Lovina is a quiet coastal town on the North Bali coastline west of the city of Singaraja.
Lovina is a relatively new name coined in the 1950s by the late king of Buleleng
(Buleleng Regency) Anak Agung Panji Tisna, with a good eye for future
tourism-based development. It started with small lodge built on his own
land and named Lovina. After going through struggle of ups and
downs, finally the community accepted the presence of Lovina. Now even,
for the sake of tourism, Lovina used for the name of seven traditional
villages, which all slightly merge into one on a ten kilometer stretch
of the main road which hugs the north coast to the west of Singaraja:
Temukus, Kalibukbuk, Anturan, Pemaron, Tukad Mungga, Banyualit and
Kaliasem. Kalibukuk is the main hub of this area and is often thought of "Lovina town centre"
The whole stretch of coast here is fringed by quite narrow black sand
beaches, which are accessed by a multitude of small lanes which run
perpendicular to the east-west coast road. The beaches are generally
safe for swimming, and the waters of Bali's north coast, in direct
contrast to the crashing surf of the south, are relatively calm.
Diving, snorkelling and dolphin watching are the main activities,
but perhaps above all else, this is an area in which to relax and take
in a very slow, traditional pace of life. It can get a little crowded in
July and August, but outside that peak season, this is a quiet part of
the island.
Lovina also has a large number of cafés. Some of these
establishments are not selling tea and sandwiches. They often provide
loud, live music in which patrons can participate and it's not unusual
to see foreigners jamming with locals.
How to Get in
By Bus
Perama offers transportation from major tourist destinations in Bali and has a local Lovina office in Anturan. Perama shuttle buses to Lovina leave from Kuta, Sanur, Ubud, Candidasa and Padang Bai. They use mini buses without air-conditioning, the price from Kuta, Sanur and Ubud, as of 2012, is Rp 125,000. While this is more than twice more than using bemos (and not much more comfortable), you will avoid changing bemos (generally, twice) in Denpasar and the need to bargain with bemo drivers who enjoy to overcharge visitors. For a group of three or four, however, taxi or private car will cost same or cheaper, while much more comfortable.
By Bemo
Long distance bemos are a bit of challenge for all but the most experienced of budget traveller, but you can get to Lovina from most major towns in Bali, almost always via Singaraja.
By Car
Most visitors arrive in Lovina from the south in a self-drive hire car or with a car and driver. A journey from Kuta takes about 3 hrs and from Sanur slightly less. Ubud is a 2 hour car journey over the central highland range. Many visitors from the south choose though to break their journey at Bedugul or Kintamani.
By Taxi
A pre-paid coupon taxi direct from the airport will cost you Rp 450,000 and takes about 3 hours.
Get around
This is a good area for walking as the roads are relatively quiet and the beaches long and easily passable.
Renting a bicycle is popular and again, easy to find. Many hotels have their own. You should be aware though that away from the coast road, there are a lot of steep hills.
The easiest way to visit the surroundings of Lovina is by renting a motorbike. There are many roadside outlets and expect to pay between Rp 50,000-90,000 per day. The roads are quite good here and nothing like as crowded as in south Bali.
Local bemos ply the north coast road between Singaraja and West Bali, stopping at all points on the Lovina stretch. You will need some patience and they can be very crowded indeed. As there is only one main road it is though hard to get lost.
What to See
Lovina’s black sand beaches are quite lovely and lend themselves well to exploration on foot at a leisurely pace. The sea is very calm here and is safe for swimming. The feeling on the beaches is one of laid-back tranquility with small, colourfully decorated traditional outriggers called perahu dotted along the shoreline. These are a reminder that you are in a traditional fishing community. There are a few hawkers, but nothing like as many as on the southern beaches, and this is as good a place as any in Bali to explore quiet beaches at your own pace. At the highest of tides the beaches can get a little difficult to traverse in places, so it is best to time your walks for a falling tide. Be aware that many of the 'black sand' beaches (particularly in the central area) are an unappealing dirty brown with significant amounts of plastic rubbish
The small road that runs down to the beach-front from the main east-west coast route at Kalibukuk is called Jalan Bina Ria. At the beach end of this road is a rather wonderful dolphin statue (complete with slightly horrific one-jawed rusting dolphins). Apart from being a notable piece of kitsch, this is a reminder of the reason for the initial drive beind tourist development at Lovina (dolphins, obviously). Mini wooden and stone replicas of this statue are for sale widely in the area.
Brahma Vihara Arama
Brahma Vihara Arama, Dencarik. Bali's largest Buddhist monastery located near the village of Dencarik. The monastery is absolutely charming and commands lovely views. Whilst obviously Buddhist with its orange roof, numerous gold Buddhas and stupas recalling those at Borobudur, the carvings and ornamentation are very Balinese. The combination works well and if it were in a location easier to reach, this attraction would recieve far more visitors than it does. A visit here combines well with Banjar Hot Springs. Donation.
Brahma Vihara Arama, Dencarik. Bali's largest Buddhist monastery located near the village of Dencarik. The monastery is absolutely charming and commands lovely views. Whilst obviously Buddhist with its orange roof, numerous gold Buddhas and stupas recalling those at Borobudur, the carvings and ornamentation are very Balinese. The combination works well and if it were in a location easier to reach, this attraction would recieve far more visitors than it does. A visit here combines well with Banjar Hot Springs. Donation.
Your hotel can (and will offer repeatedly to) arrange day tours to the nearby sights including the beautiful highland scenery of Munduk to the south, the beaches of Pemuteran to the west, and the city of Singaraja to the east. All are within easy reach.
You can arrange a half day trip to the Les village waterfall, bat
cave and coral protection project, which is around 40 km to the East.
What to Do
Canyoning in Gitgit, Bali, Indonesia
A dolphin trip at dawn at Lovina
You will be offered dolphin sighting trips every other minute.
These leave the main beaches each morning at dawn, and have mixed
reviews as the boats tend to outnumber the dolphins. It can though still
be an enjoyable ride, and if you do find a pod of dolphins it is of
course very worthwhile. The price is fixed by the local boatmen's
association. If you are in a
group, ask about chartering your own private boat.
Cockfights are popular around around Lovina, perhaps more
so than anywhere else in Bali. This is taken very seriously, and you
will see many older men training the cocks at the roadside throughout
the area. At the fights, huge sums of money change hands as illegal
gambling on the outcome is rife. If you are interested, ask at your
hotel or approach one of the local men and ask to tag along to the next fight.
Banjar Hot Springs
- Banjar Hot Springs (Air Panas), Dencarik (about 10 km west by road to Dencarik, then an ojek ride on rough paths). 7AM-6PM. Located west of Lovina, this is an enchanting hot springs with stone carved mouths gushing water in a lush garden setting. The waters are naturally a very pleasing temperature and have a high sulphur content. The whole experience here is extremely therapeutic and cleansing. Changing rooms and lockers are provided on site. This is not a straightforward place to get to, and for that reason it is often way less crowded than you would expect for such a lovely spot. Rp 5,000.
- Banjar Buddhist Temple, Banjar (Head west out of town, turn left in to Banjar, then left at the market area at the center of town.). A spectacular Buddhist temple featuring something of a miniature, modern replica of Borobodur atop its peak, as well as pagodas, a pond, a meditation grove and gardens. The resident monk is apparently from Bhutan.
Lovina coastline from the mountains
- Lovina Hills, (Head west out of town toward Banjar, turn left after a few kilometers at the large gateway over the main road, then keep going until you climb up the mountains.). Great views over the coast, some more traditional villages, a temple or two, and fruit orchards.
- Public Library Coba Baca. The goal of this foundation is to provide education to all (north) Balinese. The library provides books, organizes (educational) activities and (language) courses to the local inhabitants. Beside that a great collection of English and Dutch books is available. Those books can be borrowed by tourists and expats as well. For people interested in the Indonesian language; courses Bahasa Indonesia are available on different levels. Income generated by those memberships and courses will directly go to the foundation. The library/educational center is located on the main road in Kalibukbuk, in between the ATM and the traffic lights in an old hotel called "Bali Jegeg".
Diving
There are several dive operators based out of Lovina that operate daily dive and snorkeling trips to Menjangan Island, Tulamben and Amed,
as well as dives from the local beaches. Be sensible and careful as
some hotels and counters try to sell unlicensed diving trips that may
look official on paper. Do not pay before you have seen the dive centre,
and check that you will dive with certified divemasters/instructors.
Stay safe
Visitors to Lovina are often offered magic mushrooms. Although the
Indonesian legal position on mushrooms is unclear and they are commonly
available around the island, this is very much at your own risk and
frankly, best avoided.
Get out
- From Lovina you can continue your Bali trip westwards to Pemuteran and West Bali National Park for more diving, trekking and birdwatching, then perhaps onwards to Gilimanuk and Java. Be advised there is little affordable accommodation beyond Pemuteran, which is quite expensive as it caters largely to foreign-booked diving groups. Gilimanuk has some very basic hotels but nowhere with wifi, and almost nothing to do.
- The old administrative capital of Bali at Singaraja is just 20 minutes to the east.
- Bedugul for lakes, mountains and the botanical gardens.
Tour to Lovina : info@bsmtour.com / reservation@bsmtour.com