Tourists Encouraged To Explore Hidden Gems Of Bali’s Westernmost Regency

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Though Bali may look like a tiny island when studied on a world map, the island spans over 5,780 km².

The island is governed as nine regencies, the most popular with tourists of which is Badung Regency, home to resorts like Canggu, Legian, and Seminyak. Jembrana Regency, in the west of Bali, is less visited by international tourists, but leaders want to change that. 

The Head of the Jembrana Tourism and Culture Service, Anak Agung Komang Sapta Negara, has spoken with reporters about the number of visitors making their way to the west of Bali at the moment.

He said that the four government-managed tourism attractions are not attracting the number of visitors targets suggested should be achieved at the beginning of the year. 

Negara said that IDR 200 million should have been generated in ticket sales in the year to date, but so far, neither domestic nor international tourists are heading to the west of the island in big numbers. And, sadly, it’s not hard to see why. 

@ridiansyah50 #bali #jembrana #wisata ♬ suara asli – Riyan melodies

The big attractions in Jembrana Regency sit upwards of a 4-hour drive from the heart of Bali. A distance that not so many tourists are willing to travel once they touch down on the island.

This is one of the reasons why leaders have pushed for the construction of the Gilimanuk-Medewi Toll Road, to help improve connectivity between central and western Bali. 

It is a crying shame that tourists are reticent to make the journey west since Jembrana Regency has so much on offer for tourists to explore.

The four government-managed tourist attractions in the regency are the seawater swimming pool in Delodberawah Village and the Gilimanuk Early Human Museum, as well as Candikusuma Beach and the stunning Gilimanuk Shiva Statue. And this is just the start. 

@misspiknik Ternyata pesisirnya tjakep #tamansiwagilimanuk #gilimanuk #gilimanukketapang #hiddengems #fyp #travelwithme #misspiknik ♬ What It Is – Solo Version – Doechii

The West Bali National Park, which technically sits within Buleleng Regency, borders Jembrana Regency and is one of the most unspoiled natural landscapes in Bali.

Visited by far fewer tourists than the jungles that surround Ubud, West Bali National Park is a dreamy place to explore.

There are plenty of accommodation options on the Jembrana side of the West Bali National Park, where tourists can rest and relax before their big adventures into the protected landscape, either on land or in the ocean. 

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West Bali National Park

♬ golden hour – JVKE

West Bali National Park is one of the best places in the province to go bird-watching. The park is one of the final strongholds of the critically endangered Bali Myna, which has been saved from the brink of extinction through community conservation efforts in West Bali National Park and on the island of Nusa Penida. 

West Bali National Park also offers tourists prime diving and snorkeling experiences and is home to some of the finest coral reef oceanscapes in the province. 

Set firmly in Jembrana Regency; tourists can explore a sense of the Bali of old. The Bali before big tourist resorts were developed across the island.

This is another reason why tourists don’t tend to wander over to the west is because the tourism infrastructure does not compare to what’s on offer in Badung Regency, in Canggu, Uluwatu, Kuta, or Seminyak, for example. 

Yet this is exactly Jembrana’s charm. For tourists looking to experience a super laid-back beach vacation in Bali, Jembrana Regency should certainly be put on the shortlist.

Pantai Yeh, for example, at the easternmost edge of the regency, bordering Tabanan Regency, is a gorgeous stretch of black sand beach that offers uninterrupted sunset views and plenty of quaint picnic spots. 

Like much of Bali, Jembrana is eminently going to undergo a period of rapid tourism development. The regency will soon be home to the biggest theme park on the island.

The new Paramount Park & Gardens will span over 600 hectares and is set to put Jembrana on the map for tourists across Indonesia and around the world.