Bali offers unique sights that you’ll unlikely see
elsewhere, and even if you think you’ve seen them all, you’ll be surprised at
what you may still find ‘hidden’, off the beaten tracks, and simply waiting for
you to discover. For the adventurous at heart, here we’ve compiled the most
unusual places to visit on the island. Some places are outright bizarre, others
eerie and mysterious – spread out across Bali, from the remote central
highlands to the offshore island of Lembongan. You might want to break away from
the confines and usual offerings of your five-star luxury resort, and seek out
the unknown, the odd, and the peculiar in Bali. If you think you’ve seen ‘Bali
temples’, here are some outright exceptional ones. Discover Bali’s strangely
beautiful, and beautifully strange, and satisfy your curiosity with our list of
the 10 most unusual and odd places to visit in Bali.
1.The 'Ghost Town' of Taman Festival Bali
Sanur has a spooky ‘ghost town’ on Padanggalak Beach, a
remote coast far away from the main Sanur hub. It is the vast ruins of derelict
theme park Taman Festival Bali, which closed down shortly after its
establishment in 1997 due to marketing and financial difficulties, before being
handed over to the local government. No plans are underway for its
resurrection, so we believe it will still be around for a while.
2. The 'Bat Cave' Temple of Goa Lawah
As one of Bali's most important temples, Goa Lawah is not a kept secret. But
the odd sight of a majestic Balinese Hindu temple complex built around an eerie
cave opening that is inhabited by hordes of bats can still give you the
creeps... even in broad daylight. The 11th century temple is an easy stopover
on your tours to Candidasa and the island’s east.
3. Bengkala, Village of The Deaf
Bengkala, a village in the district of Kubutambahan, Buleleng regency, north
Bali, is known as the ‘village of the deaf’ due to over two percent of its
population are congenitally deaf. The village has seen high incidences of
deafness that spans over seven generations, and the people, known locally as
‘kolok’, have developed a sign language known as ‘kata kolok’.
4.The Underground House (Goa Gala-Gala)
One of your most likely stopovers on your visit to Nusa Lembongan Island is
this underground house, known as the ‘Goa Gala-Gala’. The limestone underground
house is labyrinthine featuring connected chambers. What started out as a
passionate cave project by house owner Made Byasa, who was inspired by an
episode from the Mahabharata epic in which the Pandawa heroes fled persecution
from the Koravas by hiding in a cave, turned into a decade-long building
obsession, which he finally completed in 1976.
5. The 'Dark Cave' of Goa Peteng
Here’s for spelunkers (which means cave exploring, as if you didn’t know).
Descend into the heart of darkness at Goa Peteng, an impressive natural
limestone sinkhole that is located right beside the resort grounds of the Ayana
Resort and Spa in Jimbaran. Goa Peteng, literally ‘dark cave’ in the local
tongue, is located on a farming field owned by local resident Pak Ketjuh and
his son Nyoman Suparka.
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