Danau Tamblingan

Danau Tamblingan is Bali's most pristine and least-visited crater lake — a 110-hectare expanse of still, dark water enclosed entirely by primary montane cloud forest at 1,100 metres elevation in the north-central highlands. Unlike Lake Batur and Lake Bratan, Tamblingan has no road access to its shoreline — the only way to reach the water is by walking a 30-minute forest path from the highland village of Munduk or Tamblingan, then crossing the lake by dugout canoe (jukung). The forest surrounding the lake is among the most intact primary cloud forest remaining in Bali, supporting species of trees, orchids, and ferns that have vanished from the more accessible parts of the island. Four small Hindu water temples stand on the lake's forested shore, accessible only by canoe — their stone walls and thatched roofs emerging from the dense vegetation in a combination of natural and sacred architecture that is difficult to forget. The priests who maintain these temples arrive by canoe on specific ceremonial days, conducting prayers at the water's edge in conditions of near-complete silence. The experience of paddling across Tamblingan at dawn is one of the most atmospheric available in Bali: the mist rolls across the black surface, the cloud forest rises on all sides, and the only sounds are the drip of the paddle and the calls of hill birds in the canopy above. The return walk via the forest ridge above the lake can be extended to include nearby Danau Buyan (the middle of the three twin lakes), adding 2 hours and dramatic views down to both lakes from the ridge.