Amed

Amed is not one village but a run of them along about fourteen kilometres of the north-east Bali coast - Jemeluk, Bunutan, Lipah, Selang and others - on a stretch that is dry, rocky and volcanic, in Agung's rain shadow, with black sand and steep beaches. The economy was fishing and salt: jukung, the outrigger canoes, go out before dawn and return in the morning, and salt is still made in the traditional Balinese way by pouring seawater over sand, drying it, filtering the brine and evaporating it in hollowed palm trunks, an operation you can watch on the beach. Diving and snorkelling from the shore over coral slopes and a Japanese wreck at Banyuning brought the guesthouses. It is quieter and much cheaper than the south of the island.

What you actually see

• Traditional salt making - seawater over sand, brine evaporated in palm trunks.
• Jukung fishing - the outriggers going out before dawn along the coast.
• Shore diving - coral slopes and a Japanese wreck entered from the beach.
• A dry volcanic coast - black sand in Agung's rain shadow.

When to go

April to October. Three days.

Honest expectations

Beaches are black stone and steep, not soft sand. It is hot and dry with little shade. The villages are strung along a narrow winding road. Facilities are simple and nightlife is minimal.

Nearby

Tulamben and the Liberty wreck are north; Lempuyang and Amlapura are south.