Are you heading to Bali this festive season?
Or are you planning your 2025 itinerary well ahead of time? Are you a digital nomad in Bali looking for a little staycation vibe?
One final and very important question…have you been to Northwest Bali yet? No?! You’re missing out!
Bali’s northwest regency, Buleleng, is home to some of the island’s best low-key hidden gems.
For tourists who have been exploring Bali for many years, these destinations may be all too familiar, but for the average holidaymaker and backpacker, destinations like Lovina, Munduk, and West Bali National Park are way off the radar.
We are here to put these incredible destinations very much on the radar and hopefully onto your travel itinerary.
Unlike some areas of Bali, where local communities feel like they want tourists to go away for a while, leaders in northwest Bali are calling for more tourists and visits and are excited to welcome more people to the region.
The Head of the Buleleng Tourism Office, Gede Dody Sukma Oktiva Askara, told reporters that he wants to reach 1.5 million annual visitors to the regency by the end of 2024.
He told reporters this week, “Every year, we are targeted to increase 2 percent from the realization of the previous year’s visit. However, the realization always exceeds the target.”
In 2023 Askara and his team set the visitor target at 816,000 tourists. This figure was calculated based on adding 2% on the 800,000 tourist visits in 2022.
In 2024 so far Buleleng has welcomed 1.3 million tourists, with the majority being domestic tourist arrivals but an increasing number of international travellers are exploring all that the area has to offer.
Askara said that the 1.3 million figure “is based on visit data from January to October. Of course, the number of tourist visits will continue to increase until the end of 2024.” He noted that his personal target is 1.5 million.
In terms of foreign visits, Buleleng Regency is most popular with tourists from France, followed by those from Germany and the Netherlands, China are the fourth most frequent international visitors to Buleleng Regency, followed by tourists from Russia and Australia.
North and northwest Bali is a region of the province with a lot of travel potential. From the jungles and waterfalls of Munduk to the coral reefs off Pemunteran to blissfully quiet and remote West Bali National Park, many people feel that they get to enjoy the ‘real’ Bali when they explore these areas.
Bali is surprisingly big. While a day trip to Munduk is possible from a vacation in Canggu, Seminyak, or Ubud, it’s far more enriching to stay a few days in the regency.
Lovina Beach is the most established tourist resort in North Bali, and 3-star hotels like Padmasari Resort Hotel offer comfort and incredible value for money.
For a more luxurious stay, consider booking Sunari Beach Resort, which can also help arrange sunrise dolphin-watching tours for guests.
For jungle lovers then booking a few nights in a guesthouse in Munduk will be nothing shy of a dream come true.
Munduk Heaven Luxury Villas offer breathtaking views of the rolling forest, and Gumi Ayu Ecostay is the OG Munduk retreat with unrivaled ease of access to the jungle’s most impressive waterfalls.
If the aim of the trip is to retreat and recharge them, taking a trip out to West Bali National Park and booking a stay at one of the five star lodges along the coast is an absolute must.
Not only do these lodges offer tours and exclusive experiences within West Bali National Park, this area of the island is truly magical and offers the chance to experience a whole new side of Balinese culture away from the hustle and bustle of the resorts of the central south of the island.