Bali Heaven Official Blog

West Bali National Park

It is the only national park in the island of Bali in Indonesia. Located in Bahasa Indonesia it is called Taman Nasional Bali Barat in the local language. It marks the most north westerly point of Bali. It is a haven for some diverse species of flora and fauna and many package tours are arranged to this park through the Negara Regency. The park was recognized as an area of imminence in the country in the year 1917. This was the time when it was deemed as a nature park by a council comprising of Bali rulers. However, it was not until 1941, when it was completely established as the Indonesian National Park.

Geography of the Park

The Park comprises of two areas. The official area of the park boundaries is only 190 square kilometers. However, an additional 580 square kilometers of area in the highlands on the east are also considered as a protected reserve making up an overall area of 770 square kilometers. This is equivalent to about 10% of the total land area of Bali. In the Northern side, the Bali national park includes a beach that is 1000 meters long along with reefs and islets. On the western side, it is marked by the seaport of Gilimanuk while the village of Goris marks its eastern end. The national park includes the whole Prapat Agung Peninsula and large pieces of land around the main towns of Cekik, Banyuwedang and Gilimanuk.

How to Reach?

The park is in the vicinity of many towns and can be reached by road from places like Singaraja and Gilimanuk. One can also use the ferries that ply from Ketapang, Java. Lovina on the north coast road, 90 minutes from the park and Pemuteran, 15 minutes away are two other entry points for the national park. One has to reach the park offices to arrange for guides and also obtain the permits. The two headquarters of the park are located in the village of Cekik and Labuan Lalang.

Attractions of the park

Most of the park area is protected and only a small part is actually open for exploration by the visitors. Exploration could be limited only to the marine life or could also follow hiking trails depending upon the individual interest. You can also arrange for boat trips around Gilimanuk bay and Menjangan island. The park consists of mangroves, savanna, montane and mixed monsoon forests and coral islands which make up its amazing diversity. The central area of the park is spotted with 4 volcanic mountains from as early as Pleistocene era. Gunung Patas, with 1412 meters has the highest elevation.

Tegal Blunder Trail

This is a good route for those who love watching birds. You can reach the Slumber Klampok checkpoint and also take the more strenuous Gunung Klatakan Trail to the south east if you are interested in going through the amazing rainforests.

Menjangan Island

This is uninhabited and is a great location for diving and snorkeling for those interested in marine life. The boats depart from the Terima bay (Teluk Terima) and the water here has the best visibility amongst all snorkeling sites in Bali.

Pura Besakih

One of the most famous temples of the island, Pura Besakih or the Mother Temple of Besakih is also the holiest and largest temple of Bali’s Agama Hindu Dharma. It is sacred for the Balinese and also a great area with scenic views all around including the ocean and the volcano. The temple is made of lava stone of dark color. The real glory of the temple can be witnessed during its annual birthday festival called the Odalan festival when thousands of Hindus from all over Bali and other places flock to this destination.

Mythology and History of the temple

Pura Besakih is considered to have originally been founded as a Buddhist shrine in the 8th century AD. The local ruler Kesari Warmadewa is credited to have built the main parts of the temple two centuries later. Interestingly, during festivals, certain parts of the temple are closed for non Hindus. A priest and worshipper of Shiva called Sri Markandeya was said to have founded a temple at the spot. The name of the temple finds references to Hindu Mythology where the snake Vasuki rolls around the Mandhara Mountain during Sagarmanthana or churning the Ocean of Milk. The temple is also supposed to be built to maintain the cosmos balance by the king who has also ordered the Selonding Temple construction within the complex along with the Blanjong Monument construction in Sanur village.

A massive volcanic eruption of Mt. Agung had taken place in 1963 had killed couple of thousand people but amazingly, the lava flow had missed the temple complex which was just a few meters away.

Location of the temple

Besakih temple is located amidst a beautiful tropical landscape setting at the foot of the Mt. Agung (Gunung Agung), the volcano which erupted as recently as 1973 and forming a majestic backdrop to the temple. The temple complex has an aura being located on the slopes of an active volcano in Eastern Bali. It is 2 hours away from the Bali International Airport located in the Besakih village in Rendang, Karangasem Regency. You can visit the temple from Ubud, a 2 hour journey to the north east. This trip could also include Kintamani where you can view the volcano and Batur lake.

Temple Design and Architecture

The entire complex has 22 temples sitting on parallel ridges. The flights of stairs and the stepped terraces are part of an ascent to many gateways made of bricks and many courtyards too. These finally lead to the main spire or Meru structure called the Pura Penataran Agung. Interestingly, the entire complex is built around a central single axis leading the upward spiritual evolution towards the sacred. There are 5 temples opened up by the candi bentar or a split gate. Each of temples is separated by lava walls. Each of the temple precincts has merus which vary in number of tiers, the tallest having 7. The vast courtyard has shrines of Trishakti, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Apart from the annual birthday festival, the Eka Dasa Rudra is another important festival that is celebrated once in every 100 years.

Ngurah Rai International Airport

Ngurah Rai international airport is Bali’s one and only international airport. The code for Bali is DPS which stands for Denpasar, the capital city of the beautiful land. It is a low rise international airport compared to the standards at most international airports. This is because unlike the general convention of having the arrivals and departure check in at two different levels stacked above each other this airport has both of them on the ground level itself. The layout of the airport is flat with domestic terminals and international terminals connected by a walkway. These domestic and international check in counters are on opposite ends which means it is slightly difficult for those who are making a close international and domestic connection.

Location and History
The airport which is 13km south of Denpasar has been named after I Gusti Ngurah Rai, who is an Indonesian National Hero, who died against the battle with Dutch at Marga in 1946 during the Indonesian Revolution. The airport is also located only 2.5km from Kuta resort center and is close to many tourist locations of Southern Bali. The airport is 3 km long reaching out almost to the ocean. Every year as many as 3 million passengers use this airport for flights to and outside Indonesia. The airport is serviced by many major and low cost airlines, tourist charters etc. The international airport has as many as 14 gates while the domestic terminal has 3 gates.

Facilities at Bali International airport
Like most international airports, Ngurah Rai International Airport has lot of duty free shops of cigarettes, liquor and perfume. There are many souvenir shops too although, one is better off buying the local products outside the international airport. The currency offered is also less than what one would get inside the airport. There are many restaurants, reflexology or foot massage shops and a few electronic shops inside the airport. The business class and first class passengers can also avail the lounge in the airport too. There are many purchase kiosks in the airport too. In terms of sheer volume, Ngurah Rai International airport is the third busiest airport of Indonesia after Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and Juanda International Airport in Surabaya.

Places to visit around the airport
The Ngurah Rai International Airport has many tourist attractions in its vicinity. The airport is very close to a lot of tourist places in Southern Bali. This makes this airport, a strategic location for tourists to Bali. The Kuta Beach, which is 5 – 8 km from the airport, Kuta Square around 8 km away, Legian which is 9 km, Seminyak which is 8 – 10 km away, Sanur Beach which is 13 – 15km away, Jimbaran Beach which is 3 – 6 km away, Nusa Dua, which is 20km away, Tanjung Benoa Water Sport which is 20km away, Turtle Island which is 18 – 22 km, Uluwatu Temple which is 23 km away and Tanah Lot Temple which is about 40km away are some of the locations located very close to the international airport.