Hidden Gems in Bali: 15 Off-the-Beaten-Path Spots

Every “hidden gems in Bali” article on the internet lists the same places — Tegallalang Rice Terraces, Tirta Gangga, the Ubud Monkey Forest. Those are all excellent, but they are not hidden. They are on every itinerary, in every guidebook, and swarming with visitors by 9 AM.

This guide is different. These are 15 places that most tourists genuinely do not know about — spots that require a local driver who knows the back roads, a willingness to venture beyond the well-trodden south, and an appreciation for Bali that goes deeper than the Instagram highlight reel.

1. Taman Beji Griya Waterfall

Location: Near Mekarsari, Central Bali Drive from Ubud: 45 minutes

While everyone queues at Tegenungan, this waterfall complex sits nearly empty in the hills above Mekarsari village. Multiple cascades flow through a series of mossy, temple-like stone pools surrounded by dense jungle. The water is crystal clear, and the stone carvings around the pools give the whole place an ancient, sacred feel.

There is no large parking lot, no row of souvenir shops, and no Instagram influencers jostling for position. Just a small sign on a village road and a short walk through farmland to reach the falls.

Tip: Bring water shoes — the rocks around the pools are slippery.

2. Yeh Leh Beach

Location: Mendoyo, West Bali (Jembrana regency) Drive from Seminyak: 2.5 hours

West Bali is the forgotten coast. While millions of visitors pack the south and head north to Lovina, the entire western coastline remains almost untouched by tourism. Yeh Leh Beach is a dark sand beach framed by dramatic rock formations where a freshwater river meets the sea.

Local fishermen haul in their catch here each morning. There are a couple of simple warungs serving fresh fish. No beach clubs, no touts, no entrance fees. Just an extraordinarily beautiful piece of Bali that feels like it belongs to another era.

Combine with: West Bali National Park (Taman Nasional Bali Barat), which covers the entire northwestern tip of the island and is home to the endangered Bali starling.

3. Penglipuran Village

Location: Bangli regency, Central Bali Drive from Ubud: 45 minutes

Penglipuran is one of the cleanest and most well-preserved traditional villages in Bali. The main street is a perfectly symmetrical row of identical bamboo-gated family compounds, each maintained according to strict traditional architectural rules that have governed the village for centuries.

Unlike staged “cultural villages” set up for tourists, Penglipuran is a real, functioning community. Families live in these compounds, tend gardens, and practice traditional crafts. The village has won national awards for cleanliness and environmental management — it banned motorized vehicles on the main street long before that was fashionable anywhere in Bali.

A small entrance fee supports village maintenance. Visit on a weekday morning for the most authentic, uncrowded experience.

4. Aling-Aling Waterfall

Location: Sambangan, North Bali Drive from Ubud: 2 hours

Most visitors to Bali’s waterfalls stick to the well-known ones south of Ubud. But Aling-Aling in the northern highlands is arguably the most fun waterfall experience on the island — because you can jump off it.

The Aling-Aling complex includes the main 35-meter waterfall (viewing only) plus a series of smaller falls with natural pools where cliff jumping and natural waterslides are not just allowed but encouraged. Local guides take you through a sequence of jumps ranging from 3 to 15 meters, with natural rock slides between pools.

It is the kind of place where you arrive for a quick look and end up spending three hours.

Important: A local guide is mandatory (included in the entrance fee). They know which pools are safe for jumping at different water levels.

5. Pasir Putih (White Sand Beach / Virgin Beach)

Location: Karangasem, East Bali Drive from Ubud: 1.5 hours

Despite what many first-time visitors expect, most of Bali’s popular beaches have volcanic grey-black sand. Pasir Putih — literally “white sand” in Indonesian — is one of the few beaches on the Bali mainland that actually has the white sand and turquoise water people dream about.

Hidden behind a headland in east Bali and reached via a narrow road through a coconut plantation, this beach genuinely feels like a discovery. A handful of warungs on the sand serve fresh grilled fish, cold Bintangs, and nasi goreng. The swimming is safe and the water is clear.

It is no longer a complete secret — you will share it with a few dozen people on a busy day — but compared to the south coast beaches, it feels wonderfully isolated.

6. Munduk Village & Its Waterfalls

Location: Munduk, North-Central Bali Drive from Ubud: 2 hours

Munduk is a cool, misty mountain village perched at 800 meters in the central highlands. The temperature alone makes it a welcome escape from the coastal heat. But the real draw is the surrounding landscape: clove and coffee plantations, ancient jungle, and a string of waterfalls accessible via hiking trails that wind through some of the most beautiful forest in Bali.

The main waterfalls — Munduk Waterfall, Melanting Waterfall, and the twin Red Coral and Golden Valley falls — are all reachable on foot from the village. The trails pass through working plantations where you can see (and smell) cloves, coffee, vanilla, and cacao growing.

Stay overnight if you can. Munduk is one of those places that rewards slow travel. The village has simple guesthouses with valley views, and the sunrises over the caldera from this elevation are spectacular.

7. Pura Luhur Batukaru

Location: Tabanan, Central-West Bali Drive from Ubud: 1.5 hours

While tourists line up at Uluwatu and Tanah Lot, this ancient temple on the slopes of Mount Batukaru receives a fraction of the visitors — despite being one of the six most important directional temples in Bali (the kahyangan jagat).

Set deep in a rainforest at 800 meters elevation, Pura Luhur Batukaru has a mystical quality that the more famous temples have lost to crowds and commercialization. Mist drifts through the stone gateways. Moss covers the shrines. The surrounding forest is dense enough that the temple feels genuinely isolated from the modern world.

The drive up passes through some of the most scenic countryside in Bali, including the northern approach to the Jatiluwih rice terraces.

8. Soka Beach

Location: Tabanan, West Coast Drive from Seminyak: 1.5 hours

The coastal road from Tanah Lot heading west passes through a stretch of Bali that most tourists drive right through. Soka Beach is a wild, windswept black sand beach where the Indian Ocean crashes against volcanic rock formations with serious force.

This is not a swimming beach — the currents are too strong. But the raw natural beauty is extraordinary. Local farmers graze cattle on the grassy headland above the beach. Small temples dot the cliff tops. The whole scene feels like coastal Ireland transplanted to the tropics.

Stop for 30 minutes on the way to or from West Bali and you will see a side of the island that rarely appears on social media.

9. Trunyan Village

Location: Eastern shore of Lake Batur Drive from Ubud: 1.5 hours + boat crossing

The Bali Aga people of Trunyan are the island’s original inhabitants, pre-dating the Hindu-Javanese influence that shaped modern Balinese culture. Their most notable tradition is their treatment of the dead: rather than cremation (standard in Balinese Hinduism), Trunyan villagers place their deceased in open-air bamboo cages beneath a massive banyan tree, allowing nature to take its course.

Visiting Trunyan requires crossing Lake Batur by boat. It is not for everyone — the open-air cemetery is confronting — but for travelers interested in anthropology and the deeper layers of Balinese culture, it is fascinating.

Note: Be respectful. This is a living community with real traditions, not a curiosity exhibit.

10. Nyang Nyang Beach

Location: Uluwatu, South Bali Drive from Uluwatu center: 15 minutes + a serious walk

Just minutes from some of the busiest beach clubs on the Bukit Peninsula, Nyang Nyang Beach is a vast stretch of white sand that remains almost deserted because reaching it requires descending 500+ steps down a steep cliff path.

The beach itself is enormous — you can walk for a kilometer in either direction. A rusted, abandoned shipwreck sits in the surf, adding to the end-of-the-world atmosphere. There are no warungs, no beach chairs, no vendors. Just you, the ocean, and one of the most beautiful beaches in Bali.

Critical: Bring water, sunscreen, and snacks. There are zero facilities on the beach, and the climb back up is strenuous.

11. Bukit Cinta (Love Hill) Viewpoint

Location: Karangasem, East Bali Drive from Ubud: 1.5 hours

On a clear morning, this small hilltop viewpoint near Abang offers one of the most stunning panoramas in all of Bali. Mount Agung rises directly in front of you, with rice terraces cascading down the slopes to the sea. On the clearest days, you can see Lombok’s Mount Rinjani in the distance.

There is no entrance fee, no crowd management, and no souvenir shops. A small road leads to the hilltop where a few locals might be farming. Arrive at sunrise for the best light and the highest chance of clear skies (cloud often obscures Agung by midday).

12. Tenganan Pegringsingan

Location: Karangasem, East Bali Drive from Ubud: 1.5 hours

Like Trunyan, Tenganan is a Bali Aga village — one of the island’s original pre-Hindu communities. But where Trunyan is remote and challenging to reach, Tenganan is accessible and welcoming to visitors.

The village is famous for producing double-ikat textiles called gringsing — one of the rarest and most technically demanding weaving traditions in the world. The process takes years per cloth, and Tenganan is one of only three places on earth where this technique survives.

Walk through the fortified village walls and you will see women weaving on back-strap looms, men crafting lontar palm leaf manuscripts, and a community that has maintained its customs for centuries. The annual Usaba Sambah festival (usually in June) features ritual mekare-kare pandanus leaf fighting — a unique cultural event found nowhere else.

13. Sambangan Secret Garden

Location: Sambangan, North Bali Drive from Lovina: 20 minutes

Sambangan village has developed a community-run eco-tourism trail that takes you through a series of waterfalls, natural pools, and jungle paths maintained by local families. The “Secret Garden” trail includes seven waterfalls of varying sizes, natural slides, cliff jumps, and swimming holes.

What makes this special is the community tourism model. Local guides from the village lead every trek, the entrance fees go directly to village development, and the trails are maintained without the heavy infrastructure that has diminished the atmosphere at more commercial waterfall sites.

The full trek takes 3-4 hours and includes moderate hiking. A shorter version hitting the main waterfalls takes about 2 hours.

14. Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu

Location: Sebatu, 30 minutes north of Ubud Drive from Ubud: 30 minutes

Not to be confused with the more famous Gunung Kawi rock-cut temple (which is also excellent), Gunung Kawi Sebatu is a water temple that rivals Tirta Empul in beauty but receives a tenth of the visitors.

Natural springs feed a series of ornate fountains and pools surrounded by lush gardens and stone carvings. The koi ponds are mesmerizing, the gardens are immaculately maintained, and the overall atmosphere is one of genuine tranquility. You can participate in a water purification ritual here with far fewer people than at Tirta Empul.

Visit in the morning for the best light through the temple gardens and the most peaceful experience.

15. The Abandoned Hotel at Bedugul

Location: Bedugul, near Lake Beratan Drive from Ubud: 1 hour

One of Bali’s most intriguing curiosities is the enormous, never-completed Taman Rekreasi Hotel & Resort — often called the “Ghost Palace Hotel.” This massive hotel was started in the 1990s by the son of former Indonesian president Suharto and abandoned when the Asian financial crisis hit.

The concrete shell of what would have been a luxury hotel now sits overgrown in the misty highlands near Bedugul. The atmosphere is genuinely eerie — mossy staircases leading nowhere, empty swimming pool shells, and corridors open to the elements.

Note on access: The hotel is officially closed to visitors and technically on private land. Locals sometimes offer unofficial tours. Whether to visit is your judgment call — we mention it because it is one of the most unusual sights on the island.

How to Actually Find These Places

The common thread through this list is that most of these spots are difficult or impossible to find on your own. Google Maps will get you to the general area, but the final approach — the unmarked turn, the village road, the trailhead hidden behind a family compound — requires local knowledge.

This is exactly why a private driver who knows Bali intimately is worth their weight in gold. A good driver does not just take you from A to B — they know which waterfalls are flowing, which roads are passable, and which villages to visit on which days.

Let Gede Show You the Real Bali

Gede has spent his life exploring every corner of this island. He knows the hidden spots that no guidebook covers and the back roads that bypass every traffic jam. If you want to experience Bali beyond the tourist trail — the Bali that locals love — there is no better guide.

Tell Gede what kind of experience you are looking for, and he will build a custom itinerary that takes you to places you would never find on your own.

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