Location
The quiet fishing village of Candidasa offers the discerning Bali traveler an escape from all the crowds and congestion of the west coast areas.
Here is an opportunity to experience uncrowded, peaceful beaches with magnificent ocean views of Nusa Penida to the south and west and views of rice paddies on the hills with glimpses of Bali’s highest mountain, Mount Agung, to the north.
The nearby village of Tenganan is a community that retains ancient Balinese cultural traditions known as Bali Aga. The villagers maintain a strict adherence to ancestor worship, cosmology and other animist beliefs, as well as a rigid social organisation. Villagers must live inside the village and marry from within. Tenganan is closed to outsiders after dark. Many arts and craft exhibits such as ikat weaving which are skillfully created by the village women, are available for viewing…as well as purchasing.
Other cultural highlights include the 3 water palaces, Tirta Gangga, Jungutan and Ujung, built by the last Raja of Karangasem, as well as Pura Besakih, the famous temple at the foot of the illustrious Mt Agung. All these places are within comfortable driving distance from Candisasa and Villa Kaniksa and tours can be organized at request. Even the journey to and from these destinations is a memorable experience, emerging the visitor in the unspoiled natural beauty of East Bali.
For the more adventurous, East Bali is also the mecca of scuba diving and snorkeling and some of the island’s top sites are close to Candi Dasa; just offshore from Villa Kaniksa, Gili Tepekong can be reached in only 10 minutes by boat. In addition, there is some excellent rafting to be done on the Telaga Waja river, about an hour and a half away, reachable via magnificent mountain roads providing unobstructed views over the lush green paddy fields of East Bali. The port of nearby Padang Bai provides shelter for yachts and is the starting point for ferries to Lombok and its famous Gili Islands, as well as smaller boats to unspoiled Nusa Penida.
DIRECTION & MAP
From Ngurah Rai international airport, Denpasar, take the Ngurah Rai bypass highway towards Padangbai, Candi Dasa and Amlapura. In favorable traffic conditions, Candidasa can be reached in just over an hour.
Within Candidasa, just follow the main road all the way to the end of the village and you will see a large lotus pond on your right side. Continue the road for another 200 meters and turn right at the first turn (at the point where the main road turns sharply left). Immediately thereafter, turn right again into the gate signed “Orion Bay Villas”. Follow the road for another 100 meters until the last property. You have arrived at Villa Kaniksa.