Going Green at Munduk Bali

Munduk is a cute little eco-friendly village high up in the mountains with gorgeous views, numerous waterfalls and is a great place for hiking through clove, cocoa, coffee plantations and rice fields.

This beautiful village in north Bali was once a popular place for Dutch colonists to escape the heat from Singaraja so they build their rest houses here for visitors in 1903.

Even now you can find these houses scattered across the area and some have been converted into proper guest houses for travelers who love to explore this gorgeous part of Bali.

Red Coral Waterfall in Munduk

 

Munduk is located on the scenic road between Pancasari and Seririt. While driving from Pancasari up the rim of the old volcano you can either go right (towards Singaraja and Lovina) or left continuing on the crater rim along Danau Buyan and Danau Tamblingan towards Munduk.

Try to stop at the small coffee house of Ngiring Ngewedang, which means 'please stop by and come in'.

Here you have great vistas on Danau (Lake) Tamblingan on one side and on the other side the ocean. Here you can also buy some locally produced coffee and staff is more than happy to show you how they make their coffee.

 

Danau Tamblingan near the Ngiring Ngewedang coffee shop

 

After this pit-stop you continue your journey along the crater rim until you arrive at a crossing where you have to turn right where 5 km of downhill hairpin bends take you to the small village of Munduk.

Once you're there don't go too fast or you'll miss it altogether. It's a sleepy village with on both sides of the road some local shops, guest houses, occasionally temples and the remnants of Dutch houses.

Don't expect ATM's, Internet or Starbucks here and that's exactly what makes this village soooo charming...

 

Rice paddies in abundance

 

Locals live a fairly simple life with making offerings and attending their plantations of coffee, clove, coconut, fruit, cocoa and rice.

But tourism is getting more important now and more travelers have found out what a gem this area really is.

Luckily the owner of Puri Lumbung Cottages, Nyoman Bagiarta, teaches local men how to be nature guides and he has also helped other local Balinese setting up their guesthouses in order to gain some additional income.

Things to do

In the village there's isn't much to do besides enjoying the marvelous view on mountain slopes, river gorges and rice paddies all the way to the ocean and going for several hikes around the area.

Expect to go to bed early and wake up together with the birds, chickens and locals.

This is the ideal place for nature lovers and those who like to get away from it all. Numerous hiking trails lead you to waterfalls, mountain streams, various plantations, shrines small villages and hot springs.

Try to go early in the morning when it's not too hot. During the rainy season avoid going between 1pm -4pm because most rain falls between these hours.

On the road from Munduk to Lovina you find a crossing at Bestala where you have to turn right to drive all the way to Banjar where you'll find the Banjar hot springs.
It's open from 8 am - 6 pm and entrance fee is around Rph 40.000, try to avoid going there on Sundays...

 

 

 

Restaurants

There are hardly any independent restaurants in the village, most are part of a hotel or guesthouse.

The menus at the hotels are more extensive such as at Puri Lumbung Cottages but even though the menus at Meme Surung Guesthouse and Sunny Guesthouse are fairly simple their views are amazing.

 

Mountain and Sea views from Meme Surung Guesthouse

 

There is one restaurant or warung though which you have to try. It's outside the village on the road to Seririt near the village of Mayong and besides having a very good kitchen it also has a gorgeous view on a rice field valley.

It's called Bali Panorama and once you get here you'll understand why they've called it that way. They serve various delicious dishes, fruit juices and everything is fresh and organic.

 

View from the Bali Panorama Restaurant in Mayong

 

Bali acccommodations in this superb village

Since this village is still very low-key and hordes of travelers haven't discovered this village yet there are only a handful of accommodation options to choose from.

Here is a list of hotels and guesthouses:

Puri Lumbung Cottages: This is the leader in eco-tourism development in the region and here local people get the change to gain experience. There are several old rice barn bungalows (lumbung) with views over nearby rice paddies and impressive valleys.

Here you can also follow courses in batik making, wood carving, balinese dancing etc. Their restaurant is definitely worth trying...
($75 USD for a standard cottage single, $85 USD for a cottage double)

Meme Surung Homestay:
This homestay/guesthouse is in one of the old colonial Dutch buildings and has one of the best views from their restaurant. The rooms are simple, with mosquito nets, fan and en suite bathroom. Don't expect sheer luxury here but it is one of the more affordable options in Munduk...
($32 USD for a single, $39 for a double/twin)

Puri Sunny Guesthouse:
The guesthouse is located a stone-throw away from Meme Surung Homestay on the main road through the village. Here they also have great views on the valley below and on Mount Batukaru...

( $45 USD for standard, $65 USD for a suite single, $70 for a suite double/twin tel: (+62 362) 7012887)

Munduk Moding Plantation:
This gem is located just outside the village in Gobleg Village. It's a nature resort on a working coffee plantation, which promotes sustainable tourism while staying in a one-bedroom villa, grand suite or suite. It's one of the better Bali luxury resort options in the area.

($155 USD for one-bedroom villa, $145 USD for the grand suite and $110 USD for the suite)