Lovina: the north coast at half speed

Lovina is not one place. It is a line of villages — Kalibukbuk, Kaliasem, Tukad Mungga, Anturan — strung along a calm bay on Bali's north coast, about three hours from the airport and a world away from the traffic of the south. The sand is black, the water is flat, and the hotels are small enough that the staff learn your name.

People come for two reasons: the dolphins that appear offshore at dawn, and the sense that this is what Bali was like before the villas. The dolphin trips are controversial and the beach is not the island's prettiest, but the north coast has a genuine, working-town quality that the south lost decades ago.

The beach and the villages

The beach runs about two kilometres from Anturan in the east to Temukus in the west, with Kalibukbuk in the middle as the main strip. The sand is volcanic black and coarse, the water is calm, and the swimming is better than the colour of the sand suggests. At low tide the reef flat is exposed, so swim at mid to high tide. Sunsets here are behind you and over the hills; sunrise is the event, straight out across the Java Sea.

Each village has its own character. Kalibukbuk has the restaurants, the dive shops and the dolphin boats. Anturan is quieter and cheaper, with fishing boats pulled up on the sand. Temukus is where the better small resorts are, set in gardens behind the beach. None of them is more than a twenty-minute walk from the others.

The dolphin question

Spinner dolphins feed in the bay at dawn, and the boats go out at six to find them. On a good morning you see dozens of dolphins breaking the surface around the boats, with the sun coming up over the mountains of East Java across the water. It is genuinely beautiful, and it is also a case study in overtourism.

Dozens of boats converge on the same pod, chase it, and cut across its path. If you go, choose an operator that limits the number of boats, keeps a distance and does not chase, and expect to pay more for it. The alternative is to watch from the shore at Kalibukbuk or Anturan, where the dolphins sometimes come close enough to see without a boat at all.

Snorkelling, diving and the reef

The reef at Kalibukbuk is a short swim from the beach and is better than most people expect: hard and soft coral, reef fish, the occasional turtle. Visibility is best in the dry season, and the water is warm enough for a long snorkel without a wetsuit. Dive shops in Kalibukbuk run trips to the reef and to Menjangan, two hours west.

The north coast is also the access point for the wrecks and muck sites of Buleleng, which attract photographers rather than beginners. If you are diving, allow a full day for Menjangan and a half day for the local reef. Gear rental is cheap, but check the equipment before you pay. The local dive shops are small and owner-run, and most of them will match a trip to your experience level rather than pushing you onto the deepest site.

Banjar hot springs and the Buddhist monastery

Fifteen minutes inland from Lovina, the Banjar hot springs emerge from the hillside into a set of stone pools surrounded by jungle. The water is warm and sulphurous, the pools are shallow, and the setting is genuinely lovely. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon; the tour buses arrive in the middle of the day.

Just above the springs, the Brahma Vihara Arama is the largest Buddhist monastery in Bali, with a stupa, meditation halls and views down to the coast. It is quiet, well kept and open to visitors who dress respectfully. The combination of the two makes a good half day inland when the beach is too hot.

Where to stay and what it costs

The north coast is the best value in Bali. Beachfront hotels with a pool run from Rp 600,000 to 1,500,000, and garden guesthouses start at Rp 300,000. The trade-off is that the properties are older and the service is slower, and the beach is not the white sand of the south.

Temukus has the best small resorts, Kalibukbuk the most convenient location, and Anturan the cheapest rooms. If you want to dive, stay in Kalibukbuk near the dive shops. If you want quiet, go west. In July and August the good places fill, so book a week ahead.

Getting there and a two-day plan

Lovina is 2.5 to 3 hours from Ubud and 3 to 4 hours from Kuta, via the mountain road through Bedugul or the coast road through Singaraja. The mountain route is prettier and slower. A private car and driver from the south costs Rp 800,000 to 1,200,000, and the drive itself is worth doing in daylight.

Two nights is enough for the dolphins, the reef and the springs. Add a day for Menjangan if you dive, or for a trip east to Singaraja and the old colonial port. The north coast is also a good place to break the journey between Ubud and West Bali National Park.

• Day 1: arrive by lunch, swim at mid tide, sunset on the beach.
• Day 2: dolphin boat at six, breakfast, Banjar hot springs and the monastery, dinner in Kalibukbuk.
• Choose a dolphin operator that keeps its distance; ask how many boats go out.
• The mountain road via Bedugul is slow but scenic; do it in daylight.

Questions people actually ask

Is dolphin watching in Lovina ethical?

It can be done responsibly, but many boats chase the pods. Choose an operator that limits numbers and keeps a distance, or watch from the shore, where dolphins sometimes pass close to the beach.

Can you swim at Lovina beach?

Yes at mid to high tide. The water is calm and the slope is gentle, though the black sand and the reef flat at low tide are not to everyone's taste. It is safe for children at the right tide.

Is Lovina worth the drive from the south?

Yes if you are going to West Bali or Munduk anyway, or if you want a quiet beach for a few days. As a day trip from Kuta it is too far; the drive is three to four hours each way.

What is there to do in Lovina besides dolphins?

Snorkelling and diving on the Kalibukbuk reef, the Banjar hot springs, the Brahma Vihara Arama monastery, and day trips to Singaraja and the waterfalls inland.