The road north out of Ubud climbs for an hour and a half and arrives at a plateau of crater lakes surrounded by forest, a thousand metres above the beaches. This is Bedugul, and it holds the single most photographed temple in Bali, a botanic garden that almost nobody walks properly, strawberry farms, a market of highland produce and a climate that feels like a different country. It is also the place most likely to be experienced as twenty minutes in a car park, which is a waste of a good drive.
The lakes
Three crater lakes sit in this highland basin, formed in an old volcanic caldera, ringed by forested slopes.
The largest holds the famous lakeside temple and is the busiest.
The two smaller lakes to the west are quieter, with a viewpoint above them that takes in both at once and is the best free stop in the highlands.
Water levels vary, which matters for the temple photograph and for the boats.
Mist rolls across them regularly, which is either atmospheric or a view of nothing depending on your luck.
The temple
What it is. A small lakeside temple complex whose thatched shrines stand on the water’s edge and appear to float when the lake is high.
Twenty minutes covers it, plus queueing for a photograph.
The water level decides the effect, and in a dry period the shrines are simply on land.
Sarong and sash are required, as at every Balinese temple, and are available at the entrance.
Go early, since it takes coach groups from mid-morning.
Around the highlands
The strawberry farms and the market, selling highland fruit, vegetables and flowers, which is where the difference in climate becomes obvious.
The twin lakes viewpoint on the road towards Munduk, looking down on two crater lakes at once.
A treetop adventure park beside the garden, which is a genuine draw for families.
Waterfalls on the northern slopes, covered in our guide to Bali’s waterfalls.
Munduk, half an hour further, which is where to sleep if the highlands appeal at all.
Practical notes
Take a layer. It is cool and frequently wet, and visitors arrive in beach clothes.
Go in the morning, both for the light and because the afternoon cloud comes in.
Cash for entrances, sarong hire and the market.
Combine it with a transfer rather than making it a return day trip.
Expect vendors at the lake temple car park, which is normal and easily navigated.
Where this fits
The highlands are a stop between the south and the north rather than a base in themselves.
Our guide to Munduk and north Bali covers where to actually stay up here, half an hour on.
For the temples across the island, the etiquette and which ones are worth the drive, our guide to Bali’s temples puts the lake temple in context.
The short version
Treat the highlands as a stop on a one-way drive north rather than a return day trip from Ubud. See the lake temple at opening, in twenty minutes, and accept that the floating effect depends on the water level. Then give the botanic garden two hours, because it is the best walk in the region and nearly empty. Stop at the twin lakes viewpoint, buy something at the highland market, and carry a layer, since a thousand metres up Bali is cool, misty and wet.
