THE LOST COAST

This undeveloped northeastern strip of coast offers some of Bali's best snorkeling, some of the island's most splendidly located self-contained dive losmen, quiet unpeopled beaches, and Bali's largest concentration of traditional jukung. Here you can finally find peace and quiet, enjoy great food, inexpensive accommodations, some massage, very few hawkers, and one or two boat trip guys who leave you alone after asking. This area is a big highlight but getting crowded quick.
     On a beautiful bay is the solitary village of Amed; visit the fish market early in the morning when the tuna come in (both Rp2000 and Rp3000 sizes). The road south from Amed via Cemeluk, Lipah, Bunatan, and Selang is paved but very narrow, with Hindu fishing settlements hugging the shore all the way south to Ujung. A poor, very dry part of Bali, the area's farmers grow soybeans, corn, peanuts, ubi kayu, and corn rather than rice. Arid hills inland are terraced in ladeng supported by stone walls. This is an exhausting 2.5 hour trip on a motorbike with many curves and very steep ups-and-downs: taking your own car is definitely more comfortable, more expedient, but even more slow-going.
     Europeans snorkelers and divers have discovered the coastline southeast of Amed. Snorkeling off the black-sand beaches here is said by some to be superior to Tulamben, the variety and numbers of fish are perhaps the best on Bali. The snorkeling begins just east of town, where the currents are calm year-round, visibility is 10-20 meters, and the hard coastal reefs are superb. Dive along the reef wall to see schools of cardinal fish, triggerfish, black snappers, pyramid butterflies, bannerfish, and damselfish among the sand slopes, table corals, big fan gorgonians, and magnificent staghorn Acropora and Dendronephthya trees, dense growths of sponges, crinoids, and sea fans—all within 20 meters of the shore.

Accommodations
Three places to stay on this coast are real escapes, perhaps fulfilling most people's popular paradisical visions of Bali. Six km southeast of Amed is isolated Lipah village (pop. 70) with a very good coral reef starting about 15-20 meters off shore. Kusumajaya Beach Inn is a barren place with brick bungalows; not yet worth considering. The next accommodations, on the west end of the bay, is the class act of the area, Kuchit and Gillian's Hidden Paradise Cottages, tel. (0366) 431273, rooms with fan for Rp69,000 d, Rp92,000 with air conditioning, and spacious, beautiful suites are Rp150,000 d (plus 11.5% for tax and service). Breakfast for two included; pool, laundry service, safety deposit box, library, children's playground, great pool, mountain bikes (Rp5000 per day), a whole wall of snorkeling gear (Rp5000 for 12 hours). The restaurant out front serves good seafood dinners for under Rp5000.
     More upscale is Coral View Villas (Box 121, Amlapura, tel. 0361-431273, fax 0363-21044 or 0361-423820) between Hidden Paradise and Vienna Beach with bungalows for Rp50,000 to a/c suites for Rp55,000; hot water, bright outdoor bathrooms, beautiful pool and grounds, beachfront restaurant, excellent but expensive dive facility. Credit cards accepted.
     Farther south (about 10 km from Culik) in grape-growing Bunutan is I Wayan Utama's pristine 10-bungalow Vienna Beach; (Rp25,000 s or d) plus three rooms in back by the parking lot for Rp20,000 s or d. A two-story furnished bamboo house goes for Rp50,000; Rp30,000 for just the upstairs. Very nice location in a leafy garden at the end of a small fishing village. Good service, safety deposit box, generator for 24-hour electricity, fresh well-water showers, laundry, and a nice, wide beach under trees. Reservations: I Wayan Utama, Box 112, Amlapura 80801. The restaurant serves good, honest, straightforward food—the kitchen may be out of menu items like tahu, as staff must drive drive to Amlapura each day to shop and may not get back by mealtime. Local warung sell snacks but no rice; you'll have to eat at the losmen. The villagers are sweet natured; they approach on the beach almost apologetically. Get a massage (Rp5000) with coconut oil while lying on a bamboo bed in a fishermen's hut. Rent snorkeling gear for Rp4000 per day. Fishermen will take you out to the reef in a jukung for Rp10,000-12,000. It doesn't get much better than this.
     The most southerly accommodations are at Good Karma Homestay in Selang, Bunutan township. Ten simple, clean, rice-barn style bungalows go for Rp25,000-Rp40,000 d, including breakfast of pisang goreng and banana pancakes. Food average, service slow, prices a little high. Just the sound of the waves (except when you have noisy neighbors). Only basic services: no telephone, cold showers, generator power, laundry, cold beer, nice beach—all you need. Baba is obsessed with accumulating good karma, thus he's an inestimable host. Snorkeling starts just five to 10 meters from Good Karma, or you can hire one of the jukung in front for Rp5000-6000 per hour to travel farther from shore, or even better, to Vienna Beach. The fishermen go fishing at 0500 and return at 0900. There's a chance the place may be booked.

Getting There
Take a bemo from Tirtagangga 10 km to the turnoff at Culik (Rp500). Ocassionally, public bemo are available from Culik to Amed but most likely you'll have to hire one of the six to seven ojek waiting there to take you three km down to the coast to Amed (Rp1000), or all the way to accommodations at Hidden Paradise (Rp1500), Vienna (Rp1500), or Good Karma (Rp2000). From Amed, hitch a ride or catch an infrequent bemo two km down the coast to the fishing community of Cemeluk, consisting of just 20 families. You'll pass a long stretch of sea salt processing plants resembling stacked railroad ties. From Amlapura, public bemo sometimes run to Seraya, but seldom farther. Though the coastal road from Amlapura to Culik is only 42 km, you need to allow a full day to explore this area with your own vehicle.

TULAMBEN

Bali's parched northeast coastal road is one of the few stretches on Bali where rural life is largely unaffected by tourism. The only intrusion of Western culture are the makeshift bamboo pool halls frequented by young men of the village. On the drive to Singaraja you pass by villages of waving people, temple festivals, banana and coconut plantations, and subsistence farmers eking out a living gathering sea salt and coral. Beautiful tiered rice fields give way to a dry, barren country ravaged by massive black rivers of volcanic rubble from Agung's 1963 eruption.
     The small fishing village of Tulamben lies along this hot, dry coast, 10 km west of Culik, 23 km from Tirtagangga, and 95 km from Denpasar. Due to its proximity to some of the island's best diving, it has attracted snorkelers and scuba divers from all over the world. Tulamben Beach is peppered with black rocks that scald your feet in the noonday sun. There's not much to do here but dive, eat, read, sleep, and stroll down the village street in the cool of the evening.
     As yet, none of the hotels have swimming pools, and generator-powered electricity is only on from 1800 to 2300 (if someone wants an ice juice, Paradise Bungalows starts up the generator!), and even water stops then.
     All the losmen here cater mostly to divers, so don't expect fancy services or facilities. As yet, none have swimming pools, and generator-powered electricity is only on from 1800 to 2300. Bargain if the accommodation is not full. If you stay at least three nights, most hotels will give you a 10% discount in the low season. No discounts available in busy season. There's a country doctor in Kubu, as well as a post office and small warung selling simple food, snacks, and fruit. Out on the ocean you can sometimes see dolphins and jumping pasuh. Besides the dining rooms at each of the four accommodations, there's a cute little restaurant between Paradise Palm Beach Bungalows and Bali Timur Bungalows, appropriately known as the Fish Restaurant.

Diving and Snorkeling
Tulamben is considered by many the premier dive spot on Bali. The best months for diving are July and August, but even in the rainy season the diving can be very satisfying. The numerous dive operators in Kuta, Bali, and Lovina bring large groups of enthusiasts here. Hardcore divers end up staying for days. A large variety of big fish is accessible right out in front of most accommodations; many of the fish are so tame, they'll eat bananas right out of your hand.
     Rent snorkeling gear from any of the accommodations in the village for Rp3000; if you're not a hotel guest it's Rp4000. Paradise Palm Beach Bungalows offers 40-minute dives for Rp70,000 or two dives for Rp110,000 (three hours in all), including gear and an excellent guide, and gives a 10% discount on dive equipment for guests. A government forestry official will ask a Rp500 fee per person per day from anyone who is snorkeling or diving off the coast.
     A sunken American Liberty ship, torpedoed by the Japanese in 1942, is the big diving attraction. This eerie ghost lies about a kilometer to the west of the main hotels, only 40-50 meters from the beach. Swim straight out from the white toilet block on the beach 100 meters north of Ganda Mayu Bungalows; it doesn't take much strength to reach it. The broken steel ship stretches in two pieces for over 100 meters along a steep sandy slope, its length almost parallel to shore. The top is only three meters below the surface, the bottom about 30 meters down. Visibility is 12-15 meters, and the wreck is within easy snorkeling distance from the shore. Large encrusted holes in the hull and deck allow exploration of the interior of the wreck. Plenty of soft corals, sponges, hydrozoans, and gorgonians. It's estimated 400 species of reef fish inhabit the wreck, as well as 100 species of surface organisms. A large coral outcropping lies 100 meters away to the east, and in the ocean off the eastern end of the beach is a great coral wall with overhangs, big gorgonians, and basket sponges.
     Avoid diving in late June to August and from December to January when waves are highest. During the dive season, there can be as many as 60 people swarming over this popular site. If you overnight in Tulamben and go out early (before 1000) in the morning or late in the afternoon, you can avoid the crowds. Kal Muller, the author of Underwater Indonesia, writes that a full moon night dive on the wreck "is among the most memorable dives you'll ever make."

Accommodations and Food
Dewa Nyoman Chandra's Paradise Palm Beach Bungalows is the oldest and most pleasant budget accommodation in the area. Make reservations at Friendship Shop, tel. (0366) 29052 in Candidasa, or write Box 111, Amlapura 80811, Bali. Seventeen rooms: Rp25,000 s, Rp40,000 d; also a Rp20,000 s or d set of rooms. If you stay for three or more nights, ask for a discount. The most expensive rooms are the four facing the beach. Very nice, large rooms surrounded by a lush garden. The restaurant (0700-2400) is good: fish curry (Rp3500), tahu campur with vegetables (Rp2000), jaffles (Rp1500 to Rp1800), ikan laut (about Rp2000, depending on size), and drinks. A small kiosk sells snacks, cookies, toiletries, and clothing; the dive shop has batteries, film, snorkeling equipment, and books. Used book library; laundry service costs Rp500 for a T-shirt, Rp1000 for long pants.
     East of the Paradise is the neglected-looking Bali Timur Bungalows with six rather forbidding cinderblock "bungalows" for Rp10,000 s, Rp12,000 d. Price includes breakfast of pancake, fruit salad, or omelette. The Ganda Mayu Bungalows and Restaurant has two big rooms for Rp15,000 s, Rp25,000 d and two small rooms for Rp10,000 s, Rp15,000 d, all facing the beach. Good parking, impressive menu, staffed solely by young men. This dive losmen is the closest (300 meters) to the shipwreck.
     At the top end is the Mimpi Resort on the beach on the Tirtagangga side (east) of town. Make reservations through Bali Marine Sport on Jl. Ngurah Rai, Blanjong, Sanur (see manager, Ena Partha). Rooms are Rp190,000 (fan) to Rp210,000, including breakfast. Very private, eco-friendly, very large, and beautiful swimming pool.

Transportation
From Candidasa, reach Tulamben by bemo via Amlapura (Rp1400). From Singaraja (70 km to the west) it's Rp2000 by Isuzu van. Paradise Palm Beach Bungalows provides transport to the airport (up to four people), as well as a tour service. If you call from Candidasa, the Paradise will send a vehicle to pick you up (Rp30,000 per person, up to four people). Motorbikes and jukung (Rp5000 per hour) also for rent.