Standing some 3,142 metres above sea level, Mount Agung is the highest mountain on the island and its omnipresence dominates the region. Aside from specifically hosting Pura Besakih, the mountain is of great spiritual significance to the Balinese who regard it as a fragment of mythical Mount Meru and as the seat of the Gods. Any visitor cannot fail but be impressed by the majesty of Agung.
There are many ways to see and explore the mountain, some more formal than others. The area around the water palace at Tirta Gangga offers great views of the mountain and the terraced rice paddies in the foothills. From here you can arrange treks of all types ranging from fairlty gentle exploration of the foothils through to an ascent to the very top of the mountain. The latter is not be taken lightly and the how, why and when are all explained here.
The road through the Sideman/Selat valley in the foothills of Mount Agung makes for one of the most scenic drives on the whole island. Stunning rice terraces, lush forested hill-sides and the mountain itself, all combine to make this is a magical area to visit. If you stop in the village of Selat it is easy to find local guides for undemanding hikes in the area.
A very different but nonetheless dramatic drive is around the north east coast road through Culik (the turn off to Amed is here), Tulamben and beyond. Mount Agung again looms very large but this time the aspect is one of barren gravel plains between the coast and the mountain. It is hard to believe that the lush valleys south of the mountain of Sideman are only 30 kilometres away.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about East Bali
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in East Bali - updated May 2024
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East Bali Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
