Bali District > JEMBRANA

Jembrana

Negara is the capital city of Jembrana , Bali 's westernmost district and where some of Bali 's oldest remains of prehistoric humans have been found. Jembrana also happens to be Bali 's most sparsely populated district. A ruling family related to the Gelgel house was established here in the mid 1400s, but a dispute among its two founders led to civil war and a destruction of the court. For a while the area was considered to be a marginal part of the Badung kingdom, but when a prince from Sulawesi set himself up as ruler of Jembrana in the seventeenth century, he did so with little difficulty. Karangasem nearly took Jembrana in the late 1800s, but was piped at the post by the Dutch, to whom Jembrana surrendered peacefully even before any of the other kingdoms were subdued.

Excellent diving and snorkeling can be found around Pulau Menjangan Island , with the Banyu Wedang hot springs near by on the coast. Catch a ferry to Java at Gilimanuk port. Closed to the district capital of Negara is the temple of Gede Prancak near a waver, while further east the Rambut Siwi complex has magnificent ocean views. A large fishing community has been established at Pengambengan, and there is an excellent surfing beach at Medewi. Cloves are grown on plantation in the foothills around Asah Duren.

As a counterpoint to the cultural wealth of southern Bali , Jembrana's main point of interest is its West Bali National Park and reserve, which encompasses the forests, mountains, and coasts of much of the district. To enter the Park, visitors must obtain a permit at Cekik, A good road provides a pretty, scenic drive from the Gilimanuk end of the park, in the west,, almost all the way to Lovina in Buleleng. It is in the forest that hems this road that the long-extinct Balinese tiger once roamed, and here also the rare white Balinese starling may be sighted.

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