A Day Trip To Jatiluwih and Tanah Lot

The rice terraces of Jatiluwih

The rice terraces of Jatiluwih

After a couple more days of relaxation at the Intercontinental Bali and battling the horrendous traffic on our day trip to Ubud, my wife and I wanted to see another side of Bali.  We had pictured this serene, lush island full of rice terraces and palm trees but to this point in our trip we hadn’t truly experienced this.  As such, we planned another day trip to a region of the island called Jatiluwih.  After driving a couple of hours outside of Jimbaran, we reached the beautiful rice terraces of Jatiluwih.  Suddenly, the buzzing of motorbikes stopped and we were confronted with miles upon miles of stunning landscape.

Mountains surrounding the rice terraces of Jatiluwih

Mountains surrounding the rice terraces of Jatiluwih

This was the Bali that we had both pictured.  As we drove around Jatiluwih, it was like being transported to a different country.  There was no commercial aspect to the area and hardly a person to be found.  With our guide, we stopped by the roadside and decided to walk along the terraced lanscape.

More rice terraces

More rice terraces

The heat was stifling but it hardly mattered on this day.  The bright sun illuminated the countryside and it was a spectacular setting for our last full day on the island.  This was our quintessential Bali.

Our quintessential Bali - Jatiluwih

Our quintessential Bali – Jatiluwih

On the ride back from Jatiluwih, we made a slight detour before arriving back at our hotel.  We stopped at Tanah Lot, which is a famous rock formation off the coast of Bali and home to a pilgrimage temple.  Although Tanah Lot provided some great photo opportunities, the highlight of our day was visiting Jatiluwih.

Tanah Lot - pilgrimage temple

Tanah Lot – pilgrimage temple