Handara Gate & Twin Lakes Buyan and Tamblingan

High in the northern mountains, the split gate of Handara Golf & Resort has become one of Bali’s most photographed entrances, often wrapped in morning mist. Nearby, the lakes of Buyan and Tamblingan offer a quieter side of the highlands, with forest, canoes and old lakeside temples.

History

The gate marks the entrance to Handara Golf & Resort in Pancasari, in the highlands of Buleleng, at an altitude of a little over 1,100 metres. We could not confirm from our sources when it was built, so we leave the date out. Today it is one of the most photographed spots in northern Bali, and morning queues can last from half an hour to two hours.

Tamblingan has much older roots. Local manuscripts tell of a holy man who healed a plague-stricken area by meditating at the lake, and the name joins tamba, medicine, with eling, spiritual awareness. The lakeshore temple, Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan, is described as dating back to at least 948 AD, during the Warmadewa dynasty.

Meaning and culture

Villagers still treat Lake Tamblingan as sacred, and swimming in it is not done. Around the water lies a circuit of about eleven temples, among them Pura Gubug, Pura Tirta Mengening and Pura Dalem Tamblingan, and some of them can only be reached by a forest walk or by canoe. Treat the whole area as a place of worship that happens to be beautiful, not simply as a backdrop.

To keep the setting peaceful, only traditional wooden canoes are allowed on the lake, with no motorised boats. The entrance fee is generally treated as a donation to the surrounding Catur Desa villages, so visitors are asked to dress respectfully, keep their voices down and stay away from offerings near the shrines.

What to see

• The Handara split gate in morning mist
• Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan on the lakeshore
• A wooden canoe ride across Lake Tamblingan
• Forest trails around the lake and the Munduk hills

Good to know

• Start early to beat both the queue at the gate and the afternoon cloud
• Carry small cash notes; Tamblingan has no card machines or nearby ATMs
• Bring a jacket and a dry bag, as canoes sit low and it is cool at altitude
• Ask before using a tripod or drone at Handara