiastic stories of my colleagues Michel & Pascale who have spent a lot of time on the island. In this travelogue you can read how my 2-week trip to Bali went.
Margriet deals with marketing, content and the website at EWDR. Besides her work, she is also an avid diver: she has been spending time underwater regularly since 2011 and in 2023 she obtained her instructor’s license. She has dived in several places around the world and likes to tell you about the amazing destination of Bali in this blog.
Our trip began in the southernmost tip of Italy, where flights to Bali do not connect as conveniently as from Schiphol Airport. Fortunately, we found a good connection with only one transfer, so we ended up arriving quite rested. Because we had arranged everything online in advance – visa, tourist tax and health certificate – we were able to skip all the lines and were right outside the airport. We got through everything so quickly that our driver Wayan wasn’t ready yet. Fortunately, we had also already arranged an e-sim, which allowed us to call and find each other quickly. By the way, we soon found out that a lot of people in Bali are called Wayan. It is the name often given to the first-born boy, so it is very common.
The drive to the east of Bali took about 2.5 hours and our scheduled arrival time at the lodge was 11:00 pm. Since we hadn’t eaten yet, Wayan called the lodge ahead of time to ask if they could prepare a plate of nasi in advance. So we arrived at the lodge with the restaurant closed, but with 1 table still set. An incredibly warm welcome!
📍 East Bali
The first place of the tour is Candidasa, on the east side of Bali. It is a quiet place and ideal to start the trip. We stayed at the Ganesh Lodge, which consists of two parts: the main building with a large pool and green garden, and the beach lodges with sea views, a second pool and direct access to the beach. We stayed in the beach lodge, where we could hear the sound of the waves right into our room. The lodge is small and quiet; we often had the pool to ourselves.
Breakfast was in a second restaurant overlooking the sea. A perfect start to the day: banana pancake, tropical fruit and a Bali Kopi, as they call the coffee there.
On the first day, after breakfast, we first arranged everything at the dive center, which is less than 100 meters from the lodge and can even be reached from the beach. We took care of the paperwork and met our dive guide for the next few days.
Then we left for a trek through the rice fields. We started high up so we had a fantastic view of the rice fields. Often in the morning you also have a view of the volcano, but this afternoon it was surrounded by clouds. Our guide Wayan, who grew up in the oldest village in the region, talked enthusiastically about the plants and trees along the way. We started amidst the rice fields, where people were working, and along the way tasted local fruits such as the soursop, my favorite from Suriname.
After the rice fields, the scenery changed and we entered a forest that included durian trees (unfortunately not yet in season) and trees from which bottles were hanging for wine production, which we were later allowed to taste. Finally, we arrived in the traditional village of Tenganan. First we visited Wayan, a friend of Michel’s who lives here; he makes honey from common bees as well as black bees. Since our village in Sicily is also known for honey, we thought this was extra nice. We got fried bananas, tea discolored by the honey, wine and more. It was nice to rest and chat.
Finally, we walked through the village of Tenganan itself, an old Balinese village where traditions are strictly enforced: outsiders are not allowed to live there and marriages take place only within the village. A special insight into traditional Bali.
Upon returning to the lodge, we had a beautiful sunset on the beach. By the way, the food at the lodge is fantastic. There is a street in Candidasa where you will also find many restaurants, bars and places to eat, but we actually just went to eat at Ganesh almost every time. My absolute favorite was the Nasi Goreng with tempeh and the Gado Gado. But the smoothies are also super and you should definitely save a spot for the deserts as well.
We make our dives with Orca Dive Club, within walking distance of the lodge. Ideal, because this way we can stay in bed for a long time in the morning and start the day with a short beach walk. The first day we start quietly in Padangbai, a relatively shallow dive site known for its rich marine life. Perfect for getting back into the rhythm. We are lucky to have a small group of three, ideal for me, as I like to take my time to get a good look at everything.
We go on a traditional fishing boat, called a jukung, which immediately adds a piece of local culture. The first dive is immediately a party: we see colorful nudibranchs, curious moray eels, tiny stingrays and a huge cuttlefish that changes color several times. Just as we are about to finish the dive, the guide from another group pulls my fins and makes the turtle gesture … of course we extend the dive for a while.
After a short surface interval, we sail to a second dive site, a colorful site with lots of fish and a small wreck where frogfish are well hidden. Here we enjoy sleuthing among coral and rocks and discover new details all the time – it never ceases to amaze how much life can be found on a relatively small piece of reef.
We also dive the house reef, just a five-minute boat ride away. This spot is a bit more challenging because of the depth and current, but that often means big life, too. Although it is not yet the season for mola mola or manta rays, we get lucky with five reef sharks lying quietly on the bottom, about 20 meters deep. Our guide Titto is a master at spotting small stuff: we see mantis shrimps, colorful shrimp and other hidden gems.
The stay at Ganesh and the diving at Orca was so good that we really didn’t want to continue at all. It’s a wonderful place, with relaxed atmosphere, fine guides and an abundance of marine life. Staying longer would not have been a punishment, but fortunately we are not going home yet and there are more places waiting to be discovered!
📍 Nusa Penida
After this we went to Nusa Penida, an island just next to Bali. The ferry leaves from Padang Bai and within 45 minutes you are already on the smaller island. We caught the first ferry of the day, so we had plenty of time to explore the island. Nusa Penida is bigger than you might think and the west side is busy due to the iconic Kelingking Beach, popular with day visitors. We deliberately chose the quieter east side.
The roads here are really challenging: narrow, with potholes and bumpy, so you need extra time to reach your destination. Fortunately, we had a chauffeured car, so it was still relaxing. Our first stop was Diamond Beach, a spectacular viewpoint. Here you can see the most beautiful beaches and, if you walk up, you have a beautiful panorama of the sea. From here we could even spot turtles! However, the sea on this side is rough and with clear currents, so swimming is not possible here.
The next morning we had to get out early for our dives! Our first stop was Manta Point, about a 45-minute boat ride from the dive center. It is the most famous dive site on the island and attracts many divers and snorkelers. Luckily, we got there early, because that saved a lot of crowds. I was very curious: although I have made hundreds of dives worldwide, I had never seen a manta ray – so it was about time!
As soon as we entered the water, the visibility was immediately striking: about five meters, a big difference from the twenty meters earlier that week on the east side of Bali. The current was strong, a kind of underwater washing machine that carried you in all directions. We went to a certain point and waited … and then the first manta ray appeared within five minutes. So big, so impressive! As we continued swimming, the manta rays kept looming out of nowhere – sometimes you would look the other way for a moment and suddenly there was one nearby. I ended up counting nine manta rays, including one completely black and one so big that it didn’t even fully fit on video. Then again, that was the advantage of poor visibility, it gave a kind of surprise effect. We also saw many squid, a highlight for a cephalopod enthusiast like me. But the others in the group didn’t really care for that after the manta rays.
Our second dive was at Crystal Bay, known for its clear water that lives up to its name. Today the visibility was a little less spectacular, but we were here to spot mola mola. Unfortunately no luck, but we made up for it with two beautiful turtles and a colorful underwater world full of fish. A perfect ending to an unforgettable day of diving on Nusa Penida!
Another special experience on Nusa Penida was visiting the Cave Temple, a temple literally built in a cave. On our first day, we had stopped at a small restaurant for coffee and a smoothie bowl, where we struck up a conversation with the owner. She has lived on Nusa Penida for ten years and told us a lot about the island’s special powers and local religious traditions. To our surprise, she invited us to come along to the temple and make an offering.
We learned the ritual of sacrifice, something you see all over the island: on every street corner are small baskets with flowers and other gifts. Understanding this ritual gave a lot of context and helped us participate respectfully. The Cave Temple is an important place: many Balinese visit this temple at least once in their lives, believing that the forces on Nusa Penida are stronger than elsewhere. Many visitors leave the island immediately after making their sacrifice.
We ended up spending over 3 hours in the cave, learned a lot about the sacrifices and their meaning, and even got the chance to enter a closed part of the temple for a special cleansing. An unforgettable and intense experience that will stay with us for a long time. In addition, Nusa Penida was also a wonderful place to see coastlines. The water is so incredibly blue and the contrast with the rocks is incredibly beautiful. At the end of this day, we headed back to Bali: on to the north!
📍 North Bali
In the north we stayed at Bali Villa Dive Resort, a beautiful place and again totally different from the previous locations. The dive resort is small in size, with room for up to 20 divers. We had a beautiful villa overlooking palm trees and the sea. The diving school is on site and you can choose from boat dives, shore dives or, for example, a trip to the USAT Liberty.
Upon arrival, we were met by the owner – who is also one of the dive instructors – with a welcome cocktail. He immediately gave us a tour of the property. There are two pools here, one overlooking the sea and a poolside bar. You immediately have that relaxed vacation feeling here. The resort is a bit remote, though, so dinner is included. The other places we stayed were closer to restaurants and bars, but here you really need a scooter or driver in the evening. And since it gets dark around 5 p.m., the evening starts early.
Dinner was ready promptly at 7 p.m. every night – something we are not used to, especially during trips, but it had something, a kind of school camp feeling. Everyone also talks to each other, for example about the dives we did that day or the dives we are going to do tomorrow. Because it is so small, it is cozy and you quickly (re)know people. Every evening we got a three-course menu. On BBQ night, we all ate together at long tables in the garden. On the menu was barracuda, mahi mahi and another fish. I don’t eat fish myself (I’d rather see them underwater than on my plate), but it was a pleasant evening. There were many German guests, so I was able to practice my German again. After dinner we played some pool and went to bed early.
Breakfast was also included. We could order banana pancakes again, but the table was so full every morning: fresh fruit, juice, coffee, tea, bread… even peanut butter! Especially on days we were not diving, it was delicious, on diving days you always eat less in the morning.
This week we wanted to combine diving a little more with nature. The north of Bali is greener, quieter and exactly the place where you can therefore really find peace. The first day we went out to visit waterfalls. There is a secret waterfall where you can go by scooter, but we opted for the more famous waterfalls where there are 3 close to each other.
The ride took about 45 minutes and just being on the road is fun: you drive through small villages, past rice fields and see all kinds of things passing by. Upon arrival, we were given a guide to take us into the park. He turned out to be not only a guide, but also our private photographer and assistant. After we swam at the first waterfall and were thus completely wet, he carried all our gear. He also constantly had our phone in his hand to take pictures. Afterwards we really laughed about the photos, some of the poses he suggested were a tad uncomfortable, but in between there were really beautiful images and it is a nice memory of the day. There were also some laughable videos in between of us coming back out of the water over the slippery stones.
We hiked through the park for about two hours. At each waterfall we could also swim; the water was freezing cold, but we went in anyway. The trail itself was very nice: alternating between viewpoints of the waterfalls from above and trails that took you right up to the water. Our water shoes came in handy here, which is really recommended to bring. At the end of the hike you could change and put on dry clothes – ideal after the cold water.
In the north, we also visit a few temples and local markets. The market is a mix of food, clothing and things for the home. There are piles of tempeh everywhere. It is originally from Java, but in Bali it is eaten just as much. Unfortunately, you can’t take it with you as a souvenir. We do, however, take soursop, the fruit we sampled earlier this week. The market is a fun place to try local (and sometimes questionable) food anyway. We also buy other local snacks that our driver recommends to us. Often we have no idea what we are buying, but a fun experience it is!
In this region we also visit 2 temples. The first is an old temple where an elderly gentleman shows us around. We don’t really understand a word he says, but his enthusiasm makes up for a lot. The second is a Buddhist temple, completely different in style, but with a tranquility that is immediately striking. There are also hot springs nearby. Nice to see, but different from what we expected. They are three baths with hot water, but you don’t see the natural spring itself and the whole thing is not really in nature. That still made it a little less special.
Diving here can be done in several places. Because I was a little sick this week, we ended up not being able to dive as much as we had hoped. Fortunately, there was plenty to do in the area, so we weren’t bored for a moment.
We made at least two dives on the house reef. There we saw all kinds of small fish and even a few turtles. My goal was mainly to spot octopuses, but unfortunately they didn’t show themselves. Diving here is super relaxing: you can just walk into the water from the shore. The house reef is about 20 meters deep and offers several options to go to. In addition, the house reef is shared with only 1 other hotel, so you don’t really meet any other divers underwater. The surface interval is again at the resort itself, so you can have a coffee in between dives. You can also rinse all your gear here and get your own spot in the locker where you can leave your dive gear again. The dives you make are logged, and at the end of your stay you get a little document with an overview of all the dive sites where you dived and the highlights of what you saw underwater! I know of few dive schools as well organized as this one!
📍 South Bali
To conclude our trip, we stayed 2 more days in the south, closer to the airport. The island may seem small, but make no mistake: we were on the road for over three and a half hours. Our plan for these last days was simple: enjoy the coastline (which is really totally different from the north or east) and take a lesson to learn how to surf.
We stayed in Uluwatu, where the beaches are rougher, the cliffs higher and the waves impressive. As a diver, it always feels a little crazy to seek out waves, but here it was just part of the experience. We had a wonderful time wandering around the beaches, looking out over the turquoise water and, of course, enjoying all of the food: fried rice, tempeh, gado gado, smoothie bowls, tropical fruit… It was the perfect, relaxing end to our time in Bali.
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