A world away from the hectic (and not especially pretty) tourist towns of the west, East Bali is home to some of the islands most impressive views. You can visit East Bali on a day trip or stay in laid-back towns such as Sidemen and Amed.
My East Bali Trips
I’ve been on several day trips to East Bali over the years. The first was to climb Mt Batur in 2013, then another one on my honeymoon in 2018 (plus a stay in Padang Bai), and another couple of day trips on my 2022 trip. You almost definitely won’t see everything on my list during your next trip to Bali, but hopefully it gives you some spots to add to your own East Bali adventure. I obviously haven’t been everywhere in East Bali — there are more temples, viewpoints, beaches and other attractions!
Places to See in East Bali
Sidemen
The Sidemen Rice Terraces are some of the best in Bali, and it’s a good place to stop for a while on an East Bali day trip. It’s a far more local experience than Tegalalang and Jatuliweh, but if you’ve already seen them you may want to skip Sidemen.
It’s a beautiful place though, and there are some stunning villas on the hills looking down the Sidemen Valley — it could be a good place to splash out if you’re looking for a tranquil night or two.
Bukit Cinta
Mount Agung, the tallest volcano on the island, dominates East Bali, and a great viewpoint to see it from is Bukit Cinta. There’s a restaurant with awesome views, but just below it you can see it for free (you can just stop by the side of the road and walk down 20 metres or so).
Mt Batur
Hiking to the top of Mount Batur in time for sunrise is one of the best experiences you can have in Bali. It takes a couple of hours to get up there and isn’t that difficult– and what a view from the top!
Lake Batur
I visited Lake Batur after climbing the mountain. I was tagging along with a couple who had organised a driver and they were keen to get a boat across the lake to visit a graveyard, minus the actual graves. Bones were scattered around various parts of the tiny cemetery – an interesting spot and one I probably never would have heard about otherwise.
Kintamani
Kintamani is the region where Mount Batur / Lake Batur call home. It’s also famous for its viewpoints — I remember stopping at one with a nice view all those years ago — definitely somewhere I’ll return to on future Bali trips (the Trunyan Hill hike looks good).
Lahangan Sweet
With Mount Agung being the dominant force in East Bali, you’re going to want to find the best viewpoints for it. Lahangan Sweet is a good one to seek out — it has great views of the volcano as well as a long way down the east coast of Bali.
It’s a nice spot to visit for sunset and looks odds on to become a popular spot with the Instagram crowd — how could they resist photo opportunities like these!
Roadside Views
Driving around East Bali you’re bound to see incredible views. Whether you have room to stop so you can see them is another story though. Keep your eyes peeled and you’ll get to enjoy views like the ones below from the comfort of the side of the road.
Tirtra Gangga
It can be hard to choose which temples in Bali to visit (hopefully my post on it helps), but if you’re travelling around Bali Tirtra Gangga is a good option. You’ve got your usual temple scenes, but there’s also a big pool with stepping stones — hang around long enough and you might see someone fall in.
Lumpayang Temple
This infamous temple in East Bali was (maybe still is?) popular with Instagrammers and wannabe influencers, who were drawn there by a cool looking reflection photo spot with Mount Agung in the background. It turns out those photos were faked (by a guy holding a mirror up to your camera) and people were lining up for hours for the privilege. It’s a decent enough place if you ignore all that
NOTE: I seem to have misplaced my photos of Lumpayang Temple. Either that, or I never visited at all and it was just a bad dream. Or maybe I just didn’t deem it worthy of a photo.
Virgin Beach
One of the best beaches in Bali is found in the east, and it’s kinda in the middle of nowhere. Virgin Beach is a stunning white sand beach with calm, clear water — so different to the beaches on the west coast!
Make sure to walk up (or get your driver to go that way and stop) to the viewpoint above the beach — one of the best beach views you’ll see in East Bali.
Amed
Amed is a small town strung out along a few kilometres of road. Most people are drawn here by the snorkelling and diving just off the black sand beaches, but it’s a nice place to visit even without getting in the water.
The beaches are nice enough, with views of Mount Agung from some parts. You can also see it from one of the streets, but the real highlight is the view from above town — a perfect curve of black sand backed by green trees, with Mount Agung in the distance. The viewpoint was closed for construction (maybe a new hotel going there) but you could still see the view from the road. Hopefully this area opens up properly in the near future as it’s one of the better views in Bali.
Padang Bai
If you’re travelling to the Gili Islands on a speed boat you’ll briefly stop in Padang Bai, but it’s much more than a transit point. Some of the best beaches in Bali are found just a short walk from town – it’s worth spending a night or two there if you can! It’s very sleepy after all the boats go too.
Candi Dasa
I only stopped in Candi Dasa very briefly, so I can’t comment too much on it. It’s another place renowned for diving, but unlike Amed there’s no real beach there.
Other Places to Visit in East Bali
I’m sure there are heaps of other places to visit in East Bali, with more being discovered all the time. Lahangan Sweet, the viewpoint that I reckon is one of the best in Bali, only became a thing a year or two ago. I’m sure more places like it will pop up! Some reasonably popular places to visit in East Bali that I missed include Savana Tianyar, Besakih Great Temple and Jagasatru Waterfall.
Are you planning a trip to Bali? Check out my two-week itinerary!
Jon Algie
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