We got up early and walked to the beach for our “swimming with dolphins” and snorkeling tour. We had booked it with Saraswati Lovina Dolphin for IDR 500,000. We met our boat operator and we were off. At first, there seemed to be a plethora of boats all heading out to sea, but as we went further out, everyone dispersed in different directions. Soon after, we started seeing dolphins around us.



There was a handlebar attached to each side of the boat, and those who wanted to “swim” with the dolphins had to get into the water with a mask and snorkel to look below the surface. I jumped in with the mask, but in hindsight, I should have taken the snorkel too; I had to keep coming up to breathe and then look down again. As luck would have it, when I was in the water, there were no dolphins close enough to see clearly. Meanwhile, the boat kept moving, so there was tremendous pressure on my arms and shoulders being dragged through the water. After a while, I gave up and got back on the boat. Naturally, we then saw multiple pods of dolphins very close by! The operator asked me to get back in, but I was tired and knew they would be gone by the time I got settled. I decided to just enjoy the view from the boat.


After a while, we were served coffee and fried bananas for breakfast on the boat. The operator asked if we wanted to see more dolphins or head to the snorkeling location. We decided to go snorkeling. We reached an area close to the shore and anchored there. The water was clear and calm, full of fish, at about 10–20 feet deep. We got into the water and were able to snorkel all around; there were no strong currents, making it easy to swim. There were also very few people at that location. Overall, I think this was a far more enjoyable experience than Nusa Penida, and I would highly recommend making the trip to the north coast for this.


After enjoying the snorkeling, we headed back to the shore and our hotel. We packed, checked out, and headed to the Beji Temple, which was not too far away. The entrance fee for the two of us and parking was IDR 20,000 and IDR 5,000. This was another stop not on the regular tourist circuit; when we arrived, there was only one other couple there. It was nice to see the elaborate stone carvings and structures.

After spending some time there, we started our drive back south, crossing the mountains in the middle. Our driver also took us to Pura Ulun Danu Batur. This was the first temple we saw that felt like an active place of worship rather than an archaeological site. There were ceremonies going on, and we sat for the Ganesh Pooja. There was also a traditional dance by locals, which was wonderful to see. I’m glad we made this stop to be part of the local festivities.


Our driver took us to Restoran Gunung Sari for lunch, one of several places overlooking the valley. It was a very touristy buffet and wasn’t something I would have picked myself, but I decided to go with it. The dining area had great views of Mt. Batur, Danau Batur, and Mount Abang.

After lunch, we drove further south to Pura Tirta Empul to participate in the water purification ritual. We rented sarongs at the entrance and paid the fee (IDR 100,000 for two plus IDR 5,000 for parking). We wore dry sarongs into the temple complex, then headed to the locker rooms to get different sarongs specifically for bathing (IDR 20,000). The bathing pool was filled with holy spring water. We washed our faces and soaked our heads under each spring, moving from right to left. I noticed that mostly tourists were doing this rather than locals, but regardless of the spiritual outcome, I felt incredibly refreshed afterward.

By evening, we were heading back toward Kuta. We wanted to see the Kecak Dance in Ubud but didn’t make it there on time. Instead, we stopped at Krisna Oleh Oleh Bali Bypass for some quick shopping before reaching our hotel. We bid our driver farewell and headed to Warung Kubu Segara Kuta nearby for dinner. After dinner, we walked back to our room and called it a night.

🐬 Saraswati Lovina Dolphin
🍽️ Restoran Gunung Sari
🍽️ Warung Kubu Segara Kuta
🛏️ The Kutaya