Kintamani
is great for day trips, trekking or simply for getting away
from it all for a few days. At Penelokan you can view the
panorama of Mount Batur set in a huge volcanic crater basin.
Stop here on the way to Singaraja to climb to peaceful Pura
Tegeh Kuripan. Try to arrive at Kintamani in the morning,
as it's often overcast in the afternoon, especially during
the rainy season.
Prices in US dollars. Telephone code is 0366.
Kintamani
There
are two possible options for staying near Lake Batur: up
on the ridge or down inside the crater. The villages within
the crater tend to have a rather unpleasant atmosphere with
a lot of people hassling you. The views, however, are stunning.
The main reason to spend the night in the crater is to climb
Mt. Batur at dawn.
There
are several attractions from Penelokan, starting with the
view from the crater rim toward Lake Batur. Rim temples
include Pura Ulun Danu Batur and Pura Tegeh Kuripan, both
on the main road. A visit to the crater might include a
boat trip to the traditional village of Trunyan, the lava
fields, the hot spring at Toya Bungkah, or climbing Mt.
Batur.
The
best way to visit the crater is with your own transportation
or chartered minibus. Walking is possible, but distances
are long and the descent into the crater is very steep.
You might want to finish your visit with a dip in the lake.
Penelokan
and the crater villages are rather "un-Balinese"
with vendors hassling you and people approaching you in
the street to book accommodations.
There's
a local authority charge of Rp550 per person for any car
with tourists crossing into the region, plus Rp250 for the
car. A similar fee is charged in Toya Bungkah.
Kintamani
is the end-point of several tour itineraries heading up
from the lower rice plain in the south. Most buses come
up the good, scenic road via Tampaksiring, with stops on
the way at Goa Gajah, Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul, then
going back down through Bangli and Pura Kehen. But there
are other interesting routes. One leads from Peliatan in
the Ubud area through the wood-carvers' villages of Tegallalang,
Pujung and Sebatu. The views along the way are superb. Other
roads from Ubud to
Kintamani
run through Payangan or from Denpasar through the Sangeh
monkey forest, Plaga and Lampu, arriving to the north of
Kintamani.
Bemos
to Kintamani are available from Ubud via Sakah (notable
for its huge "Baby" statue). They also run via
Tampaksiring and Bangli.
From
Denpasar bemos leave for Kintamani from the Batubulan terminal
until late afternoon. The normal fare from Batubulan is
Rp2,000 and from Singaraja Rp4,000. Rent a motorbike or
car if you want to explore the great back roads in the Kintamani
area.
Shuttle
buses which run between Ubud and Singaraja stop in Penelokan.
From Ubud $4.50-$7, from Singaraja $9-$11.
Alternatively,
you can also join a day tour and ride up in air conditioned
comfort, lunch included. On such tours, however, you will
only see the view of Penelokan and then return, missing
the caldera and the lake down the Kedisan road.
Charter
bemos from Penelokan to Kedisan cost Rp5,000; Kedisan to
Toya Bungkah Rp. 1,000 by bemo or Rp.20,000-Rp.25,000 for
charter bemo, depending on your bargaining skills.
To
Trunyan from Kedisan
Down
inside the caldera you can cross to the lake village of
Trunyan either from Kedisan or from Toya Bungkah. Be warned
that the people here can be quite aggressive and the government
has long advised tour operators not to send tourists to
Trunyan.
In
Toya Bungkah, the normal "tourist" price is $16
(including insurance) for the round trip for a ful I boat
of seven. Don't expect to pay the local price. In Kedisan,
the round trip costs about $20 per boat, with a price per
person decreasing to $3 per person is the boat is full.
If you are tired of bargaining hassles, simply hike around
the crater to Trunyan.
Eating
In Kintamani
The better places are attached to the hotels in Penelokan
up on the calderas and down in Toya Bungkah by the hot
springs. Penelokan has choices ranging from very simple
and cheap places with good local food to big fancy restaurants,
which cater to tour groups from the expensive hotels on
the coast.
The
local lake fish is a tasty variety called be mujahir,
available fried or grilled. It's best fried crisp-more
of the fish is edible.
A
good place for lunch (and one of the few on the rim
for evening meals) is the Lakeview. Prices here are moderate,
but they are geared up for tour group buffet lunches.
The
Batur Garden Restaurant has an interesting menu of Chinese
and Indonesian dishes, as well as Western bar drinks.
Friendly and reasonably priced. Lunch only.
Gunawan
Restaurant is very popular with a great view on the edge
of the crater. There are many other giant, palatial restaurants
on the other side of the street, but most overlook South
Bali. Buffet or menu. Great mujahir soup. Approx. Rp 7000
per entree; buffet $4.50, plus 21% tax.
Down
in the crater at Toya Bungkah, most losmen have small
restaurants (warung), and new eating places are springing
up all the time. Our recommendation is Nyoman Mawa's Under
The Volcano. His lake fish with homemade sambal matah
is worth the trip to the mountains alone.
Kintamani
Activities
Check out our Activities
& holiday Page
If
you've always wanted to walk around inside the crater
of an active volcano, here's your chance. Mt. Batur is
1,717 m high, but the upper cone itself is only several
hundred meters above the level of the lake and can be
climbed and descended in a few hours. At the top, there's
a warm crust of ground over the cauldron. Be sure to hire
a guide, as it can be dangerous.
Each
home stay can recommend a guide. Under the Volcano has
guides for $12 per person; other home stays charge $18-$19.
It's
best to start very early in the morning, around 4 am:
it's cool and you're likely to see a wonderful sunrise.
Your guide will probably find you before you find him.
Choose someone friendly who is not charging a ridiculous
amount of money: $4-5 is a fair price. Gede at Gede's
Trekking near Kintamani market is a helpful contact. Another
professional trekking guide service is Panorama Tourist
Services, located near the Toya Bungkah Hot Spring. They
also organize other trekking trips in the area.
There
are several well-marked approaches to Batur. From Pura
Jati, near Kedisan (where a large sign announces "Klim
Prom Here-Please Polow, Wite Plag"), and from Toya
Bungkah where the climb up and back takes about three
hours. The latter route is notably easier.
Wear
high-top shoes: the slopes are covered with fine dust.
Other necessary supplies are drinking water and a snack
or two. On reaching the summit your guide will boil some
eggs (in the sand) and make coffee. If you're fortunate,
a great view stretching all the way to Lombok will be
revealed as the sun rises.
Going
down is much easier than climbing up and it's possible
to take another route down, via the hot spring at Toya
Bungkah. Ask your guide to have a car ready to bring you
back to the original starting point once you get down.
The spring, set in a concrete pool, is not overly spectacular.
Entrance is $1
This trip is not recommended during the rainy season (November-April).
There's
a good new road that circles the volcano rim from Penulisan
east to Pinggan and Blandingan, where it comes to a dead
end. Another route is to drive past Toya Bungkah to Songan
and follow the sign west to Air Mampeh. The road leads
to Penelokan through the caldera behind Batur. It is sometimes
difficult to pass because of volcanic sand and stones
Please
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holidays - tours,diving,rafting,sailing,cruising,snorkelling,clycling,trekking,horse
riding,golf and SPA for more information
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Here for Kintamani
Hotels and Accommodation 
HOT
SPRINGS
The
public bathing spot at the Toya Bungkah Hot Springs is
free and frequented mostly by Indonesians. There is now
a large swimming facility, Tirta Sanjiwani, set in a lovely
garden just above the lake. Two hot spring pools plus
a huge regular swimming pool. You can take a personal
spa for $25, including a massage in your own little spa
and bale. $10 adults, $7.50 children.
