Overshadowed by the nearby Beratan and Buyan lakes, Tamblingan lake rarely makes it on the adventure travel list of most people exploring North of Bali. And what a shame because this lake certainly deserves a lot more praise than it gets .. Read on to find out why!
Going to Indonesia for the first time? Check out my detailed Indonesia travel guide for everything you need to know as well as the coolest things you gotta try.
Get all the planning out the way by reading my guide on all travel essentials which has everything covered – from what to pack and what and where to book to tips on how to be more sustainable on your travel and how to have a great time even if you travel solo.
HOW TO GET TO TAMBLINGAN LAKE
Tamblingan Lake is a short 35min drive from Lovina which makes it the perfect addition to any North Bali road trip. It’s right next to Danau Buyan which is bigger but not necessarily better.
To get to the lake, you can either rent yourself a scooter for around IDR 50k-60k a day or get a GoJek (slightly cheaper) or a Grab (both Indonesia’s scooter taxis) to take you there. The drive can get windy in some places but is entirely on the main road so it’s well paved and without any major bumps which makes it pretty easy to DIY, but watch out for the monkeys 😀 They tend to be pretty much everywhere on that main road overlooking the lakes.
Alternatively, you can arrange this at the hotel you’re staying at but it’s likely to cost you a little bit more than if you sort it out yourself. A driver will usually charge you for a whole day and it’ll be up to you to negotiate on the price. You’re looking at at least IDR 250k for the day.
I personally rented a scooter for the day and did a nice whole day road trip with a local friend. That way we managed to stop at quite a few other places and ended up having an epic adventure jam-packed day.
The lake is actually not as small as you might initially think. In fact, you can do quite a bit of trekking around the lake but bear in mind that even if you have the time and ambition for it, you cannot trek all the way around it Depending on what you want to do, you might want to stop at a different point on the lake than we did but we personally parked our scooter by Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan. We wanted to check out some really not frequented temples and to admire the sunset views over the lake so this spot was ideal.
Parking here, however, is a great option even if you decide to trek or canoeing around the lake.
TAMBLINGAN LAKE THE EXPERIENCE
It was around 5:30 pm by the time I and my friend made it to Tamblingan lake. We didn’t actually plan to come here because frankly, I didn’t have any idea what the lake was like or what’s around but luckily my friend was a local so he knew perfectly well that I was gonna love this place for its remoteness, tranquility and evident lack of interest it attracts in most tourists. in fact, when we got here the only people that we saw were just a handful of locals chatting away and catching dinner with their handmade fishing rods.
As soon we parked, I immediately ran to a temple that was just a few meters away, kinda in the middle of nowhere because there wasn’t even a proper road leading directly to it. It looked beautiful and to my surprise, absolutely deserted. Later, I learned that this was Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan, the famous Balinese temple with two different Meru shrines and the main temple on Tamblingan lake. Built in honor of the lake god Danu, the temple is right on the lakeshore so in rainy season if the lake spills out of its basin, the entrance becomes accessible only with a canoe (unless of course people choose to swim to it 😀 ).
The temple was completely deserted when I entered, not a single other person was wandering around which was a bit strange but also so damn cool! Even my friend joined the locals for a cigarette and didn’t join me in 😀 I couldn’t understand how a temple so impressive could see soo little traction from the crowds of tourists queuing up at places like the Handara golf course gate or the Bali swing but hey, I got the place to myself so I was ecstatic.
After calming down my excitement from the gorgeous temple sites, I headed back to join my friend and the locals who were chilling right by the lake watching over the sun that had already started to set.
I couldn’t just sit back and relax though 😀 ! The view was too beautiful to just enjoy it … I had to capture it in photos. Right next to us was one of the coolest bamboo artsy crafts I have seen in Bali. You must have seen these in photos before. They’re basically all bamboo structures crafted by local artists with the idea to please the Instagram obsessed tourists but also earn a little since the artists charge a small fee to take a photo with their craft.
The structure on Tamblingan lake is actually super impressive, so well designed and perfected to the very detail. It was another reminder of how truly talented the Balinese people are. It’s no surprise that Bali is so renowned for its art scene … you can truly find locals’ crafts pretty much everywhere you go!
As it was starting to get dark we had to jump back on the scooter and head to Lovina but if you have more time, have a walk around the lake, explore the other temples nearby or just marvel at the mountain views surrounding the lake from all its sides.
WHERE TO STAY IN LOVINA
Lovina is one of my most favourite places in Bali. It’s quiet, authentic and the ratio of Indonesians to tourists is surprisingly in favour of the locals 😀
Angsoka Hotel (value) – regardless of whether you’re travelling solo, with a friend or family, this place is just perfect. This was the first place I stayed at in Bali and I just couldn’t believe how tropical, authentic and good it was for the money. The location is ideal, just a few minutes from the beach and main area, and the staff was super sweet and friendly. For some reason, this property is no longer listed on Booking.com but you can browse for other deals HERE.
Gede Homestay (budget) – located right on the beach, this is a very nice budget friendly option to base yourself out of whilst venturing in and around Lovina for a few days. Being a homestay, this place is run by a local family so it guarantees to give you a very personal local experience.
For more places to stay in Lovina you can check the latest prices here.
Looking for more articles on Bali?
Loved this post? Pin it for later!
Very efficiently written story. It will be supportive to anybody who employess it, as well as myself. Keep up the good work – looking forward to more posts.
Thank you! Thank you! Please do let me know if there’s anything I can help you with as you plan your trip to Indonesia :))