BUKIT CINTA BALI VIEWPOINT – The incredible Mount Agung sunrise viewpoint
Bukit Cinta is located in the East of Bali and is (one of…) our favorite sunrise viewpoints in Bali. On a clear morning, you will have an incredible view of Mount Agung, the active volcano of Bali. Mount Agung is the highest and holiest peak of the island that stands at 3,031 meters above sea level. The first rays of light shining on the top of the volcano are magical. So if you’re up for an early adventure, you have to go to this amazing Bali viewpoint! In this blog post you will find all the information you need to know about Bukit Cinta Bali, let’s go!
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15 seconds video of Bukit Cinta Bali
Watch this short 15 seconds video of Bukit Cinta Bali to get in impression of the beautiful surroundings. For more Bali aerial videos, check out our Bali by Drone video.
How to get to Bukit Cinta Bali
Bukit Cinta is located in the East of Bali nearby Amed and is easy to reach and find. You don’t have to hike to get to the viewpoint as it is located right next to a local road. If you come from the Canggu – Denpasar region, take into account that you have to drive for about 2 hours before you reach the viewpoint. We highly recommended you to go to Bukit Cinta with sunrise. This part of the day has the highest chance of having a clear sight on the Mount Agung.
Even better is to stay in Amed for a few days. From this little town, known for great diving, it is only a 30 minute drive to Bukit Cinta. While from the South-West of Bali it takes you 2 hours. Not everyone likes to drive for so long in the dark. And Amed, or East Bali in general, is also a very nice area in Bali to explore for a few days. If you download Google Maps offline, it will take you to the right spot. Have a look here to see where the exact viewpoint is located so you’re not driving to the wrong one. Once you arrive at the viewpoint, park your bike by the side of the road and walk towards the tall grass. There is a path in the grass so it’s easy to enter the field. It can be that the grass it cut by a local farmer which will give a different view than the pictures you see in our blog post.
What to expect at Bukit Cinta
Just to clarify the title a bit more; you won’t see the sun at this viewpoint literally rising. Bukit Cinta is best visited with sunrise because then you’ll have the biggest chance of seeing the Mount Agung volcano in clear sight. Later in the morning and during the day, the Mount Agung volcano is most of the time covered in clouds. We’ve been to Bukit Cinta a few times during our 9 months living in Bali. With sunrise, during midday and with sunset, but we can conclude that sunrise is without a doubt the best time to visit Bukit Cinta Bali!
Once you arrive at the viewpoint, you will see a vast stretch of rice fields and the impressive Mount Agung on the horizon. This is the perfect viewpoint to get an impressive photo of a typical Balinese landscape with Mount Agung in the backdrop.
See below an example of a picture we took when we visited Bukit Cinta during midday. Where is Mount Agung? Covered in clouds…
Best tours to explore east Bali
If you want to explore the best of East Bali then it is highly recommended to book your tours in advance. Of course you can also explore the area by yourself if you are comfortable driving a motorbike. But if you book your tour you don’t have to think about anything else, you can just enjoy and take pictures. All of these tours include air conditioned transport with hotel pick up and drop off, certified guides and sometimes also lunch and the entrance fees. You can reserve now and pay later, with cancellation up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund.
- East Bali 2 day tour. Discover the beauty of East Bali during this 2 day tour including a visit to Lempuyang Luhur temple, Tirta Gangga and Taman Ujung water temple, the black sand beaches and a Chocolate Factory visit.
- Snorkeling Trip to the Japanese Shipwreck in Amed. Explore the underwater world and visit the Japanese Shipwreck Point and snorkel in between a variety of reef fish, coral, and other marine life.
- Hike Mount Batur and go diving at WWII shipwreck in Tulamben.
- Lempuyang and Besakih temple tour. Visit some of the best temples that Bali has to offer. Lempuyang temple with the famous view on Mount Agung, the mother temple Besakih, Tirta Gangga water palace and a delicious lunch.
- Beginner’s dive experience in Amed Bali. Learn the basics of scuba diving and take a dive with an instructor in Tulamben Bay on the north-east coast of Bali.
- 3-Day PADI Open Water Diving Course Amed. Get your diving certificate and see the Coral Triangle, an area with the highest biodiversity of marine species near Amed.
- 3 days tour; Hike Mount Batur, explore east Bali, Lempuyang temple, Ubud and Nusa Penida. Get the best of Bali and Nusa Penida during this 3 days tour. Watch the sunrise on Mount Batur, see the best of East Bali, Ubud and visit beautiful Nusa Penida island.
- USAT Liberty Wreck Dive and Tulamben Bay Amed. Explore some of the best dive sites off the north-east coast of Bali and get up close to the USAT Liberty wreck on a dive experience at Tulamben Bay Amed.
- Bali Instagram tour; visit Lempuyang temple, Tirta Gangga, Tukad Cepung waterfall, jungle swimg and rice terraces Ubud
What to prepare for Bukit Cinta
When you make the drive up to Bukit Cinta with a motorbike, be prepared that it can get (very!) cold in the early morning. Wear long pants and put on a warm jacket, you will thank us later. The climate can change a lot in the east of Bali in the mountains. Also make sure you have enough gas in your scooter, there is no big gas station open in the early morning. Bring enough water and some snacks, or go for lunch to one of the restaurants in Amed.
Entrance fee for Bukit Cinta?
There is no entrance fee for Bukit Cinta (yay!) and if you are lucky you will have the spot all for yourself. Of course bring your photo camera and drone, if you have one.
Read here about other impressive viewpoints in Bali
Read here about the best sunrise spots in Bali
Photography tips Bukit Cinta
If you read this blog post because you want to go to this amazing Bali viewpoint, you certainly want a good photo of it! Here some photography tips for you so you’re well prepared to take your best shots at Bukit Cinta Bali. If you want to catch the first light, make sure you arrive around 15 – 30 minutes before sunrise so you will have enough time to set up your gear and find the best spot to shoot. It would be a shame if you drive all the way up to this viewpoint and the best light is already gone!
- If you have a drone, take it with you! You can get an impressive drone shot of the Mount Agung volcano. Read here what the best travel drone is!
- Don’t forget your tripod if you take pictures together with your travel buddy
- Use a high aperture if you want to have the volcano completely in focus. The lower the aperture, the more the volcano will the out of focus
- Frame your photo behind the grass (if it’s high enough), or a banana leaf to create more depth in the picture
- Use ND filters or a polariser when the morning light gets too bright
- Take your pictures a bit underexposed. The light changes quickly in the morning, and you don’t want to overexpose the sky as you might lose the beautiful colors. In post-production you can adjust the shadows to get the colors back
More Mount Agung viewpoints
The area in Karangasem and Sidemen is perfect for views on Mount Agung. So besides Bukit Cinta there are plenty more viewpoints on the biggest volcano of Bali. Below some of our favorite viewpoints on Mount Agung which you can perfectly combine when staying in the east part of Bali.
Lahangan Sweet viewpoint
Lahangan Sweet is an incredible viewpoint on Mount Agung with several photography spots which all have different vantage points. There is a platform which is truly amazing to take pictures of if you’re standing or sitting on it. But there are more bamboo platforms to create some stunning images. Lahangan Sweet is definitely some of the best instagram spots in Bali and offers as well great sunrise as sunset views.
Read in our complete guide everything about Lahangan Sweet viewpoint
Bukit Dausa
Another great viewpoint on Mount Agung is Bukit Dausa. It is not far away from Bukit Cinta and less popular, so if you’d like to visit the more off the beaten path places then put Bukit Dausa on your list!
Pura Lempuyang temple
Pura Lempuyang Luhur temple is a famous instagram spot in Bali thanks to the stunning gates with view on Mount Agung. Therefore this temple is also known as the ‘Bali Gates of Heaven’. You’ll have the most chance of clear views on Mount Agung in the morning, so that makes Pura Lempuyang another great sunrise viewpoint in Bali.
Read in our complete guide everything you need to know about Pura Lempuyang temple
About the Mount Agung volcano Bali
The Mount Agung volcano is the highest and holiest peak of Bali standing at 3031 meters above sea level. The stratovolcano is still active and has a rich history revolving around Balinese myths and legends. It ia part of the Balinese religion and culture, making it the islands most sacred mountain.
After being asleep for more than 100 years, the Mount Agung Volcano came back to life on February 18th in 1963. It had one of the largest eruptions of the 20th century, causing lots of chaos. This natural disaster had heartbreaking consequences with the many villages that were destroyed and more than 1000 people that lost their lives.
The last eruption of Mount Agung was in 2017 and 2018 when large ash clouds rose to elevations of about 4000 meters! Fears of hot lava blocks, pumice, ash and volcanic gas flows made the Indonesian government decide to evacuate about 100,000 people living within a 10 kilometer radius of the volcano.
Luckily the Mount Agung is mostly quiet ever since, but its activity is closely monitored to protect the people that live nearby.
More Bali travel inspiration
We hope you enjoyed this blog about Bukit Cinta Bali! It is absolutely one of the spots we highly recommend to go for sunrise in Bali.
If you’re looking for more Bali inspiration, then read our other blog posts here:
Hello digitaltravelcouple,
we are always enjoying your info, especially this time about Bukit Cinta (Bali) and the incredible Mount Agung sunrise viewpoint.