WakaLandCruise is proud to present its newest adventure, which takes visitors on a beautiful journey, by Land Rover or Land Cruiser, to witness the nature, culture, agriculture and mystique of rural Bali.
Departing at 7.30 am, the new half-day trip focuses on the Sangeh area in Bali’s central highlands, starting with a visit to the picturesque Tirta Taman Mumbul in the village of Guliang Kangin. A community rural tourism project is based here, and a local guide will greet guests with a welcome drink of ‘kelapa muda’ young coconut. Huge trees shade an emerald green lake, inhabited by giant koi fish that guests will have the opportunity to feed. An enchanting water temple, Pura Ulun Mumbul, appears to float upon the lake, while a lofty banyan tree shelters a small statue of an elderly water-bearer. Legend has it that the old woman stopped for a rest at this place, took pity on the dry land and watered the shrivelled-up plants; the water continued to pour from her small jar to form the lake that we see today.
On the opposite side of the road is Pancoran Solas, a holy spring, which is channelled into a shallow bathing pool through 11 waterspouts guarded by statues of 11 Hindu gods. People come here to receive a blessing ritual while bathing in the curative and purifying spring waters. The guide will share his knowledge of the historical and religious significance of this holy site before leading the next part of the adventure, which is a gentle trek from Pura Ulun Mumbul through a veritable food forest of fruit trees, passing small farms where guests will see cows, chickens and vegetable gardens before the scene opens up into a patchwork of rice fields. The guide will explain how the majority of Balinese farmers are smallholder, subsistence farmers cultivating small areas of land.
The trail leads to the cool, dark and mysterious Sangeh Monkey Forest, home to about 700 long tailed macaques and about 2000 straight-trunked ‘Palahlar’ (Dipterocarpus Trinervis) trees, soaring up to 60 metres in height and incorrectly assumed to be nutmeg trees. It is believed that the forest is more than three centuries old, and was originally planned as a royal garden for the Mengwi kingdom. There are also four temples here, including the moss-covered Pura Bukit Sari, which lies in the heart of the forest, while in the central courtyard, a large statue of Garuda symbolises freedom from suffering. There will be plenty of time to feed the monkeys who are considerably more benevolent than their cousins at Ubud’s Sacred Monkey Forest, and the guide will provide guests with bags of peanuts. Guests may also observe pre-wedding photo shoots of couples dressed like Rama and Sita, the main characters of the great Hindu epic, The Ramayana.
The excursion will end at Pondok Jaka, an old and authentic Balinese compound house and farm, where the walls of the traditional buildings are crafted from bamboo and rendered with a mixture of mud and rice husk. Here guests will be served with tea or locally harvested coffee and Balinese cake prepared by their hosts before being transferred back to their hotels before 1 pm.
Each Wakalandcruise includes transfers from / to hotel, mineral water, fresh young coconut drink, tea, coffee, fruit and Balinese cakes.
For further information, please contact:
Sagung Istri Julli Aryani
Public Relation & Marketing Communication Coordinator
Waka Hotels and Resorts
Email: julli.aryani@wakahotelsandresorts.com
www.wakahotelsandresorts.com
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