West Bali is best defined as the area west of Tabanan on the southern coast of Bali and the Taman National Park. Traveling west requires planning for at least 1 overnight with a car and driver. If you are visiting Bali for 5 days or more, a journey west is a great escape from "downtown" Bali as this area sees very few international visitors.
This 71km (44 mile) strip of volcanic sand coast is home to the Malay-speaking Bugis and Balinese Christians. Most of the population of west Bali are rice farmers, fishermen, or plantation workers and are increasingly Muslim due to the area's proximity to Java. The coastal towns of west Bali were settled by Bugis Javanese seafarers during the 17th century, who established a trading center in Negara.
