Overview
This is an exclusive historical tour through Bali's lesser known World Heritage sites like Pakerisan Valley, tracing the creation of the unique Balinese religion “Hindu Dharma” and taking you to experience the hidden ancient heritage of the island.
Highlights
- Visit the holy spring water temple Tampaksiring & the mystical Pakerisan valley - cradle of prehistoric and pre-Majaphahit archaeological sites
- Enjoy a short lecture from the Curator of The Sukarno Museum - a leading expert on the recently-listed World Heritage site Pakerisan
- Enter several hidden temples untouched by many locals and visitors
- Tuck into a scenic lunch in a temple with a rice paddy view
- Visit a local coffee and spice plantation with beautiful scenery in Tampaksiring's garden
Description
This tour is ideal for those who are interested in really exploring the history and culture of a unique island and who would love to go where few others have travelled. The temple and meditation spots we will visit date back to the 8th century up to the 12th century, and are basically untouched as they are seldom frequented by locals, let alone visitors.
These temples have played a significant role in the development of present day Balinese culture, so those history and culture buffs amongst you, they are something VERY special to visit.
As background, modern day Bali Hinduism has been formed over the centuries and is a mixture of Buddhism and Hinduism, influenced by practices of the Javanese empire. During this special tour, we will trace the creation of Bali's unique religion - “Hindu Dharma”, whereby three branches flowed into one over the course of 5 centuries.
Our day will start at Pondok Penempahan, the home of Bapak Enong Ismail, the Curator of The Sukarno museum Tampaksiring and the leading expert on the recently World Heritage Listed Pakerisan river area.
His simple house sits amongst the rice fields on a ridge to the sacred river of Pakerisan; it’s a beautiful place to start our day. He will welcome you with a drink and Balinese cakes while recounting the story of how the Hindus first came to Bail and how that has evolved over time. He is happy to share his work documenting Balinese culture since 1979 and explain the team's efforts to preserve the temples and monuments for future generations.
After this insightful discussion with Bapak Enong, we will proceed to the first temple built in Bali after Besakih in the 8th Century. We will then continue to a temple that is both Buddhist and Hindu built in the 10th Century, where we will have lunch prepared for us in the rice fields.
In the afternoon we will make our way to an ancient meditation site hidden in the rainforests and carved out of the stone walls, basically untouched since the 10th Century. Here we will be met by a local priest who will conduct a blessing ceremony for us to wish you luck on your onward journeys in life.
We will then enjoy a coffee or tea at a local coffee and spice plantation with beautiful scenery overlooking Tampaksiring's garden (the garden of the holy spring water temple). You can try or taste Tampaksiring herbal tea or Bali's famous luwak (or 'civet') coffee.
Lastly, we continue to the sacred Siva Temple, where holy spring water emerges from the bottom of a Banyan tree. This temple is one of Bali's most amazing hidden gems, often omitted by guide books that are not aware of its existence.
Very few tourists have been allowed to enter these areas, but through the association with Bapak Anong Ismail and his position within the Sukarno centre, the local villages have entrusted us to bring in very limited numbers to these important places in history.
NOTE: While the price of this tour is certainly higher than that of others you see in Bali, you will enjoy exclusive access to one of Indonesia's foremost historians and be guided into hidden ancient temples usually restricted to those outside the village. A proportion of your fee also goes directly into preserving these historical monuments. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience not to be missed.
PICKUP AND RETURN TIMES
Ubud area : Pickup 09:00, return around 17:00
Kuta, Sanur, Seminyak and Nusa Dua area : Pickup 08:00, return around 18:00