Denpasar is an exciting and fascinating Indonesian city to explore. While many of Bali’s annual holidaymakers and frequent travelers simply pass through Denpasar on the way to their next coastal or jungle-clad destination or perhaps drop by simply to visit the Immigration Office, more visitors are clocking that there are heaps of authentic travel opportunities lying in wait.
The Denpasar City Tourism Office has recently announced that they will be developing more walking tours in the area, but there is already one unique tour company doing just that.
Walking tours are an exciting way to really connect with a destination; literally walking in the footsteps of local people in the modern day and along the pathways of the ancestors.
There is something deeply immersive about a walking tour that invites us to slow down, and really connect with our surroundings in ways that hop-on-hop-off day trips just can’t offer.
Ariz Maulanansyah, from Kultara Tours, spoke to reporters about the positive feedback the company’s walking tour of Denpasar City has been receiving in the last few months. The Gajah Mada area of Denpasar is also known as the Old City.
The community is steeped in history and is a busy and bustling part of Bali Province to this day. The tour is also proving popular with school groups, and there are hopes that this tour will continue to grow in popularity with holidaymakers, domestic tourists, and school groups from around Indonesia and around the world.
Maulanansyah explained, “First, students can learn about old-time transportation by riding a doker [horse and cart], they also learn the family tree of the palace, learn about tourism destinations in a kid-friendly way, like now they draw and color and these will become tourism posters.”
The Gajah Mada Tour of Denpasar took six months to create, both for the student version of the tour and the tourist version of the excursion. Months upon months of research were poured into creating the experience, calling on the wisdom of local community members, local historians, and spiritual leaders.
The success of the tours run by Maulanansyah and the team at Kultara has prompted the Denpasar City Tourism Office to invest in building the program and commit to promoting more of these kinds of experiences.
The Head of the Denpasar City Tourism Office, Ni Luh Putu Riyastiti, said that historical and educational tourism should be given more support in the provincial capital.
She told reporters, “We are happy if it turns out that many people like walking tours, but we will have to fix it again in line with the plan to organize the Gajah Mada Heritage Area; after it is organized, we will enrich the objects there.”
It is true that much of the Gajah Mada Heritage Area needs a little polishing. At present, the area is something of a diamond in the rough; for the average visitor, a tour guide is essential to help communicate and contextualize the significance and the history of the sites.
Nevertheless, with tours increasingly available and more investment coming to the Gajah Mada Heritage Area, tourists should certainly add a day trip to historic Denpasar to their travel itinerary.
Walking tours are of increasing interest to tourists. Up in Ubud, Ubud Story Walks offer guests the chance to experience off-path and in-depth tours of Ubud’s most spiritually and culturally significant landmarks.
Tours are led by local storytellers and wisdom keepers and take guests on immersive 2-3 hour walking journeys in the heart of Balis’s arts and culture capital.
The most piper tours include Ubud: Past to Present and The Myth of Pejeng. The small group sizes of no more than eight people keep the experience intimate and exclusive, meaning every guest feels able to ask questions and interact with the stops along the walk, the guide, and fellow group members. The tour even includes a traditional Balinese coffee, tea, and snack break.
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Exp
Wednesday 13th of November 2024
"It is true that much of the Gajah Mada Heritage Area needs a little polishing. At present, the area is something of a diamond in the rough."
You mean to say area is chock-a-block with run down and dilapidated buildings? I have been passing through but I was not really tempted to step out of the car there. But hey, who I am to judge.
Shorty
Saturday 16th of November 2024
@Exp,
Maybe if you got out of your car you'd find the 'lost' Bali you continually whinge has been lost
Shorty
Thursday 14th of November 2024
@Exp,
Perhaps you should get out of the car and have a walk around.
Maybe you might then relive the Bali you mourn.