A fascinating walk across unspoilt Bali
Areas of this island have not yet been reached by mass tourism

Concrete holiday villas and "slick cafés" have proliferated in Bali in recent years, but large parts of this beautiful Indonesian island are still unspoilt by tourism.
Among the best ways to discover its ancient landscape and traditional culture is to walk the Astungkara Way, said Sarah Reid in National Geographic Traveller. Launched by a Bali-based Canadian teacher in 2021, this 85-mile trail runs from the island's touristy south to its wilder north. The trail's founders have produced maps for self-guided walks, but also run group hikes, which include accommodation with local families and a range of daily activities. Villages on the trail benefit from the income it brings, and profits are used to support regenerative farming practices, which are aimed at profiting both local farmers and Bali's ecosystems. It takes ten days to walk the entire trail, but I limited myself to a three-day, 22-mile section, beginning from the village of Tua, 1,500 feet above sea level. The path meandered at first through a patchwork of "neon-green" rice paddies and fields of flowers, which are grown as temple offerings (nearly nine-tenths of Bali's people are Hindu).
Every so often, we passed a tree wrapped in a sarong, indicating that it is sacred, and at a temple fed by several springs we took part in a melukat, or water purification ceremony, which involved being immersed in water and blessed. We spent the first night at a traditional family compound, a walled "village within a village" where we made the spicy condiment sambal, and tried recreating a traditional performance of gamelan music.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The plant-based meal our hosts prepared for us was superb, as was the food at the farm where we spent our second night. And the scenery was particularly spectacular on the third day, when we hiked through a huge swathe of rainforest, before emerging among the waterfalls and "moss-covered ravines" of the "cool, misty" Tamblingan highlands.
The three-day trip costs £195pp (astungkaraway.com), excluding flights.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What is Starmer's £33m plan to smash 'vile' Channel migration gangs?
Today's Big Question PM lays out plan to tackle migration gangs like international terrorism, with cooperation across countries and enhanced police powers
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Quirky hot cross buns to try this Easter
The Week Recommends Creative, flavourful twists on the classic Easter bake, from tiramisu and stem ginger to a cheesy sharing-size treat
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?
In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipe
The Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
By The Week UK Published
-
Adolescence and the toxic online world: what's the solution?
Talking Point The hit Netflix show is a window into the manosphere, red pills and incels
By The Week Staff Published
-
Snow White: Disney's 'earnest effort to meet an impossible brief'
Talking Point Live-action remake of Disney classic is not the disaster it could have been – but where's the personality?
By The Week UK Published
-
Don McCullin picks his favourite books
The Week Recommends The photojournalist shares works by Daniel Defoe, Lesley Blanch and Roland Philipps
By The Week UK Published
-
6 breathtaking homes in capital cities
Feature Featuring a glass conservatory in Atlanta and a loft library in Boston
By The Week US Published
-
Playhouse Creatures: 'dream-like' play is 'lively, funny and sharp-witted'
Anna Chancellor offers a 'glinting performance' alongside a 'strong' supporting cast
By The Week UK Published
-
The CIA Book Club: 'entertaining and vivid' book explores a huge Cold War secret
The Week Recommends 'Gripping' narrative explores a covert smuggling operation across the Iron Curtain
By The Week UK Published