Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Danau Bratan
Situated at 1200m above sea level and thought to be 35m deep in places, the crater lake of
Danau Bratan
is surrounded by forested hills, with the bulk of Gunung Catur rising sheer
behind. It becomes frenetic with watersports at weekends but the scenery more than com-
pensates for the buzz of motorboats.
Candikuning
Sliced up by traffic, the village of
CANDIKUNING
above the southern shores of Danau
Bratan is the main base for the lake and
Bali Botanic Gardens
. Accommodation and restaur-
ants line the highway through the village, as well as the side road to the gardens. The daily
market in the centre is also a fun, if touristy, stop; a mix of fresh local fruit, spices, temple
offerings and mass-produced tourist. It's a good place to stock up for a picnic in the botanic
gardens.
Bali Botanic Gardens
Well signed off a mini-roundabout beside the market, then 700m side road to garden • Daily 8am-6pm (last
entry 4pm) • Rp18,000, parking Rp6000 for cars, Rp3000 for motorbikes; driving in gardens an additional
Rp12,000/car (motorbikes prohibited) • 0368 203 3211,
balibotanicgarden.org
Spread back into the forested slopes,
Bali Botanic Gardens
(Kebun Raya Eka Karya Bali)
conserves some two thousand species of tropical montane plants; from ferns and countless
orchids to impressive cacti, medicinal plants, bamboo forests and an extensive collection of
begonias. It's a tranquil place - often cool and misty due to its altitude of 1250-1450m - and
at 1.58 square kilometres is large enough to lose half a day or more exploring. Do so and you
may discover birdlife such as brown honeyeaters and grey-cheeked green pigeons - 97 spe-
cies have been recorded here - or see monkeys on upper slopes. Given the park's size, some
people drive around the gardens, although it's probably more fun to wander. The gardens are
a lovely spot for a picnic, which is a popular weekend activity. You can also stay in the
gar-
Bali Treetop Adventure Park
Bali Botanic Gardens • Daily 9am-6pm • $24 ($22 before 10.30am), under-12s $14, family $57 •
0361 852
0680,
balitreetop.com
A chance to go ape within the botanic gardens, this high course provides the opportunity to
swing (as well as slide and scramble) through the canopy of tall
rasamala
(
Altinga excelsa
)
trees. The
Bali Treetop Adventure Park
, in the southwest corner of the gardens, has six cir-
cuits of ropeways, bridges, platforms, scrambling nets and zip lines constructed up to 20m
off the ground. Mini-courses are designed to suit children from the age of 4 upwards. Safety
gloves and harnesses are provided, along with guides. This is the most popular section of the
park, so weekends are often busy.
