AMED

Amed is a long coastal strip of fishing villages in East Bali.
Amed refers to a long stretch of coast running from the village of Cucik about 14 km eastwards incorporating the seven villages of Amed, Jemeluk, Bunutan, Lipah, Selang, Banyuning and Aas. The pace of life here is slow and the coastal scenery quite stunning making Amed the perfect place for a relaxed holiday in Bali.

Amed is the most recent tourist development area in Bali. It was only in 2000 that tarmac was laid on the roads. Telephone lines were installed in 2003 and it took until 2007 for a bridge to be built over a section of the main road that regularly washed away during the rainy season.

This is the most commonly used base for visitors wishing to dive the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben and that area is also covered by this article. There are other good divesites close at hand and a thriving dive industry has developed all the way along the coast here.

The lack of tourism-based revenue, its remote nature and the generally harsh environment for farming, meant that this area was very much one of the poorer areas in Bali. Amongst others, The East Bali Poverty Project drew attention to the plight of the local villagers in this area and that, together with recent tourist development, has gone a long way to improving general standards of living, health and education.

How to get in

Amed is accessed by turning east at the village of Culik which lies on the main east coast road from Karangasem to Singaraja.

Shuttle buses regularly serve the destination from Candidasa and Lovina and now that the road has been greatly improved, they take you all the way into Amed (previously all buses stopped at Culik and motorbikes ferried visitors into Amed).

The easiest way into Amed though is still to hire your own transport with a driver. Be aware that the Amed district is stretched out over more than ten kilometres.

How to go around

There are public bemos that pass through Amed several times a day, but the easiest way to get around is to hire a car and driver. Motorcycles are widely available for rent and should expect to pay between Rp 50,000 and 80,000 per day.

What you can see

Amed is famous for its black sand beaches, lined with traditional outigger fishing boats. The prettiest bays are probably those at Jemeluk and Lipah but the whole stetch of coastline is very attractive.

Salt production is a declining but still important industry in this area. As you drive along the main coast road through the villages you will see large open drying pans crusted with salt crystals. Those little boxes of gourmet Bali salt crystals you see in delis all over the world probably started their long journey from these very pans.

There is vibrant marine life close offshore in clear seas.
Shell Museum, (at the Aiona Garden of Health). An odd little place and a very charming one to boot. Exactly as it says, shells. Rp 20,000.

What you can Do

Most people come to Amed as a getaway, including expats from other parts of the island. It is a favourite honeymoon destination for tourists and is very popular with divers and snorkelers. Day trips to local places of interest such as the water palace at Tirta Gangga and Bali's most sacred temple, Besakih, can easily be arranged.

The black sand and fishing boats of Amed
Traditional outrigger boats are available for fishing charters from the main beaches in the Amed area. This normally involves early morning trolling for mackeral.
Have a traditional massage on the beach. Women from the local villages are always on hand for an invigorating massage, especiallly so at Lipah Beach.

Enjoy nature and go with the wind on a traditional sailing boat for diving, fishing, exploration, dolphin watching, snorkeling or just swimming and relaxing. Condor Sailing, tel: +62 363 23462.

Amed has some good snorkeling within metres of the shore. A reef follows the majority of the coastline and is quite close in. Due to the limited number of visitors to the area, the sea life is healthy and abundant. There is a small World War II Japanese wreck in quite shallow water off Lipah Beach.

Interested diving

There is some fine diving in Jemeluk Bay both from the beach and from boats in deeper water. After a gentle slope out from shore, the wall here drops off dramatically to depths of 40 metres plus. The coral is healthy and fish life abundant. There are some good drift dives further east at Selang and Bunutan but these are generally only suited to more experienced divers.

Beware of diving after a heavy rain, the water from the run-off can greatly reduce your visibility.

As well as local dives off the various Amed beaches, a notable attraction is diving the wreck of the USS Liberty at Tulamben about 20 to 30 minutes drive north from Amed. Some divers base themselves at Tulamben itself where all of the hotels have either in-house dive operations or are allied to one or other of them.

The Liberty wreck lies about 30 metres offshore and is absolutely covered in soft corals. A huge range of reef fish have made this their home and occasional pelagics visit as well. Some of the wreck can even be seen by snorkelers. There are other dives in the Tulamben area and keen divers will have no problem entertaining themselves for a few days in this area. One word of warning - The Liberty is a very popular dive and unless you are actually staying at Amed or Tulamben and get there early in the day, it can be very crowded indeed.

Adventure Divers, Jl Jemeluk, Amed, ☎ +62 813 53136113. PADI and SSI dive shop ofering a full range of courses. Instructed by an Englishman who moved to Amed with his Dutch wife. Together they run the diving school and Geria Giri Shanti Bungalows. Great couple that make you feel at home.
Amed Dive Center, Hotel Uyah, Amed, ☎ ++62 363 23462 (info@ameddivecenter.com). Offer a full range of PADI courses, fun dives, diving and sailing trips. English, French and German speaking.
Amed Scuba, Bunutan, ☎ +62 818 05537926 (halloscuba@yahoo.com). Offers diving tours around Bali as well as local Amed-based dive-safaris. Instruct all PADI courses from Open Water to Divemaster.
Eco Dive, Jemeluk, ☎ +62 363 23482 (info@ecodivebali.com)]. Long-established PADI teaching centre. Also offer daily fun dives in the area and at the USAT Liberty wreck.
Euro Dive, Lipah, ☎ +62 363 23605 (eurodive@telkom.net). PADI dive centre established in 1999. English, French and Hungarian speaking. Allied with Coral View cottages.

Souvenir

There are a few shops in Amed selling basic necessities (shampoo, bottled water, etc) as well as sarongs and tee-shirts, but it does not have the range of handicrafts and clothing shops that you find in other more developed tourist areas of Bali.

Find food

Amed Cafe, Amed, ☎ 62 363 23473 ,. Reasonably priced and well located cafe which is attached to the bungalows of the same name. Serves local and international food. Public internet access here.
Barong Cafe and Restaurant, ☎ +62 81 80 55 85 010 (sawyerkomang@gmail.com). Balinese, Indonesian and International cuisine. Provides free pick up and drop-off around Amed area.
Dancing Dragon Restaurant(info@dancingdragoncottages.com) (Bunutan), Dancing Dragon Cottages, ☎ +62 363 23521 . 7AM-10PM. The restaurant serves up local organic produce and quality ingredients. International and Balinese cuisine. Also buffet catering for group events. Note: this establishment was one of the better restaurants and hotels in Amed but it closed its doors in July 2009 due to a business dispute and is currently for sale. From Rp.113,000.
Garam Cafe, Amed, ☎ +62 363 23462 (sawyerkomang@gmail.com). Offers international and Balinese cuisine. Café Garam, (which means Salt Café) was built behind the salt production fields and uses salt production as its motto. The aim is to preserve the traditional salt production by promoting it as point of interest for foreign tourists and explain the production process.
Sails, Lipah, ☎ +62 363 22006. Very good restaurant in great headland setting. Modern and clean with an extensive well thought out menu. Offer a free pick up and drop off service anywhere in the Amed area. Recommended.

Find Drink

For an evening drink and entertainment, a local band performs live at the Double One Restaurant once a week and there are sometimes free Balinese dance performances in some of the restaurants. A local Gong & Genjek group performs about once a month in the Bali Mandala room at Dancing Dragon Cottages.
Generally Amed is quiet at night and it is certainly not a late night drinking spot.

Check in

This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room:
Budget Under US$ 25
Mid-range US$ 25 to 100
Splurge Over US$ 100

There is a wide selection of hotels in the area and more are appearing all the time. Most tend to be quite small and intimate and built by westerners in partnership with local Balinese. These have brought a welcome increase in employment and prosperity to the area.

Everyone knows everyone here so there is a real feeling of village community. The hotels are well spaced out though so you feel that you have your own private space. There are few TVs in the hotel rooms, so bring a good book to read or better still, spend your time getting to know the locals. The pace of life is very slow and relaxed in Amed, the people are friendly and they have time!

There are also several hotels at the village of Tulamben to the north of Amed which are intended specifically for visitors intending to dive the wreck of the USS Liberty. These establishments are normally affiliated with a dive operator or run their own operation.

Budget
Eka Purnama Cottages and Restaurant, Aas, ☎ +62 828 372 264 (ekaamed@gmail.com). A family run, budget hotel. All the comfortable cottages overlook the sea and are a short step away from the beach. The reasonably priced cottages are comfortable with a double bed and single bed, a ceiling fan, wardrobes and a spacious bathroom with shower and a western toilet. Located at the eastern edge of the Amed area at Aas - it is very quiet and remote here.
Geria Giri Shanti Bungalows, Jemeluk, ☎ +62 819 16654874 (petracoe@hotmail.com). Very pleasant and clean rooms, lush garden property and centrally located. Discount offered if you're also taking diving lessons from Adventure Divers. From €12.
Lily Amed Beach Bungalows, Amed (within the first 3 km strip at Amed), ☎ +62 819 16141668. checkin: after 12.00 noon; checkout: 11.00 AM. Newly opened 4 room hotel with a large garden. Good views of the ocean and Mount Agung. Lots of fruit trees in the gardens an the produce is served for breakfast as and when avaialble. From US$18 - 40.
Sunrise Bungalows and Cafe, ☎ +62 363 23477 (sunrisejem@yahoo.com). This place has several rooms and friendly English speaking staff. Good snorkeling area with great corals in waters right behind the hotel. Snorkeling equipment can be rented for Rp 25,000 per day From Rp 100,000.

Mid-Range
(sunrisejem@yahoo.com), Bunutan, ☎ +62 363 23498. Nicely designed and furnished bungalows built into a hilside overlooking the beach and ocean in the Lipah village part of Amed. Decent restaurant, gift shop and small in-house library. From € 55.
Apa Kabar Villas,. A small and quiet collection of ocean front bungalows (sleep four) and Balinese villas (sleep six) surrounded by lush gardens. They also have a lovely restaurant, swimming pool, and some nice coral for snorkeling right off of their beach.
Bayu CottagesBayu Cottages, Lipah Beach, ☎ +62 363 23495 (welcome@bayucottages.com). Bayu Cottages is a charming collection of six beautiful ocean- view rooms, on a hillside and overlooking the blue ocean, managed by a mixed Indonesian-Dutch couple. With just six rooms to serve they serve personal services, made to your every comfort. It is like being home, thousands miles away.
Blue Moon villas, Selang, ☎ +62 363 21428 (info@bluemoonvilla.com). Great location on a headland just east of Selang beach. A variety of accommodation offered from double rooms with private balconies up to a private four bedroom family villa. All the options are good value for the high standards provided. Decent spa and very good restaurant. From US$ 60.
Coral View, Lipah Beach, ☎ +62 363 23493. One of the older Amed hotels and the cottages are a bit tired. Service is good though and the location excellent, right on the Lipah beachfront. All of the cottages have private terraces, hot water and air-con. Small communal pool. edit
Hotel Uyah, Amed (the first hotel you reach on the approach from Culik), ☎ +62 363 23462 (hoteluyah@naturebali.com),. Eight bungalows around a pool. Take environmental considrations seriously and all hot water is solar heated. Has a simple in-house spa facility and nice enough restaurant and bar. Bicycles for hire. From €29.
Life in Amed Beach Cottages, Selang/Lean, ☎ +62 363 23152,. Six charming cottages set around a large pool. Well equipped and decorated with lovely natural stone bathrooms. In a quiet spot. The cottages hre really are very nice but perhaps a little over-priced when compared to other available options in the area. From US$ 75.
Santai, Bunutan, ☎ +62 363 23487 (info@santaibali.com). Six bungalows here, all with Sulawesi-style architecture. Three of them have ocean views whereas the others are inward facing around a large swimming pool. The rooms are nice enough with decent furnishings, open air bathrooms, hot water and air-con. From US$ 50.
Tauch Terminal Tulamben, Tulamben. Dive Resort close to the wreck of the USS Liberty. Run by the German dive operator of the same name and offer many different diving packages
Tulamben Wreck Divers Resort, Tulamben, ☎ 62 363 23400 (mailto:info@tulambenwreckdivers.com). Dive resort only 200 metres from the USS Liberty wreck site. Wide range of accommodation here to suit all budgets. US$ 20 to 120.

Splurge
Emerald Tulamben, Tulamben, ☎ +62-363-22925, [23]. Luxury dive resort located close to the USS Liberty wreck. Offer a range of diving packages and accommodation from double rooms to a private two bedroom villa. From US$ 126.
Villa Flamboyant, Banyuning, ☎ +62 828 3722636 or +43 6764003869 (hatala@utanet.at). A five bedroom private villa set back on the hillside with great ocean views. On the upper floor, there are 4 double bedrooms with their own bathrooms. From the terrace, you have a lovely view of the mountains, the garden and the ocean. In the morning, you can see the sun rise and watch the many fishing boats out on the sea. Fully staffed and serviced.

Contact

Phone lines are limited in the area and most hotels only have one landline each. It is wise to bring a mobile phone when visiting if you need to stay in touch with the outside world. Local Indonesian SIM cards can be purchased in thousands of places around Bali. There is a public telephone office at Lipah Beach close to Coral View bungalows.

Internet coverage was non-existent until quite recently but is getting much better with several hotels investing in their own ADSL backbones. Public internet facilties are available at Amed Cafe in Amed village and Anda Amed and Dancing Dragon, both in Bunutan. Coverage is expanding fast though and any visitor should look out for public internet cafe signs.

Get out

Lovina beach in north Bali is a good next stop for more quiet coastal life.
Mount Agungwith lots of trekking options and Besakih Temple, is just 30 to 40 minutes from Amed.
A journey back to South Bali will take about 2 hours and 30 minutes.