Lovina & Munduk Touring Around Bali 2020.
- V.Gray
- Aug 9, 2022
- 6 min read
We were coming down to our last two weeks in Bali, before we had to leave due to Ryan's passport expiring within 6 months and the regulations regarding the free VISA changing. So we dropped our bags at Josies and Rubens in Amed and started our tour around the island of Bali.
Our first stop was Lovina, Josie and Ruben had gone before to swim with Dolphins and loved the area. In all honesty I do not believe there is a bad place to be in Bali, yes there are busy places like Ubub, Denpasar or further south where it is more expensive and touristy. However in the northern part of the island there is nowhere bad to go, it's all beautiful and welcoming.
Our plan for Lovina was to hang out on the beach, go swimming with dolphins and scout out our next stop after that. We stuck to this plan basically to a T, we hung out on the beach watched the sun set and went to a few local bars and restaurants. We wandered the beach and found a boat for hire to take us swimming with dolphins, this was not as hard as ever 5 ft. There are boats with captains offering fishing or snorkelling or swimming with dolphins.
Photo Credit: V.Gray
On past trips I have swam with dolphins in Mexico and visited marine life rehabilitation centres in Florida, I have never swam with dolphins like this. We got up before sunrise to meet our boat captain and head out into the ocean to find dolphins. We sat one in front of the other watching the sunrise over the ocean and looking out into the horizon for the dolphins hoping they would jump or do something to let us know they were there.
Then suddenly we saw them and the captain took off in their direction, hoping to catch up with the pod. These are wild dolphins so they are not trained to come to boat or interact with you, which made the entire experience that much cooler when it actually started happening. When we caught up to the pod, the captain dropped two bamboo swings into the water, handed us each a full snorkel face mask (this covers your entire face and the snorkel comes out the top over your forehead) and told us to jump in.
You then got into the water, held onto this bamboo swing and he started driving the boat following the pod around. As I type this it sounds unreal, knowing the North American safety standards and liability issues that follow this, however this is SEA anything goes! Josie, Ruben and I switched out several times, while Ryan once he was in the water he was not coming out until we were headed back into shore. The dolphins would come within 2 ft of you, look at you, swim around you but were always just out of reach (this is fine diving has taught us all not to touch marine animals). Still having wild animals come that close to you and be as interested in you as you are in them is a feeling I can not describe to you.
Video Credit: Josie
After the exhilarating morning out on the ocean swimming with dolphins we went back and started looking online about where we wanted to go next. I had marked an article I wanted to read about different places in Bali to visit. This is where we found out about Munduk. Munduk is in the mountains and is known for amazing hiking trails and picturesque waterfalls and mountains. We took a ride up before committing to stay up there for a few days. We stopped in a few Air BnB's and found one with a pool, included breakfast and had a nice patio to sit outside to eat breakfast and drink our coffee while taking in the sunrise over the mountain tops.
Photo Credit: V.Gray
We took a few days up in the village of Munduk, Ryan and I were used to being stared at by this point (being covid and tourists) but the amount of looks we got in Munduk made us all laugh. Munduk is definitely off the beaten path and for people doing a 2 week vacation in Bali, I am sure it does not register on most people's radar as a spot to go, however it is so charming, relaxing and a change of scenery from the ocean we all thoroughly enjoyed it.
We did a full day of just riding around the mountain tops on the scooters stopping at various viewpoints, for lunch and when our scooter would not carry both of us up the hill. I got the pleasure of getting off and walking top, while everyone waited for me. Josie even took a moment to snap a picture of this moment so none of us would forget it.
Photo Credit: Josie
Then hoping back on and carrying on our way, we really had no idea where we were going. We just took our time and saw what the area had to offer.
Photo Credit: Josie
When we returned to our AirBnB we did some looking online and picked 2 waterfalls with great reviews to do the next day. That night would be the most memorable for me, I was heading for the shower before dinner and was about to hop when I noticed something watching me. I let out a scream and ran out of the bathroom. My scream was loud enough that Ruben came from the room next door to check on us. I had found a very VERY large spider hanging out in our bathroom. I am terrified of spiders, Ryan tried to downplay it and told me it was nothing UNTIL he himself walked into the bathroom. Then he turned around and said " I do not mind spiders, but that one makes me uncomfortable." By this point I was sitting on our bed with the mosquito netting pulled down and was refusing to do anything until someone got rid of this thing in the bathroom. Ruben was also in tears laughing at the situation.
When Ryan finally decided to do something about our unwanted guest, he put on shoes, stood on a towel holding it to his knees (this was to protect him in case the spider jumped at him!), shuffled into the bathroom with a tissue box and tossed the box at this spider. When he hit the spider it curled into a ball and laid on the ground, Ruben (still laughing) handed him a piece of a take out menu to pick the spider up to toss it over the ledge into the valley below. I will never forget this, it is giving me the hibbie jibbies thinking about it now (2 years later).
Munduks waterfalls are astounding and really are a sight to behold with your own eyes, as most things are. The pictures I will share do not do justice to the waterfalls, size or beauty by any means. The hikes were not overly challenging, sometimes a bit questionable (stairs or slippery slopes) but nothing too extreme.
I did not write down anywhere the names of these waterfalls or trails. There are so many in this area that locals will tell you where to go and it is marked out pretty well.
Photo Credit: Josie
We did those hikes down steep stairs and slippy pathways, over bamboo bridges and climbing boulders to get up close to these waterfalls, each one more captiaving than the last. The first one we came to we thought about swimming at a pool at the base of the waterfall however when we stuck our hands in the water it was ice cold. Bali is hot, but in the mountains it was a lot cooler and the ice cold water even after the hike did not appeal to any of us. So we walked around the foot of the waterfalls instead.
Photo Credit: V. Gray
Photo Credit: Josie
Every waterfall is so different along with the areas surrounding them and the pathways leading up. I think that what makes hiking to the waterfalls so enjoyable, seeing the magnitude of them and just taking them in.
Cheers!
A map of Bali and places we have travelled.
**Please note that all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own, from my own experiences. If you would like to see more pictures follow me on Instagram vikki.gray **
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