Bali’s Isle Less Traveled
By Jim Benning
National Geographic Adventure
A giant surfwear advertisement greeted me as I stepped off the plane in Bali. “Search a little longer,” the ad urged. “Travel a little farther.” The message turned out to be sound advice. Mass tourism long ago established a beachhead on Bali, so visitors have to make an extra effort to escape its clutches and discover why adventurers have been drawn to this storied island in the Indonesian archipelago. Fortunately, that’s still not hard to do. A short bus and boat ride from Kuta Beach, Bali’s noisy answer to Tijuana, brought me to Nusa Lembongan. It’s a sleepy speck of a Balinese island offering everything I wanted: uncrowded beaches, shady palms, snorkeling, $7-a-night oceanfront bungalows, and world-class surfing at several breaks. What’s more, islanders make it easy to unplug from modern life: They shut off the electricity all day.
* WHERE TO GO: The town of Kuta, near the airport, is a good place to pick up supplies, change money, and arrange the crossing to Nusa Lembongan. Once there, you can walk to local villages and temples, or rent a bicycle at one of the small outfitters. Life centers on the beach. Serious surfers should bring their own boards to ride Shipwrecks and Lacerations, two advanced breaks located a short paddle offshore. Less experienced surfers can attempt Playgrounds. A lift to the breaks on a skiff costs $1. While quality varies, body boards and snorkeling gear can be rented cheaply. If you don’t want to spend all your time on Nusa Lembongan, head back to Bali to explore the volcanic cones of Gunung Batur. You can also check out other Bali surf breaks such as Ulu Watu, near the temple of the same name, where mischievous monkeys try to snatch visitors’ sunglasses.
* HOW TO GO: In late summer, round-trip flights to Bali cost about $820 from New York, $760 from Los Angeles. There is a $12 departure tax. Find deals with consolidators such as Adventure Bound Tours (800-308-2345; www.adventure-bound.com) or agencies such as Adventure Travel Company (800-467-4595; www.atcadventure.com). Taxis from the airport into Kuta cost about $3. Kuta’s Perama Tourist Service (62-3-617-51-551) offers bus/boat tickets to Nusa Lembongan ($7 each way). Boats leave every morning from Sanur, 30 minutes by bus from Kuta; it’s an hour’s boat fide. Perama also has bus service from Kuta to Kintamani ($3.50, two hours), with connecting public buses (60 cents, one hour) to Penelokan, the gateway to Gunung Batur.
* LODGING AND FOOD: In Kuta, rooms start at about $4. On Nusa Lembongan, bungalows line the beach, costing as little as $3 a night. Agung’s (623-662-4483), a popular operation, has colorful two-story bungalows, some views ($7), and individual rooms ($5). Most bungalow owners also run inexpensive restaurants. At Agung’s, banana pancakes and banana smoothies start at 50 cents. Nasi goreng, a traditional dish of fried rice and egg, costs about 80 cents. Gado gado, a salad with rich peanut sauce, costs $1.
* SAFETY: Many of Indonesia’s 13,000 islands are considered dangerous; anti-American demonstrations on Java made headlines last year. Bali, however, remains a safe, low-key haven.
11 Days in Bali
(Cost per person, based on a group of two)
AIRFARE: $760/$820
West Coast/East Coast, September departure
LOCAL TRANSPORTATION: $20
Airport taxi; bus and boat to and from Nusa Lembongan
LODGING: $35
Ten nights in basic bungalows
ACTIVITIES: $15
Bike rental, snorkeling rental, local boat trips
FOOD: $110
Restaurant meals and snacks for 11 days
INCIDENTALS: $12
Departure tax
TOTAL: $952/$1,012
Photo of Nusa Lembongan by yeowatzup via Flickr, (Creative Commons).