Don’t Miss These 7 Balinese Traditional Villages When You're in Bali

Author, Ekarini

For more info about Bali: Bali Travel Info

Photo: Barong Dance Batubulan

Traveling to a special place. I like to learn the culture and authentic food local people eat of  the place I visited.  If you are like me, you like to explore the culture and the local lifestyle,  Bali is one of the richest cultures in the world.   Bali has several traditional villages you don’t find anywhere else in the world.   It is nice to learn a few words of the local language, and it’s fun to say hi to the locals and you feel belong in that place.

 Here are 7 Balinese traditional villages you don’t want to miss when visiting Bali island.  My suggestion for the newbie to Bali, you should start from the Southern Bali.   It is nice to settle and relaxed  in the hotel is not so far from the airport.  The next day, you begin to explore the island from the South.

1.       The Batubulan Village

I recommend to visit this village first, where you can have the feeling about Bali.  The Batubulan village  is located 8 kilometers from Denpasar.   The village is famous for its Barong and Keris dance performance.   The village is actually an agrarian village, and through the years transform the village to a creative living because of  the villagers are very creative with full of art inspirations to create the spectacular Balinese dance performance of Barong and Keris Dance.  Definitely, you don’t want to miss the Barong dance performance that perform daily.  You can choose one of the 5 different stages in the countryside surrounding by the rice fields:     Puseh Temple Stage, Tegal Tamu Stage, Denjalan Stage, Sahadewa Stage and Sila Budaya Stage.  In this village you'll also ind stone carving from small to gigantic sizes, art paintings, and many handicraft shops with affordable price and suitable for family gifts. 

Photo: Bisnis Bali

2.       The Celuk Village

This village next to the Batubulan village.  This village is Bali’s major center for goldsmiths and silversmiths jewelries.   This village is not far from the Sukawati district of Bali (Art market).   When you drive on the main road of jalan Raya Celuk, you will see the lined up of galleries and jewelry workshops.   This village is the famous stop over for tourist tour itineraries to the Ubud and Kintamani tour.

This is the perfect place to buy  jewelry with the intricate Balinese style work of art.  The gold and silver jewelries crafted here are of high quality and feature unique and elaborate designs as the craftsmen are known for their skills.
The gold and silver items can be bought  as  souvenirs and mass export items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, studs, broaches and many other Balinese ceremonial accessories and adornments.

Photo: I Dewa Kompiang Pasek

3.       The Batuan Village

This village is famous for its traditional painting, this place also a center for wood carving and dancing. This is where you can find Balinese fine art at its truest form, with no influence from the western or any other artistic style.   You can find special painting between artistic painting styles that have been shared from generation to generation (called Batuan style).   The Batuan village also offers  the best Keris makers  on the island.  One of the famous artists is my uncle.  Tourists can explore the beautiful rice fields and friendly people here.   Don’t miss the Frog dance in Batuan dance pavilion, and the only in this village you can watch a traditional Frog dance with a traditional music called Genggong (mouth harps) was created  in this village.

Photo: Bali Tour

4.       The Mas Village

This is another village which famous for its high quality wood carving with its characteristic style.  This authentic style makes the Balinese art, famous around the world.  The village is located approximately 6 km South of Ubud hub destination.  Here you can watch how they make the wood carving, you can order your specific art it suits your taste.  This village is definitely a must visit for you of art lovers.

Photo: Bali Travel Info

5.       The Penglipuran Village

 If you want the true Bali experience and away from the city hustle bustle of the tourist areas, you should visit the Penglipuran village. 

Bali’s Penglipuran village is awarded as the 3 top cleanest village in the world besides Giethoorn village in Belanda, and Mawlynnong in India. The village is located in Bangli regency, one of the nine regency in Bali.  When you travel from Denpasar, about one hour and a half (45 kilometers) to the Bangli regency.  The  Penglipuran village is a traditional village which has their own character, belong to the district Kubu- Sub district Kubu and untouchable by modernization lifestyle.  It’s located at the height of 700 meters above the sea level as giving the fact the fresh air and cooler weather than southern Bali island.  It is very pleasant to walk around the clean village.  

The Penglipuran’s panorama, it’s clean village, and its unique culture attracts a lot of visitors from all over the world. The place is also easy to reach from the neighboring tourist area, and the village is not far from the coolness of Kintamani, Tampaksiring and Tirta Empul (Gianyar Regency).

The village administration is very simple, it consists of a custom village with one Banjar and administration is very easy to manage.

The Balinese traditional houses which are divided into two parts, the west and east of single rod. All the houses have the same form of the front. This section is made of dirt material for walls and bamboo for the roof. The front of the house has angkul-angkul or gate which functioned as a building guard. At the special religious ceremony, this section will be a place of offerings and is used as a place to worship God and ancestors.

The houses were lined from top to bottom from the top of the hill. Among the houses have a very clean village street.  Mostly Village roads are quite, but it will be more people on the road in the afternoon when people go home from their work day, and  some mingle with their neighbors to socialize.  The main road stretching from north to south are not made of asphalt, but from the rock mountain that is modified into paving or stone ConBlock.

The Village territory is divided into three parts called the Tri Mandala. In the north corner of the village there is a shrine (the main theater), namely Pura Bale Agung (Upgrading), which became the main place of Balinese Hindu ceremony. Furthermore, in the middle there are parks and residential homes.

 In the lowest part of the village, there is a cemetery complex (Setra). The concept of the Tri Mandala does not only apply to village spatial layout, but also for residential each home.  Each house also follows the concept of the Tri Mandala.  On the front part of buildings, there are buildings angkul-angkul or gate and empty space called Natah in the middle part; the center is the family gathering place, and at the very back there is a toilet.

Photo: Bali Star Island

6.       The Tenganan Village

The Tenganan village or Tenganan Pegringsingan is a village in the Karangasem  regency.  It is known  by anthropologists to be one of the most secluded societies of the Indonesian archipelago.  In this technology era, the very few villages in Bali or  Indonesia that  has a well preserved culture.   In this village called “ Bali Aga” meaning, this village still holds to the original traditions, rituals,  ceremonies, and rule of the ancient Balinese.  This village invites you to see its very unique layout of the building and traditional housing made from natural materials. Traditional music called Gamelan Selunding and double ikat textiles that you only see here.

Best time to visit is when they hold the Mekare-Kare tradition every June and Perang Pandan (Pandan leaf war) on July.

Photo: Adventure Travel

7.       The Trunyan Village

This is a very special village in Bali.  The mountain village of Trunyan can be found at the foot of Mt. Abang, at a remote and isolated location on the eastern shore of Lake Batur.

Contrary to elsewhere in Hindu Bali the Trunyanese do not cremate their dead. Instead, after a ritual cleansing with rainwater, the body of the deceased is placed in a bamboo cage under the taru menyan tree ( special fragrant tree) is known to only grow here. Until the forces of nature, in particular the wind, has dissolved the body tissues until only the skeleton remains. Then the skull is placed on a stairs-shaped stone altar which is located some 500 meters north of the Banjar Kuban, a special place which can only be reached by boat.  It is mesmerizing to many is no odor from the decomposing bodies are present, which the locals believe is neutralized by the tree’s myrrh-like fragrance.   Skulls and bones on moss-covered stairs are quite the scene here, definitely not for the nervous type.

Happy Travels!