Kintamani
is great for day trips, trekking or simply for getting away
from it all for a few days. At Penelokan you can view the panorama
of Mount Batur set in a huge volcanic crater basin. Stop here
on the way to Singaraja to climb to peaceful Pura Tegeh Kuripan.
Try to arrive at Kintamani in the morning, as it's often overcast
in the afternoon, especially during the rainy season.
Prices in US dollars. Telephone code is 0366.
Kintamani
There are
two possible options for staying near Lake Batur: up on the
ridge or down inside the crater. The villages within the crater
tend to have a rather unpleasant atmosphere with a lot of people
hassling you. The views, however, are stunning. The main reason
to spend the night in the crater is to climb Mt. Batur at dawn.
There are
several attractions from Penelokan, starting with the view from
the crater rim toward Lake Batur. Rim temples include Pura Ulun
Danu Batur and Pura Tegeh Kuripan, both on the main road. A
visit to the crater might include a boat trip to the traditional
village of Trunyan, the lava fields, the hot spring at Toya
Bungkah, or climbing Mt. Batur.
The best
way to visit the crater is with your own transportation or chartered
minibus. Walking is possible, but distances are long and the
descent into the crater is very steep. You might want to finish
your visit with a dip in the lake.
Penelokan
and the crater villages are rather "un-Balinese" with
vendors hassling you and people approaching you in the street
to book accommodations.
There's a
local authority charge of Rp550 per person for any car with
tourists crossing into the region, plus Rp250 for the car. A
similar fee is charged in Toya Bungkah.
Kintamani
is the end-point of several tour itineraries heading up from
the lower rice plain in the south. Most buses come up the good,
scenic road via Tampaksiring, with stops on the way at Goa Gajah,
Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul, then going back down through Bangli
and Pura Kehen. But there are other interesting routes. One
leads from Peliatan in the Ubud area through the wood-carvers'
villages of Tegallalang, Pujung and Sebatu. The views along
the way are superb. Other roads from Ubud to
Kintamani
run through Payangan or from Denpasar through the Sangeh monkey
forest, Plaga and Lampu, arriving to the north of Kintamani.
Bemos to
Kintamani are available from Ubud via Sakah (notable for its
huge "Baby" statue). They also run via Tampaksiring
and Bangli.
From Denpasar
bemos leave for Kintamani from the Batubulan terminal until
late afternoon. The normal fare from Batubulan is Rp2,000 and
from Singaraja Rp4,000. Rent a motorbike or car if you want
to explore the great back roads in the Kintamani area.
Shuttle buses
which run between Ubud and Singaraja stop in Penelokan. From
Ubud $4.50-$7, from Singaraja $9-$11.
Alternatively,
you can also join a day tour and ride up in air conditioned
comfort, lunch included. On such tours, however, you will only
see the view of Penelokan and then return, missing the caldera
and the lake down the Kedisan road.
Charter bemos
from Penelokan to Kedisan cost Rp5,000; Kedisan to Toya Bungkah
Rp. 1,000 by bemo or Rp.20,000-Rp.25,000 for charter bemo, depending
on your bargaining skills.
To Trunyan
from Kedisan
Down inside
the caldera you can cross to the lake village of Trunyan either
from Kedisan or from Toya Bungkah. Be warned that the people
here can be quite aggressive and the government has long advised
tour operators not to send tourists to Trunyan.
In Toya Bungkah,
the normal "tourist" price is $16 (including insurance)
for the round trip for a ful I boat of seven. Don't expect to
pay the local price. In Kedisan, the round trip costs about
$20 per boat, with a price per person decreasing to $3 per person
is the boat is full. If you are tired of bargaining hassles,
simply hike around the crater to Trunyan.
Eating In Kintamani
The better places are attached to the hotels in Penelokan
up on the calderas and down in Toya Bungkah by the hot springs.
Penelokan has choices ranging from very simple and cheap places
with good local food to big fancy restaurants, which cater
to tour groups from the expensive hotels on the coast.
The local lake fish
is a tasty variety called be mujahir, available fried or grilled.
It's best fried crisp-more of the fish is edible.
A good place for lunch
(and one of the few on the rim open for evening meals) is
the Lakeview. Prices here are moderate, but they are geared
up for tour group buffet lunches.
The Batur Garden Restaurant
has an interesting menu of Chinese and Indonesian dishes,
as well as Western bar drinks. Friendly and reasonably priced.
Lunch only.
Gunawan Restaurant is
very popular with a great view on the edge of the crater.
There are many other giant, palatial restaurants on the other
side of the street, but most overlook South Bali. Buffet or
menu. Great mujahir soup. Approx. Rp 7000 per entree; buffet
$4.50, plus 21% tax.
Down in the crater at
Toya Bungkah, most losmen have small restaurants (warung),
and new eating places are springing up all the time. Our recommendation
is Nyoman Mawa's Under The Volcano. His lake fish with homemade
sambal matah is worth the trip to the mountains alone.
Kintamani
Activities
Check out our Activities
& holiday Page
If you've always wanted
to walk around inside the crater of an active volcano, here's
your chance. Mt. Batur is 1,717 m high, but the upper cone
itself is only several hundred meters above the level of the
lake and can be climbed and descended in a few hours. At the
top, there's a warm crust of ground over the cauldron. Be
sure to hire a guide, as it can be dangerous.
Each home stay can recommend
a guide. Under the Volcano has guides for $12 per person;
other home stays charge $18-$19.
It's best to start very
early in the morning, around 4 am: it's cool and you're likely
to see a wonderful sunrise. Your guide will probably find
you before you find him. Choose someone friendly who is not
charging a ridiculous amount of money: $4-5 is a fair price.
Gede at Gede's Trekking near Kintamani market is a helpful
contact. Another professional trekking guide service is Panorama
Tourist Services, located near the Toya Bungkah Hot Spring.
They also organize other trekking trips in the area.
There are several well-marked
approaches to Batur. From Pura Jati, near Kedisan (where a
large sign announces "Klim Prom Here-Please Polow, Wite
Plag"), and from Toya Bungkah where the climb up and
back takes about three hours. The latter route is notably
easier.
Wear high-top shoes:
the slopes are covered with fine dust. Other necessary supplies
are drinking water and a snack or two. On reaching the summit
your guide will boil some eggs (in the sand) and make coffee.
If you're fortunate, a great view stretching all the way to
Lombok will be revealed as the sun rises.
Going down is much easier
than climbing up and it's possible to take another route down,
via the hot spring at Toya Bungkah. Ask your guide to have
a car ready to bring you back to the original starting point
once you get down. The spring, set in a concrete pool, is
not overly spectacular. Entrance is $1
This trip is not recommended during the rainy season (November-April).
There's a good new road
that circles the volcano rim from Penulisan east to Pinggan
and Blandingan, where it comes to a dead end. Another route
is to drive past Toya Bungkah to Songan and follow the sign
west to Air Mampeh. The road leads to Penelokan through the
caldera behind Batur. It is sometimes difficult to pass because
of volcanic sand and stones
HOT SPRINGS
The public bathing spot
at the Toya Bungkah Hot Springs is free and frequented mostly
by Indonesians. There is now a large swimming facility, Tirta
Sanjiwani, set in a lovely garden just above the lake. Two
hot spring pools plus a huge regular swimming pool. You can
take a personal spa for $25, including a massage in your own
little spa and bale. $10 adults, $7.50 children.
