Bali Travel Forum

Hi all vt's member,

I have heard that there is Trunyan tribe near Batur Lake(Danau Batur)and they are very isolationists. i will be in Penelogan on the 14/08/08, need guide to take me there, is it very hard to get there and is it worth to see?

Thanks in advance..

Hi Rungtip!

No, it is not difficult to get to Trunyan, but it is not worth it.
Trunyan is a Bali-Aga village, which means that the people descend from the original inhabitants of Bali from before the conquest by the Majapahit (Javanese) empire. They have preserved their culture which is different from the mainstream Balinese culture.
In the early 70ies it was interesting going there, you had to help rowing yourself in a dugout canoe across Batur lake.
But nowadays the trip is highly commercialized. You pay too much for a motorized boat to get there, and actually there is not much to see while the guide can explain even less.

If you want to visit a Bali-Aga village, better go to Tenganan, which is not far from Candidasa. Here you can see traditional crafts (weaving, gamelan), see how the people live, for a reasonable tip to the guide.

There is a third Bali-Aga village, Sembiran, in the north of Bali, seldom visited. Here you can stay the night over in a traditional house - see my Bali accommodation tips. However, they have less conserved their way of living, and except for the yearly village festival there is not much to do.

Cheers,
Theo

hi theo1006,

thank you very much for your info, very helpful....

rungtip

For what it’s worth, I totally agree with Theo. In fact, Trunyan village is now banned by all tour operators in Bali. As Theo mentioned, Tenganan is a much better village to experience the Bali-Aga.