SIDEMEN VALLEY
East Bali’s Karangasem region is home to Sidemen Valley. Numerous tourist attractions can be found in this region. Including Mount Agung, the tallest mountain in Bali and the Telaga Waja River in East Bali, where you can go whitewater rafting. It also home to the charming beach town of Candidasa, the historic village of Tenganan, one of Bali’s most distinctive villages. Also the well-known Tirta Gangga Water Palace, and many others.
Hidden Gem of East Bali
One of Bali’s hidden secrets, Sidemen Valley has a lot of undiscovered treasures but few tourists. Along with beautiful rice fields and other agricultural produce, this region is home to some unique ambience. Such as vibrant markets, age-old weaving techniques, and a sense of family and community that we haven’t encountered anywhere else.
Imagine yourself strolling through a rural area with endless green fields and the occasional colorful flower field. Farmers will be working in the fields, women will greet you as they pass you on their way to the local temple carrying the day’s offerings. And you see kids in school uniforms will wave and giggle as they pass you on their motorbikes, and Mount Agung can be seen in the distance shrouded in morning mists. In our contemporary environment, kindness and a comfortable attitude are rare to discover.
Sidemen is a cute small neighborhood where you may discover Bali as it once was. The fashionable coffee shops, throngs of visitors, and traffic congestion. You won’t need a police officer to assist you in crossing the street here, that much is certain. We’d like to return to Sidemen Valley on our subsequent Balinese excursion, if for no other reason than to do so.
We believed we had visited the best rice terraces and markets in Bali after touring those in Ubud and Jatiluwih and staying two nights at the stunning Munduk. And then we were mistaken since the best is yet to come.
Sidemen Best Part
Our favorite part of Sidemen was discovering the local village’s hidden gems. There are no fashionable eateries or boutiques in this area. You won’t see bloggers posing in vibrant costumes in the rice fields or waiting in line to take pictures in front of temples.
Men laboring in the fields, ladies carrying daily gifts to the nearby temple, and kids walking to and from school while wearing their school uniforms may all be seen when strolling along Sidemen’s side streets. Everyone is friendly and the mood is quite laid-back.
It was a pleasure to explore the small shops, neighborhood warungs, farmers who waved at us from a distance. Crave for many other undiscovered treasures and special vistas of rural Bali while strolling along the twisting roads.