Tulamben & Amed, Bali

Quiet black lava beaches and SCUBA diving!

Date: June 2016
Location: Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

If you want to relax, snorkel or dive and enjoy the quiet beaches or do tours in this North-Eastern part of the island - you are in the right place. Tulamben and Amed are two quickly developing towns with black lava beaches.

Since the area is amongst Bali's best dive sites there are many dive centers and dive resorts - so expect to see divers! Click here for more information about diving Tulamben and Amed.

Tulamben & Amed are about 2,5 hours (100 KM) driving from Ngurah Rai Airport (DPS). After a long flight you might want to consider an overnight stay around the airport.

Tulamben

Tulamben is a very small town, more like a strip of houses, shops, restaurants and diving centers & resorts. There is not a real boulevard by the beach but several paths and resorts give access to parts of the black lava rock beach. Depending on the tide you can walk along the beach but since the rocks can be quite big and slippery a romantic stroll can be quite challenging.

Top restaurants & bars in Tulamben

There are a few restaurants in Tulamben but I guess it does not exceed 25 at the moment. Most restaurants I would not call 'excellent' in Tulamben compared to other places on Bali, except for Safety Stop which is really good! These are my favorite restaurants & bars in Tulamben:

1. Safety Stop Bar & Restaurant

The day we arrived in Tulamben around 22:00 and we walked in to Safety Stop restaurant hoping to get something to eat and we could order anything from the menu, easily. The menu is huge and so are the dishes. I really loved the steak here! The restaurant is spacious, with a pool table and cozy sitting areas. It is a little bit hidden because of all the trees and plants at the entrance but do not miss out on this one! We went back several times.

2. Tauch Terminal Resort / Drop Off bar

My favorite place for sunset around here (although the sun sets on the other side of the island) is the Drop Off bar! You have to walk through the Tauch Terminal Resort to find the beach bar - the location is awesome! You can have DRAFT beers (cheap for Bali) while watching the sun set and divers getting in and out of the water. There is a beautiful and comfortable lounge area at the waterfront to relax as well. The restaurant has a great variety of food and is located at the waterfront as well.

3. Wayan Restaurant

Wayan Restaurant is a more 'local' restaurant with traditional Indonesian dishes. You can dine upstairs. The place is not really romantic I would say but the food is quite cheap and the taste is good! Try some local food here!

4. Matahari Tulamben Resort & Restaurant

Another great spot for sunsets is Matahari Tulamben! Right by the beach with two floors to dine or just have some drinks. You can also sit around the pool or lounge beds. The menu has a variety of western and Indonesian dishes.

Accommodation

Tulamben Wreck Divers Resort has several swimming pools and the resort area is set up beautifully. Also it is located in the middle of 'town', easy to walk to the restaurants and beach. We got an upgrade regarding the room and this was amazing. The room was cleaned every day and the breakfast was good; egg, sausage, fruit, bread, etc. There is an espresso machine as well to get some 'real' coffee. The WIFI was great too. Highly recommended!

Amed