Dolphin Lovina Beach

Every morning during sunrise dozens of dolphins gather around for breakfast just offshore of Lovina beach. The dolphins are one of Lovina’s major attractions and if you are there, you should definitely go and see them. Throughout the day there are many boatmen in Kalibubuk looking for people to take on a dolphin tour.

Lovina is a relatively new name coined in the 1950s by the late king of Buleleng (Buleleng Regency) Anak Agung Panji Tisna, with a good eye for future tourism-based development. It started with small lodge built on his own land and named Lovina. After going through struggle of ups and downs, finally the community accepted the presence of Lovina.

Now even, for the sake of tourism, Lovina used for the name of seven traditional villages, which all slightly merge into one on a ten kilometer stretch of the main road which hugs the north coast to the west of Singaraja: Temukus, Kalibukbuk, Anturan, Pemaron, Tukad Mungga, Banyualit and Kaliasem. Kalibukuk is the main hub of this area and is often thought of “Lovina town centre”.

The whole stretch of coast here is fringed by quite narrow black sand beaches, which are accessed by a multitude of small lanes which run perpendicular to the east-west coast road. The beaches are generally safe for swimming, and the waters of Bali’s north coast, in direct contrast to the crashing surf of the south, are relatively calm.

Diving, snorkelling and dolphin watching are the main activities, but perhaps above all else, this is an area in which to relax and take in a very slow, traditional pace of life. It can get a little crowded in July and August, but outside that peak season, this is a quiet part of the island.

Lovina’s black sand beaches are quite lovely and lend themselves well to exploration on foot at a leisurely pace. The sea is very calm here and is safe for swimming. The feeling on the beaches is one of laid-back tranquility with small, colourfully decorated traditional outriggers called perahu dotted along the shoreline. These are a reminder that you are in a traditional fishing community.

There are a few hawkers, but nothing like as many as on the southern beaches, and this is as good a place as any in Bali to explore quiet beaches at your own pace. At the highest of tides the beaches can get a little difficult to traverse in places, so it is best to time your walks for a falling tide.

Be aware that many of the ‘black sand’ beaches (particularly in the central area) are an unappealing dirty brown with significant amounts of plastic rubbish.

Dolphin sighting trips every morning start at 06.00am. These leave the main beaches each morning at dawn, and have mixed reviews as the boats tend to outnumber the dolphins. It can though still be an enjoyable ride, and if you do find a pod of dolphins it is of course very worthwhile. The price is fixed by the local boatmen’s association, If you are in a group, ask about chartering your own private boat.

Don’t waste your time…

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