Exploring the Highlands of Bali

As the sun sets, mist forms over thickly forested mountains. The ring of cicadas and bird calls echoes through a valley that tumbles down to a rambling brook spotted with waterfalls. After pouring a couple of glasses of wine from a bottle found in the minibar of our safari tent, I take a sip and kiss my significant other.

But here’s the clincher. We are not at a remote camp in the jungles of Borneo or on a luxury safari in the heart of Africa. We are in Bali, a destination that has been denounced by many of the world’s most influential travel guides for overdevelopment and over-tourism.

These problems are uncontestable but limited to the heavily touristed south of the island. In the north, west and east, the knockout natural beauty Bali is renowned for remains wholly intact.

I’m going to tell you about one such place. It’s called Munduk, a village above the clouds in the lush green highlands of northern Bali, and it’s home to one of the island’s most rustic and beautiful eco-resorts: Desa Eko or, in English, Eco Village.

THE ROOMS

Desa Eko sits on a steep plot of land overlooking a river valley in Munduk. From the road, a series of stone stairways descend through lush manicured gardens, a restaurant and, lower down, the rooms, of which there are only six. We stayed in the “deluxe tent” that costs $230 per night during the high season, including breakfast and free minibar.

Cut straight out of The Jungle Book, it is a house-shaped canvas tent with large picture windows on two sides set on an elevated wooden platform with a thatched roof. It has a large balcony with 180-degree misty mountain views. Inside is a queen bed, wooden furniture, a big floor rug, a pair of beanbags, and lots of comfy cushions.

As Munduk sits 1500m above sea leve,l the temperature is mild — it dropped to 17C at night during our visit — so there’s no need for air-conditioning or even fans. The bathrooms and showers are shared but there are four of them (ours was only 10m from our tent) and they are kept meticulously clean.

They are nothing like the shared bathrooms in backpacker hostels.

If you’re not into tents, there’s also a studio with a private outdoor bathroom and soaking tub at Desa Eko. The owner is also constructing a new deluxe tent with an enclosed bathroom.

THE FOOD

The Botanist, as the restaurant at Desa Eko is called, is in a gazebo-style bamboo edifice with the same breathtaking misty mountain views as the rooms. Guests can sit at a long communal dining table hewed from a single slab of hardwood, at the bar, in private dining alcoves, or around the fire pit.

The menu draws on ingredients sourced from Desa Eko’s permaculture gardens and coffee plantation. Think pure, organic, healthy, homemade soul food: silky-smooth pumpkin soup with garlic bread, seasonal vegetable curries in creamy coconut sauce, mushroom gnocchi, or mac and cheese topped with crispy bacon. For dessert, they do oatmeal cookies, banana bread with cashew butter, and fried bananas with cinnamon sugar. And with most items priced between $5 and $15, The Botanist also offers excellent value for money.

The food here easily earns five stars. But when you add the amazing views, professional service, the luxury tents and the tranquillity of it all, Desa Eko breaks the mould in terms of authenticity, architecture and experiential tourism. I have reviewed, at a guess, more than 100 hotels in Bali but this is the first time I am giving a place six stars. Bravo.

+ Ian Neubauer was a guest of Desa Eko. They have not influenced or read this story before publication.

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Desa Eko is on Jalan Kaya Putih in Munduk village in north Bali. A taxi from the international airport should cost around $75, and takes three to four hours. Glamping tents start at $100 per night during the off-season or $168 during high seasons (July/August and December/January). Activities include medicinal plant, permaculture and beekeeping tours, sunrise trips to nearby lakes, water purification ceremonies, Balinese cooking classes, and waterfall hikes. desaeko.com