Badung

Introduction

Tourists who fly into Bali land at Ngurah Rai International Airport, which is part of Badung regency. Many stay in Badung as they head for the beaches of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Canggu north of the airport. The whole coastal area stretching for 15 kilometres today is one built-up tourist area, gradually becoming more upscale when one heads north. Yet only 50 years ago there were only rice fields here as far as the eye could see. The limestone peninsula Semenanjung Bukit constitutes Bali’s most arid area. It used to be scarcely inhabited. The views from its cliffs and the sheltered sandy beaches at the bottom of these now are its main attractions. Pura Taman Ayun is Badung’s most famous temple. Sangeh Monkey Forest is the alternative for those who fear the aggressiveness of the monkeys in Ubud Monkey Forest. Since 2009 the capital of Badung is Mangupura just north of Denpasar. Mangupura was designed as administrative centre separate of Denpasar which used to combine the functions of provincial and regency capital.

History

In the final years of the 18th century I Gusti Ngurah Made Pemecutan conquered the kingdoms Mengwi and Jembrana, and established himself as king of Badung. His second successor, Kesiman (reigned 1829-1863), achieved the peak of Badung’s wealth, partly by aligning himself with the Dutch colonial government. But in 1904 a Chinese ship under Dutch flag ran aground at Sanur beach and the Balinese confiscated its cargo as was the local custom. That was reason for the Dutch to send a punitive expedition that arrived at Denpasar in September 1906. The king and his court exited the palace gate with full regalia, walking to their death by Dutch bullets. According to their belief that was the honourable thing to do for a ksatria (warrior caste), rather than suffer the shame of a life in exile. This event is remembered as the Badung puputan, which would be repeated two years later at Klungkung. Vicky Baum wrote her 1937 novel ‘Liebe und Tot auf Bali’ (Love and Death in Bali) around these historical events.

Geography

Badung regency stretches for 75 kilometres from the Bukit peninsula in the south to 2096 metre Mount Catur in the north. In between at places it is less than two kilometres wide, viz. at the isthmus connecting the peninsula to Bali mainland, and at Petang village, where Badung is just one mountain ridge between two river valleys. That’s the most extreme example how the landscape influenced the borders between Bali’s kingdoms. To facilitate traffic between the regencies Buleleng, Badung and Bangli, Bali’s longest and probably Asia’s highest bridge was inaugurated in 2006. The limestone Bukit peninsula is Bali’s most arid region.

Cities

• Mangupura – Since 16 November 2009 Mangupura is the capital of Badung regency. Before that date the provincial capital Depasar doubled as capital of Badung. Mangupura has been developed as an urban area with modern infrastructure and public service standards. The territory of Mangupura includes nine villages, among them Mengwi, Lukluk and Sempidi.

Sights and Activities

• Sangeh Monkey Forest - In Sangeh Monkey Forest the grey long-tailed macaques lead a more natural life than those in Ubud Monkey Forest. They are accustomed to humans but less aggressive than those in Ubud. The monkeys live in a protected forest of mainly nutmeg trees, interspersed with mahogany, guava, and sapodilla trees. The roughly 600 monkeys are divided in three tribes, each with their alpha male. These males compete who will be ‘king’. The tribe of the king inhabits the area with the best food, around Bukit Sari Temple. There are also over 20 different species of birds and a wide variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians in the forest. Sangeh village lies 25 kilometres due north from Denpasar, and half an hour’s drive from Ubud. The name Sangeh is said to be composed of Sang (human) and Ngeh (to see). According to the legend the nutmeg trees – some of which are 300 years old - were walking from Mount Agung to West Bali, but halted where they are now because they were seen by humans. Hours: 8am to 5 pm. Entrance fee: IDR 10,000 domestic, IDR 20,000 foreign.

Bali - Tukad Bangkung Bridge

© theo1006

• Jembatan Tukad Bangkung or Bangkung River Bridge is Bali’s longest. It spans 360 meters and at is highest pillar reaches 71 metres above the river bed. The bridge was inaugurated in 2006 and provides a new scenic route between Denpasar and Singaraja. It also provides an east-west connection between Kintamani and Bedugul. The bridge is looked upon as a high feat of Indonesian engineering, being designed stand for a 100 years and to withstand earthqakes up to force 7 on the Richter scale.
• Nungnung Waterfall is a fall in Tukad Bangkung river, located 5 kilometres downstream of Tukad Bankung Bridge in lush forest. The fall is about 50 metres high and year round has a good flow of water. It is only a short walk from the car park, but one has to walk down some 100 concrete steps into the ravine. Entrance fee: IDR 7,500.
• Bungy Jumping
• Waka Tangga Rock Climbing
• Deluang Sari Turtle Farm

Beaches

• Pantai Jimbaran - Jimbaran Beach is one of the most popular beaches of Bali. It is a broad white sandy beach stretching along a bay for four kilometres just south of the airport. Until 1988 there were just a few fishermen’s villages who took advantage of the shallow and usually calm sea. Since then hotels and restaurants have proliferated, but still the fishermen bring in fresh seafood every day. Indeed a seafood dinner on the beach while watching the sun set is among the main attractions. The traditional fish market is located in the north, in Kedonganan. On 1 October 2005 Jembaran beach was the scene of two suicide bomb attacks, one at Café Menega and one at Café Nyoman. A third attack occurred at Kuta, the three together took the lives of 15 Indonesians and 5 foreigners.
• Pantai Dreamland – Dreamland beach on the Bukit peninsula, is located 18,5 kilometres from Ngurah Rai Airport. It is a wide white sand beach, nicknamed New Kuta Beach. Situated in the upscale Dreamland resort area, the beach is popular among surfers during dry season, April through August. Parking: IDR 15,000.
• Pantai Padang-Padang – Padang-Padang Beach on Bukit peninsula, 20 kilometres from Ngurah Rai Airport, is also known as Pantai Labuan Sait. It is a white sand beach of 100 metres length at the foot of limestone cliffs, accessible only by a narrow tunnel and flight of stairs in a crevice. In the dry season the waves are suitable for experienced surfers. Scenes of the movie “Eat Pray Love” have been shot at this beach. Price for access: domestic IDR 5,000, foreign IDR 10,000.
• Pantai Suluban - A small strip of sand bounded by cliffs accessible by stairs, also known as Blue point Beach. Whereas at Jimbaran Beach one can enjoy a ‘sunset dinner’ on the beach, at Suluban Beach one can do so on a balcony built on one of the adjacent cliffs.
• Pantai Nyang-Nyang - A beach at the south-western extremity of Bukit Peninsula, still comparatively quiet. Acceseed by a stairs of 600 steps. A favourite location for paragliding and surfing.
• Pantai Pandawa - At the foot of the limestone cliffs on the southern edge of Bukit Peninsula until recently Thebe was an isolated community of fishermen, living on a stretch of white sand one kilometre long and 200 metres at its widest, only accessible by sea. It took 15 years to cut out an access road in the cliffs. Since 2012 Pandawa Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Badung, among foreign tourists also known as Secret Beach or Hidden Beach. A favourite activity is paragliding from the top of the cliff toward the beach. Another attraction are six statues, erected in niches in the vertical cliff, of the five Ramayana heroes Dharma Wangsa, Bima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sadewa, and their mother Dewi Kunti. There are many restaurants on the beach and there is choice of accommodation on top of the cliffs. For entering the beach a small fee is collected.
• Pantai Seseh – Seseh Beach in Munggu village is a black sand beach, 24 kilometres north from Ngurah Rai Airport. Compared to the beaches more south it is a quiet one, popular among kite surfers. Muslims make a pilgrimage to the grave of Pangeran Mas Sepuh, one of the seven holy men who brought Islam to Bali. Access to the beach and the grave is free.
• Pantai Batu Bolong Canggu
• Pantai Berawa
• Pantai Canggu
• Pantai Kuta
• Pantai Peti Tenget

Temples

• Pura Taman Ayun
• Pura Pucak Tedung
• Pura Uluwatu
• Pura Sadha

Recreational

• Water Boom Park Kuta
• Safari Kuda
• Taman Reptil Indonesia Jaya

Events and Festivals

• Makotek ceremony in Munggu village - On Kuningan holiday, 10 days after Hari Raya Galungan, Munggu village is the venue of Makotek ceremony, also referred to as Ngebreg. The ceremony re-enacts the passage of the army of Mengwi kingdom through Munggu village when it went to war against Blambangan kingdom in East Java, as well as on its victorious return. The name is an onomatopoeia of the sound of wooden sticks put against each other in stacks. Munggu village is located about 10 kilometres west of Denpasar, not far from Tanah Lot.

Getting There

By Plane

Ngurah Rai International Airport – Bali’s main airport is named after I Gusti Ngurah Rai, one of Indonesia’s independence heroes. He had been trained in the Dutch East Indies Army (KNIL). When after the defeat of the Japanese the Dutch tried to re-establish their rule over Bali, he joined the independence struggle. In 1946 with 95 companions he fought to the death against the Dutch. This was the last puputan in the history of Bali. The portrait of Ngurah Rai is on the 50,000 Rupiah bills. At Margarana War Cemetery there is a monument in his honour.

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