Activities and Excursions

during your Stay at Ciliks Beach Garden

Enjoy a few “lazy days” to overcome the jet lag and get used to the tropical climate. Yet, after a while, you may want to be more active or become nosy and eager to explore the island and beyond.  We have a multitude of suggestions and will help you to realise them:

We can offer two comfortable, air-conditioned cars for accompanied (half-) day excursions on the island.  If you rather like a rental car, we will arrange that as well, either by the day or for your entire stay.  The resort owns two ‘Junkungs’ - the traditional Balinese outrigger boats – helping you to explore the sea right in front of your door steps.

Further suggestions:

A “must” on the island of Bali:  Visit cultural activities, Bali-Hindu ceremonies and festivities, close-by or further away !

For hikers and mountaineers:   Strolls right from the resort,  hikes close by in the area or further away on the island;  take mountain hikes, or even cross the Rinjani massif on the neighbouring island of Lombok while trekking for several days !

For water enthusiasts:   Excursions to dive- and snorkel places,  guided dives with German/international dive instructors,  and fishing with Balinese fisher men in their traditional outrigger boats.

For wellness lovers:   Spa treatment and  physical therapy in a neighbouring wellness centre.

For restless explorers:   If you want to combine a stay at  Ciliks Beach Garden with more destinations on Bali or another Indonesian island,  we offer packages for Bali, Java, Lombok, Komodo, and Flores.

Though there is a multitude of activities outside of CBG,

you should be aware of the choices you have right on the premises:

swimming, snorkelling, table tennis, massages, and more.

We are not a Wellness- and Spa-Resort in the first place,  but we  pay much attention to a holistic recreation for our guests.  It is possible to go swimming in the ocean nearly every day of the year.   In the months of January, February, and August high surge and strong currents may be observed,  but it happens rarely  that it is hard or impossible to swim for a day.  From March to July and from September to December the ocean is very calm and ideally suited for swimming.  Walking just 200m along the beach to the west,  you’ll encounter a public swimming pool  fed by the sweet water springs  which give Air Sanih its name.  You may also consider the hot springs of Banjar,  but they are a 40-minute drive away. Only a short swimming distance from the CBG shore in Air Sanih,  you’ll find a small reef with soft coral. Larger coral refs are easily in the reach of our jukungs.

Aside from bathing in the ocean or the beautiful Balinese light and sunshine, we have a table tennis pavilion on our property in Air Sanih.   Should you be in need of a match partner, we’ll find you somebody.

For getting a relaxing massage,  you do not have to leave CBG:   Komang, a young man from the neighbouring village Kubutambahan, will come and massage you on your house- or seaside-terrace  using a traditional Balinese technique,  applying gentle pressure and stretching to your muscles.  One-hour massage will be 70.000 Rupiah, less than 6 Euro;  for 90 minutes, he charges 90.000 Rps.  Ask Pak Cilik or Nyoman to arrange a date for you.   Alternatively, we can recommend and arrange therapeutic massages and wellness treatments in the close-by Wellness Centre “Bali Samadhi Spa”.  If you like to stay in CBG, they’ll also send a physical therapist to your villa.

Excursions by boat and boat rentals

CBG owns two traditional outrigger boats,  a big one with sail and a strong motor, making it independent from the wind  and a small, just man-powered one (use the paddles and go fishing close to the shore !).   Going for a sail with the big one, Pak Cilik or Nyoman, who worked as a fisher before joining us at CBG, will accompany you.  It is wonderful to start very early with the first light and experience the sun rise from the water. Go to the close-by coral reefs or make a tour and watch the dolphins playing elegantly in large schools around the boat;  with some luck, you’ll even see a whale.

If you are an angler, you can go and catch your own fish;  use the experience and intimate knowledge of the Balinese fishermen,  learn from their surprising techniques to catch tuna, macarel, barracuda and other fish using a kite or - just enjoy and watch them.  The rental prices for the boats can be found in section “Prices”. Guests, who stay with us 10 days or more, will use the Sampan, the small outrigger boat, for free.

Day or half-day trips by car

There is a multitude of destinations in the immediate and close-by surroundings, to enjoy and enhance your culture and/or nature impressions of Bali:  Temples in  northern Balinese style,  rarely visited by tourists;  traditional Adat villages, celebrating unaltered Hindu-Balinese ceremonies;  Wayang performances in their ritual context;  the traditional manufacturing of  handicrafts like Bebali and Ikat fabrics,  wood carvings, Wayang puppets, under-glass paintings,  silversmith goods, gongs and other Gamelan instruments.  And of course, we can also show and accompany you to the better or well-known destinations in middle and southern Bali.

The sand, gravel and lava beaches, and the rocky coast in northern Bali, water falls and hot springs along the northern slopes of the mountains, rice paddies and terraces, the enormous caldera of mount Batur,  hill and forest landscapes around Bedugul,  and the majestic lava dome of Gunung Agung  are witnesses of the impressive, tropical nature of Bali.

We can organize a rental car for you by the day or  - if you want to be completely independent - for the entire time of your visit.  Yet, we would recommend that you ask Pak Cilik or another staff member to drive you:  Firstly, you can watch and admire the vistas without caring about traffic,  secondly, you can take advantage of the geographical knowledge of your Balinese escort.   Ask us!  Whatever you like, we’ll put together a program suiting your preferences. Below,  find some examples of possible excursions:

Temples and hot springs

An excursion to the West:  First, visit Kubutambahan.  See the original Northern Balinese temple  Pura Maduwe Karang,  dedicated to Surya, the sun god and god of fruits and fields. This temple has a strictly symmetrical structure of almost pristine and most fascinating clarity and austerity.  Therefore, it is quite different from the typical Northern Balinese temples, which, in contrast to those of Central or Southern Bali are usually rather voluptuous  and sometimes described as “baroque” in style.

From Kubutambahan, it is not far to Sangsit. Here, you will find Pura Beji, considered by many to be the most beautiful Northern Balinese temple.  Its generous architecture, which may well be called  “baroque”,  is in stark contrast to the above-mentioned temple.  Pura Beji is a  Subak (rice field) temple,  dedicated to Dewi Sri,  the rice goddess.

The next stop is Singaraja,  the former capital of Bali.  At first sight, Singaraja is not very attractive, yet it offers a couple of interesting sites. Close to the old harbour, there is a beautiful Chinese Confucian temple,  not far away a more than 150 years old mosque – the oldest in Bali.  In Gedong Kertya, the largest Balinese collection of Lontar texts is on exhibition with thousands of ancient Balinese scripts. Furthermore  you may want to visit a small factory producing silk ikats.  A “must-see” is the Singaraja market, Pasar,  most interesting is a stroll through the enormous complex early in the morning or late in the afternoon.  Return to the old harbour and finish you visit with a cold drink on the old harbour bridge.

From Singaraja you continue in western direction, passing Lovina Beach (the village is actually called Kalibukbuk).  Close to Seririt you dive southwards up the mountains to the hot springs of Banjar.  Already several years ago, pools were built and you can enjoy the spring water which is rich in iron – therefore the brown colour -  and has a temperature of almost 40° C. It is most pleasant to have your body be massaged by a stream of hot water  from one of the spouts. After your bath, you can rest in the shades of the adjacent restaurant.  Recently, a considerable amount of tourism has developed around the springs, partly because of the proximity to Lovina.  You may already be yearning for the peace and quietness of Air Sanih!  However, to should make one more visit on this trip to the West: Go and see the only Buddhist monastery in Bali,  Brahma Vihara Arama,  which is not far away. Few tourists will ever go there; the place is well worth-while visiting; it is unique in its sublime tranquillity and you’ll have a wonderful view to the Balinese Sea.

Arts and Craft:   Traditional weaving, wood carving,

music instruments, shadow theatre and painting

Sembiran,  a Bali-Aga village with unusual, pre-hinduistic traditions,  is only a few kilometres to the East of Air Sanih. Very close to this village, you can visit a craftsmen’ cooperative using only naturally dyed fibres to weave the beautiful Bebali fabrics. You can watch the craftsmen working and – if you wish – also buy their products. The fabrics made out of silk or kapok make stylish gifts.   Close to the large temple complex Ponjok Batu and a small fishermen village, you find the house of Partha, a young wood carver, some hundred meters above the coastal road.  Small and large wooden boxes, dolphin-shaped hangers for hair driers, napkin rings, rice spoons,  and several objects of utility in your CBG house are done by him.  He uses carefully selected teak wood and coconut shells, and all his products are individually hand worked.  Coming back, you may want to stop at the “bizar” studio of the American painter Symon.  He lives in Bali already for a long time; his paintings used to be better; today, he focusses a little bit narrowly on homo-erotic topics.

The next trip takes you again west to Kubutambahan  and then south uphill towards Kintamani,  until you reach the village of Tamblang.  There you can visit a Dalang, a master of Balinese shadow theatre. Perhaps he will show you his large wooden chest with the Wayang puppets, but most certainly he will invite you to a Wayang Kulit performance in one of the surrounding villages. A very authentic ceremony taking place in a family context and almost certainly without attendance from other tourists:  Look forward to a fascinating evening.

The next stop introduces you to a maker of Wayang Kulit figures, puppets for the shadow theatre, whom you can watch practicing his craft.  His neighbour does glass paintings that are unique in Bali.

A small connecting road will take you through ancient villages and Kampungs east to Sawan. Well-kept rice fields  invite you to stroll around.  In a smithy renowned all over Northern Bali,  Gamelan instruments and most of all gongs are being manufactured. You can watch the craftsmen in the morning and you may even acquire a gong – but they are not exactly cheap.

The way back takes you to Jagaraga.  There, as in Sawan,  the underworld temple Pura Dalam is worth visiting.  Here, cremations frequently take place,  hardly ever noticed of by tourists.  Pak Cilik can provide information on the ceremonies.

Rice terraces and waterfalls

Above the small village of Les, about 18 kms east of Air Sanih and 3 kms east of Tejakula, a footpath leads up the slopes of the Batur taking you within one hour to a very beautiful waterfall in which the daring might take a refreshing bath, better a shower.  Formerly, you had to follow the path winding through a typical Balinese agricultural landscape,  with terraced rice fields and gardens in which coconuts, mangos and manioc are grown.  You could hear the women singing in the gardens and see the men  taking the cattle to the washing place.  Some years ago, a parking area has been built above the village, which reduces the walk to about 30 minutes,  hopefully,  this will not draw too much public attention to the still peaceful place.

Above Tejakula, but along a three- to four-hours trail,  you can find several water-falls at the foot of the Batur massif  in a beautiful and still authentic, lonely nature setting.  Ketut, our manager in CBG Tejakula, may find you a guide or even join you himself for this exciting walk.

Another waterfall yet west of Air Sanih towards Singaraja and from there about 8 km uphill,  is the impressive Git-Git fall which you reach from the parking lot after a few minutes walking. It is beautifully situated in an exquisite scenery in the shadow of a river valley. Unfortunately, this area was not developed very sensitively as a tourist attraction, it is quite busy around there, very crowded with many traders and Warungs. Therefore, it might be much more interesting to follow Pak Cilik or Gede along a nearly hidden footpath to another beautiful water fall, without tourists and a nearly secret place…

Spectacular sunrise on the edge of the crater

You will experience an unforgettable sunrise above the Gunung Rinjani on Lombok or the Lombok Sea  if you opt for an early-morning ascent of about one and a half hours to the still active volcano Gunung Batur (1720 m). You will descent, hiking along the beautiful path, leading you along the edge of the crater,  over far-reaching slopes covered with lava and ashes to those parts of the crater where some rather wild volcanic spitting took place in 1994 and again in 1997. In the spring of 1998, a small  chimney had formed on the ashen slope,  releasing gases of about 2000°C at that time;  but it is no longer active.  The entire volcano has been fairly quiet in recent years.  The hike takes about three to five hours through the fresh mountain air and glittering sunshine – it is not difficult, provided you are used to cross-country hiking, but most impressive.

The trip will get really  rewarding,  when you start  in the afternoon of the preceding day:  You go to Penelokan and down to the lake  that has formed in one of the craters. In the afternoon, you take a 30 minutes walk up to the northern edge of the crater where you can enjoy a most stunning view on to the sea and the Batur volcano. You will have dinner in a small restaurant in Toya Bungkah, where you can try Ikan Mujair, fried Batur fish with bamboo sprouts and ginger.  If you like, take a hot bath in the newly built thermal bath or in a secluded spring at the lake.  Stay overnight very inexpensively at the hotel  where you have taken your meal.

In the early morning, a young local person will be your guide.  You do not have to return the same way; you will be picked up with the car at the endpoint of the hiking.  Depending on the size of the group, the fee for the guide will be about 150.000 to 200.000 Rupiahs, the overnight stay will be an additional 200.000 Rupiahs.  Recently, the problem posed by aggressive acting “pseudo-guides” at the Batur (many Bali guide books still mention this) has been solved, since a well-organised cooperative  ensures that the tourist business is distributed in a fair way among the local guides.

Mountain temples, rain forests, and volcanic beaches

 This day trip combines the early-morning ascent to Pura Lempuyang, a sanctuary in the East of the island that is very important to the Balinese,  and spectacular views down to the coast, to Lombok and towards Gunung Rinjani.  Walk through mountainous rain forests dripping with humidity, where gigantic fern trees and orchids grow.  The following, somewhat bumpy car ride will get you to the eastern part of Bali that was developed just in recent years;  it boasts beautiful bays, swimming and diving spots, and hundreds of outrigger boats.

You will depart at 6 o’clock after an early-morning coffee at Ciliks Beach Garden,  driving via Tejakula, Tulamben, and over the ridge between the Agung and the eastern mountain range. The steep road will go high up to a parking area, from where the path starts, to Gunung Seraya with the temple at about 1200 m above sea level. The first part of the route is a 30-minutes hike uphill on the ridge, followed by a sweaty climb of more than one thousand steps, for about 60 minutes. Twice a year, on the Hari Manis Galungan, almost all the inhabitants of the eastern part of the island, who are able to walk, climb up this route to make sacrifices and to celebrate in the temple.  At the top, a spectacular view of the majestic Agung to the West, to the coastline below, and to the island of Lombok in the East awaits you.

Be sure to bring a selendang  which you should wear in the temple; a large towel comes also handy to keep you dry and warm, if (which is often the case) wafts of mist sweep across the mountain top. This, however, renders the vegetation there impressively hypertrophic.  You’ll descent in about 40 minutes and a short car ride will take you via Culik to Amed on the coast.  Here, you can rest and refresh yourself sitting directly by the sea on the shady patio of ‘Vienna Beach’ separated only by a few metres of black-sand beach from the ocean, which invites you for a swim.

After the extensive break, the following scenic drive will take you on a narrow asphalt, sometimes gravel road around the eastern tip of Bali;  enjoy the views and take photos, while driving from bay to bay, from one hill to the next, and experience a completely “different” Bali with steep, bare slopes of rock, karst formations, arid forests, and remote fishing villages, where elaborate jukungs, the traditional Balinese outrigger boats, are being built. Stop for a moment, watch the craftsmen, and let Pak Cilik or Gede explain to you what they are doing.  Also in recent years, more and more small diving resorts settled along this stretch of road.

Shortly before coming to Amlapura - but be aware that it takes quite some time to get there - you can see the reconstructed ancient water palace of the Raja of Karangasam in Ujung; the original was buried by an eruption of the Agung fifty years ago. Then, you return via Tirtagangga (here, you can take a bath in the cold spring water, to wash off the salt) through an elaborately terraced landscape to the northern coast and Air Sanih.

Mountain lakes and clove plantations

The area around the lakes of Danau Buyan, Danau Tamblingan, and Danau Bratan, at an altitude of approx. 1400 m and with a rather cool climate, is an ideal region for hiking. To get a first impression, you can take a short round trip: Via Singaraja drive to the south and up-hill. Just before you reach the pass, follow the mountain ridge in western direction and eventually down to the village of Munduk. We recommend to visit Puri Lumbung Estate and have a meal there (the manager has been practicing an interesting form of eco tourism for some years).  But before getting there, you should relish the wonderful views down to the northern coast, to Java in the western distance, and, in southern direction, to the two lakes surrounded by dense forests. Here, you can hike for several days through seemingly endless Cenke (clove) and coffee forests. Just above Munduk in a spectacular location and in the middle of a coffee plantation, you’ll find a restaurant where the various steps of coffee production are demonstrated. The Arabia- and Robusta-coffee beans being sold here are not cheap, but of exceptional quality. From Munduk, a small road winds down to Seririt. You can stop for a hot bath at Banjar (already mentioned above), before returning to Air Sanih.

In the Durian season (March till May) buy high-quality fruits which are available here, but beware: The ‘queen of fruits’ is not to everybody’s taste…   Later in the year, blue grapes grow and ripe here, delicious, when eaten, but in recent years also used to make the Balinese Rosé Wine ‘Hatten’,  which you can try in Ciliks Beach Garden.

Diving and Snorkeling

Right in front of our resort in Air Sanih,  there is good swimming, but the ocean floor is sandy and rather boring.  Yet, to go snorkelling over multi-coloured corals, among glittering hosts of fish and bizarre specimen of ocean life, you do not have to travel far from Ciliks Beach Garden: Within a few minutes to the East of our property, our boat can take you to two larger coral banks; and even closer to the West, you’ll reach a small, rather modest bank with several beautiful soft coral and a variety of fish just by swimming.  Should you stay in our houses in Tejakula, snorkelling there can start right at the beach, the water is very clear and you’ll find a variety of coral formations and fish. Besides, the boat can take you to various coral banks going East as well as West  In November 1998, a large freight ship sank at a distance of about one sea mile from the coast, somewhat east of our place in Air Sanih. The wreck is at a depth of about 150 m; you can see it clearly  when snorkelling there.

There are many attractive diving spots in northern Bali: The coast of Lovina Beach provides excellent opportunities for snorkelling.  Taking the boat (the best time to go is in the morning when the sea is very tranquil), you will reach clear water about 800 m off the coastline,  and there, just one to three metres below the water level, you will find beautiful coral banks showing a multitude of different species. Unfortunately, these banks have been damaged considerably by fishermen and tourists during the last decades.

Further to the Northwest of Bali, close to Pemuteran and around the island of Menjangan, large coral banks and a steeply sloping reef edge offer fascinating opportunities for both snorkelling and diving. But some experience is necessary, since, depending on the tidal situation, there are strong currents at the edge of the reef.  The car ride from Air Sanih will take close to two hours, then you take a boat to the island, which is part of an area under natural preservation. Recently, a stylish hotel belonging to the Waka chain has been opened there.

About 60 km to the east of our Tejakula resort, close to the village Sembirenteng, the diving resort Alam Anda is located. It belongs to a large chain of diving stations; you can book diving classes and dive here or at other Bali locations with one of their instructors. There, you’ll find a restaurant and a salt-water pool; you can even register for Ayurveda massages; but they are not cheap. The resort is  frequently visited by larger groups.

The best-known diving site of the region is located 35 km to the east of CGB, near Tulamben. The wreck of the ship “Liberty”,  which sank in World War II, lies less than 50 m off the pebble beach, at a depth of about 4 to 25 m,  at times, attracting rather too many divers.  But the corals growing on and surrounding it, and a wealth of fish and other forms of oceanic fauna make a snorkelling tour there worth while.

Close to the wreck, you’ll find the German-managed dive resort “Tauch Terminal”, which also welcomes outside guests, renting equipment and offering guided dive excursions. Further east, along the narrow coastal road of Amed, several dive resorts sprouted there during recent years.

Pak Cilik can run the CD copy of a German television documentary on  “Diving paradises all over the world: Bali” from 2003 for you,  which has a sequence of shots depicting our estate and one of our Gamelan performances

Get together with Pak Cilik or Gede:  Together with you, he’ll plan a program of excursions and sight seeing tailored just for you according to your wishes and preferences

Side trips and excursions in Bali, Java, Lombok, and Flores

For several-day excursions to Lombok, to one of the small Gili Islands off the Lombok coast or a veritable mountain trek – the crossing of  Lomboks’ 3730m (12.237ft) high Gunung Rinjani – for a boat charter in Flores and admiring the Komodo warans, for cultural sight seeing in Yogjakarta (Java) to visit the Borobodur and Prambanan temples, or, just in general, if you want to combine several destinations in Bali and Indonesia during your vacation : We can help you with planning and all bookings; just ask!

A very comfortable German charter boat, for example, embarks weekly on a 5-day sailing trip to the islands east of Bali, surrounding Lombok, stopping in Gili Nangu, Gili Air, Nusa Penida, and Nusa Lembogan.  This could be a great excursion while staying at CBG.

The destinations and accommodations, we recommend, are small, individual resorts or hotels keeping very high standards.  Yet, they are operated according to environmental and ethnic/cultural considerations; their goal is the combination of comfort and relaxation for the guests, plus giving them a cultural experience of the country they are visiting. When trekking across Rinjani, you’ll sleep in tents and in simple, unadorned, yet very clean Lumbungs. During the charter tour, you’d sleep on the deck of the ship.

Bali: Take a deep look into its Culture

Close to Ubud and Mas, in the wood workers’ village of Kemenuh, we know a small, tasteful bungalow resort: Stay there and visit the galleries and craftsmen’s shops of wood workers and painters, the dancing and Gamelan communities; talk to the artists and the critics of the “Balinese scene”. Learn about Bali, reflect and expand you views and opinions.

Bali: Rural life in the mountains

Far away from the hub of  loud and busy tourism and high above the northern coast in clear, cool mountain air, we can recommend and book you into an environment-friendly resort. From there, you can enjoy long hikes around mountain lakes, through clove forests or terraced rice paddies, attend the ceremonies of the local  villages and  get insights in the unchanged every-day-life of the Balinese. Experience a completely different Bali.

Lombok: Alpine slopes, a spectacular summit  close to the Equator, and a paradise island

Hike for four days on savannah-like slopes and mountain shoulders to the terrific summit of the Rinjani massif, with a guide, a tent and sleeping bag and be close to the southern starry sky. Let it be followed by three days on a small, quiet coral island, with soft white sand surrounded by the turquoise Lombok Sea: Nature and body experience pure!

Flores, Rinja and Komodo: Living on and with the Sea

After a short flight over the eastern islands, you’ll be aboard an old-fashioned cutter cruising from bay to bay, from island to island. The evenings will be accompanied by flocks of flying foxes, during the day, you’ll swim, float, or snorkel in white-sand bays above red coral. Or you hike into the savannah hills keeping track of and watching the archaic Komodo warans. An unforgettable week!

Java and Yogjakarta: the heart of Indonesian culture

Explore this lively and fascinating city, living right in the centre of the town, but in a quiet garden oasis. From there, you can enjoy the Javanese city life and its culture: Music, dance, shadow-puppet performances in the Sultans’ palace; watch the manufacturing of batik fabrics and Wayang figures, visit the studio of the most well-known Indonesian painter, but first of all, see and experience Borobodur and Prambanan, the world-famous testimony of buddhistic and hinduistic traditions (both of them are on the UNESCO World Heritage list) along with quiet and more meditative temples. Finally, you can relax at a truly comfortable and spectacular place at the Indian Ocean.

Excursion programs in cooperation with local agencies. Ask us, we’ll send you detaillled programs