The back story
Wild Bali: Starlings, Monkeys, Mantas and Reefs
The rare Bali starling of the west, the macaques of Ubud’s Monkey Forest, manta rays off Nusa Penida and the coral walls of Menjangan: Bali’s wild side.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © JJ Harrison · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsBali’s wild side, from the critically endangered Bali starling of West Bali National Park and Nusa Penida to the long-tailed macaques of Ubud, the manta rays off Nusa Penida and the coral around Menjangan Island, with a directory of the parks and places in our guide. Facts from Indonesia’s tourism ministry, the IUCN Red List and the parks themselves.
Bali is famous for its temples and rice terraces, but its wild side is never far away. Long-tailed macaques swing through the sacred forest in the middle of Ubud; manta rays glide past the cliffs of Nusa Penida; coral walls drop away around Menjangan Island; and in the dry forest of the far west lives one of the rarest birds in the world.
Most of it is a day trip from the south, by road or fast boat. Go with licensed guides and operators, keep your distance, and never feed the animals: in Bali, the monkeys know exactly what a bag can hold.
A white bird with a blue mask, found naturally nowhere else on earth, survives in the forests of the far west.
Monkeys and forests
The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, on Jalan Monkey Forest in Ubud, is a forest with three temples and a population of long-tailed macaques. They are wild, bold and quick: don’t feed them, keep bags closed and sunglasses out of reach, and don’t touch the young.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Jakub Hałun · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsIn the far west, West Bali National Park, Taman Nasional Bali Barat, protects forest, savannah and mangroves, and the coral reefs around Menjangan Island. In the cool central highlands, the Bali Botanic Garden at Bedugul, one of Indonesia’s national botanic gardens, is run by the national research agency BRIN.
Mantas and coral
Across the Badung Strait from Sanur, manta rays gather off Nusa Penida, and operators take snorkellers and divers out to see them. The currents here are strong, so go only with a licensed operator and follow the briefing; keep your distance and never touch or chase a manta.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Rilando June Lamadjido · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsOff the north-west coast, Menjangan Island lies inside West Bali National Park and is known for the coral walls around it, reached by boat from the mainland. Don’t stand on or touch the coral, and use reef-safe sun cream.
Feature: the Bali starling
The Bali starling, jalak Bali, is a snow-white bird with black wing tips and a bare blue mask around its eyes. It is endemic to Bali and listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN; trapping for the cage-bird trade took it to the brink. Today it survives in the wild in West Bali National Park and on Nusa Penida, where conservation and release programmes work to bring its numbers back. If you are lucky enough to see one, keep your distance and your voice low.
Did you know? The Bali starling is found naturally nowhere else on earth, and Indonesia’s tourism ministry counts it among the treasures of West Bali National Park.
Our advice
Our advice: visit the Monkey Forest early, with nothing loose in your hands or pockets; book manta and reef trips with licensed operators who brief you on the currents; and plan West Bali National Park and Menjangan as an overnight trip from the north or west coast rather than a long day from the south. Never feed wildlife, and never buy birds or other animals sold as pets.
Why it's on our list
- Monkeys and forests
- Mantas and coral
- Feature: the Bali starling
- Our advice
Location
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More in depth
The back storyBuying in Bali: villas, leaseholds and the rules for foreignersVillas among the rice fields of Canggu and Pererenan, clifftop plots on the Bukit, homes in the hills of Ubud and the quieter coasts of Sanur and Nusa Dua: where people buy, and what Indonesian law allows foreigners to own.
The back storyGetting to and around BaliThe airport at Tuban, the visa and the levy you pay before you land, the drive from the south to Ubud, the fast boats to the Nusa islands and the ferries to Lombok and Java.
The back storyBali at the table: tasting menus, warungs and the grill on the beachTasting menus built on Indonesian ingredients around Ubud, Seminyak’s restaurant row on the Petitenget road, seafood grilled on the sand at Jimbaran and the island’s own dishes, from babi guling to sate lilit.