The Bukit

Everything you need to know about The Bukit.....

The Bukit is located on the southern tip of Bali as a small hilly island connected to the mainland by a  narrow isthmus. The Bukit is part of the Badung area of southern Bali. Badung also includes Kuta, Nusa Dua, Bualu, Jimbaran, Kapal and Mengwi.

The Bukit area is unlike other areas of Bali which are usually green and full of streams and springs. On the Bukit it is more of an arid landscape dotted by low bush and manioc, cactus, beans and kapok trees. The Bukit peninsula is a plateau of limestone which rises up to 200 meters above sea level. However in the rainy season around November to March the area is green and, especially in the valleys, there is an abundance of coconut and fruit trees just like the other areas of Bali.

The Hills of Uluwatu are not to be missed. Towering perhaps a hundred feet over the sea that extends far into the Indian Ocean, the cliffs are populated by teeming monkeys "guarding" the sacred Temple of Uluwatu. Down below is famous surf break of the Bukit peninsula which is classified as a high level surf.

The temple is quite ancient- it was founded in the 10th century. The primary attraction of the temple however is the sunset which can only be defined as heavenly. Uluwatu is at the southernmost tip of southern Bali, Indonesia. Uluwatu Temple can only be covered on foot.

Uluwatu proper is a small village on the west coast, south of Jimbaran, but for most visitors it refers only to the famous temple of the same name, several kilometers further south.

A taxi from Kuta to Uluwatu takes about 30 minutes up and down winding roads. As it can be difficult to find transport, get the driver to wait for you for the trip back. Joining a tour can be cheaper way of getting to Uluwatu.

Jimbaran
Touring the Bukit can be a unique and exciting experience. Starting right above the magnificent beach, to the wide open spaces of sky, temples, wild flowers, oceans, parachutes or surfers etc. So start your tour from the Uluwatu road. When driving from Denpasar to Nusa Dua along the By Pass highway turn right just after Ngurah Rai Airport into Jimbaran. After passing the Intercontinental Hotel, turn right at the first junction and you will arrive at the southern part of Jimbaran Beach, a wide, white sandy beach with clear, green-blue water. If you arrive at the beach in the afternoon it's worth waiting to watch one of the most spectacular sunsets Bali has to offer, and later on you can enjoy dinner in one of the beachfront cafes, very popular among international and domestic tourists. Right after Jimbaran Beach, the road begins to climb up a hill and past the Four Season Hotel and, a couple of kilometers later, after twisting through a boulevard of bougainvillea you will arrive at the entrance of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The luxury Hotel is surrounded by native Kapok trees.

Return back to the Uluwatu Road junction and turn right and soon the road twist and ascend steeply past a temple and a quarry.
 


Map of Bali Bukit

Uluwatu
At the top of the steep ascent the road will flatten out and you will continue your journey to the south. You will pass through an intersection which leads to the Udayana University on the left. A little further along the Uluwatu road you will come to the entrance of GWK which is a park and entertainment area and where a  giant statue of Garuda Wisnu Kencana is gradually being built from bronze.  It isintended to become the tallest statue in the world. In the GWK area there are restaurants and cafes and a large natural amphitheatre where concerts are held.  From the area at the top of the hill where the statue is being built and also from some of the restaurants you can see a spectacular view out across Jimbaran Bay, Kedonganan Beach, the Airport, Kuta Beach, Nusa Dua, Benoa Harbour and in the far distance is Denpasar. Continuing on the Uluwatu road, at the top of the next ascent  is an intersection with a small roundabout.  The road to the right leads off to Balangan (popular with surfers), to the left it goes to Ungasan and Nusa Dua but traveling directly ahead is Uluwatu.

passing through the village of Pecatu, a few more kilometres will bring you to the Uluwatu area where you will begin to catch a glimpses of the ocean in the distance. Continue driving straight ahead on this road and you will come to the end of the road where the famous Uluwatu Temple is located perched dramatically on top of a sheer cliff with the Indian Ocean crashing along the base of the cliff.
 
The Temple is perched at the very tip of the cliff that drops 80 meters vertically to the Indian Ocean below. Uluwatu Temple is one of the six most important Sad Kahyangan Temples of Bali. From this site you can also witness what is probably one of the most dramatic sunsets in the world.

Uluwatu Temple
Uluwatu temple perches high on a needle of rock at the south-west extremity of Bali, jutting out into the vastness of the Indian Ocean with no other lands before it to check the swells that arise far off in Antarctic storms and roll thousands of miles to break in tropic seas at the base of the Uluwatu cliff. A Hindu saint recognized this spot 700 years ago as a particularly powerful site for a temple, and The sliver of rock that holds the temple seems so narrow, almost insignificant against the vastness of sea and sky. The entire cliff shudders with the impact of the waves, while monkeys shriek and scamper along walls that drop sheer to the surging foam hundreds of feet below. Across the surface of the sea, after every retreating wave, white foam curls like lace and one can see coral and sometimes sea turtles and dolphins swimming below.

Uluwatu Temple (Pura Uluwatu) is one of Bali's six directional temples and Uluwatu's only site of significance. More remarkable than the temple itself is its location, perched on a steep cliff 70 meters above the roaring ocean waves. There are more steep headlands on either side, and sunsets over Uluwatu are a sight to behold.

As usual, you need to be properly dressed to enter, sarongs and sashes can be rented at the entrance. Guides, once famously mercenary, hassle visitors less than they used to. Note that, while you are free to walk around the edges of the temple, the central courts can only be entered during special rituals.

The temple is inhabited by large number of monkeys, who are extremely adept at snatching visitors' belonging, including bags, cameras and eyeglasses. Keep a very close grip on all your belongings and stow away your eyeglasses if at all possible. If you do have something taken, the monkeys can usually be induced to exchange it for some fruit; needless to say, rewarding the monkeys like this only encourages them to steal more. Locals will be happy to do the job for you, naturally in exchange for a tip.

Most Of Bali's regencies have Pura Luhur Uluwatu - literally high tamples or ascension temples - which become the focus for massive pilgrimages during three or five day odalan Unniversaries, The photogenic Tanah Lot and the Bat Cave tample, Goa lawah are also Pura Luhur. Not all Pura Luhur are on coast. however, but all have inspiring locations, overlooking large bodies of water

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In the 15th Century the great pilgrim priest Dhang Hyang Dwijendra, who established the present form of Hindu Dharma religion, chose Pura Uluwatu as his last earthly become the focus for massive pilgrimages during three or five day odalan anniversaries. The photogenic Tanah Lot and the Bat Cave temple, Goa Lawah are also Pura Luhur. Not all Pura Luhur temples are on coast. however, but all have inspiring locations, overlooking large bodies of water.

Pura Luhur Uluwatu is also one of Bali's important sad Kahyangan temples, in which dwell major deities in Uluwatu's case; Bhatara Rudra, God of the elements and of cosmic forces.

In the 15th Century the great pilgrim priest Dhang Hyang Dwijendra, who established the present form of Hindu Dharma religion, chose Pura Uluwatu as his last earthly abode: history records that Dwijendra achieved moksa (oneness with the godhead, in a flash of blazing light) while meditating at Uluwatu. The temple is regarded, by Brahmans island wide, as his holy "tomb". Legend also tells us that Dwijendra was the architect of the Beautiful temple on Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa.

Behind the main pagoda of Pura Uluwatu's small inner sanctum, a limestone statue of a Brahman priest surveys the Indian Ocean - It is said the statue represent the founding priest Dwijendra. Another shrine within the complex represents the founding.

Kecak dance (aka "monkey dance") performances are held at the temple daily between 6pm and 7pm. Tickets for the visually spectacular if rather unoriginal show (it was invented in the 1930s). The show is performed for tourists and lasts 1 hour.

Return back along the same road. Just a few hundred meters away from the parking lot of the Uluwatu Temple there is a road to the left, follow this road and you will find yourself in the parking lot of one of the most famous surfing sites in the world, Uluwatu. This surfing site is magnificently featured in the wide screen film "In God's Hand". From the parking lot you will need to make your way down from the  the cliff top car park, along a set of over 60 steps. When you reach the main Uluwatu surfing site you will find a large number of warungs selling food, drinks, clothing, crafts and everything you may need for surfing. The surfers get out to the surf break by descending another set of concrete steps down into a cave and, from the cave they paddle out to the surf area.  It is worth the time to take a walk down the steps and visit the cave and the lovely private beach to the left of the cave where you can enjoy the sun and watch the surfers.

Travel back from Uluwatu on the Padang Padang road which is a relatively new road and this will follow the coastline back to Pecatu, passing famous surf breaks as Padang Padang, Bingin, Impossibles.  From the village of Pecatu, turn left and head back towards Jimbaran.

When you reach the intersection again with the small roundabout and a large Nirmala Supermarket on the corner, you can turn right and travel to the Bali Cliff Resort area and look at the famous Green Balls surf area from the top of the sheer cliffs or, at the village of Ungasan you can turn left and travel through to Nusa Dua. Continuing straight ahead on the Uluwatu Road, a few hundreds meters past the intersection there is a branch of the road to the north (it has a large petrol station on the corner). If you follow this road, it will lead you to the Udayana University, where you can travel along the road right through the centres of this large campus and eventually you will meet up with the highway (Jl By Pass Ngurah Rai) again (a MacDonalds is on the corner of this large intersection). At this intersection you can turn to the left onto the By Pass and travel on to the Airport and Kuta or you can turn right onto the By Pass and travel through to the resort area of Nusa Dua and Tanjung Benoa.  Nusa Dua and Tanjung Benoa are situated at sea level and are not part of the actual Bukit area.

From Nusa Dua you can return via the By Pass highway to the areas of Ngurah Rai International Airport, Tuban, Kuta, Legian and Sanur areas.
 

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