Bali Lakes Area Hike

By Vicky · Published Jul. 28th, 2022 · Updated Nov. 21st, 2022

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On this hike in the Lakes Area of Bali discover the Botanic Gardens, hike up Mount Tapak, visit the famous Ulun Danu Beratan Temple and eat some strawberries.

Bali Lakes Area Hike Map

Get the route by downloading the .gpx or .kml file below. For navigation with Maps.me on your mobile phone, simply download the .kml file and open to add it to the Maps.me bookmarks.

Location

This walk starts at the Bali Botanic Gardens. It ends at the Strawberry Shop cafe in Candikuning town, not far from Ulun Danu Beratan Temple.

Walking through Bali Botanic Gardens

Bali Botanic Gardens (Website, Tripadvisor Reviews*) is open from 8am to 6pm every day. Tickets cost Rp 20,000 ($1.5) per person. Things not to miss in the Bali Botanic Gardens are the viewpoint over the lake and the giant tree.

To reach the lake viewpoint, head right from the entrance, then left through a grassy area with trees towards some large greenhouses. These were not maintained during coronavirus, hopefully by 2023 they will be in good condition again. Continue past the conservatories and right towards a road. Head left on the road that bends to the right and downhill. Loop around the Bamboo Garden and head onwards.

Lake Beratan Views

At a bend in the road you’ll come to a large, open grassy area. You can cut across here to the statues and steps. There are already good views of the lake below from the steps. Head upwards and slightly right – this is a popular spot in the garden for the lake view. There’s also a little stall selling snacks here, and it’s common for people to picnic here.

Giant Tree

Hiking up Mount Tapak (Gunung Tapak)

Take the small path which heads into the jungle. Soon the steps will begin. There are many, many steps, all the way to the summit. The path is in good condition and there isn’t any technical difficulty. The route is mainly within jungle trees, with only the occasional viewpoint.

Eventually you’ll reach a flat section just by the top. The best viewpoint is here, as you see Lake Beratan far below. At the summit itself is a small temple and shelter, but no views. There’s also some rubbish here, so the previous viewpoint was better.

Once you’ve had a break at the top of Mount Tapak, head back down the way you came, many steps, until you return back to the Bali Botanic Gardens.

Back in the Botanic Gardens and Walking through Candikuning

At the base of the path up the mountain, now head right along the road. Once it starts making a bend, you’ll see a temple on your left, and further into the jungle a unique ceremonial building. You can walk to this odd structure, and then return to the road. Continue walking along until near the entrance to the Gardens.

Before leaving, head left up a path to see the impressive sculpture in the middle of the roundabout. Then return to the entrance and leave the gardens.

Head down the road, past the many shops selling flowers, and take the first left. This route leads into a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood, and you can see several mosques and cute houses. At the T-junction go left, then right, left, right to walk down the road into the centre of Candikuning town. At the main road, turn left and you’ll soon see the temple on your right.

Ulun Danu Beratan Temple

Ulun Danu Beratan Temple (Tripadvisor Reviews*) is open 8am-6pm and the entrance fee is Rp 50,000 ($3.50) per person. It can be crowded in the middle of the day. However, you can still get good photos of the temple because it’s surrounded by water so nobody can be in your view. I think it’s one of the most beautiful temples in Bali due to its surroundings and simple but elegant construction.

It doesn’t take that long to look around, some of the temple area is closed to tourists, and the main thing to do is take photos of the temples in the lake. After you’ve finished walking through the temple, head out to the exit and the road.

Lake Beratan Strawberries

At the road head right, and 500 metres later you’ll see a strawberry sign on your left. This is the Strawberry Shop. It’s a cafe that sells mainly items containing strawberries. We had a strawberry milkshake, a strawberry pancake, and strawberries with strawberry ice cream. It was very delicious and we actually also came back again the next day.

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This is the end of the Bali Lakes Area hike. For other nearby hikes try Mount Catur or Mount Lesung, or check out our Bali Hikes Page.