Its name means “Place to Look.” From Denpasar’s Terminal Kereneng, Penelokan is 56 km. This cool, 1,450-meter-high village perches on the rim of a caldera looking out over the sacred, blackened, smoking volcano of Gunung Batur and Lake Batur, an all-important water catchment for south central Bali’s agricultural wealth.

Get here by 0800 or 0900, before the clouds move in. Better yet, wake up early to catch the sunrise. In August and September the sunrise is too high, coming up over the middle of the peak, but in June and July it rises to the left of the peak in a golden yellow. At night see the moon sail over the volcano.

Warnings
The Penelokan/Kintamani area has one of the worst reputations in all of Indonesia for money-hungry, aggressive people. The many food peddlers, who have no alternative livelihood, hound tourists mercilessly. Beware of road sellers who pull the big switch-substituting a low-quality item for the high-quality piece you agreed to buy. Try not to show even the slightest interest in the wares pushed by the clutch of vendors on the street or outside of the restaurants.

By the mid-’80s the situation had become so grim the government stepped in and made all the hawkers get licenses and wear identity badges; the authorities also implemented fixed prices on local transport. Now the situation has improved somewhat, though freelancers offering transport deals are still a big problem.

Accommodations
From Penelokan’s ‘losmen’ you’ll discover one of the town’s most pleasant activities is just sitting and gazing at the mountain and lake. You’d pay a lot for the view, though, if you stay in the generally overpriced, damp, run-down, and very basic ‘losmen’ here. Penelokan does not yet have any good-value, comfortable, reasonable accommodations. Power outages are a fact of life.

Food
A major drawback to staying anywhere in the Batur area is the poor food. There is a critical shortage of good eating ‘warung’, though the fruit stands opposite the road to Kedisan sell ‘jeruk’, passion fruit, and other exotic fruit. For less costly fare, try the ‘nasi campur’ at a few local flyblown ‘warung’ (Warung Makan Ani Asih or Warung Makan Sederhana), though they tend to be bland.

Between Penelokan and Kintamani on the volcano side of the road are several cheaper alternatives-Puncak, Gong Dewata, Gunungsari, and the Mutiara Cafe-with views just as nice as those offered by big tourist restaurants.

Shopping and Services
The shops along the road include some bargain buys. The local tourist office (open daily 0900-1500) is nearly opposite the road down to the lake; scan the bulletin boards for info on charters, guides working the area, and accommodations. A post office located between Penelokan and Kintamani handles parcels; open 0800-1600. A postal agent is located next to the police post, about a five-minute walk north of the market. Change money at the branch of Bank Rakyat Indonesia about 200 meters up the road to Kintamani.

Getting There; Getting Away
The most popular way to reach this mountain area is on the highway out of Denpasar by ‘bemo’ from Batubulan station. ‘Bemo’ pick up more passengers in Bangli, then head straight up to Penelokan. You can use minibus from Singaraja in the north.

There are also some unfrequented back-road approaches to Penelokan from Ubud, via Payangan; drive a 100cc (or more) motorcycle through the deep upland interior of Bali. To walk from Ubud via Payangan takes about 12 hours.

Vicinity of Penelokan
An exciting, fun ride is to take a bicycle up to Penelokan on top of a ‘bemo’, then freewheel it all the way back down to the southern coast. There’s a wonderful garden in Desa Teman, see loving cultivation of salak, cengkeh, apokat, coklat, bananas, kopi, nanas, durian, mango, mangosteen, papaya, white and black pepper, ginger, and kunyit. Nice view over a river valley. Farther south is Quilt Alley.

In the highland jungle, are the Bali Aga villages of Selulung, Batukaang, and Catur. See remains of primitive pre-Hindu monuments, lichen-covered stone statues, small Polynesian-style megalithic pyramids.

Climbing Gunung Abang
This old 2,152-meter-high volcano (”Red Mountain”), on the eastern side of the crater southeast of Penelokan, is the highest point on Batur’s outer crater. Climbing it is demanding but easier than climbing Gunung Batur. The trailhead lies about six km southeast of Penelokan.