Lovina – Bali’s Northern Beauty

Lovina, for any of you who don’t know, is Bali’s northern beauty.

Not many people make it up this far on the small island that is Bali. But for those who do, there is certainly some beautiful rewards!

From picturesque hotels set into the mountainside, with 180 degree views of the sea from the incredible infinity pools, to hot springs and temples and not forgetting some of Bali’s best waterfalls only a short journey away.

When I visited Lovina back in September last year, I was absolutely blown away. The bonus is, not many people stumble past Ubud, so there are very few tourists this far North… its quite the contrast compared to South Bali!

Where is it?

As per the title, Lovina is in the far North of Bali

I departed from Ubud and hired a personal driver to take me to Lovina – it took approx. 3-4 hours to get there and it was a very bumpy and windy road as you drive up and over the mountains/volcano’s of Bali.
If you’ve got the time, you should ask your driver if they are happy to make some stop offs, as the drive is incredibly beautiful with some amazing views!

I believe it cost around 400K IDR one way (split between 2) in total.

What is there to do?

There is so much to do in Lovina, but TIP: YOU WILL NEED A SCOOTER – because it’s not as popular with the tourists there is little means of transport, there are a few taxis around but they are super expensive as the Indonesians ride scooters everywhere! You can pick up a scooter for as little as 60K IDR a day!

Some of the top places to visit in Lovina are;

Brahma Vihara Arama – this is probably the best place to start as its only about 15 minutes from Lovina. It is a beautiful Buddhist Temple, which has been designed similar to Borobudur Temple in Java!

Air Panas Banjar Hot Springs – once you’ve finished at the temple, go and soak yourself in these beautiful natural Hot Springs, they are only an 8 minute drive from the temple!

Dolphin Watching at Sunrise – One of my absolute favourite things I have EVER done.

Get up super early, make your way down to the (black sand) beach and hop on a boat. Whilst the sun is rising you race your way out to sea and then wait patiently for the Dolphins to appear, in their natural habitat – it was so beautiful to watch the dolphins play.

Sekumpul Waterfall – There are many waterfalls in the North of Bali but my favourite one and the best bang for your buck is Sekumpul. And that’s because there are actually 7 waterfalls incorporated in and around the area!

Best time to visit?

Bali is one of those tropical places that you could visit all year round, but if you really want the best of the best the “dry season” in Bali is May to September, with highs of 31 degrees!
Because Bali is small, the island doesn’t have different seasons, so the dry season is the same no matter where you are in Bali.

Where to stay?

I stayed in the most incredible little resort called The Hamsa Bali Resort. It’s set high up in the hill but takes only about 10 minutes to get to from the beach front on a bike. It’s a steep incline, but well worth it for the views from its incredible infinity pool!

And it only cost us £27 per night, between us! BARGAIN!

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