West Bali National Park covers about 190 square kilometres at the island's north-western tip — the part of Bali almost nobody drives to. Most visitors get as far as Ubud or the south coast beaches and turn back. The park is three to four hours further on, and the change is obvious long before you arrive: fewer scooters, longer gaps between villages, and dry hills that look nothing like the terraced south.
It is not one landscape but four. Mangrove along the shoreline, open savannah inland, monsoon forest on the higher ground, and coral reef offshore around Menjangan Island. You can cross between all of them in a morning.
What lives there
The park exists in large part for one bird. The Bali starling is white with a blue mask and a ragged crest, is found nowhere else on earth, and came within a few wild individuals of extinction. Captive breeding and release inside the park is the reason any remain in the wild. Seeing one is a matter of luck rather than planning.
Larger animals are easier. Rusa deer graze the savannah early in the morning and again towards dusk, and they are what Menjangan Island is named after — menjangan is deer in Javanese. Banteng, the wild cattle native to the region, use the same grassland and are far more retiring. Macaques and civets are common along the forest edge.
For birdwatchers the list runs well past the starling: Javan kingfisher, crested serpent eagle, and a long supporting cast through the scrub and canopy. First light and the hour before dark are when there is most to see.
Offshore, the reef holds hard and soft coral, reef fish in quantity, green turtles and reef sharks. That side of the park is covered properly in our snorkelling and diving guides.
Getting there
The drive from the airport or Denpasar takes about four hours, a little less from Ubud. There is no realistic way to do the park as a day trip from the south — one night nearby is the sensible minimum, and two or three if you want the reef as well as the land.
The park has three entrances, and the right one depends on what you have come for.
- Cekik — the main gate and park office, where the west and north coast roads meet. This is where to go for permits, information and guides.
- Labuhan Lalang — on the north coast, and the harbour for boats to Menjangan Island. This is the entrance for snorkelling and diving.
- Gilimanuk — closest to the ferry terminal, and the practical choice if you are arriving from Java or leaving for it.
A car, with or without a driver, is the sensible way to arrive: the park is spread out and there is no transport inside it. Public buses run between Denpasar and Gilimanuk and pass Cekik, but they are slow and infrequent. Transfers from the south, from Amed, or from the ferry on the Java side can be booked through us.
Walking in the park
Trails run from short flat coastal paths to half-day climbs. The route up Gunung Klatakan passes through the densest forest in the park and is the most demanding of them. The paths near Labuhan Lalang are easy and can be walked in an hour or two.
Some routes require a licensed guide. That is partly a park rule and partly practical — the trails are not consistently marked, and most of the wildlife here is heard before it is seen. Knowing where to stand at six in the morning is the difference between a walk and a sighting.
Menjangan Island
Menjangan lies off the north coast, roughly half an hour by boat from Labuhan Lalang, and is part of the park. Its reef drops away into a wall very close to shore, which is why the island is snorkelled and dived from the same boats: you do not need depth to be above the drop-off. There is a temple on the island and a resident population of deer.
Trips normally leave in the morning, when the water is calmest. Booking the boat and the guide in advance matters more here than in the south, because there are not many of either.
Fees and rules
Entry to the park, and separately to the marine area, carries fees set by the park authority and payable in rupiah. They change. Treat any figure you find online — including on this site — as indicative, and confirm at the gate or with whoever you book through. Whether the fee is included is stated on each of our trips.
The rules worth knowing before you arrive: stay on marked trails, do not feed any animal, take nothing out of the park, and do not touch or stand on coral.
When to go
April to October is the dry season and the better half of the year for both walking and water. Underwater visibility is usually at its best towards the end of it, in September and October. From November to March the park is greener and much emptier, but the rain is heavier and boat crossings are called off more often.
Where to stay
There is one resort inside the park itself. Almost everything else is just outside it. Pemuteran, twenty minutes east of Labuhan Lalang, has the widest range — simple guesthouses through to dive resorts — and is where most people base themselves for the reef. Lovina is an hour further along the north coast and makes more sense if you also want the dolphins. We book across all of it.
What to bring
- Shoes with grip. The trails are dry and loose rather than muddy, and steeper than they look.
- More water than you expect to drink, and sunscreen and insect repellent.
- Binoculars, if birds are any part of why you are coming.
- Cash in rupiah for park fees, which are not always payable by card.
- A rash vest if you are going in the water — more use than sunscreen on your back.