The East Bali sightseeing route - from Tulamben to Candidasa

Our next favorite route is the East Bali sightseeing route that takes you all the way from hot and dry Tulamben to Amed, Tirtagangga, Amlapura, Ujung, Pasir Putih and ends in the little coconut town of Candi Dasa.

Tulamben
The first thing that caught our eye early in the morning was the mighty and sacred Gunung Agung.

Tulamben village is located in its shadows and because it is on the 'wrong' side of the mountain the area is extremely dry, hot and arid.

No huge banyan trees, swaying palm trees and white beaches here but just some shrubs, lots of volcanic sand and black rocky beaches.

Not something that you would expect of an exotic island like Bali right?

 

the Gunung Agung near Tulamben, the start
of our east bali sightseeing route

 

Nonetheless with the USAT Liberty ship wreck just 30m from the coast Tulamben many divers come here for some scuba diving in Bali. This site is also ideal place for beginners.

So why start the east bali sightseeing route in Tulamben then?

What we really like about this route is that it takes you slowly from the dry and arid lands of Tulamben around the other flanks of Gunung Agung, which are tropical and lush green.

You can already see this after 20 minutes of driving when you turn left at Culik village from where the 5-kilometer long road takes you to the fishing villages of Amed.

From Culik village on both sides of the road we've found verdant rice fields against the dramatic backdrop of bold and dry hills.

 

verdant rice fields between Culik and Amed

 

Amed
Amed is the collective name of sleepy fishing villages where travelers go to for snorkeling, diving and eating fresh seafood all day in an unspoiled area.

There's nothing else to do but relax and since not that many travelers come here don't be surprised when you are the only one staying in one of the guesthouses or few resorts.

If you're planning to stay here you'll need your own transport because the restaurants in Amed are sparsely dotted along the hilly coastal road.

And if there's one thing you definitely don't want to think about then it's walking uphill in the simmering heat of the day.

While driving you'll see that the views from this coastal road are really spectacular...

 

One of the many bays at Amed with
Gunung Agung in the back

 

Around every corner there's another set of colorful canoes lined up on the beach.

From Amed you have two choices of doing the east bali sightseeing route.

You either continue driving along the coastal road all around Seraya mountain until you end up at the ruins of the water palace at Ujung or you head back to Culik village and turn left towards the royal water palace of Tirtagangga.

When you decide to try the first option you are going to see a Bali you never thought existed.

Here you find small villages high in the mountains without running water or electricity. This is one of the poorest regions of Bali, something you won't find in the tourist brochures or books.

 

The hot and dry coastal road

 

 

Just like Tulamben these villages are on the 'wrong side' of Seraya mountain where it's so hot and dry that people here have a hard time cultivating anything.

The drive through this area to Ujung will take approximately 1.5 hour.

The second option on the East Bali sightseeing route will bring you on the other side of Seraya mountain to Tirtagangga. This is one of the most scenic east Bali sightseeing routes in this area.

The road slowly leads you through rice fields and gets you higher up the mountain from where you can take some stunning pictures. Just have a look at these...

 

The road between Culik and Tirtagangga
on the East Bali Sightseeing route

 

 

Do I need to say more?

Tirtagangga
Once you start your decent from the mountain again you bump into Tirtagangga's royal water palace.

They were built by the Raja (king) of Amlapura, Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut in 1947 and he used it as one of his many weekend retreats.

It has suffered of many earthquakes throughout the years but today it is still Bali's best preserved water palace.

If you like you can take a swim and imagine how it felt to be royalty among the many water sprouting statues and colorful flowers.

 

 

After our refreshing dip the East Bali route takes us to the capital of the Karangasem district, Amlapura.

There's not much to see in this town except for the Puri Agung Karangasem. This was one of Bali's few remaining palaces during the Dutch colonial time.

Unlike other kingdoms in Bali the Raja of the Karangasem kingdom cooperated with the Dutch and so preserved his palace.

 

Puri Agung Karangasem

 

Members of the royal family still live here and it is not sure when you walk around if you are in someone's home or in an area designated for travelers only.

Ujung
On the outskirts of Amlapura, just three kilometers south of the city lies the ruins of the royal water palace Ujung.

Just like the royal water palace at Tirtagangga it was built by Anak Agung Anglurah Ketut and the Dutch in 1921.

Due to earthquakes and the eruption of the Gunung Agung in 1963 the entire water palace was destroyed. In 1974 two Australians started to rebuild the palace until it got destroyed again by a major earthquake in 1979.

 

Ujung water palace

 

Our next stop on the East Bali sightseeing route takes us back to Amlapura where we turn left towards Candi Dasa.

Just 5 kilometers before we enter the coconut town of Candi Dasa you can find a sign which says "Pasir Putih".

Here the dusty road leads you along rice fields, a Balinese cemetery, a couple of huts and a Balinese man who might jump on his motor bike to follow you and ask you to pay a small sum of money to enter the pasir putih area.

It's very unlikely that the money goes directly into the improvement of the road since it takes a good four-wheel drive or motor bike to go around the potholes before you get to the beach.

Nonetheless all that wiggling on the bike is definitely worth it...

 

One of the whitest Bali Beaches, all to yourself...

 

Spotless Pasir Putih beach has couple of small stalls where you can sip a beer, rent yourself a sun lounger or just go for a stroll along the beach to feel the white sand under your bare feet.

We took a drink, stayed here for an hour and chatted with the locals.

Later I found out that a Korean company has plans to transform the Pasir Putih area into a huge villa resort with golf course.

This means that you have to hurry up to enjoy and see the pristine beach the way it is today.

The last part of the East Bali sightseeing route brings you to the little coconut town of Candi dasa where there isn't much to do besides floating in your swimming pool, reading the book you always wanted to finish and stare at the azure ocean nearby.

 

The final stop of the East Bali sightseeing route

 

If this route hasn't brought you enough highlights you can always continue driving through Candidasa and take the next 'big' road to the right to the Bali Aga village of Tenganan.

Here the original inhabitants of Bali live who still have the same customs as centuries before.

This village if famous for its double weaved ikat cloths and calendars on lontar leaves.

Since you arrive in the afternoon it might be very busy with tourist buses so you can always come back the next morning when there's more space to walk around.