3 reasons to add Munduk to your Bali itinerary

When we arrived in Bali we had 3 nights booked in Canggu and not a clue what we were doing next or where we were going. By chance I saw a TikTok of a small time vlogger, the video had maybe 5 likes and I almost skipped through and I’m so glad I didn’t. He and his girlfriend came to Munduk for two nights from Canguu to visit the waterfalls before heading to Lovina. I knew we were going to Lovina so it made perfect sense to follow them. Munduk is a small village about 2 hours from Canggu, and the drive is pretty precarious but the views are insane! It stretches through a valley and it’s any hiking/adventure lovers paradise.

Escape the heat

After a month in scorching heat in Thailand and crazy sun in Canggu, the mountains provide a much welcomed relief from the heat. It’s still plenty warm enough to go wild swimming, but also cool enough that in the evenings I could wrap up nice and cozy in my fleece. I’m definitely a cozy weather lover! The sun still blazes down at points of the day, but due to the more rainforest like climate, it’s not guaranteed to stay dry! The cooler climate is also much nicer to go hiking in. We went on a waterfall hike that had MANY stairs involved and we joked that if it had been any warmer, we would’ve melted.

The lack of crowds or tour groups

We went to 3 waterfalls on our day hike and probably saw about 10 people, and these waterfalls are supposed to be one of the main attractions. I fully expected to see crowds like you see on the Instagram photos and TikTok videos but there absolutely wasn’t. We even had one of the waterfalls to ourselves for the entire hour we were there! The thing I tend to struggle with are overcrowded natural wonders, I found in Iceland the amount of people and noise (and mess) at the waterfalls took away from the sheer enthralment I had wanted. Here it was absolutely not the case. Also, because it’s not as accessible and requires a fairly high level of fitness, tour buses just don’t come here.

A much needed escape from the stress of backpacking

Munduk is so incredibly quiet and still, nothing like the manic traffic on the Canggu shortcut! We’ve spent the last month jumping from big towns and cities where the traffic, nightlife and street vendors are intense and it can get very overwhelming very quickly. Here, there’s none of that. Ok, depending on where you stay there may be some traffic noise, that can’t be helped as it’s a remote village with one main road, but nothing like the beeping and the engine revs of Denpasar or Canggu. Not a single vendor swarmed us as we walked around the village, unlike the overwhelming trips we took down the Ao Nang beach front in Thailand. If you’re looking to party all night long, this is definitely not the place for you, but if you fancy being surrounded by lush green rainforests and mountains whilst resting your liver, I’d highly recommend staying here.

Where to stay?

I would highly recommend staying at Adila Warung and Homestay. The staff were amazing and so kind and helped us find a driver when our GoJek driver tried to scam us. It’s also perfectly located to do the waterfall hikes as the restaurant leads directly onto the path so you don’t have to walk along the dodgy road to get to the main entrance.

They also offer traditional Balinese cooking classes in their restaurant area which has an insane view of the valley.

Transport

In terms of transport to Munduk we were able to get a grab very easily from Canggu but it did cost around £30 for the 2.5 hour drive. Leaving Munduk was a very different story, we secured a GoJek car but he kept trying to scam us so instead the hotel arranged our transport with a very kind local taxi driver. He also offers to be your driver around the entire island if you wish which is a good thing to know. If you would like his contact details, DM me on instagram @xerinlucyx and I can give you them.