Things to do in Lovina: 12 ideas for a slow week

Lovina is not a place you tick off. It is a long strip of black sand villages on Bali's calm north coast, with the mountains behind and a flat sea in front, where the days arrange themselves around sunrise and sunset. The best things to do in Lovina are the ones that leave you time to do nothing in between. Here are twelve, enough for a full, unhurried week.

On and by the sea

1. Watch the dolphins at sunrise. The classic Lovina morning: a wooden jukung, a lightening sky and pods of spinner dolphins rising around the boat. Full details, prices and tips in our Lovina dolphins sunrise guide.

2. Snorkel Menjangan Island. The best reef in Bali is a day trip west, inside the national park. Calm water, coral walls, and deer on the beach. See Menjangan snorkeling from Lovina.

3. Walk the black sand at golden hour. Start at the dolphin statue in Kalibukbuk and walk east towards Anturan as the fishermen pull their boats up. The sand is warm, the water is usually flat, and children play football until dark.

4. Swim from the beach on a calm morning. The bay is protected, and before the breeze picks up the water is like glass. There is a small reef off Kalibukbuk for easy snorkelling.

Waterfalls, springs and temples

5. Chase waterfalls. Sekumpul, the most spectacular fall in Bali, is an hour away. Gitgit is easy, Aling Aling has slides and jumps. Fees and tips in the best waterfalls near Lovina.

6. Soak in the Banjar hot springs. Warm sulphur water from stone dragon mouths, 20 minutes west. Best at opening time. Read the Banjar hot springs guide.

7. Visit Brahma Vihara Arama. Bali's largest Buddhist monastery sits on a hill above Banjar, with quiet terraces, small stupas and views to the sea. Cover shoulders and knees.

8. Spend a day in the lakes. Drive up to the cool highlands for the twin lakes Buyan and Tamblingan, Munduk's waterfalls and the floating temple of Ulun Danu Beratan. Our Munduk day trip has the route.

More things to do in Lovina: slow days and culture

9. Explore Singaraja. The old Dutch colonial capital of Bali is 20 minutes east. Walk the old harbour, see the Gedong Kirtya library of palm leaf manuscripts, and eat at the night stalls.

10. Walk the rice fields and vineyards. North Bali grows grapes, coffee, cloves and rice. Ask your host for a route through the hills above Lovina at 7 am, before the heat.

11. Learn to cook Balinese food. Several small family kitchens around Lovina run market visits and cooking classes. Ask locally for one that starts with the morning market.

12. Do nothing, properly. Some of the best things to do in Lovina happen without leaving home. At Baliwood Lovina, that means a long swim in the infinity pool, a book on the daybed and the sea turning gold from the pergola at six.

Where to eat in Lovina

Lovina's food scene is relaxed, mostly along the main road and the small lanes off it in Kalibukbuk. A few places we like, all confirmed open in recent 2025 and 2026 guides:

Still deciding whether the north is right for you? Read our honest take on whether Lovina is worth visiting.