Get ready for an extraordinary adventure and a privileged insight in the daily rural lives of the Balinese people. A Journey to the Secret Soul of Bali.
WakaLandCruise with OIA are proud to escort you on a voyage of discovery – You will have the opportunity to witness and experience many of the surprising, traditional, cultural and beautiful aspects of Bali that most visitors never get to see. The journey begins from the moment you are picked up at your hotel or villa and transported, by Land Rover or Land Cruiser, along Southwest Bali’s quiet country roads in the company of your knowledgeable cruise director, who will be both your guide and driver..
Great points of interest to visit
Scenic landscapes
Transfer from / to hotel, in a Landcruiser
Mineral water, tea, coffee,
Buffet Lunch with complimentary soft drinks, imported wine, beer, tea or mountain coffee and French Cognac.
Privileged insight in the daily rural lives of the Balinese people: An authentic Journey to the Secret Soul of Bali – with the opportunity to witness and experience many of the surprising, traditional, cultural and beautiful aspects of Bali that most visitors never get to see.
The journey begins from the moment you are picked up at your hotel or villa and transported, by Land Rover or Land Cruiser, along Southwest Bali’s quiet country roads in the company of your knowledgeable cruise director, who will be both your guide and driver.
Travelling through authentic Balinese villages, characterised by neat rows of houses, flowering trees, and red-tiled roofs, you will witness a lifestyle that hasn’t changed in generations. The local people make their living from the fertile land and you may be lucky enough to witness the ploughing, planting or harvesting of the rice fields, you may see a paddling of ducks brought in to fertilise the fields before the next crop planting, or you may observe a colourful Hindu temple procession to the accompaniment of gamelan music. The first stop will be at Tegal Jadi Village, where you will walk down to a river bed and a natural stone quarry where the villagers still cut the soft volcanic rock stone, known as ‘paras,' out of the cliff in the same way they have done for centuries, using traditional methods and techniques. The stone is shaped into rectangular blocks and used for building temples and shrines.
From there the trip continues to the tiny agricultural village of Malgunung,where you will be welcomed into the traditional home of a local family for a glimpse of their everyday life. Learn about the layout of a Balinese house compound, with buildings positioned within a garden courtyard in accordance with an ancient and complex set of rules. Observe the family temple, ceremonial pavilion and rice granary, and note the kitchen wall crafted from bamboo and rendered with a mixture of mud and rice husk. Sample Balinese pancakes griddled over an open fire and served on banana leaves with coconut and palm sugar, taste the locally grown coffee and marvel at the food forest of cacao, coffee, clove, mango and coconut trees, banana, rambutan, salak, jackfruit, vanilla, and the native pomelo. Your visit will be completed with a gentle 30-minute trek through the neighbouring rice fields under the gaze of the mighty Mt Batukaru, Bali’s second-highest mountain.
Mt Batukaru is, in fact, your next destination. You are now in the heart of the Tabanan Regency, also known as Bali’s ‘rice bowl’ – the most agriculturally productive region on the island, with rice fields stretching from the coast to as high as 700 metres above sea level. The stunning scenery will unfold before you like a map as you journey along a narrow winding road up the slopes of the 2276-metre mountain through steep rice terraces to Jatiluwih, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008 for its preservation of traditional Balinese farming techniques. True to its name, which means ‘extraordinary’ or ‘truly marvellous’, this scenic point offers one of the most breathtaking panoramic views imaginable. The vehicle will then climb to over 900m above sea level, and, as sacred Mt Batukaru reveals its splendour, a short stroll will lead you to Bamboo Forest Restaurant, hidden high up in the cool rainforest, surrounded by a plantation of giant bamboo. You’ve arrived at your destination and you are now in the Secret Soul of Bali. Here, you will be served a delicious buffet or ‘ristaffel’ lunch – a generous assortment of Balinese mountain food – prepared and cooked on-site utilising the produce of the region and including delights such as young jackfruit curry, mountain fern tips, corn on the cob, and chicken sate accompanied by red and white rice, wine, beer, soft drinks, tea and Balinese coffee.
The final stop, still high on the slopes of Mt Batukaru, is Pura Luhur Batukau, the‘Lofty Stone Coconut Shell Temple’ complex, which venerates the deities of mountains and lakes, and was the ancestral temple for the royal family of Tabanan, whose descendants still maintain the shrines today. Pause in this mystical spiritual place and reflect upon a wonderful day and an extraordinary land cruise into the mystical heart and soul of this amazing island.
