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For the city in Turkish Kurdistan (Southeast Turkey) with the Kurdish name Amed, see Diyarbakir.

Amed is a long coastal strip of fishing villages in East Bali.

[edit] Understand

Amed Bay with Mount Agung in the distance

Amed refers to a long stretch of coast running from the village of Cucik about 12 km eastwards incorporating the villages of Amed, Jemeluk, Lipah, Selang, Banyuning and Aas. This is the most commonly used base for visitors wishing to dive the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben and that area is also covered by this article.

This is the most recent tourist development area in Bali. It was only in 2000 that tarmac was laid on the roads, telephone lines were installed in 2003, and it took until 2007 for a bridge to be built over a section of the road that regularly washed away during the rainy season. The lack of tourism-based revenue, its remote nature and the generally harsh environment for farming, meant that this area was very much one of the poorer areas in Bali. The East Bali Poverty Project [1] drew attention to the plight of the local villagers in this area and that, together with recent tourist development, has gone a long way to improving general standards of living, health and education.

[edit] Get in

Amed is accessed by turning east at the village of Culik which lies on the main east coast road from Karangasem to Singaraja.

Shuttle buses regularly serve the destination from Candidasa and Lovina and now that the road has been greatly improved, they take you all the way into Amed (previously all buses stopped at Culik and motorbikes ferried visitors into Amed.

The easiest way into Amed though is still to hirw your own transport with a driver. Be aware that the Amed district is stretched out over more than ten kilometres.

[edit] Get around

There are public bemos that pass through Amed several times a day, but the easiest way to get around is to hire a car and driver. Motorcycles are widely available for rent and should expect to pay between Rp 50,000 and 80,000 per day.

[edit][add listing] See

Amed is famous for its black sand beaches, lined with traditional outigger fishing boats.

Salt production is a declining but still important industry in this area. As you drive along the main coast road through the villages you will see large open drying pans crusted with salt crystals. Those little boxes of gourmet Bali salt crystals you see in delis all over the world probably started their long journey from these very pans.

Vibrant marine life close offshore in clear seas.

• Shell Museum, (at the Aiona Garden of Health). An odd little place and a very charming one to boot. Exactly as it says, shells. Rp 20,000.  edit

[edit][add listing] Do

Most people come to Amed as a getaway, including expats from other parts of the island. It is a favourite honeymoon destination for tourists and is also popular with divers and snorkelers. Day trips to local places of interest such as the water palace at Tirta Gangga and Bali's most sacred temple, Besakih, can easily be arranged.

The black sand and fishing boats of Amed

Traditional outrigger boats are available for fishing charters from the main beaches in the Amed area. This normally involves early morning trolling for mackeral.

Have a traditional massage on the beach. Women from the local villages are always on hand for an invigorating massage, especiallly so at Lipah beach.

Enjoy nature and go with the wind on a traditional sailing boat for diving, fishing, exploration, dolphin watching, snorkeling or just swimming and relaxing. Condor Sailing, tel: +62 363 23462, [2].

There is some fine diving in Jemeluk bay both from the beach and from boats in deeper water. Beware of diving after a heavy rain, the water from the run-off can greatly reduce your visibility. There are some excellent dive companies in Amed and also some that are based in Lovina and run day trips to Amed that you can be part of if you call ahead. As well as local dives off the various Amed beaches, a notable attraction is diving the wreck of the USS Liberty at Tulamben about 20 to 30 minutes drive north from Amed.

• Adventure Divers, Jln. Jemeluk, Amed, ☎ +62 813 53136113, [3]. Very reasonably priced open-water diving lessons (SSI or PADI), 280 euros for PADI and 225 euros for SSI all inclusive, 10% discount offered if you book online. Lunch provided. Instructed by Ian Coe, a very kind Englishman who moved to Amed with his Dutch wife Elly. Together they run the diving school and Geria Giri Shanti Bungalows. Great couple that make you feel at home.  edit

• Amed Dive Center, ☎ ++62 363 23462 (mailto:info@ameddivecenter.com), [4]. Offers a full range of PADI courses, fun dives, diving and sailing trips.  edit

• Amed Scuba, Amed Beach (Bunutan), ☎ +62 818 05537926 (halloscuba@yahoo.com), [5]. Amed Scuba offers diving tours around Bali with the best places under and over the water, with the diving sites in Menjangan, Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bai, Nusa Penida. Dive-safaris in the area of Amed, Fun Dives, Introductory dives and all PADI dive courses from Open Water to Divemaster.  edit

• Eco Dive, Amed, ☎ +62 363 23482, [6]. Daily dives in the area and the USAT Liberty wreck.  edit

• Euro Dive, Lipah, Amed, Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia 80852, ☎ +62 363 23605, [7]. Established in 1999 by a Hungarian dive instructor.  edit

• Jukung Dive, Amed, ☎ +62 363 23469, [8]. The shop looks impressive from the roadside, and you might be approached by a helpful English speaking Dutchman.  edit

Amed has some good snorkeling within metres of the shore. A reef follows the majority of the coastline and is quite close in. Due to the limited number of visitors to the area, the sea life is healthy and abundant.

[edit][add listing] Buy

There are a few shops in Amed selling basic necessities (shampoo, bottled water, etc) as well as sarongs and tee-shirts, but it does not have the range of handicrafts and clothing shops that you find in other more developed tourist areas of Bali.

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Barong Cafe and Restaurant, ☎ +62 81 80 55 85 010 (sawyerkomang@gmail.com). Balinese, Indonesian and International cuisine. Provides free pick up and drop-off around Amed area.  edit

• Dancing Dragon Restaurant, Dancing Dragon Cottages, ☎ +62 363 23521 (info@dancingdragoncottages.com), [9]. 7AM-10PM. The restaurant serves up local organic produce and quality ingredients. International and Balinese cuisine. Also buffet catering for group events. Note: this establishment was one of the better restaurants and hotels in Amed but it closed its doors in July 2009 due to a business dispute and is currently for sale. From Rp.113,000.  edit

• Garam Cafe, ☎ +62 363 23462 (sawyerkomang@gmail.com), [10]. Offers International and Balinese cuisine. Café Garam, which means Salt Café, is part of Hotel Uyah Amed, which translates as Salt Lodge Amed. Garam is the Indonesian - and Uyah the Balinese word for salt. In order to combine the development of tourism with the traditional lifestyle this hotel and café right was built behind the salt production fields and use the salt production as its motto. The aim is to preserve the traditional salt production by promoting it as point of interest for foreign tourists and explain the production process. The salt is produced in the dry season (when production is possible) and stored it in traditional bamboo huts "Gudang Garam".  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

For an evening drink and entertainment, a local band performs live at the Double One Restaurant once a week and there are sometimes free Balinese dance performances in some of the restaurants. A local Gong & Genjek group performs about once a month in the Bali Mandala room at Dancing Dragon Cottages.

Generally Amed is quiet at night and it is certainly not a late night drinking spot.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

There is a wide range of hotels in the area, with rooms ranging from Rp 230,000 to 2,300,000 (about US$23 to 230) per night. Most of them have been built by westerners in partnership with local Balinese and have brought a welcome increase in employment to the area. Everyone knows everyone here so there is a real feeling of village community. The hotels are well spaced out though so you feel that you have your own private space. There are few TVs in the hotel rooms, so bring a good book to read or better still, spend your time getting to know the locals. The pace of life is very slow and relaxed in Amed, the people are friendly and they have time!

There are also several hotels at the village of Tulamben to the north of Amed which are intended specifically for visitors intending to dive the wreck of the USS Liberty. These establishments are normally affiliated with a dive operator or run their own operation.

[edit] Budget

• Eka Purnama Cottages and Restaurant, ☎ +62 828 372 264 (ekaamed@gmail.com), [11]. A family run, budget hotel. All the comfortable cottages overlook the sea and are a short step away from the beach. The reasonably priced cottages are comfortable with a double bed and single bed, a ceiling fan, wardrobes and a spacious bathroom with shower and a western toilet.  edit

• Geria Giri Shanti Bungalows, ☎ +62 819 16654874 (petracoe@hotmail.com), [12]. Very pleasant and clean rooms, lush garden property and centrally located. Discount offered if you're also taking diving lessons from Adventure Divers. from €12.  edit

• Lily Amed Beach Bungalows, Amed Beach, Karangasem - Bali (80852) (Within the first 3 km strip at Amed), ☎ +62 819 16141668, [13]. checkin: after 12.00 noon; checkout: 11.00 AM. Newly opened 4 bed roomed very comfortable hotel with large garden. The hotel has spectacular views of the sea and nearby Mount Agung. You can enjoy sunrise over the sea, sunset over Mt. Agung from the hotelgrounds. We have two first floor bedrooms incorporated with mezenine floors with seatings and a additional single bed with full sea view. This was created for guests who might like to observe the night sky full of stars, or sit and meditate for tranquility. The bird friendly garden has flower, and fruit trees. When fruits are available the guests will be offered fresh organic fruits for breakfast on the house. We also have a further two free standing gazebos with spectactular views of the mountains and hills. We have a mini bar and relaxation area with seaview. We pride ourselves in offering a very clean and relaxing hotel. From US$18 - 40.  edit

• Sunrise Cafe and Accomodation, ☎ +62 363 23477 (sunrisejem@yahoo.com). This place has several rooms and friendly English speaking staff. Good snorkeling area with great corals in waters right behind the hotel. Snorkeling equipment can be rented for Rp 25,000 per day from Rp 100,000.  edit

[edit] Mid-Range

• Anda Amed, ☎ +62 363 23498, [14]. Nicely designed and furnished bungalows built into a hilside overlooking the beach and ocean in the Lipah village part of Amed. Decent restaurant, gift shop and small in-house library. From € 55.  edit

• Apa Kabar Villas, [15]. A small and quiet collection of ocean front bungalows (sleep four) and Balinese villas (sleep six) surrounded by lush gardens. They also have a lovely restaurant, swimming pool, and some nice coral for snorkeling right off of their beach.  edit

• Bayu Cottages, ☎ +62 363 23495 (welcome@bayucottages.com), [16]. Bayu Cottages is a charming collection of six beautiful ocean- view rooms, on a hillside and overlooking the blue ocean, managed by a mixed Indonesian-Dutch couple. With just six rooms to serve they serve personal services, made to your every comfort. It is like being home, thousands miles away.  edit

• Tauch Terminal Tulamben, [17]. Dive Resort close to the wreck of the USS Liberty. Run by the German dive operator of the same name and offer many different diving packages  edit

• Tulamben Wreck Divers Resort, Tulamben village, ☎ 62 363 23400 (mailto:info@tulambenwreckdivers.com), [18]. Dive resort only 200 metres form the USS Liberty wreck site. Wide range of accommodation here to suit all budgets. US$ 20 to 120.  edit

[edit] Splurge

• Emerald Tulamben, ☎ +62-363-22925, [19]. Luxury dive resort located close to the USS Liberty wreck. Offer a range of diving packages and accommodation from double rooms to a private two bedroom villa. From US$ 126 to 366.  edit

• Villa Sinar Cinta, [20]. A traditionally built seaside villa with privacy and excellent service. It is the perfect place for maximally eight persons. Also with its large swimming pool of 15 x 3 meters.  edit

• Villa Flamboyant, ☎ +62 828 3722636 or +43 6764003869 (hatala@utanet.at), [21]. A private villa located near the sea. On the upper floor, there are 4 double bedrooms with their own bathrooms. From the terrace, you have a lovely view of the mountains, the garden and the ocean. In the morning, you can see the sun rise and watch the many fishing boats out on the sea. The staff are friendly and helpful.  edit

[edit] Stay safe

Theft is almost unheard of in the Amed area. However, when traveling anywhere in the world, it is always wise to lock any valuable in a hotel safety box or safety deposit facility, and lock all doors and windows when you leave your room and when sleeping at night.

[edit] Contact

Phone lines are limited in the area and most hotels only have one landline each. It is wise to bring a mobile phone when visiting, if you need to stay in touch with the outside world. Local Indonesian SIM cards can be purchased in thousands of places around Bali. There is also a public telephone office in the centre of Amed and a couple of internet cafes. However, one should note that the connection speed is very slow.

[edit] Get out

The other major tourist locations in East Bali as well as Lovina and Singaraja in the north are easily reached from Amed. A journey back to South Bali will take about 2 hours and 30 minutes.