The Top 10 Excursions in North Bali

Looking for things to do in North Bali beyond the dive sites? You are in the right corner of the island. While most visitors stay south in the Seminyak traffic, the north-east coast around Kubu, Tulamben, and Amed opens onto a different Bali: volcanoes you climb before dawn, royal water palaces, hidden waterfalls, and temples on the slopes of Mount Agung.

These are the best excursions and day trips in North and East Bali, the ones you cannot do at home and most tourists never reach. A dive holiday gives you the afternoons free; here is how to fill them. Each runs from the resort as a half-day or full-day trip with a local driver.

1. Lempuyang Temple: Bali's Gates of Heaven
Pura Penataran Agung Lempuyang stands on the slopes of Mount Lempuyang in East Bali, one of the six holiest sanctuaries on the island. Its split gate frames Mount Agung so cleanly that the "Gates of Heaven" photo travelled the world. The temple keeps climbing above the gate; the highest shrine, Pura Lempuyang Luhur, is a long forest stair to the summit. Arrive early, while the light is soft and the steps are still empty.

2. Mount Batur Sunrise Trek

The Mount Batur sunrise trek is the bucket-list hike of central Bali. You leave in the dark and climb by torchlight, three to four hours to the summit, timed so the sun breaks over the caldera and the lake below. Steam still drifts from the cone. There is a daytime version for the views alone, but the sunrise climb is the one people remember for years.

3. Besakih Temple: Bali's Mother Temple

Besakih is the largest and holiest temple in Balinese Hinduism, often called the Mother Temple. Twenty-three temples climb six terraced levels up the western flank of Mount Agung, around a thousand metres above the sea. You pass through the split gate, then the Kori Agung, into one courtyard after another while cloud rolls through the upper levels. Bring a sarong and give it time.

4. Tirta Gangga Water Palace

Tirta Gangga is a former royal water palace of basins, stone guardians, and koi by the hundred, about forty-five minutes from the resort. Buy a bag of fish food at the gate and you will have company at every pond. It is small, photogenic, and easy underfoot; the kind of garden you wander for an hour without once checking the time.

5. Ujung Water Palace and the Kings' Museum

Tirta Gangga's grander, quieter sibling sits down by the sea at Amlapura. The Ujung Water Palace centres on a pavilion set in the middle of a lake from the old Amlapura royal era, with a small museum tracing the Lombok king's residence on Bali. On a clear day the views run to the mountains and across the water to Lombok. It pairs naturally with Tirta Gangga for a full East Bali morning.

6. Les Waterfall

For a North Bali waterfall without the crowds, head to Les. It is a short drive north-east, then a gentle half-hour walk in, crossing the little river a few times along the way. The fall drops around thirty metres into a shallow basin you can stand right under. The path is pure jungle; depending on the season you pass cloves, cashew and cocoa trees, fruit, and flowers.

7. Maha Gangga Valley

Maha Gangga Valley is the newcomer, still missing from most Bali itineraries. Near Tirta Gangga, it looks out over green rice fields with Mount Lempuyang, Mount Agung, and Ujung Beach all in frame. It is built for slow wandering and photographs: a cone-shaped barn house, a bamboo alley, a wooden bridge, a swing out over the valley. Come here when you want to breathe rather than tick a box.

8. Mount Abang Trek

Mount Abang is Batur's quieter, sacred neighbour, and the trek few tourists ever find. The trail runs through some of Bali's most untouched rainforest, past ancient jungle temples, along an old pilgrimage route. From the top at sunrise you can pick out Mount Batur, Mount Agung, the caldera, and Rinjani away on Lombok. Peaceful, a little adventurous, and almost entirely yours.

9. Virgin Beach (Pasir Putih)

After a week of black volcanic dive beaches, the white sand of Virgin Beach is the whole point. This East Bali bay hides behind green cliffs and leaning palms, with calm turquoise water and a row of warungs grilling the day's catch under the trees. Swim, eat fresh fish, and do nothing in particular for an afternoon.

10. Bali Coffee Plantation Tour

The hill farms grow coffee, cacao, and a row of spices most kitchens only meet dried. On a plantation tour you see how the coffee is made, taste the famous luwak coffee if you are curious, sample the teas, and take home whatever you like. It slots neatly onto the end of a Tirta Gangga morning.

Planning your North Bali day trips

The beauty of basing yourself on the north-east coast is the distance: most of these excursions sit far closer to Kubu and Tulamben than to the southern resorts. Tell us which ones catch your eye when you book your dives and we will build them around your schedule. Want somewhere that is not on this list? We arrange custom trips too. Just ask.

ABWonderdive Beach Resort sits on the quiet north-east coast in Kubu, minutes from the Tulamben dive sites and an easy drive from every excursion above. Dive in the morning, see the other Bali in the afternoon, and be back for dinner by the sea. Visit Us