A day spent exploring Singaraja would be a day well spent by any visitor. The former colonial capital of Bali has long been subject to international influences and this still manifests itself today in the very nature of the city. The streets are wider than anywhere else in Bali, the gardens larger and there are some distinct ethnic communities reflecting the city's past as the major transit point into Bali. Just behind the waterfront and defunct harbour, check out the Kampung Arab (Arab village) district and the maze of distinctly old fashioned trading streets.
The local Balinese clearly have a taste for large monuments and you will see these dotted around the city, usually at major junctions. The winged lion symbol of the Buleleng Regency is to be seen all over the place.
The most interesting specific attraction in Singaraja is the Gedong Kirtya Museum which sits at the junction of Jalan Veteran and Jalan Gajah Made. This museum is dedicated to the preservation of Lontar scripts. Lontar is species of palm tree and its leaves are an ancient medium for recording the written word. The museum houses thousands of these delicate pieces covering subjects as wide ranging as religion and the folklore of traditional medicine. Very much worth a visit. The museum is open Monday to Thursday from 7.30 AM to 3.30 PM and on Friday mornings. Entrance is free but a donation requested (and you really should support them). The library staff are notably friendly and helpful here.
The Nieuwenkamp wall relief carving at Pura Meduwe Karang
About 10 km east of Singaraja on the coast road is Pura Meduwe Karang, the most impressive temple in north Bali. This unusal temple is host to all manner of stone carvings, many of them ghoulish. The temple is dedicated to Ibu Pertiwi (mother earth) and daily offerings are made to ensure that crops grow on infertile ground. That may sound odd until you go to North Bali and see how inhospitable so of much of the terrain actually is. There is a famous sone wall relief here that is testament to the wonderfully quirky Balinese sense of humour. It is a one metre square represenation of the Dutch artist Nieuwenkamp, who biycled around Bali in the early 20th century. The bicycle wheels have lotus-flower spokes, Nieuwenkamp is adorned with a floral sarong and flowers abound in the background. Between his feet and the wheels is a rat and a dog. This famous image has been copied many times. About 7 km further east on the coast road are the cold springs at Air Sanih and a visit here combines well with Pura Medewe Karang.
The whole of this region is famous for its black sand beaches and none more so that the long stretch of coastline to the west of Singaraja known as Lovina. There are many access points to the beach here and the coast road often runs very close to the sand. Perhaps the best and most well known is at the village of Kalibukuk where you should turn north and take the small road down to the dolphin statue where ample parking is available. Explore the beaches east and west from here for a real sample of life on the north coast of Bali. There are lots of opportunites just to laze around and take it all in.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about North Bali
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in North Bali - updated Apr 2024
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North 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.
