LAST VISITED MAY 2014
I've passed thru the Bedugul-Lake Bratan area several times, stopped twice for a meal or an overview of one of the crater lakes, but have never stayed in the area. So in May 2014 I made sure I spent a few nights there.
Our digs, Pacung Indah at bottom, was according to booking site Agoda's map within walking distance of Bedugul. Nope - it turned out to be in the roadside village of Pacung, 10km south, a bit far to walk. This is the 3rd time Agoda's maps have let us down.
THE BIG 3 ATTRACTIONS IN BEDUGUL ARE THE MARKETS, BOTANIC GARDENS AND ULAN DANU TEMPLE.
BEDUGUL MARKETS
BEDUGUL BOTANIC GARDENS
Entry into the Gardens is only a few dollars. They are pretty big at around 160ha and have a bunch of different attractions. I reckon if you moved fast you could cover them in a half day. We had less than 3 hours and had to be a bit selective....
If you have the time there is also a bamboo display, rose garden, aquatic garden, fern house, begonia house, bamboo collection, a giant rainforest tree, lots of traditional statues plus a number of places to eat and take it easy - and lots more.
ULAN DANU TEMPLE
But it sure is pretty - one of the most photographed and visited in Bali. It figures on the Indo 50k rupiah note. I ripped this shot off the Bali Tourism Board's site balitourismboard.org
PACUNG INDAH
Pacung (say Pachung) Indah would have been just about perfect by our budget standards if it was positioned closer to Bedugul. Agoda's location map had it 5km south and I mapped out a good trek up to the crater by a scenic backroad - in reality it was another 5km down the main road.
The restaurant is set up to serve passing daytripping buses, vans and cars and could probably seat 200+ people. Food seemed good at prices above Bali budget levels but pretty good by western standards - one good deal for staying guests was the impressive luncheon buffet reduced from 8Ok idr (abt $US7) to 60k. All prices have a 21% tax added. The inclusive breakfast was not buffet but the "Australian breakfast" choice was pretty good - basically an American breakfast plus cereal and milk.
I strolled 10 minutes up and down the road and couldn't find any budget restaurants in this southern part of Pacung village.
Restaurant prices seemed much the same as at Pacung Idah.
JATILUWIH RICE TERRACES
There's a lot more to do in the general Bedugal area - water sports on the lake, visits to market gardens, fruit and coffee growing areas, climbing, cross country cycling. yada. A visit to the Git Git waterfall a short walk off the main road as it descends to the north coast is time well spent - there is a pic on the main Bali page.-------------------------------------------------------
IF YOU SEE MISTAKES OR HAVE EXTRA INFORMATION, PLEASE POST IT BELOW. BUT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS PLEASE POST THEM IN THE FORUM WHICH I CHECK MOST DAYS WHEN NOT TRAVELLING - WHEREAS I SELDOM REVISIT INDIVIDUAL LOCATION PAGES.
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