Is Sidemen worth visiting?

Sidemen is a valley of terraced rice fields an hour and a half east of Ubud, under the southern flank of Mount Agung. It is the answer to the question people ask after three days in the south: where is the Bali in the pictures.

What it is actually like

A single main road winding through a valley, with rice terraces stacked up both sides, a river at the bottom, and villages of a few hundred people. Accommodation is small: guesthouses, a dozen very good boutique hotels, and a few luxury properties with views straight up to Agung.

There is no strip, no beach club and very little to buy. Evenings are dark and quiet. Mobile signal works but is not fast everywhere.

What you do there

Walk. The valley is laced with paths between the terraces, and walking them in the early morning, past people working, is the entire point. Guided walks cost very little and the guides know whose land you are on.

Visit a weaving workshop. Sidemen is known for songket and endek weaving, done on backstrap looms in village workshops.

Cycle or ride the road up toward Pura Bukit Tageh for the view down the valley.

River tubing or rafting on the Telaga Waja, which runs nearby and is one of the better rafting rivers in Bali.

Watch Agung. On a clear morning the volcano stands directly over the valley, and it is one of the great views in Indonesia. It is often in cloud by mid-morning, so look early.

When to go

Dry season for clear views of Agung and firm paths. Wet season for the greenest terraces and the most dramatic light, with a real chance of the mountain staying hidden for days.

Planting and harvest change the look of the valley completely. Terraces full of water reflecting the sky are a different photograph from terraces of tall green rice, and both are better than stubble after harvest.

The rest of the east

Tirta Gangga, the water palace with stepping stones across a koi pond, 40 minutes north. Go early.

Taman Ujung, another water palace on the coast, larger and quieter.

Lempuyang Temple, the "gates of heaven" photograph, up the mountain from Tirta Gangga. The queue for the photo can be two hours and the reflection is made with a mirror under a phone. The temple complex itself is worth seeing and the climb to the upper temples is a serious set of steps.

Besakih, the mother temple, on Agung's slope, 45 minutes from Sidemen.

Candidasa, on the coast, quiet and faded, with good diving access.

Amed, an hour further, for black sand and the best mainland snorkelling.

Tenganan, a Bali Aga village with pre-Hindu customs, weaving and its own calendar, near Candidasa.

Where to stay

Small hotels along the valley road and up the side ridges. The view is the product: pay for a room facing Agung and the terraces, and check on a map which way the hotel faces, because some of the best-known names sit on the wrong side of the ridge.

Nights are cooler than the coast. Some properties have no air conditioning and do not need it.

Practicalities

Getting there: two hours from the airport, 90 minutes from Ubud, 90 minutes from Sanur, two and a half hours from Canggu.

Getting around: you need a scooter or a driver. There is nothing within walking distance except the valley itself, which is the point.

Food: hotel restaurants and simple warungs. Do not come for the dining.

Cash: ATMs exist in the larger villages, but bring cash.

Who it suits

People on a second trip, people who found Ubud too busy, photographers, walkers, and anyone who wants two or three days where nothing happens. It is not a base for a first week, and it is not for anyone who needs a beach or a bar.