Map of Bangli

The district of Bangli is colored with its spread of volcanic highlands with bubbling Hot Springs and lush rice fields. The volcanic mountains slope down to the sea near Tejakula in Buleleng and Tianyar while the rice growing areas overlook Klungkung and Gianyar. A great number of small villages are scattered this town through Gianyar, via either Tampaksiring or the main road branching east from Gianyar through rice fields, redbrick entrances along village streets and pule and giant Banyan trees towering above you. As the highland area, Bangli is the source of many Bali's rivers. Founded in 1204 AD, Bangli town is the sleepy administrative center, with the usual Brahmin palaces and mansions, which come alive during festival days.

The Puri or palaces of the royal families attract tourists for their magnificently beautiful architecture. The most prominent among the palaces is the Puri Denpasar, the palace of the last king of Bangli who died three decades ago, and a pavilion of the puri has been remodeled into a small hotel.

Beside the palace, Pura Kehen, the most beautiful temple in the whole of Bali is considered as the landmark of Bangli. As the state temple of the old Bangli Kingdom, Pura Kehen occupies the site of an earlier temple, which dates back to the 9th century. There are eight terraces built into the forested slope of a hill. The first five terraces are the outer courtyards; the sixth, the lower middle court; the seventh, the upper middle court, and the eighth, the inner Jeroan. A flight of 38 stairs lead to the meru-shaped gate between rows of statue of characters from the shadow play story. Overlooking the gate is the threatening heald of Kala, guardian of the underworld. There is a splendid shrine with eleven roofs dedicated to the God of fire, the resident temple god.

Panglipuran, two kilometers from Pura Kehen, in a small village restored by the local government to represent a 'typical' Balinese village. From Bangli eastwards it is a beautiful drive towards Karangasem and the Besakih 'mother temple' via a seemingly unending succession of hills, valleys and rice terraces. When you take the main road northwards to Kintamani and the volcanic scenery of Batur, the most spectacular panorama on the island awaits you.

Bangli's mountainous region center around the spectacular volcanic crater (or caldera) of Mount Batur, which last erupted in 1994. Mount Batur itself is actually just a small volcano, but its setting is in the heart of a huge crater 14km in diameter. Close to the volcano is the largest crescent-shaped Batur lake, all surrounded by the high walls of the crater rim. The important Pura Ulun Danu Batur pays homage to the life giving quality of the lake, which is considered a sacred water catchment.

As the road elevates steadily from Bangli or Tampaksiring, nothing in the surrounding Grey landscape of bushes and garden plots suggests the presence of a volcano. But over one smaller ridges a dizzying view awaits the eyes, encompassing the crater and beyond. From Penelokan, the main road runs right round the rim towards Kintamani, the panorama shifting as you circle around the crater.
The sheer size of the crater conjures up images of the massive eruption of the original Mount Batur taking place tens of thousand years ago. The volcano is still active today's as Balinese all over the island who still remember the great eruption of 1917 will testify. It claimed thousands of lives and destroyed hundred of temples. Old people might tell you this was "the year when the world shook". Local population to be relocated, along with several of their temples is including one of the main Bali temples, Pura Ulun Danu. Initially inside the huge crater, this temple has been relocated to the top of the ridge overlooking it. Here it now offers an impressive view of Mount Batur.

For a complete panoramic view, you can drive half the circumference of the crater along its upper rim. The highest point is Bukit Penulisan, one of the most ancient of Bali's temples that contains the remains of carvings from the earliest Buddhist period. From here the road continues sloping down towards Kubutambahan and Singaraja.

One very interesting excursion in Batur is the climb down the inside of the crater from Penelokan to Kedisan. You can then drive around the smaller Mount Batur, through Songan, and to Toya Bungkah, across the lake on a boat to a Bali Aga village called Trunyan. This place is notorious for its mortuary traditions, instead of cremating the dead, as a Balinese do throughout most of the island, the Trunyan communities leave the bodies to decompose naturally in a special cemetery.

There are also Hot Springs and lodgings in Toya Bungkah. From Songan there is a beautiful trek to Tianyar to the north coast of the island. The adventure traveler may even wish to climb Mount Batur itself.