sideman

Sidemen Village is a stunning panoramic view of rural ingenuity and heritage. Here you’ll find a countryside community down the southern hillsides of Bali’s tallest mountain, Mount Agung. Swathes of paddies and plantations around the village are tended by their respective farming communities.

The village area is one of the main destinations for day trips through the eastern region. It’s where you can find a ‘real Bali’ scene that offers both beautiful Bali rice paddy landscapes and interesting cultural highlights.

Rice fields and crafts of Sidemen Village
The scenic and traditional Sidemen Village is along the Klungkung and Besakih Temple route, roughly a 2-hour drive from Ubud. The main highlights are its expanses of rice fields, with many available tours offering nature and paddy treks. These offer you an immersive experience, often traversing local plantations and crossing rivers. You can also enjoy a leisurely bicycle tour through the downhill routes of the village.
Sidemen village is also known among Balinese locals as the top producer of traditional palm toddy called tuak. The product is also often further refined into arak palm wine. Cottage industries producing the beverage are widespread throughout the village.

A great souvenir to take home from Sidemen is the villagers’ traditional dye weavings, known as songket and endek. The heritage textiles are praised for their intricate motifs and use of colourful hand-loomed cotton or silk threads. Silk items are naturally on the higher side of the price range. Both the cloth and a large print of this picture-postcard rice paddy landscape can be perfect mementoes of your time in Bali.