The road from Sanur along the newly constructed east coast highway is the quickest way to reach the foothills of Bali’s highest and most sacred mountain, Gunung Agung. This new highway is fast and can be dangerous but it hugs the east coast affording great views of the ocean with spectacular hills rising in the distance. We ride for about 40 minutes until the road re-joins the slower and older road into Sideman and Iseh.

Time appears to have stood still in this most picturesque part of Bali and we could quite easily be riding through a time warp. In fact, Iseh’s main claim to fame (apart from stunning scenery) is that it was where Walter Spies, a German artist, built what he described as a ‘mountain hut’ in 1937, which is still there. He was much loved by the Balinese and had a profound impact on Balinese art establishing a westerner’s image of Bali that still exists today.

OK, enough of the history lesson and back to the ride. Long sweeping bends, picture postcard scenery and an almighty volcano dominate the landscape. Roads meander their way through sleepy villages and hamlets and boulevards of bamboo. A beautiful place to stop and take in the scenery over a light picnic lunch.

After about an hour of sublime riding we arrive at the southern end of Amlapura (formerly known as Karangasem), the largest town in east Bali and once the seat of one of the island’s wealthiest kingdoms. Roads here are wide and well ordered and the ride heading back west to Candi Dasa is fantastic offering mountain, forest and ocean views.

We take a short break in Candi Dasa before heading west past Padang Bai and back on to the main east coast highway back to Sanur. Total ride time is approximately 6 hours with at least 3 stops along the way for light refreshments, lunch and photo stops.