A trail through rice terraces at the foot of Gunung Batukaru

Mengesta · At the Foot of Gunung Batukaru · Tabanan

The Other Bali
Starts Here.

There's a Bali everyone knows — beaches, cafés, villas, pools, beautiful photos. And there's another Bali: where the road disappears between rice fields, where a mountain river hums through the forest, where a trail leads to water. Sari Gumitir is where this Bali begins.

Scroll down to the river

You Didn't Come Just to Stay

Your Starting
Point

A house is where you sleep. A restaurant is where you eat. A pool is where you rest. But why did you come here, exactly?

We believe a real journey begins where a reason to come appears. That's why Sari Gumitir isn't just grounds with a restaurant, a pool, camping, and a villa. It's your starting point.

From here you can walk into the forest. Follow the river. Cycle through villages and rice fields. Find a waterfall. Head to a hot spring. Meet the people who live here. And then come back — for dinner, to light a fire, to stay the night.

One day here can become a small journey.

Sari Gumitir sits in the village of Mengesta, at the foot of Gunung Batukaru, among rice terraces, tropical forest, and mountain streams. The grounds are built so nature and people are never kept apart: stone paths run through the green, wooden bridges cross the stream, rice fields begin right at the edge of the grounds, and a real mountain river runs alongside Sari Gumitir.

  • Come for a few hours
  • Spend the whole day
  • Stay the night
  • Make Sari Gumitir your base for exploring West Bali
The mountain river that runs along the grounds of Sari Gumitir
The river that runs along the grounds

Five Elements, One Journey

What the Other
Bali Is Made Of

Forest, water, rice fields, roads, and fire — the five elements every journey at Sari Gumitir is built from.

🌿

Forest

Trails lead into the cool tropical forest of Batukaru. No city noise here — only water, birds, trees, and a road that slowly carries you further from the Bali you know.

💧

Water

A mountain river runs right along the grounds. Climb down to the water, cross the stones, find a quiet spot on the bank, or just sit in the shade and listen — and further on, the water becomes your guide.

🌾

Rice Fields

The rice terraces around Mengesta aren't a backdrop. They're a living landscape where people work, grow rice, and keep a traditional way of life.

🚲

Roads

The country roads around Sari Gumitir were made to be explored without hurry. A bicycle, an e-bike, a walk on foot — and a turn you won't find in any guidebook.

🔥

Fire

When the day ends, the journey doesn't. Coming back to the river. Dinner. BBQ. Warm light. Conversation. Fire. And a night under Batukaru.

What's Nearby

A Place With Real
History Around It

Sari Gumitir doesn't stand in isolation — nearby is exactly what draws people to this part of Bali in the first place.

At the edge of the forest

Pura Luhur Batukaru

One of Bali's six directional guardian temples, protecting the island's west side. Set deep in the forest, at the foot of Gunung Batukaru.

~15 minutes

Jatiluwih Rice Terraces

A UNESCO World Heritage site — the same subak irrigation system that feeds the fields around Sari Gumitir, in its most famous form.

~10 minutes

Belulang Hot Spring

A natural spring in the same village of Mengesta. Locals believe the water carries a blessing straight down from the mountain.

With a village guide

Mengesta's Forest Waterfall

A trek toward Batukaru with a local guide, ending at a waterfall — a route the village has always known, not one invented for tourists.

Choose not a place. Choose your story.

Nine ready-made stories from Sari Gumitir — from following the water to a journey without a map. Take one as it is, or build your own day out of several.

Stories of Sari Gumitir

Nine Ways
to Spend a Day

Every story is a ready-made route. Take one, or piece together your own journey out of several.

Signature Route A mountain river running through rice fields near Sari Gumitir
The Water JourneyFollow the Water
"Not just to see nature, but to feel it"
A few hours — a full day
  • Sari Gumitir → rice fields → village
  • Forest → water → the same subak water that reaches Jatiluwih
  • Local lunch → return
A country trail through the hills of West Bali
The Lost TrailWhat If You Left Google Maps Behind?
"Impossible to repeat the same way twice"
For couples, friends, families
  • A map with clues, not a route
  • An old bridge, a big tree, a trail past the rice field
  • You piece together your own path
Rice terraces best seen from a bicycle
Ride the Other BaliThe Bali That's Better Seen by Bike
"Your route. Your pace. Your day"
Bicycle or e-bike
  • Rice fields, villages, bridges
  • The Jatiluwih terraces, a UNESCO site, visible in the distance
  • An easy ride or a longer journey with stops
Home cooking and a family table in a Balinese village
The Village TableOne Table. One Family. The Real Bali
"Not a show for tourists"
A few hours inside another life
  • Meet the people of Mengesta village
  • Watch how the food is cooked, hear the family's story
  • Real home cooking, real conversation
A road through rice fields and the village of Mengesta toward a hot spring
The Hot Water JourneyRice Fields → Village → Hot Spring → Lunch
"One day. Four completely different experiences"
Nature · Village · Water · Food
  • A road through the rice fields and the village of Mengesta
  • Belulang, a natural hot spring
  • Local food and a return through the green roads
Mountain streams and moss in the tropical forest of Batukaru
Into the JungleFor Those Who Want More Than a Walk
"This isn't a walk anymore. This is an adventure"
With a local guide
  • Tropical forest, mountain streams, slopes toward Pura Luhur Batukaru
  • Moss, ferns, silence
  • A route matched to the group's level
A trail to a waterfall through rice fields and forest
The Waterfall QuestFind the Water Yourself
"The reward isn't a photo. It's the feeling that you found this place yourself"
A route with clues
  • Through the rice fields, into the forest, across a stream
  • The same forest waterfall Mengesta village has always known
  • Hear the water before you see it
A quiet day by the pool and river at Sari Gumitir
The Silent DaySometimes the Best Experience Is Doing Nothing
"Just one day in a place that goes quiet"
No schedule
  • Coffee in the morning, the river, the rice fields
  • Pool, lunch, shade of the trees, a book
  • Fire in the evening
Flagship Story A night camping by the river under Gunung Batukaru
Sleep Under BatukaruStay the Night — See the Other Side of Sari Gumitir
"By day, the grounds move. By evening, everything changes"
The river grows louder · The forest darker · The lights come on

Dinner appears on the table. A fire is lit. And then, only the night remains. But what matters isn't where you sleep — it's what you lived through before it.

Camping

A tent among the green, next to the rice fields and nature.

Villa

A private space for those who want more comfort.

One Day at Sari Gumitir

If You Only Have
a Few Hours

You don't have to stay the night. Sometimes one day is enough to see a completely different Bali.

9:00 AM

Arrival

Coffee and breakfast.

10:30 AM

A walk

Around the grounds and rice fields.

12:00 PM

River or pool

Time by the water.

1:00 PM

Lunch

Local dishes on the terrace.

2:30 PM

Bike ride or nature walk

Your choice.

4:30 PM

Return

Back to Sari Gumitir.

5:00 PM

One last coffee by the river

The end of the day.

Two Days

Discover & Adventure

You don't leave after just a night. You leave after a journey.

Day 01 — Discover

Discover

  • River, rice fields, village
  • Local food, pool, sunset
  • BBQ, fire by the river, night under Batukaru
Day 02 — Adventure

Adventure

  • Early coffee, bicycle, forest
  • Waterfall, mountain trail
  • Return, lunch, one last swim

Three Days

The Complete Journey

The land, the wild, and the slow life — three days to live every element of Sari Gumitir.

Day 01 — The Land

The Land

  • Rice fields, village
  • River, local cuisine
  • Fire
Day 02 — The Wild

The Wild

  • Bicycle, forest
  • Waterfall, mountain streams
  • Batukaru
Day 03 — The Slow Life

The Slow Life

  • Hot spring, local lunch
  • Pool, silence
  • River, sunset

Your Sari Gumitir Passport

Collect Your
Own Bali

On your first visit, you can get your own Sari Gumitir Passport. Collect a stamp for every experience.

You don't have to complete it in one visit. Some stories call for a second trip. Some, a third. Because Sari Gumitir can't be seen all at once.

River
Forest
Rice
Village
Waterfall
Hot Spring
Cycling
Fire
Night
Batukaru

Your Journey Can Take Many Shapes

Who Sari Gumitir
Is For

Every story adapts to who you brought with you.

For Couples

Quiet. Nature. A private villa. An evening by the river. Dinner. Your own route.

For Friends

Bicycles. Trekking. Waterfalls. BBQ. Fire. A night.

For Family

Nature. Rice fields. Easy walks. Pool. River. Exploring together.

For Solo Travelers

Quiet. Walking. Nature. Coffee. The river. New people. Time away from the city.

For Teams

A day out of the office. Nature instead of a meeting room. A shared adventure. Food. Fire. Conversation.

For Communities

Cycling. Hiking. Outdoor gatherings. Retreats. Private events. Community weekends.

Not Just for Tourists

Come for a
Specific Occasion

Sari Gumitir is a place you can come to for an event, not just along the way.

Private Celebrations

Birthdays. Anniversaries. Family gatherings.

Corporate Escapes

Teams. Strategy sessions. Informal meetings. Team building.

Creator Retreats

Photographers. Bloggers. YouTube creators. Film production. Content projects.

Outdoor Community

Cycling. Hiking. Running. Camping. Nature communities.

And then you come back.

The first time, you come to see it. The second, to take a different route. The third, to bring your friends. Then you start to know the people, remember the roads, know where the river runs quietest, where to watch the sunset, where to drink your coffee, where the trail begins. And Sari Gumitir stops being just a pin on the map. It becomes your place in Bali.

Why We Don't Call This a Hotel

Your Room Is
Just the Base

Because a hotel usually ends at your room door. Sari Gumitir begins beyond it.

Your day can continue:

in the forest on a bicycle in the village by the river in the rice fields at a waterfall at a hot spring by the fire or simply in silence

You Can Just Come for Lunch

And That's Fine

You can spend the day by the pool. Come for a BBQ. Pitch a tent. Book a villa.

Your Bali Story Starts Here

You won't leave with just another photo of a pool.
You'll leave with a story you'll tell back home.

"In Bali, we found this one place…"