38 / 132
3 6
P E A K S & VA L L E Y S
bali
rain forest
BALI, INDONESIA
Dawn sees Bali’s lush rain forest at its most
beautiful. Pale sunlight dapples verdant
glades where dew falls and the morning-
fresh air is alive with birdsong. Mist rises
above the trees and settles in the deep val-
leys that radiate from towering volcanoes
at the island’s heart. Waterfalls crash over
moss-covered rocks, and fast-flowing rivers
carve through narrow canyons. The Bali-
nese, up with the sun, come to leave ofer-
ings at the estimated 20,000 Hindu temples
that lie, half-hidden, deep within the forest.
DON’T MISS
The best way to see the heart of the rain forest is
on a rafting tour from a base in Ubud, Bali’s cultural
center, riding the surging white water of the Ayung
River as it runs through a beautiful, forest-shrouded
gorge north of town.
The Ayung River cuts a swath through the under-
growth and luxuriant forest canopy of central Bali.