{"id":70663,"date":"2025-11-17T17:36:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T17:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewdr.com\/?post_type=inspiratie&p=70663"},"modified":"2026-03-24T09:18:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T09:18:56","slug":"travelogue-bali","status":"publish","type":"inspiratie","link":"https:\/\/ewdr.com\/en\/dive-inspiration\/travelogue-bali\/","title":{"rendered":"Trip report – Round trip and diving in Bali"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Trip report: Round trip and diving in Bali<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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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. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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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. <\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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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. <\/p>

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! <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\ud83d\udccd East Bali<\/h2>

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. <\/p>

Breakfast was in a second restaurant overlooking the sea. A perfect start to the day: banana pancake, tropical fruit and a Bali Kopi, <\/em>as they call the coffee there. <\/p>

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. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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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. <\/p>

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. <\/p>

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. <\/p>

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. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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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. <\/p>

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. <\/p>

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. <\/p>

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. <\/p>

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! <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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