Karangasem, East Bali

• Puri Agung Karangasem palace has Dutch-Balinese hybrid architecture you won't find anywhere else in Bali
• Tirta Gangga water palace is one of Bali's most photogenic sites and you can actually swim in the main pool
• The morning market in Amlapura is a real local market — food, produce, batik, all sold to Balinese buyers, not tourists
• Best base for East Bali: Amed diving, Candidasa, and Besakih temple are all within an hour
• Mount Agung views from the east side are more dramatic than from anywhere in South Bali

Karangasem Palace

Tirta Gangga Water Palace

Local market

Traditional festivals and ceremonies

Stunning natural beauty, including beaches, waterfalls, and mountains

Visit the Karangasem Palace and Tirta Gangga Water Palace

Explore the local market and try some of the local cuisine

Attend a traditional festival or ceremony

Take a hike in the surrounding mountains or visit one of the nearby beaches

Try some of the local fruits, such as durians, rambutans, or mangosteens

Karangasem — also called Amlapura, the name of its main town — is the capital of East Bali's regency and one of the most historically layered places on the island. The old Karangasem kingdom had a complicated colonial-era relationship with the Dutch that let it survive largely intact while other Balinese kingdoms were dismantled. That history shows up in the architecture: the Puri Agung Karangasem palace complex blends traditional Balinese stonework with Dutch colonial details in a way that's genuinely unusual.

The town sits at the foot of Mount Agung, Bali's highest and most sacred volcano. When Agung is clear — which it often isn't, since it generates its own cloud cover — the view from town is striking. The volcano is still active and had significant eruptions in 2017-2019, which is part of why East Bali gets fewer visitors than the south. That's changing slowly as travelers realize the eruption threat is manageable with basic monitoring.

Just outside Karangasem, two water palaces are worth your time. Tirta Gangga, about 6km north, is the more famous one — terraced fish ponds, moss-covered stone figures, and a bathing pool where you can actually swim. Ujung Water Palace, south of town, is more formal and less visited but architecturally impressive. Together they give you a clear picture of how the old Karangasem kings lived.

Karangasem is about 2 hours from the airport and is the natural base for exploring East Bali — Amed's diving and snorkeling, Tirta Empul, and the Candidasa coastline are all within 30-45 minutes. The town itself is quiet, functional, and has a morning market that's worth seeing before 8am when it's at full energy.