National Parks in Bali
Bali is an island in Indonesia that has extraordinary natural beauty. With high mountain peaks, active volcanoes, rainforests and rice terraces, there is a lot for visitors to see and enjoy. The beautiful landscapes and exotic wildlife are protected in the only national park in Bali.
The West Bali National Park
Located on the northwestern end of Bali, the park is almost 10 per cent of the land mass of Bali. It was declared a nature park 100 years ago and became a national park in 1941.
It contains mangrove forests, broad, dry savannas and rain-forests It includes the northwest coast where there are coral reefs with fish and marine mammals that are unique to the region.
The marine reserve area includes several islands that are sanctuaries for seabirds and have suburb reef drop-offs. There are no dangerous currents in this area.
How Stunning Does Bali Look?
Kintamani Bali
Menjangan Island is a small offshore island five kilometers from the Prapat Agung peninsula that is a popular scuba diving destination. There are boats available to take visitors to the island for some of the clearest water in Bali.
The Puri Gili Kencana temple is on the island and is worth seeing. Visitors can walk around Menjangan Island in one hour and 15 minutes, but most people like to take longer and enjoy the coastal beauty. The name of the island means deer, which refers to the many wild deer that live there.
The two extinct volcanoes in the park can be seen from every area and are the dominant feature of the park.
The park is the home to the nearly extinct Bali Startling, which is the main reason the area was protected in the first place. There are programs of reintroduction, and birdwatchers are always trying to see one.
There are wild cattle, Muntjac deer, wild boar, long-tailed Macaque, Ebony Leaf Monkey, Hawksbill turtle, pangolin, water monitor, large flying foxes and leopards in the park but the leopards are very seldom seen.
The park headquarters is at Cekik where permits and guides are available for people to enter the park. Permits are also available in Labuan Lalang. Both of these villages are inside the park.
Most of the park is off limits to visitors and there are two main ways to enjoy the natural beauty including spending time on the beaches diving and snorkeling or walking along the trails with a guide.
The Tegal Blunder Trail is the best trail for birdwatchers and the more rigorous Bunung Klatakan Trail takes visitors through the rain forest and offers the best chance to see wildlife.
Visitors should bring food and water with them into the park as there is only one luxury resort inside the park and no other shops or restaurants. Between August and December is the best time to visit the park.
Before visiting West Bali National Park people should know:
• A guide is required during the time visitors are in the park
• The guide will know the areas that are off-limits for tourists
• Boat trips to Menjangan Island can be arranged inside the park at Lubuan Lalang and outside the park at local hotels
• Snorkeling and scuba diving can also be arranged prior to visiting the park
• Bring plenty of drinking water
There are a few places near the park that have restaurants, cafes and resorts. Pemuteran Beach is near a small fishing village where there are hotels. There are boats directly to Minjangan Island from there.
Lovina is another coastal town that is near the park. It has a vibrant nightlife as well as some relaxing cafes. Visitors can go to Java from Gilimanuk in west Bali.
This was a Guest Post by Brenda Panin, passionate traveller and extreme sport lover. Brenda loves to see her readers getting useful information from her articles. When flying Virgin Australia is Brenda’s first choice.
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Thanking you Virgin Australia for sharing National Parks in Bali. It was so good to read about Bali – we have it on our Bucket List!!!
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Cheers
Lisa
PS :: This is Sponsored Guest Blog Post. Virgin Australia kindly shared their thoughts on Bali 🙂
New Life on the Road.
We have been to Bali as a young couple (not yet married) and I also went before that with a girlfriend. Bali was much less developed back then (about 35 years ago!). I would love to return, but B.H. wants to remember it how it was. I am still working on him and have not given up hope. I particularly liked the Balinese People. They were very friendly and kind and it was a pleasure to watch their traditional dances and ride bicycles beside the rice paddies.
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