From Lovina it is about a 30-45 minute drive, this can be done by car or motorcycle, there are of course several options to get there, but the shortest way is via Selat. Wanagiri is the village that is located on the road above the Twin Lakes (known for Wanagiri Hidden Hill with the beautiful view over the Twin Lakes). It is located on the road which leads to the Banyumala waterfall, about 400 meters on the left side.
This coffee plantation is “back to basic”, everything is still done manually and forget about the Luwak nonsense, this is all pure natural.
It is recommended to make an appointment, but when you pass by and the people are available you are also very welcome, Dek Atha (the owner) speaks excellent English and can talk endlessly about coffee, the process, how important the coffee plantations are in the area, Dek Atha is a 4th generation coffee farmer and produces mostly for the local market.
The coffee trees first give white blossom, then berries appear (in different colours), but with the harvest all berries are picked because it is too much work and takes too much time to select by colour. Later when they are picked, they often colour even more during drying.
When it is time to harvest, many people work for a month to pick, dry, and roast the beans. There is progress here too, and a greenhouse has now been built where the beans are dried. Previously, they laid a large tarpaulin on the yard and the beans lay drying in the sun; when it started raining, they had to quickly remove or cover everything. That is no longer necessary because now the beans dry in the greenhouse.
During the explanation of Dek Atha you also get coffee with local Balinese cake, they let you taste the coffee of both beans.
The programs they offer for visitors:
Traditional coffee processing
With this program you will get a lot of information about the plantation, the local life in a village and how important coffee cultivation is in the area, a guided walk over the plantation, a demonstration of roasting the coffee and how it is processed into powder, this is all done in the traditional way. Like mentioned before you will also get the opportunity to taste the coffee, this goes together with Balinese cake and you also get 100 grams of powder coffee as a souvenir.
This tour takes 1.5-2 hours and cost IDR 175,000 per person (takes about 1,5 to 2 hours). You can also stay and enjoy for a traditional Balinese lunch.
Experience a traditional Balinese lunch
There is also an option to stay for lunch, this is not a standard lunch but local Balinese lunch with lots of extra, it is an authentic lunch at the local farmer house and will be a new experience.
It is more about the experience because you will be invited to come into paon (the name of the traditional kitchen) and the hosts will explain about the food and ingredients, showing how the local people are cooking and you will get a look inside the traditional Balinese kitchen.
The guest also can get more meals when they would like this with no extra charge. After the lunch you can get a tour in the garden where the wild spices grow which they use for the cooking, spices like chayote, spinach, bean, bamboo shoots, turmeric, galangal, lemon grass and many more.
The price for this unique experience is IDR 125.000 per person.
Cooking Class
There is also the option to take a cooking class, where you prepare five different dishes and learn how to do so, which spices are used, and various other details. This is possible with a group of up to 10 people and costs IDR 390,000 per person. The cooking class takes at least two hours and of course, after the cooking you can eat the food you prepared yourself.
Trekking to Banyumala and Tibuan waterfall
Dek Atha is also a trekking guide and so there is also an option to make a trekking to two waterfalls, Banyumala and the Tibuan waterfall, during this trekking you walk through the coffee fields, the Hortensia plantation and the rain forest around the waterfall.
This trekking costs IDR 350,000 and lasts 2.5 to 3 hours and includes a welcome drink, a bottle of water, entrance ticket to the waterfalls, and an authentic Balinese lunch in a local home.
Pictures above show the Banyumala waterfall and the pictures below the Tibuan waterfall.
When you are looking for a unique experience in nature this is the place to be.
Rundung #Megae 