North Bali temples: two easy day loops from Lovina

The temples of the south get the crowds and the selfie queues. Up here the shrines are older in feel, wilder in their carving and usually almost empty. North Bali temples were decorated in a style of their own, busier and more playful than anything around Ubud, with Dutch colonists, musicians and even a man on a bicycle cut into the stone. They are also spread out, which is why the easiest way to see them is in two loops from Lovina: one east towards Singaraja, one west towards Pemuteran.

Below are both routes, with what to look for at each stop, how long to allow and what to wear.

The east loop: Singaraja, Sangsit and Kubutambahan

Leave around 8 am. From the hills above Banjar it is about 40 minutes to Singaraja, the old Dutch capital of Bali, and the three stops on this loop sit within half an hour of each other along the coast road heading east. Allow four to five hours with a lunch stop.

Start at Klenteng Ling Gwan Kiong, the Chinese temple by Singaraja's old harbour. Built in 1873, when the port was the island's trading gateway, it is a small, bright place of red lacquer, dragons and incense where Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian traditions sit side by side. Look for the turtle pond near the entrance, a symbol of long life, and step out afterwards to the waterfront where the old port buildings still stand. It usually opens from around 8 am to 7 pm.

Twenty minutes further east, Pura Beji in the village of Sangsit is the one to linger over. Dating back to around the 15th century, it was built as a subak temple, honouring Dewi Sri, the rice goddess, on behalf of the farmers whose irrigation channels feed the surrounding paddies. Every surface of the pale sandstone is covered in curling vines, flowers and bhoma faces, and on the spirit wall inside the gate you will find two Dutchmen playing stringed instruments beside a naga. Go slowly: the detail rewards a second look.

Finish at Pura Meduwe Karang in Kubutambahan, about ten minutes away. This is a temple for the dry land crops, and its terraces are lined with stone figures from the Ramayana. The famous detail is a relief on the wall of the inner shrine: a man in Western clothes riding a bicycle whose wheels are carved as flowers, often said to be the Dutch artist W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, who cycled around Bali in the early 1900s. It is generally open from 8 am to 5 pm.

The west loop: Brahmavihara-Arama and Pura Pulaki

The second loop starts almost on the doorstep. Brahmavihara-Arama, Bali's largest Buddhist monastery, sits on the hillside above Banjar village, about 15 minutes from the villa. Founded by the monk Bhante Giri and completed in 1969, it climbs in terraces past lotus ponds, a small replica of Borobudur's stupas and quiet meditation halls, with views down to the sea. It is rarely busy, and early morning, when monks may be chanting, is the loveliest time. Combine it with a soak at the Banjar hot springs just down the road, covered in our Banjar hot springs guide.

Pura Agung Pulaki is about an hour west along the coast road, just before Pemuteran. One of Bali's sea temples, it is built against rocky cliffs that drop straight to the road, and legend says a troop of macaques led the priest Dang Hyang Nirartha to this spot in the 15th century. Their descendants are still here. Keep sunglasses, hats and anything shiny in a closed bag, and do not carry food in your hands.

Pulaki makes a natural first or last stop on a beach day. Pair it with snorkelling and lunch in Pemuteran, described in our Pemuteran day trip, and you have one of the best full days in the north.

Dress code for North Bali temples

Every Balinese temple asks for the same thing: a sarong around the waist and a sash, with shoulders covered. Most north coast temples lend or rent them at the gate for a small donation, but carrying your own is simpler and cleaner. At the Buddhist monastery, cover shoulders and knees. At Ling Gwan Kiong, modest clothing is enough.

• Bring a sarong and sash each, or expect to borrow them at the entrance.
• Carry small notes. Entry is usually by donation, and around 10,000 to 30,000 IDR per person is normal; there is no need to give more if someone pushes.
• Never stand higher than a priest or step over offerings on the ground.
• Women who are menstruating are traditionally asked not to enter the inner courtyards, and signs at the gate say so.
• Leave shoes on unless a sign or the guardian says otherwise. In the monastery's meditation halls, shoes come off.

Timing: when to go

Mornings are best for both loops, and for North Bali temples in general. The light on the sandstone is soft before 10 am, the air is cooler and the stones are not yet hot under bare ankles. Avoid the middle of the day at Pulaki, when the monkeys are at their most curious and the coast road is at its warmest.

Check the Balinese calendar too. On ceremony days such as Galungan, Kuningan or a temple's own odalan anniversary, the courtyards fill with offerings, gamelan and families in white and gold. You may be asked to stay in the outer courtyard, but it is the best time to see these temples as they are meant to be. On Nyepi, the day of silence, the whole island closes and nobody goes out.

North Bali temples suit this kind of day: a few hours out, a long lunch, and back in the hills before the heat of the afternoon breaks. At Baliwood Lovina, the infinity pool faces west over the Bali Sea, so a temple morning ends with a swim and the sun dropping into the water. For more ideas around the villa, see our list of things to do in Lovina.