Heck of a trek…Munduk

I’d spotted Munduk in the Lonely Planet guide described as ‘one of Bali’s most appealing mountain villages’. This part was certainly true, it was appealing, the scenery was incredible with misty forests and hilly landscapes, however I obviously hadn’t read on because when we got there, we were a little overwhelmed by the handful of visitors who seek this place out. This was hardcore trekking land and Nick and I are hardly the keenest of walkers. We arrived at our home stay Meme Surung where we stayed one night and moved on swiftly to the slightly more upscale sister hotel Puri Lumbung, where we spent our last night in a cottage overlooking a rice field and a deep valley.

at Puri Lumbung

Munduk is a world away from the infamous surf culture of Bali. More of a nature retreat for early risers – surprisingly mostly troupes of ‘older’ French and German rugged adventurers who looked more like geologists, armed with serious walking gear for their jungle tours. With a number of renowned waterfalls to discover, we were determined to make the most of our time here and agreed to a trek with our trusty guide Putu. I expected an easy trail through the forests with time to bathe in the waterfalls – instead we properly hiked, pouring with sweat, running out of mosquito repellent, totally breathless the entire time and occasional pit stops where poor Putu had to wait for us to recover… “I once led a group of Swiss who did a 9 hour trek” OK – we get it Putu… he also mentioned that weirdly enough Brits just didn’t venture all the way to Munduk (although I’m glad we went, I can see why!)

Red Coral Waterfall in Munduk

So, this was worth a visit for a couple of days to really get to experience a different side to Bali, where isolation, crack-of-dawn starts and nature equals bliss – definitely one of the island’s most appealing mountain retreats as LP promises.

View of Munduk village from Puri Lumbung