Tanjung Benoa Attractions

Fishing Village

A sharp contrast to expensive and up-market Tanjung Benoa is the fishing village at the northern end of the peninsula. Here, from four until six in the morning, local fishermen sell their catch at Pasar Desa Pakraman (the village market) after fishing from the early evening until midnight. Prices are very cheap but there’s only enough catch to supply local kitchens. Before foreigners discovered the peninsula’s potential for water sports around 1975, everything in this village was strictly traditional. Since then, many of the fishermen have turned to the marine recreation business. However, you can still see conventional fishing boats side by side with more modern vessels at the harbour near the Segara gas station.

Klenteng Caow Eng Bio

Klenteng Caow Eng Bio is the oldest Chinese temple in the province. It is claimed to be more a place of Chinese traditions than Buddhist, though on the left side is a ‘Buddha room’ (Maha Cetya). After removing their shoes visitors may step into the central pavilion but the room in the middle where each of the deities is represented is only for praying. It has a cooking area and a small room for the ‘god of kitchens’ on the right side of the compound, as well as another pavilion on the right side functioning as a public hall. You will also see wooden plaques bearing several verses of wisdom in Chinese and Indonesian, as well as the names engraved in marble of the people who contributed in building Caow Eng Bio. Celebrations and religious events are held up to three days here, but the Chinese New Year and the Vesak are the busiest of all. Pieces of paper next to the donation box, believed to be a charm for both your house and wallet, are given away to all visitors.

Location: Take Jalan Segara Ening from the crossroads of Catus Pata. Follow the road until the end; the temple is on the right side

Tanjung Benoa Beach

Here, unlike in most areas on the island, you won’t have a direct clear view of the beach from the road. The access from the coastline to Jalan Pratama is packed with commercial establishments: resorts, hotels, restaurants, and small plazas or markets. Just after the ‘Pos Pecalang’ in front of the Paul Smith shop, however, is a large open field that accesses the beach.

The sea is often busier than the beach itself as people tend not to sunbathe here, preferring water sports instead. With such calm water, swimming is delightful but the sheer amount of crafts at anchor and buzzing around makes things a little crowded.

Tanjung Benoa doesn’t have any big, tourist-destination type of temples; but there are several local temples and five family temples – all good examples of Balinese architecture. These temples are only open during religious ceremonies and rituals, but friendly local devotees will not hesitate to explain their temples’ culture and history to you. As in any other place on the island, you have to wear a sarong and a sash to enter. People come to Pura Dalem Setra to ask for blessings before ‘Ngaben’ (the Balinese cremation ceremony) and Pura Meraja Pati before a funeral. Pura Segara, dedicated to the ocean’s deity (Batara Baruna), is located by the beach where fishermen used to pray for good catches. In the middle of the crossroads of Jalan Segara Ening and Jalan Segara Windu, Pura Catus Pata a small shrine stands as the streets’ guardian.

At the same small intersection, a tall banyan tree shades Pura Desa lan Puseh. Pura Desa functions as the main village temple while Pura Puseh hosts ceremonies related to prosperity and fertility. People come every 15 days to conduct a ritual at Unen-Unen to pray to ‘Barong’ (Bali’s mythological character). Pura Dalem Ning lan Taman Beji consists of Pura Dalem Ning that used to belong to the royal family of Pemecutan and Pura Taman Beji is where people come to cleanse the ‘pretimas’ (Bali’s statuettes of each deity, made of sandalwood). The Buddhists are allowed to come and pray in Pura Dalem Ning as agreed upon between the ancestors of both religions. There are at least 12 Hindu holidays a year and some ceremonies last for 24 hours while the bigger ones last for at least three days.

Pura Dalem Ning lan Taman Beji

Location: Near the Klenteng Caow Eng Bio. They are next to each other and Pura Taman Beji is the closest to the sea

Pura Dalem Setra

Location: Jalan Pratama next to the Bugis Muslim cemetery

Pura Meraja Pati

Location: Near Pura Dalem Setra there is a small road that leads to a Hindu cemetery, it’s in the middle of it

Pura Segara

Location: Next to the The Segara Condotel