The finest places on Bali: why Sidemen belongs on your route (round trip)

The finest places on Bali: your route is incomplete without the impressive, unspoilt, liberating nature of Sidemen. This is authentic East Bali, a different world from the busy south-west coast.

Bali’s drawbacks

As an editorial team we have an eye for Bali's remarkable nature. Only we acknowledge that its remarkable character is sometimes pushed aside by the commercialising of it. Drawbacks:

• A fair part of the island is swallowed up by mass tourism. It leads to traffic, pollution and nuisance caused by tourists. In Kuta, for instance, and from there ‘up’ along the coast.
• We have written before about the Instagrammable ‘installations’ at the rice terraces of Tegalalang. Our travel magazine started because of the serendipity that comes with travelling. Bali does away with it.

We may be critical of ourselves on that score. Because we recommend taking La Brisa Bali en Frozen Yogi in on your route. But that may take you straight through the chaos in Canggu and Seminyak.

A route past Bali’s finest places: Sidemen

We are still mad about the island, though. The Netherlands is more than Amsterdam too. We do not want to judge destinations by their busiest areas, where the partying is excellent, as it happens.

• While parts of Bali are swamped by trendy beach clubs, Sidemen is still an unspoilt fairytale. This Balinese valley offers pure nature, in quiet surroundings without too many tourists.
• You see lush green as far as you can look. Almost every point on your route through Sidemen produces a heavenly scene . It is PLEASURE in capitals, from the calm and the space. Liberating.

At the same time an experience like that can be as personal as vaccination advice. Because if you love crowds and liveliness, you may feel lost here. What sort of wilderness is this?

East Bali: the village and valley of Sidemen, the ‘real’ Bali

Well, this is the ‘real’ Bali. Where tourists do not trample everything. Where rice fields are not turned into theme parks. This is kilometres and kilometres of nature, with a new panorama and perspective at every turn.

Here you experience authentic Bali. Absolutely worth a day trip or a night. Want to get properly ‘zen’? Then you can stay longer. Time stands still here. Embrace it, have breakfast and experience that wonderful morning.

A Balinese morning just as you would wish it. Sidemen belongs on your route. If only for a day.