Tamblingan Nature Recreation Park

This park is a massive deep-green forest, covering the mountains around the lakes of Tamblingan and Buyan to the west of Bedugul, where it is possible to hire a guide and trek to points of interest.

To get to the park, take a left where a sign points to Pondok Kusuma Wisata as the road commences downhill from the hills surrounding Lakes Tamblingan and Buyan on the road from Bedugul to Munduk.

At the guide office next to Lake Tamblingan you'll find a bunch of guides hanging around waiting for visitors to arrive. A guiding organisation fixes prices slightly above what you might expect elsewhere: for example a two-hour trek with canoe ride costs 280,000 rupiah, irrespective of the number of trekkers.

Other activities include trekking to the hill above Bedugul, climbing Gunung Lesong, taking a canoe ride around the lake and trekking to Jatiluwih, some eight hours away over the mountains.

This area really is infrequently visited, especially in the low season when it is quite possible that you will not encounter another tourist, making it a peaceful contrast to many other destinations on the island. The forest is lush, the mist in the rainy season thick and moody, and the tranquility superb.