Bedugul

Bedugul is strictly a small hillside town at the southern end of the lake district, but the name is used for the whole area around Lake Bratan. Driving up from the south, the main road climbs past vegetable plots and strawberry farms into Bedugul and runs straight on into Candikuning, the larger village with the market, the Bali Botanic Garden and the lakeside temple of Pura Ulun Danu Bratan.

Beyond Candikuning the road leaves the shore of Lake Bratan, passes Pancasari and climbs onto the ridge above Lake Buyan, with views over the lakes on one side and towards the north coast on the other. Here it forks. The main road drops north past the Gitgit waterfall to Singaraja and the Lovina coast, while the other branch follows the ridge west above Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan before winding down through the forest to Munduk.

The temperature drops noticeably on the climb from the coast, and the cool air is a large part of the appeal for Balinese weekenders. Bring a sweater or light jacket, and expect mist and cloud, especially in the afternoon and during the wet season.

Bedugul is a mountain resort region in central Bali centered on several crater lakes, most notably Lake Bratan, and on highland agriculture and tourism. It is known for lakeside temples, botanic gardens and cooler mountain air.

Lake Bratan and the Ulun Danu Bratan water temple are the area’s most visited sights, with temple platforms set at the lake edge and easy photographic viewpoints; visitors also use the lake for small boat trips. The Bali Botanical Garden offers trails, plant collections and shaded walks across several hectares at higher elevation.

The Ulun Danu temple complex dates to the premodern Balinese period and serves as a temple dedicated to the lake and water deities; the botanical garden was established by Indonesian authorities in the 20th century as a research and conservation facility. The area has long combined religious significance with highland farming.

Bedugul lies in Bali’s central highlands on the island’s western-central spine, inland from the southern tourist coast and above the northern coastal town of Singaraja.

• Elevation: The Bedugul area is a cool highland resort region-approximately 1,200 metres above sea level-making it a common retreat from Bali’s coastal heat.

What to See#

• Ulun Danu Bratan Temple: Pura Ulun Danu Bratan sits on the shore of Lake Bratan and is a major Balinese Hindu water temple with several multi-tiered shrines set on small peninsulas and platforms.
• Bali Botanical Garden: Bali Botanical Garden (Kebun Raya Bali) is a large highland botanical collection established in the mid-20th century that displays montane and tropical plant collections and research plots.

Sitting at around 1,150 metres above sea level, Bedugul is both a small town and a mountain-lake resort area that has long been a favourite weekend retreat for the Balinese. It takes in three crater lakes, Bratan, Buyan and Tamblingan, along with the market town of Candikuning. Its most frequented attraction is the water temple of Ulun Danu, set on Lake Bratan and seemingly adrift on the water.

Nearby, the Bali Botanical Garden shelters a wide variety of trees and plants, while the Bali Treetop Adventure Park offers circuits of nets, bridges and zip-lines, two of them designed for young children. Golfers can play the Bali Handara Kosaido course, ringed by crater lakes and wooded mountains. Further activities include parasailing, jet-skiing and banana-boat rides on the lakes, mountain trekking and a soak at the Angseri hot springs. Known as the Garden of Bali, the area produces abundant fruit and vegetables, sold at the traditional market in Candikuning.

Bedugul is about a 1.5-2 hour drive from Ubud or from southern Bali, depending on traffic. Public transport is limited; most visitors use hire cars, tour operators or scooter rentals from nearby towns. Roads are winding but well-traveled.

• Visit Bali's central highland markets near Bedugul early in the morning for the freshest produce and dramatic mountain views through mist.
• Rent a scooter from nearby towns if comfortable riding; roads can be narrow but are scenic and give access to multiple lake viewpoints.
• The Ulun Danu Bratan Temple at Bratan Lake is close by and can be busy - arrive at opening for fewer crowds.