East Bali — Amed, Candidasa, Sidemen, and the Quiet Side — Bali

Eastern Bali is the part of the island that has resisted mass tourism most successfully. The dramatic geography — Mount Agung dominating the skyline, the Sidemen valley with its terraced rice paddies, the long black-sand coast running north to Amed — combines with a slower pace of cultural change to make this the part of Bali that most closely resembles the island of 30 years ago. For visitors looking for quieter villages, diving, hiking, and an immersion in working Balinese culture rather than tourist-facing Bali, the east is the answer.

Where east Bali begins

There's no single boundary, but functionally "east Bali" means everything east of the Klungkung regency border — including the Karangasem regency in its entirety. The main areas:

Sidemen valley — interior, terraced rice paddies, traditional weaving villages
Candidasa — south-east coast, established small resort area
Tirta Gangga — the famous royal water palace and surrounding villages
Tenganan — one of Bali's original Aga (pre-Majapahit) villages
Amlapura — the regional capital
Amed — northeast coast, fishing village turned diving / snorkelling base
Tulamben — north of Amed, world-class wreck diving
Besakih — Bali's Mother Temple on the slopes of Mount Agung

Sidemen

Sidemen (pronounced "Si-de-men") is a small hill town in a valley between Mount Agung and the coast, famous for its dramatic rice terrace landscape, its weaving tradition (Sidemen songket cloth), and its slow rural pace. Several boutique hotels and homestays have opened in the past decade, but development remains far below the levels of the south.

What to do in Sidemen:

Hike the rice paddy trails — multiple loops through the surrounding paddies; ask your guesthouse for the current best routes
Visit weaving workshops — Sidemen and neighbouring villages produce traditional Balinese songket textiles
River swimming and tubing on the Telaga Waja river
Mount Agung viewing — clearest from the Sidemen valley
Visit Besakih temple — about 30 minutes' drive north

Recommended accommodation in Sidemen: Wapa Di Ume, Samanvaya, Subak Tabola Villa, Bali Aga Resort. Rates run USD 60-200/night for quality boutique stays.

Candidasa

Candidasa is a small beach resort area on the southeast coast, about 90 minutes from the airport. It's the most established tourist zone in east Bali but still modest in scale compared to Sanur or Nusa Dua.

The town stretches about 2 km along the coastal road, with hotels, restaurants, dive operators, and a few small shops. The beach itself is narrow and not great for swimming (offshore breakwaters protect the coast from erosion but disrupt the beach), but the waters are good for diving and snorkelling.

The main reasons to base in Candidasa:

Access to east Bali diving (Tepekong and Mimpang reefs nearby)
Easy day trips to Tirta Gangga, Tenganan, Sidemen, Besakih
Quieter alternative to south Bali beach areas
Good mid-range hotel selection

Recommended hotels: Alila Manggis, Candi Beach Resort, Bali Bhuana Beach Cottages.

Tirta Gangga

The "Water of the Ganges" — the royal water palace built by the last raja of Karangasem in 1948. The complex includes elaborate pools, fountains, statues, and walkways set among tropical gardens. Visitors can wade through some of the pools (the stone stepping-stones across the largest pool are a popular photograph).

Entry is Rp 50,000 (USD 3). The site is busy mid-morning; visit early or late afternoon for quieter conditions.

The Taman Ujung Water Palace, also in the Karangasem area, is a related and equally impressive complex about 15 km away — usually less crowded than Tirta Gangga.

Tenganan

One of the Bali Aga villages — communities of pre-Majapahit Balinese who maintained their own customs and rejected the medieval Hindu-Javanese cultural reforms. Tenganan is the most accessible and most famous of these villages, known for:

Double ikat textile weaving — the rare gringsing cloth woven only in Tenganan
Traditional architecture — the village has a distinct layout with parallel streets
Distinct customs — including marriage rules (must marry within the village), funeral practices, and the annual perang pandan ritual fighting with thorny pandanus leaves
Open to visitors — for a modest donation, you can walk through the village and watch artisans

Tenganan is about 4 km inland from Candidasa, accessible by scooter, car, or organised tour.

Amed

Amed is a strung-out fishing village on the northeast coast, about 2.5 hours from the airport. It has transformed in the past 20 years from a remote fishing community to a destination for diving, snorkelling, and quiet beach holidays — but development remains modest in scale.

The Amed coast runs about 14 km, with multiple beaches (Jemeluk, Lipah, Selang, Banyuning) each having a slightly different character. Black sand, calm reef-protected water, mountains rising directly from the coast.

What to do in Amed:

Snorkel or dive — Jemeluk Bay has accessible reefs right from the beach; the Pyramid and Japanese Wreck sites are popular dives
Sunrise at one of the eastern viewpoints — Mount Agung silhouette over the village
Watch the traditional jukung boats going out at dawn and returning at sunset
Visit traditional salt-making operations along the coast — Amed has produced sea salt by traditional methods for centuries

Amed accommodation runs from budget homestays (USD 15-30) to boutique resorts (USD 100-300). Most are small operations with character.

Tulamben

Just north of Amed, Tulamben is the site of one of the world's most famous shore-accessible dive sites: the wreck of the USS Liberty, a US Army transport ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942 and now lying about 30 metres off the beach in 5-30 metres of water. The wreck is encrusted with coral and home to a remarkable density of marine life.

Tulamben's small village exists almost entirely to serve divers. Dozens of dive operators offer wreck dives and visits to several nearby reef sites. A typical 2-tank day costs USD 70-100.

Besakih — the Mother Temple

The largest and most important temple complex in Bali, on the southern slopes of Mount Agung at about 1,000m elevation. Besakih is actually a complex of 23 separate temples on terraces. The setting is dramatic — Mount Agung rising directly behind, the south of Bali spreading out below.

Besakih was largely spared by Agung's 1963 eruption, an event that has deepened its religious significance for the Balinese. Major ceremonies happen here several times a year and bring tens of thousands of pilgrims.

For visitors: hire a guide at the entrance (the unofficial guides can be aggressive; the official cooperative is more relaxed). Entry plus guide should run Rp 150,000-200,000 / USD 10-13. Wear a sarong (rented at the entrance).

Mount Agung

Bali's highest mountain (3,031 m) and the spiritual centre of the island. Climbing Agung is possible but serious — a 5-6 hour ascent from Pasar Agung (the standard route), starting at midnight to reach the summit for sunrise. Guides are required and the climb is suspended during periods of volcanic activity (the most recent major eruption was 2017-2019).

Easier alternative: Mount Batur (1,717 m), in the central highlands, is the standard sunrise climb for less-experienced hikers.

Getting around east Bali

From the airport to Sidemen: about 90 minutes
From the airport to Candidasa: about 90 minutes
From the airport to Amed: about 2.5 hours
From the airport to Tulamben: about 3 hours
Sidemen to Candidasa: about 60 minutes
Candidasa to Amed: about 75 minutes

Within east Bali, scooter is the dominant mode. Roads are generally good but winding. Grab/Gojek have very limited availability outside Candidasa and Amlapura — book a driver in advance if needed.

When to visit

The dry season (April-October) is best for hiking and diving (visibility is highest). The wet season (November-March) brings dramatic landscapes but heavier rain.

For diving specifically, October-November and April-May often have the best combinations of warm water, good visibility, and calm seas.

A 4-day east Bali itinerary

Day 1: arrive Sidemen via car from the south; afternoon rice paddy walk; dinner at a guesthouse
Day 2: Besakih temple morning; drive to Tirta Gangga; afternoon at the water palace; overnight at Tirta Gangga or Candidasa
Day 3: drive to Amed; afternoon snorkel at Jemeluk Bay; sunset viewing
Day 4: optional Tulamben dive; otherwise relaxed beach day; return south or continue to Lovina on the north coast

East Bali is the part of the island most rewarding to visitors with time, patience, and an interest in slower-paced rural Bali. The combination of dramatic landscape, working religious culture, and excellent diving makes it one of the island's more substantial destinations.