Lovina Beach

Lovina is located just southwest of Singaraja in the Buleleng region and covers an area of about 8 km including the villages Anturan, Tukad Mungga, Temukus and Kalikbukbuk. Lovina has a growing number of shops, restaurants and hotels, but is by far not as crowded as Kuta. The hotels are spread along the coast, with the majority in Kalikbukbuk which also has some activity in the evenings. Lovina has always been the favorite of the backpackers, but lately also more exclusive hotels have been raised here, and more and more people will discover this area which has a more relaxed atmosphere than southern Bali.

The conditions on Lovina and the surrounding area is good for swimming, snorkeling and diving, the best places are on the reef a little bit outside the coast, so you should pay some to take you there with a boat. Trips will also be arranged by the local diving centers, and you can do a PADI diving course here. The beach is narrow and consists of black volcanic sand, there are almost no waves because of the corral reef that protects the coastline. If you are lucky you can see another activity here; bull racing. In this area the most important thing about a bull race is not the speed, but the style. The bulls are all dressed up with colorful decorations.

To join a dolphin safari is quite popular, but can be a frustrating experience with 20 boats at full speed chasing the poor animals until they are forced to dive again, if you are lucky you can have a short glimpse before they disappear. What makes this trip worthwhile is the beautiful sunrise where you still clearly can see the high mountains before they disappear behind the clouds that usually covers them all day. You will have to get up about 4:30 in the morning to join a dolphin safari.

Lovina is a perfect place to stay when you explore the rest of North and Central Bali, for transport you can get around with a bemo, but you better rent a car or a motorbike, the prices are quite reasonable.