Everywhere we went around Bali the locals would ask us what other parts of the island we intended to visit but we didn’t have much of a plan. I’d throw out some names of towns that I’d heard of and gauge their responses. There was one town, called Amed, that initially didn’t sound all that appealing but whenever I mentioned it to someone a knowing smile would come over their face. I’d read that there was some decent snorkeling right off the beaches but I had a hard time believing that an unprotected reef that close to the shore could be in good condition. The fact was that we just needed to go somewhere, to move on, because our last couple of places turned out to be pretty uncomfortable. Bali isn’t very big so we could just follow the coastline until we got back to the south, near the airport.
It turned out that Amed is a fairly popular tourist destination, although it’s nowhere near as busy as Kuta or Ubud. Many people stop there for a night on their way to the Gili Islands but they miss out on the beauty of Amed by not sticking around. It’s actually a string of villages spread out along a gorgeous piece of coastline – sandy coves separated by high rocky headlands. From the water’s edge, the landscape ascends steeply to volcanic peaks off in the distance. There are lots of inexpensive accommodations and it wasn’t the high season for tourism yet so we were able to find a wonderful place to stay within our loose budget of $20 per day. We snagged an upstairs room with a view of the ocean off to the east and a nice private balcony.
A huge window filled the east-facing wall right next to the bed so each morning we were awakened by the sun rising over the ocean. It was impossible for me to keep my eyes closed with such colors unfolding before me. They were some of the most beautiful sunrises that I’ve ever seen.
There aren’t a ton of cultural attractions in Amed (like there are in Ubud) but even the nearest restaurant was pretty far away so we had to rent a motorbike in order to survive and get around. This gave us the opportunity to explore the many nice beaches and try out some of the snorkeling locations. There are a couple of shipwrecks in the area accessible right off the beach so we decided to check one out but it turned out to be better for scuba divers than snorkelers. We could see the wreck but the water was murky and it was just barely too deep for us to free dive into the ship and see all those bigger fish lurking in the shadows. There were, however, lots of medium sized fish (which seemed large to us) swarming all around us and Fern saw a huge stingray jump out of the water off in the distance.
There were plenty of other beaches around that supposedly had nice reefs for snorkeling but it was somewhat challenging figuring out exactly where to go. I dug around on the internet and thought that I had found a spot but when we went there the bay was full of small fishing boats going in and out from the beach and the water was very choppy. A local assured me that it was OK but it seemed way too easy for one of these boats to run over an unseen snorkeler in the waves so we left and tried another spot. This time there were no fishing boats but it was very windy and the water was very choppy. Once again, a local assured me that this was a good place to snorkel but the currents were strong and water visibility was not good so we left. Fern was well past the point of giving up and I was a bit discouraged myself. We called it a day and resolved to give it a try earlier in the morning next time, when the winds should be softer and the water calmer.
We had seen a sign along the road at a neighboring beach for “coral garden” or something like that at the entrance to a hotel. Our expectations were not high but we gave it a shot in the morning. Jackpot! It was a nice sandy beach with a row of lounge chairs and umbrellas. There were only a few people there who happened to be staying in the adjacent bungalows. No fishing boats. No guides. No entrance fees. No time constraints. Just a shallow bay full of vibrant healthy coral, colorful fish, and other marine life. It was perfect. We could snorkel as much as we wanted in the morning and when the winds picked up in the afternoon we just rested and relaxed in the sun. It was so ideal that we extended our stay at the hotel several times (we ended up spending the entire remainder of our visa in Amed before we had to leave) and went back to the same beach over and over.
We saw a smaller stingray up close, several cute little puppy dog looking puffer fish, a couple of banded sea snakes, and at one point, just as I was about to get out of the water in the murky shallows, I realized that I was surrounded by a school of squid. I also formed a mild obsession with giant sea clams (the strangely colored frilly lips in the photos) and the many varieties of brain coral. Seeing all those incredible life forms never got old.
One day we broke up the beach bum routine and went for a little excursion on the motorbike. Mostly it was an excuse to get out into the hills and get some cooler fresh air but it’s always nice to have a destination so we headed for a place called Tirta Gangga, which is a decorative water garden up in the foggy mountains that was built by some important royal figure but is now open to the public.
The ride up there was breathtaking. Our windy little road snaked through valleys carved with some of the most beautiful rice terraces that we’ve seen so far. Adorable little towns punctuated the way, a moody sky loomed overhead, and a towering volcano formed a dramatic background. This was an incredibly scenic piece of rural Bali. At one point I had to pull over so we could just stare at it in awe.
We slowly made our way up to Tirta Gangga which turned out to be a quirky sanctuary made up of picturesque stone walkways, ponds, statues, enormous koi fish, and watery planes of lily pads. It was a peaceful place, so we sat and relaxed, watching banks of fog roll in.
After 10 days in Amed our visa dictated that it was time to go. We watched group after group come through our hotel and stay only one night before heading off to the ferries for the Gili Islands. Could the Gili Islands really be much better than this? I doubt it. It was difficult to pack up and leave, saying goodbye to those magical sunrises and the dreamy wonders in the water and the hills. Fern and I often think that if the monsoon is too wet or the temperature too high somewhere on our path we can always just go back to Amed, and someday we probably will, although it likely will have changed quite a bit by the time we get back there.
jim@snorkelbandits.com