Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
should you be in the market for a $2000 necklace, or pretty $250 choker or simply a $149
pendant, or are just interested in learning about the process through a video of pearl seeding.
Tours are available on request - you'll learn about the four-year growing process and how to
distinguish real pearls from fakes.
Ume Anyar
About 1.5km short of Seririt you reach the village of
UME ANYAR
, where signs point you
north off the main road to the accommodation. The local beach, sometimes known as
Puri
Jati
, or PJ, is famous for
muck-diving
- the practice of diving in sandy-bottomed bays in
search of marine life. It's rich in juvenile fish and rare species and particularly good for
macro-photography, so several dive operators around Bali run trips here.
ACCOMMODATION: UME ANYAR
Ganesha Bali Retreat and Villas
0821 4530 4627,
ganesha-bali.com
.
Eight high-qual-
ity spacious villas with all amenities and views of rice paddies or the sea, plus a lovely spa,
pool and restaurant, all set back from the beach. Chinese and herbal medicine, as well
as m
as-
sage, are the specialities here and there are medicinal herbs growing in the grounds.
$120
Zen Resort Bali
0362 93578,
zenresortbali.com
.
Around 600m from the road and 250m
from the beach, with fine views over vineyards to the sea, this lives up to its name as a tran-
quil base, not least because of its extensive programme of Ayurvedic therapies and lovely
staff. Rooms with a/c are stylishly modern - “Sunset” have large terraces and sunken patio
baths -
and
there's a beautiful pool, daily yoga and meditation, plus an in-house diving
centre.
$138
The Antosari Road
The road from Seririt to the south coast commands some breathtakingly scenic views as
it crosses through the mountains, rice-growing valleys and small hilltop villages of Bali's
central spine. Seven kilometres south of Seririt the road branches southeast for Mayong and
Danau Tamblingan. On the southbound road, the first great viewpoint comes 12km south of
Seririt, after
Busung Biu
, where you can stop in a lay-by to admire the vista of rice terraces
tumbling down into the valley, framed by the peaks of Gunung Batukaru to the southeast.
The road divides at the village of
Pupuan
, 22km south of Seririt, the site of a 100m-high
waterfall called
Blahmantung
. Despite the height, the falls are less than spectacular, only
really worth visiting in February or March when water levels are high from several months
of rain. The 1.7km-long access road is steep and rutted, signed just beyond the southernmost
limit of Pupuan; you can walk it in about half an hour.
Pupuan to Pekutatan (via Tista)
From Pupuan, one route takes you on a slow, twisting course southwest via the ridgetop set-
tlements of
Kemoning
- where you can veer south, via Ceking and Bangal, to arrive just west
of
Balian Beach
- and
Tegalasaih
, then south through clove plantations to
Tista
. Beyond
