13 Best Places to Visit in East Bali 2026: Temples, Beaches & Villages

One of Bali's key directional temples, guarding the east, Lempuyang has seven temples climbing the mountain to the summit at 1,060 m, about 1,700 steps up. Its split gate framing Mount Agung, the 'Gates of Heaven', is East Bali's most famous view.

A mandatory shuttle runs from the terminal below, and a numbered queue for the gate photo can mean 2–4 hours' wait; the 'reflection' is made with a mirror. Come at sunrise, when Agung is clearest.

Built in 1946 by the last king of Karangasem and named after the sacred Ganges, Tirta Gangga is a royal water garden on three levels: koi ponds with stepping stones, statues and an 11-tiered fountain. It was almost destroyed by the 1963 eruption of Agung and restored.

The ticket includes the spring-fed swimming pool and a small museum. It's 9 km from Lempuyang, so visit straight after sunrise there.

In the Bebandem district, the terraces of Sibetan are working, subak-irrigated farmland with Mount Agung rising behind, with no ticket booth and few visitors. Walk the paths and keep out of the farmers' way.

Sibetan is also one of Bali's main salak (snake fruit) villages: buy it at roadside stalls in season. It's on the way to Amed and Tulamben.

Built from 1909 to 1921 for the last raja of Karangasem, with a Dutch and a Chinese architect alongside Balinese builders, Taman Ujung mixes European, Chinese and Balinese styles across 12 hectares: three large pools, a white pavilion reached by a bridge and lawns sloping to the sea.

It was badly damaged by the 1963 eruption and a 1975 earthquake and restored in the early 2000s. Climb to the Bale Kapal pavilion for views over the gardens to the sea.

A 14 km string of black-sand fishing bays below Mount Agung, Amed is East Bali's laid-back base for snorkelling and diving. At Jemeluk Bay you can snorkel off the beach to underwater statues and a working underwater postbox 3–5 m down.

Amed was once known for sea salt made in coconut-trunk troughs, which now holds Geographical Indication status. For the classic sunset with Agung, head to the road above Jemeluk Bay.

Near Candidasa, Virgin Beach is a white-sand cove backed by palms, with warungs, sunbeds and calm, clear water in the morning.

There are no lifeguards, and currents and sudden drop-offs pick up later in the day, so swim with care. The Bukit Asah entrance has the best parking.

On the slopes of Mount Agung at about 1,000 m, Pura Agung Besakih is the largest and holiest temple complex in Bali: 26 temples on six terraced levels. It survived the 1963 eruption, which Balinese saw as a miracle.

Your ticket includes a licensed local guide, a sarong and an electric-car ride up, so ignore anyone asking for extra 'guide' money or insisting you buy offerings. The biggest festival falls in March or April.

Green rice terraces with Mount Agung above them: Sidemen is the quiet valley many people hope Bali will be. Walk the free paddy trails around the Yellow Bridge and Tabola, and visit the family weaving workshops that make endek and songket.

There's little nightlife and ATMs are unreliable, so carry cash.

A Bali Aga village that keeps its pre-Majapahit customs and walled layout, Tenganan is one of the few places in the world where gringsing double-ikat cloth is woven; a single piece can take months or years. You'll also hear its gamelan selunding of iron keys.

There's no ticket: sign the guest book and leave a donation. In June, the village holds its ritual pandan-leaf battle.

Just off the stony beach at Tulamben lies the USAT Liberty, a US Army cargo ship torpedoed in 1942 and pushed onto a sand slope by the 1963 eruption of Agung. At 7–30 m, it's one of the world's most accessible wreck dives, and snorkellers can see its shallowest parts.

Stay overnight in Tulamben or Amed for a dawn or night dive. Day trips from the south cost about IDR 2,530,000 for two dives.

Next to the ferry port, Blue Lagoon is a sheltered cove in a marine protected area, with 10–20 m visibility and reef right off the beach. On the other side of town, Bias Tugel is a white-sand cove reached by a short walk and steep rocky steps.

Neither beach has lifeguards. Blue Lagoon gets busy from midday when the snorkel boats arrive, so come early.

A quiet seaside town on a freshwater lagoon, Candidasa is the best base for East Bali: Tenganan is 3 km away, and Virgin Beach, Taman Ujung, Tirta Gangga and Lempuyang are all within an hour. Dive shops run trips to the Gili Mimpang islets offshore.

The beach is mostly rocky after reef mining in the 1970s and 80s, and it's part of a coastal conservation project running to 2028.

In Semarapura, the open pavilion of Kertha Gosa was the royal court of justice of the Klungkung kingdom. Its ceiling is covered in Kamasan-style paintings of heaven and hell, telling the story of Bhima's journey through the afterlife.

The complex also has the floating pavilion Bale Kembang and the Semarajaya Museum, with relics of the 1908 Puputan Klungkung.