It may be a bit of a bumpy ride, but exploring the island in a Land Cruiser will take you along those paths not usually chosen. Land Cruisers are recreational tanks, no landscape is too harsh to be crossed and a day out in one allows you to see parts of the island that could never be reached, except perhaps on foot.
There are two tour companies in Bali; that offer land cruiser day trips: Wakalouka and Bali Safari Rafting. Wakalouka features the Land Rover, the legendary safari vehicle used to cross deserts and mountains. The Land Rover is a sturdy beast, yet this trip through rice valleys, rain forests and bamboo groves certainly puts it to the test. Leaving from Denpasar in the early morning, Wakalouka follows back roads northwards for about an hour before taking a stop at Tegal Jadi Village, a stone quarry where guests are invited to descend into the hand-hewn depths to examine the ancient methods of quarrying the stones used for building the island’s temples and shrines.
After the quarry stop, the Land Rover veers off the paved roads and onto some steep inclines through agricultural fields towards the remote Kuta Bali Village, which was hooked up with electricity only last year. The deep rutted paths that pass for roads pose few problems for the vehicle as it charges along. In the village a farm family is host to the Wakalouka group for a mid-morning break of coffee, tea and traditional Balinese cakes. Before the comestibles are served, guests are encouraged to work up a small appetite by touring the farm to investigate the bamboo and mud wall architecture as well as discover the native crops of clove, vanilla, coffee and mango, rambutan, snake-fruit, pineapple and banana.
After the break there is a pleasant 15-minute walk through the village before the journey resumes onto more rutted, bumpy and seemingly non-navigable paths through various crop fields and towards the rice valleys of Jatiluwih. On the way is another stop to visit the enticing hot springs at Banjar Belulang. A pleasant walkway through manicured rice fields leads to this site where locals have bathed in the almost boiling waters for centuries.
The last leg of the journey winds its way through the stunning Jatiluwih rice bowl and climbs 900 meters to the Wakalouka rainforest camp nestled in a bamboo grove on the slopes of Mount Batu Karu. The camp is really a luxurious oasis in the heart of the rainforest jungle where a lavish buffet of Indonesian specialties is served. Trails have been forged into the jungle and are open for post-lunch exploring, bird watching and just simply stopping to smell the flowers.
After a lazy mid-morning picnic break in the rice fields near Amplas village (about 2 hours from Denpasar), the February rains started and follows us through the rice fields of Jatiluwih. Rutted dirt paths quickly turned into stream of churning mud or completely disappeared beneath puddles the size of small lakes. Spinning tires, slippery backslides and mud slapping through the vehicle’s open windows made for a thrilling outdoor adventure.
After a couple of hours lurching through the rice fields we stopped, mud-splattered but no worse for wear, at a restaurant overlooking the rice valley for a sumptuous Indonesian buffet lunch. After the break it was back to the rain soaked route northwards. In the mountain forest near Bedugul, the rugged Jeep lost several battles, but not a war, as the front-end cable winch had to be hoisted and secured around strong tree trunks to haul the vehicle up steep hillsides. Passengers developed a quick appreciation for the driver’s skill as any misplaced slip would have surely ended in a nasty collision with the closely knit, ever-threatening trees that loomed on either side of the path. A brief respite on paved roads took us past Bedugul where the driver once again veered off road along an inundated route that followed the western shore of Lake Bratan. We stopped for a drink in a pasture in the company of curious grazing cows. The rains halted for a brief moment and we silently watched as swirling clouds swallowed the crater lake and veiled the nearby mountain tops. The air cooled, the wind intensified and the drizzle turned to heavy rain before we climbed back into the Jeep and drove through the clouds back to the paved roads leading south and back to Denpasar.
The off-road adventures are an ideal way to see remote, untouched sites in the heart of Bali. Both trips are full day outings and although not physically demanding, I found it a little exhausting to spend about seven hours in a car. The stops along the way are well-spaced breaks and offer a good opportunity to stretch your legs, have a bit of a walk and soak in beauty of the natural surroundings.
WAKALOUKA
There are two tour companies in Bali; that offer land cruiser day trips: Wakalouka and Bali Safari Rafting. Wakalouka features the Land Rover, the legendary safari vehicle used to cross deserts and mountains. The Land Rover is a sturdy beast, yet this trip through rice valleys, rain forests and bamboo groves certainly puts it to the test. Leaving from Denpasar in the early morning, Wakalouka follows back roads northwards for about an hour before taking a stop at Tegal Jadi Village, a stone quarry where guests are invited to descend into the hand-hewn depths to examine the ancient methods of quarrying the stones used for building the island’s temples and shrines.
After the quarry stop, the Land Rover veers off the paved roads and onto some steep inclines through agricultural fields towards the remote Kuta Bali Village, which was hooked up with electricity only last year. The deep rutted paths that pass for roads pose few problems for the vehicle as it charges along. In the village a farm family is host to the Wakalouka group for a mid-morning break of coffee, tea and traditional Balinese cakes. Before the comestibles are served, guests are encouraged to work up a small appetite by touring the farm to investigate the bamboo and mud wall architecture as well as discover the native crops of clove, vanilla, coffee and mango, rambutan, snake-fruit, pineapple and banana.
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| Bali Offroad |
After the break there is a pleasant 15-minute walk through the village before the journey resumes onto more rutted, bumpy and seemingly non-navigable paths through various crop fields and towards the rice valleys of Jatiluwih. On the way is another stop to visit the enticing hot springs at Banjar Belulang. A pleasant walkway through manicured rice fields leads to this site where locals have bathed in the almost boiling waters for centuries.
The last leg of the journey winds its way through the stunning Jatiluwih rice bowl and climbs 900 meters to the Wakalouka rainforest camp nestled in a bamboo grove on the slopes of Mount Batu Karu. The camp is really a luxurious oasis in the heart of the rainforest jungle where a lavish buffet of Indonesian specialties is served. Trails have been forged into the jungle and are open for post-lunch exploring, bird watching and just simply stopping to smell the flowers.
BALI SAFARI RAFTING
The Bali Safari Rafting off road adventure is viewed from the inside of a Toyota Jeep equipped with well-padded roll bars. This trip follows a similar course northwards through forests, endless rice fields and pristine lake side pastures. The sites and trails of this trip were quite similar to the Wakalouka outing, but the weather had a pivotal role in making this one a lot more exciting.After a lazy mid-morning picnic break in the rice fields near Amplas village (about 2 hours from Denpasar), the February rains started and follows us through the rice fields of Jatiluwih. Rutted dirt paths quickly turned into stream of churning mud or completely disappeared beneath puddles the size of small lakes. Spinning tires, slippery backslides and mud slapping through the vehicle’s open windows made for a thrilling outdoor adventure.
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| River rafting |
The off-road adventures are an ideal way to see remote, untouched sites in the heart of Bali. Both trips are full day outings and although not physically demanding, I found it a little exhausting to spend about seven hours in a car. The stops along the way are well-spaced breaks and offer a good opportunity to stretch your legs, have a bit of a walk and soak in beauty of the natural surroundings.
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