Sidemen, Bali: rice-valley walks, weaving and where to stay

Is Sidemen the right base for you?

Sidemen is a *kecamatan*, or district, of Karangasem regency, made up of ten villages, Sidemen itself among them. When the district head set out its potential for the regency, he named three things: farming, livestock, and endek and songket weaving. The Ministry of Tourism's profile of Sangkan Gunung describes the land as rice fields and hills, with the Unda river on one side and the Telaga Waja on the other.

That shapes the stay. A few days in Sidemen are mostly fields, footpaths and weaving, and evenings are quiet. If that is what you are after, it is a calmer alternative to Ubud. If you want a choice of restaurants every night, spas and shopping, base yourself in Ubud and come to Sidemen for the day.

Sleep in the valley rather than on its edges. Sidemen village is where much of the songket and ikat weaving is found. Sangkan Gunung, which borders Muncan to the north, is a registered tourism village whose members include a homestay and food group, local guides and a transport group. Ask your host about drop-offs: the walks and the weavers are spread across several villages.

Walking the valley: village treks, waterfalls and rivers

Walking is the main reason to stay. On the Ministry of Tourism's tourism-village network (JADESTA), Desa Wisata Sangkan Gunung lists three trekking routes through the fields and plantations of Banjar Luah: a short one of about 30 minutes, a middle one of about 40 minutes and a long one of about an hour. The village's tourism group, Pokdarwis Pucak Luah Santhi, offers trekking, a swing, photo spots, food and homestays.

The same profile names other things to see on foot around Sangkan Gunung: the Belatuk waterfall, the Goa Tangkid cave, views from Pura Bukit Sangkan Gunung and Pura Petemon, and two *pelukatan* springs, Tirta Suda Mala Semseman and Belatuk Semseman, where Balinese come for ritual purification. These are places of worship first. Ask your guide whether visitors may enter, and dress as you would for a temple.

The list also includes rafting on the Telaga Waja, the river on the western side of the village. The Tukad Unda on the eastern side is a different matter: the regency describes it as the channel that carries Mount Agung's cold lahars, the mudflows of volcanic debris, down from the mountain. After heavy rain, keep out of both riverbeds unless a local guide says it is safe.

Go with a guide from the village. The routes cross working fields and irrigation channels, not marked trails, and a guide keeps you on the paths farmers are happy for you to use. Start early, before the heat and the afternoon cloud. In the wet season, wear shoes that can get muddy.

Endek and songket: Sidemen's weaving

Sidemen is one of Bali's best-known weaving areas. Endek is Balinese ikat: the threads are tied and dyed before weaving, so the pattern is already in the yarn. The Ministry of Tourism describes endek as woven on hand looms (ATBM), with geometric, floral and symbolic motifs. It is worn at temple ceremonies such as Galungan and Kuningan, at weddings and, in simpler designs, every day, and a single cloth can take weeks. Songket is woven with gold or coloured thread worked into the cloth, and is kept for important occasions.

Weaving is spread across the valley rather than in one craft village. Regency statements name an endek weaving group in Telaga Tawang, and Sangkan Gunung lists its own songket group among its tourism members. In 2019 Karangasem regency signed an agreement with the industry ministry's crafts and batik centre in Yogyakarta (BBKB) to raise the quality of Tenun Endek Sidemen. The centre's team had already visited the workshops where the cloth is made.

The best way to see it is to ask your host to arrange a visit to a working loom or a small workshop, where you can follow the tying, dyeing and weaving. Ask before photographing weavers in their homes. If you buy, buying directly from the weaver or a village workshop keeps the money in the valley.

Besakih and Mount Agung from Sidemen

Pura Besakih, the largest and holiest temple complex in Bali, lies in Besakih village in Rendang district, on the south-west slope of Mount Agung at about 1,000 metres. The Ministry of Tourism counts 23 temples in the complex, centred on Pura Penataran Agung, and puts it about two hours' drive from Ubud. Both are in Karangasem regency, so a morning at Besakih can be combined with a stay in Sidemen; ask your host or driver how long the drive takes. The ministry recommends coming in the morning, when it is cooler and calmer. All visitors must wear a sarong (kamen) and sash, which can be rented at the entrance. When we checked on 3 October 2026, the ministry's page listed the entrance ticket at Rp60,000–100,000, including sarong and sash rental. The great annual ceremony, Ida Bhatara Turun Kabeh, falls around March or April.

Mount Agung is Bali's sacred mountain and an active volcano. The Ministry of Tourism describes three climbing routes. From Pura Pasar Agung on the south side, the climb takes about 3–4 hours to the southern crater rim at 2,907 metres. From Besakih, it takes about 6–7 hours to the highest peak at 3,142 metres. The third route, from Budakeling, is less used. These are long, steep climbs on volcanic rock: go with an experienced local guide, and treat it as a separate expedition rather than an add-on to a gentle valley stay.

When we checked on 3 October 2026, Indonesia's volcanology agency (PVMBG, on MAGMA Indonesia) listed Agung at Level I (Normal). Check again before you go: a higher alert level brings exclusion zones around the crater, and the Tukad Unda below Sidemen is one of the channels lahars follow.

Getting to Sidemen and moving around

The gateway is Bali's only international airport, I Gusti Ngurah Rai, on the south coast about 13 km south of Denpasar. We could not find an official public-transport route to Sidemen, so plan on a car with a driver: a pre-booked transfer, or a ride arranged by your accommodation. The official airport taxi counter is outside the arrivals hall. Breaking the trip in Ubud for a night or two shortens the last leg and gives you two very different sides of Bali.

Inside the valley, the villages are spread out, so most visitors rely on their hosts, a hired driver or Sangkan Gunung's own transport group to get between them.

Two island-wide rules apply. When we checked on 3 October 2026, the Ministry of Tourism's Bali regulations page listed a mandatory levy of IDR 150,000 for foreign tourists, payable online through the official Love Bali system or at counters at Ngurah Rai airport and Benoa port. On Nyepi, the Day of Silence in March or April, Bali shuts down for 24 hours and the airport closes, so do not plan to arrive or leave that day.

Three slow days in Sidemen

An editorial suggestion, not a timetable. Arrange the trek, the weaving visit and the Besakih trip through your host or a local guide.

• Day 1: drive up from Ubud or the airport, settle in, and take an evening stroll along the field paths near your accommodation.
• Day 2: an early trek around Sangkan Gunung (choose the 30-minute, 40-minute or one-hour route, perhaps with the Belatuk waterfall), then a slow lunch and an afternoon at a weaver's loom.
• Day 3: Pura Besakih first thing, then back to the valley, or on east to Amed, Tirta Gangga or Tenganan.