Candidasa, Bali: Una guía para viajeros

Probablemente haya oído hablar de la popular isla de los dioses en Indonesia. Bali es un punto de acceso para mochileros, turistas, yoguis, surfistas, buceadores y todos los demás. Hay tan numerosas cosas que hacer y lugares para visitar y realmente hay algo para todos aquí.

Durante nuestros viajes anteriores a Bali, pasamos tiempo en Canggu, Sanur, Lovina, Seminyak, Ubud, Kintamani y más, pero esta vez, nos encontramos en la costa este en la ciudad costera de Candidasa, un lugar que abarca menos que un kilómetro de largo.

Nos basamos en los bungalows de Lotus, que está pasando por alto el agua y lo usamos como nuestra base para explorar en Candidassa y sus alrededores. Siga leyendo para ver si esta parte más tranquila de Bali es el lugar para usted,

Tabla de contenido
¿Por qué candidasa?
Dónde alojarse en Candidasa, Bali
Buceo buceando la costa este bali
Cosas que hacer en y alrededor de Candidasa
Cómo llegar a Candidasa
Pensamientos finales
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¿Por qué candidasa?

En primer lugar, ¡se pronuncia “Chandidasa”!

Si desea escapar de las ocupadas playas del sur, avance aún más al noreste a Candidasa, donde encontrará arrozales rodeados de palmeras y el Monte Agung en la distancia. Elaborados templos hindúes, locales amigables, playas singulares y sitios épicos de buceo están cerca.

La costa este es un lugar excelente para basarse si está interesado en la cultura, la belleza natural y el buceo. Para los excursionistas, Mount Agung todavía está activo en estos días, pero cuando se calme, trekking the Volcano se reanudará. Con numerosas cosas que ver y hacer en Candidasa, nunca te aburrirás aquí.

Este es un Bali de ritmo más lento y menos desarrollado, y aunque todavía hay mucho tráfico, está mucho menos ocupado que en el sur.

Estas dulces chicas nos detuvieron en la calle y querían una foto
Dónde alojarse en Candidasa, Bali

Candidassa tiene un camino que corre directamente a través de la ciudad. En la compra para evitar el ruido del tráfico, recomiendo elegir un alojamiento junto al mar y deleite en el sonido de las olas de choque (y una vista increíble).

Después de un largo día de viaje de Raja Ampat, llegamos tarde y fuimos recibidos por los amigables gerentes de origen en Lotus Bungalows. Sintiendo lo exhaustos que estábamos, Henriette nos dio un resumen muy breve de la casa y la ciudad de Candidasa.

Con la luna iluminando el camino y las ranas de los árboles, los grillos y los geckos como el sonido acompañante, nos dirigimos a través de la casa y llegamos a nuestro bungalow.

Completamente exhausto, empujamos nuestro equipaje a un lado y dejamos caer en la cama, después de una ducha muy necesaria en el baño al aire libre. Estábamos ansiosos por ver cómo era la casa a la luz del día.

¡Nuestro bungalow en Lotus Bungalows! La casa es impresionante
Al igual que con nuestro viaje anterior a la Isla Gangga (North Sulawesi) y Birie Island (Raja AMPAT), los hoteles de loto nos invitaron a experimentar bungalows de loto aquí en Candidasa. ¡Al haber visto realmente la casa la noche anterior, nos sorprendió agradablemente cuando nos despertamos y vimos la vista!

Veinte bungalows salpicaban el jardín, con el nuestro apuntando directamente a la piscina infinita y al estrecho de Lombok más allá. La arquitectura estaba en estilo balinés convencional, con un baño al aire libre, un sistema de techos de azulejos y una veranda privada. Rodeado de imponentes palmeras y frangipanis, este sería nuestro hogar tropical durante 3 noches.

La habitación en sí tenía pisos de baldosas, una cama cómoda, aire acondicionado y mucha iluminación natural. Como beneficio adicional, nos dieron una bolsa de compras reutilizable durante la duración de nuestra estadía, lo que ayuda a disminuir el uso de plásticos de un solo uso en Bali.

En nuestra terraza, teníamos un estante de ropa para secar nuestros trajes de baño y toallas, además de dos sillas y una mesa. A solo pasos de distancia estaban el espectacular restaurante al aire libre, una increíble estructura de bambú con pisos de mosaicos y diseño de madera de buen gusto en todo.

El desayuno se incluyó en la tarifa de habitación (muy asequible), y podríamos elegir entre una carta o buffet.

Si quisiéramos, otros restaurantes estaban a solo minutos del camino, pero con una vista ideal de la puesta de sol, un horno de pizza a leña y sabrosos platos indonesios, terminamos comiendo nuestras comidas aquí en la propiedad.

¡A los dos nos encantó el baño al aire libre!

Además de los amables miembros del personal, el centro de buceo en el sitio y nuestro cómodo bungalow, la gran piscina fue lo más destacado de los bungalows de loto. Como en muchas partes de Bali, el mar puede ser difícil dependiendo de la época del año. Hay barreras de cemento a lo largo de la costa para romper las olas antes de llegar a la costa (para ayudar a evitar la erosión), but waves can still be strong.

Thankfully, we were able to delight in swimming in the infinity pool while gazing out at the sea. Sunbeds were set up on the grassy area, while chairs and tables for dining and comfy day beds were placed around the pool. It was the ideal place for me to unwind while Nick was out scuba diving.

As Candidasa is still quite busy, wherever you choose to stay you ought to try to find a place that has a respite from the traffic.

To learn much more about Lotus Bungalows and the accommodation they offer, click here. 

Chillin’ poolside

☞ SEE ALSO: Where to stay in Lombok – the best Surfing, beaches and Accommodation

Buceo buceando la costa este bali

There are various dive sites on the east coast of Bali, numerous of which aren’t all that far offshore. The 4 Gilis are popular for shark sightings, Amed (a town about an hour from Candidasa) is known for its macro and muck dives, while Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan are the places to spot manta rays.

Prior to our check out to Candidasa, we didn’t realize that Bali had amazing scuba diving sites. Of course, Indonesia is known for its underwater world, but we had always thought of Bali as much more of a surfing destination. 

Wow, were we wrong!

Nick chatted with Jan, the manager at the onsite Gangga Divers shop and after an inspiring and exciting discussion about the creatures they could potentially spot, he had a look at the gear and had it put aside for the dives the following morning.

With water temperatures around 17-22 °C in early October, rather than dive in his typical shorts and t-shirt, Nick had to wear a wetsuit this time around.

After about a 20 minute drive, the crew, Nick and the two other divers from Switzerland and Austria arrived at the Padangbai Port. The dive sites were Sental and SD, both of which were around Nusa Penida, and as soon as Nick entered the water, he couldn’t believe he had never been diving in Bali in the past!

Because of its currents, this area is known for manta rays, mola mola (sunfish), reef sharks and turtles, which come to feed on the plankton that is brought to the area with the tides and fast-moving water. 

While no mantas or mola mola made an appearance during Nick’s dives, he did see turtles, eels, bump head parrotfish, and lots of healthy coral. After a fun day under the water, he returned with a smile on his face and together with new dive friends, we all delighted in Bintang beers poolside at Lotus Bungalows.

The pool at Lotus Bungalows was an amazing spot to spend the afternoon!

As with our previous experiences with Gangga Divers on Gangga Island and in Raja Ampat, the 5 star PADI company were professional, and safety was a high priority. Again, Nick had a divemaster to himself while underwater and there are never much more than 4 divers for every divemaster. 

The dive shop is run by a couple from Denmark, while the divemasters and boat captain are Indonesian. We always like to see locals being employed when possible and Nick had a terrific experience diving here in Candidasa.

☞ SEE ALSO: 15 best things To do in Lombok

Cosas que hacer en y alrededor de Candidasa

Although the east coast is a terrific base for scuba divers, there are various other things to do here to keep you busy. 

Lotus Lagoon

About a 20-minute walk from Lotus Bungalows, you’ll find the Lotus Lagoon, which is filled with (you guessed it), lotus flowers.

This 1000 square meter pond stretches from the road all the way to the sand and is best went to during the morning when the lotus flowers are open (they close during the heat of the day). another terrific time is during sunset.

View of the Lotus Lagoon

Pura Candidasa

Directly across the road from the Lotus Lagoon, you’ll find this Hindu temple. When wanting to be blessed with fertility and children, this is where Balinese will come to pray to the Goddess Hariti.

We, however, were there to delight in the charm of the temple and hike up the various steps to delight in a view of the Lotus Lagoon, and the sea beyond.

As is customary in all Balinese temples, you should wrap a sarong around your waist (over top of your pants or shorts). Both men and women need to do this. If you don’t have your own, you can typically rent them from stands just outside the temple.

Pura Candidasa temple

Temple Hopping

There are numerous temples in this area. just a 30 minute to 1-hour drive from Candidasa will bring you to some magical spots. It’s a good idea to check out a few in one day — either by motorbike/car or with a hired driver.

The Pura Luhur Lempuyang is probably the most well-known at the moment — Instagram famous. people line up to get a photo between the two gates of the temple, with a view of mount Agung in the distance.

Although not as Insta-famous, Pura Luhur Besakih is the holiest and many essential temple in Bali. located on the slopes of mount Agung, this isn’t actually just one temple, but rather a complex of various temples. ceremonies take place here and it’s a popular spot with trip buses. 

About a 30-minute drive from Candidasa will bring you to Taman Tirta Gangga. This 1.2 hectare, aptly named water temple is a sight you don’t want to miss. here you’ll find fountains, springs, and ponds filled with koi fish, all of which are surrounded by beautiful gardens. 

The village of Tenganan

After just a 10 minute drive from Lotus Bungalows, we arrived at this 11th century Bali Aga village (meaning, it’s pre-Hindu). Here, residents live as they have for numerous years (with the addition of smartphones and TV!). After paying a donation, we were allowed into the village and were showed around by our guide and resident, Wayan. 

Walking around with Wayan, we learned about how the villagers here are farmers, have a distinct style of weaving (double Ikat) and the men make distinct palm calendars. If you check out during the Pandan War, you’ll see conventional combat between the men of the village — using pandan leaves, which have sharp spikes.

This bloody battle is to honour the God of war and is held every June. The Pandan war is a substantial event with numerous people coming from all over Bali to see it.

Once we were finished with our “tour”, we wandered around aimlessly and saw offerings being delivered for a wedding, children running around, various homes climbing up the hillside (with small lanes for exploration), and were provided palm red wine by a group of men who were sitting around.

Sure, this is a traveler spot, but it was interesting to see this type of conventional village life. 

Note: there’s actually a walk you can do from Lotus Bungalows through the rice paddies to reach Tenganan. If you’d choose to walk, ask the staff for directions and a guide.

Learning about Tenganan with Wayan

Beach Bumming

While the east coast may not be known for its beaches, there are actually a few stunning stretches of sand worth checking out. delight in a unwinding day at the beach, minus the crowds.

Note: as with all beaches in Bali, be mindful of currents and strong tides. It’s best to ask a local’s guidance before swimming.

Pasir Putih is a beautiful white sand beach with clear blue water. It’s about a 15-minute ride north from Candidasa. There are sunbeds for rent and a couple of small vendors selling food. Don’t expect an empty beach, but it’s still a stunning spot, and will be quieter than any beach in the south.

Blue Lagoon near the Padangbai Port is another good option. The beach here is rocky, so it’s a good place to do some snorkelling. Bring your water shoes, or fins.

To the south of Padangbai Port, you’ll find Bias Tugel which is quieter than the blue Lagoon. here you’ll find some small vendors, a sandy beach and little rocky pools that you can sit in. It’s also a terrific spot to view ships coming and going.

☞ SEE ALSO: Diving in Komodo – Dragons, Dolphins and Mantas

Cómo llegar a Candidasa

Getting to Candidasa is easy. There are various international flights that arrive in Bali at the Ngurah Rai international airport in Denpasar. If you’re coming from Asia or Austra