Amed & around
Amed is a small fishing village, situated in the North-East of Bali, where you still have the nostalgic feeling of years back. The village was traditionally (and still is) dependent on fish and salt production and meanwhile a little bit on tourism. However the latter didn’t damage the authentic character of the village yet. It stretches along the beautiful coast line and together with a number of other small villages it’s often referred to as Amed.
Taking the new by-pass road it is a two and a half hours drive from Denpasar airport to Amed although a lot of people still take the longer, but also much nicer, ‘old’ road through the inland that takes them from village to village, passing beautiful scenery like temples, rice paddy’s and tropical vegetation.
Amed is well-known for its excellent diving and snorkeling conditions. Near by (at Tulamben) you’ll find the shipwrecked US Liberty, one of the best and well-known dive locations around Bali.
Amed provides an atmosphere you must experience if you want to get a complete picture of Bali as a whole. A visit to the busy but comfortable Southern part of Bali (e.g. Kuta, Sanur and Nusa Dua) and the artistic center in the middle (Ubud) are not enough to get the whole picture. Also absorb the peace and the quietness of Amed. Being in Amed brings back memories of how it should have been and you can’t help but think you have to relax in the sun and enjoy the rough environment, the beautiful sea, the majestic Gunung Agung and the friendly people.
Although easy to wander around in Amed for a week or so, snorkeling, sailing, fishing, swimming, sunset on the beach, just reading a book and having a nice meal at the seaside there is also enough to attract the more active and adventurous ones.
Nearby is Tirta Gangga’s water palace. Somewhat more to the inner Bali you will find the salak plantations and the hills up the main road in Amed invite you to do some walking or even hiking or biking. If that is not enough you can also try and climb the Gunung Agung, the highest mountain of Bali, and have the whole island at your feet!