Bali Travel 04: Blue Lagoon Almost Rained Out, a Kintamani Jeep Sunrise and Canggu Sunset Beers

A line of jeep lights stood in the dark. It's predawn on a mountain, and it was genuinely cold. Toast, boiled eggs and hot tea in hand, I waited for the sun.

As the sky brightened, a lake and mountains appeared behind the jeeps parked all over the slope. If I could recommend just one thing in Bali, I'd pick this dawn.

This is the last part of nine days in Indonesia. In Part 3 I worked facing the rice fields of Ubud. This part picks up from there: Bali's last three days.

A dawn jeep up to Kintamani, Blue Lagoon snorkeling that the rain almost canceled, then tacos and sunset beers in Canggu, and brunch on the morning I left.

The route in this post

Date	Where	In a line
Dec 20, dawn	Mount Batur, Kintamani → lava fields → luwak coffee plantation	Jeeps, sunrise, cold
Dec 21, morning	Padangbai → Blue Lagoon	Snorkeling that almost got canceled
Dec 21 afternoon–Dec 22	Canggu streets → Batu Bolong Beach → CRATE	Tacos, sunset, brunch

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Mount Batur jeep tour: sunrise in Kintamani

We left before dawn and drove for what felt like about an hour by jeep. Step out of the car and there's a line of jeep lights in the darkness.

First, the cold. It's predawn and it's a mountain, so it's genuinely cold. Don't pack only T-shirts just because it's Bali.

While waiting for the sun, breakfast was toast, boiled eggs and hot tea. In the cold, the hot tea was very welcome.

As the sky brightens, a lake and mountains appear behind the jeeps. The light spreading through the clouds changes minute by minute.

The sunrise was so beautiful. Even now, when I think of Bali, this is the first scene that comes to mind.

Where the volcano passed: the lava fields

Once the sun is up, the jeeps take you down onto the black lava fields. I climbed up on the jeep and got a photo too.

White lichen grows on the hardened lava rock, and young trees push up between the stones. It was my first time walking this close to ground a volcano had passed over.

The luwak coffee plantation: a civet and a tasting

On the way down, you stop at a luwak coffee plantation. Luwak coffee is made from coffee beans eaten and passed by civets. You go through it in order, from the civet in its enclosure to the beans at each stage, and this part was pretty fun too.

The finale is a tasting. The coffee was good, but the tea suited me better, so I bought tea.

Fair warning, though: like the classic tour that ends at a gift shop, there's a bit of a sales pitch. It isn't pushy; buy if you want to, or don't. Know it's coming and you can enjoy it without any pressure.

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Blue Lagoon snorkeling: the rainy-day tour that almost got canceled

Let me give you the answer first. Even in the rain, it was fine underwater. And even if it rains, you should absolutely go snorkeling.

When I got to Padangbai beach in the morning, the sky was heavily overcast. Traditional boats were lined up off the sand, and because of the rain, that day's tour almost got canceled.

Still, the guide got the boat out safely. We ran along the cliffs over a sea dimpled with raindrops. The guide looked after us incredibly well and was kind the whole way.

I put on the fins and got in. Above the surface it was all gray, but underwater it was clear. I'd been snorkeling before, but the sea in Bali is definitely clearer.

I have no underwater photos. It was so much fun that I could almost call this my first real snorkeling.

Out of the water, a plate of nasi goreng, topped with a fried egg and krupuk. On the way back, a huge fish was hanging by the harbor.

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Canggu: an afternoon that started with tacos

Great food, pretty cafés, things to do. Everything that comes to mind when you picture Bali, in one place: Canggu.

In the afternoon I left my stay and walked the streets of Canggu. Past a dog lying on the sidewalk, there's a pretty café or restaurant every other door. Just looking at the signs makes the time fly.

The day began with tacos at a place I wandered into: meat, green sauce and a heap of onion on tortillas, with an iced coffee on the side. These tacos were truly the best.

Sunset beer at Batu Bolong Beach

Around sunset, head down to Batu Bolong Beach. The waves were high, so there were lots of surfers, and the sun sank toward the horizon through the clouds. The wet sand mirrors the colors of the sky.

I sat in one of the beanbags spread across the beach and watched the sunset with a beer. So good.

At my feet, dogs had dug themselves into the sand and were lying there. When you get hungry, you order mie goreng and even pizza right where you are.

The sky turned pink, and I didn't get up until it was dark.

Departure morning: CRATE in the rain

The next morning it poured. Still, there was no way I was giving up brunch. Even in the rain, CRATE was packed.

I ordered a smoothie over chia seeds and toast topped with mushrooms, and this brunch was the best too. As the last meal on the day I left Bali, it was a really good pick.

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Visiting info: Kintamani, Blue Lagoon and Canggu compared

My visit was in December 2024. The details below were looked up again in November 2026, and tour times and prices differ from operator to operator. Where I'm not sure, I've marked it "check official info".

Place	When	Getting there	Bring
Mount Batur jeep tour	Predawn start, sunrise	Tour jeep (about an hour from where I stayed)	A jacket
Blue Lagoon snorkeling	Morning (when I went)	Traditional boat from Padangbai	Towel, a cover-up that can get wet
Canggu, Batu Bolong Beach	Streets in the afternoon, beach at sunset	Within Canggu	Get to the beanbags early

Route: the three stops point in different directions. Kintamani is in the highlands of north-central Bali, Padangbai is on the east coast, and Canggu is on the southwest coast. I gave Kintamani one day, Blue Lagoon and Canggu the next, and left from Canggu the following morning.

📍 Kintamani · Mount Batur · Kintamani, Bangli, Bali

• 🌋 Good to know: Mount Batur is an active volcano about 1,700 m high (sources give 1,711–1,717 m), last erupting in 2000. Lake Batur sits inside its caldera. The caldera joined the Global Geoparks Network in 2012 and is now a UNESCO Global Geopark.
• ⏰ Start time and price: many tour listings give a start around 3–4 a.m., but it varies by operator and pickup area. Price, whether breakfast is included and whether hotel pickup is included: check official info before visiting.
• ☕ Luwak coffee plantation: my tour ended with a tasting and a sales stop. Buying is optional.
• 🗺️ Map: Open in Google Maps

📍 Blue Lagoon Beach · Padangbai, Karangasem, Bali

• 🌊 Good to know: Padangbai is a harbor town with ferries to Lombok and boats to Nusa Penida. Blue Lagoon is a small bay northeast of the harbor; tour listings put it 5–10 minutes from Padangbai by boat.
• 🌧️ Weather: December falls in Bali's wet season (roughly November to March). Sea conditions change daily.
• 💰 Tour, gear and boat prices: these vary by operator. Check official info before visiting.
• 🗺️ Map: Open in Google Maps

📍 Canggu · Badung, Bali

• 🌅 Batu Bolong Beach: named after Pura Batu Bolong, the temple on the rocks at the south end of the beach. Lots of surf schools here. Beanbag rental prices: check official info before visiting. Google Maps
• 🥑 CRATE: many listings say it opens early and closes in the afternoon, but opening hours differ between sources. Check official info before visiting. Google Maps

How to get it right

• 🧥 Start Kintamani with a jacket. Bali or not, the mountain before dawn is truly cold.
• 🌧️ If it rains, ask your tour operator whether the boats are running before you give up. My day almost got canceled too, but the boat went out. At sea, follow your guide.
• ☕ Know the luwak coffee plantation has a sales stop. Buy if you want to.
• 🚶 Canggu: the streets by day → the beach around sunset → brunch the next morning. Get to Batu Bolong before sunset if you want a beanbag.

Jayden's verdict

Bali's last three days were all "you have to do this." Even in the cold, even in the rain.

• Mount Batur jeep tour: the sunrise was so beautiful. Bali, for me, is that dawn.
• Blue Lagoon snorkeling: clear underwater even in the rain.
• Canggu: tacos, sunset beers, CRATE brunch. A must.
• Tip: a jacket, and on rainy days, ask the operator first.

Nine days, wrapped up

That's all nine days in Indonesia, in four posts. In Jakarta I made a guide laugh with 5,000 rupiah, toured offices that never opened, and ate pepper crab. In Bali I worked facing rice fields, waited for the sun on a volcano, and got into a rainy sea.

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Indonesia in 9 Days series

1. Jakarta's first two days: Istiqlal Mosque and Kota Tua
2. Jakarta business trip: empty offices, pepper crab, two Airbnbs and local food
3. Ubud, Bali: rice terraces, remote work and a rice-field villa
4. Bali's last three days: Kintamani sunrise, Blue Lagoon and Canggu sunset (you are here)