(Source ; balitravels.org) For those traveling by land and ferry from Java to Bali, the regency of Jembrana is where the discovery of Bali begins. The distance between two islands is a mere 4 km. The ferry ports of Ketapang in Java and Gilimanuk in Bali, first opened in the 1970s, have been recently upgraded and can now handle the massive transportation needs between the two islands.
The fate of Bali has been intermingled with that of Java for centuries. It is said that Hinduism was first introduced to Bali in the 5th by a holy man Empu Markandeya, who lived originally on the slopes of Mount Raung, just across the strait. The Majapahit warriors are also thought to have attacked Bali through Jembrana. And in the 16th century, the great Hindu saint Dang Hyang Nirartha First landed in Purancak while fleeing from the court of Blambangan.
The area is heavily forrested, has long been considered a buffer zone between Java and Bali. With the integration of Bali within the Dutch colonial empire, it became increasingly subjected to Javanese and Madurese influences. The area is arguably the most ethnically heterogenous in Bali. Some villages are ethnically mixed, as the Madurese settled along the coast.
The Loloan area is populated by a Malay speaking population of Bugis descent. There are also many Balinese Christians, as part of Jembrana was made into a settlement area for Balinese who converted to Catholicism and Protestanism at the beginning of the century.
The nature scene is no less varied than its culture. Jembrana covers no less than 841 km�, much of which is made up of an uninhabited mountain massif in the North. In the South, the coastline comprises 71 km of beach.
The sand is mostly of volcanic origin, hence black, but there are also beautiful white coral beaches especially in Medewi- and mangrove forest. Southern Jembrana has also some of the most beautiful rice terraces in the island. Roughly half of the territory of Jembrana, mostly in the mountain, is part of the West Bali National Park.
The fate of Bali has been intermingled with that of Java for centuries. It is said that Hinduism was first introduced to Bali in the 5th by a holy man Empu Markandeya, who lived originally on the slopes of Mount Raung, just across the strait. The Majapahit warriors are also thought to have attacked Bali through Jembrana. And in the 16th century, the great Hindu saint Dang Hyang Nirartha First landed in Purancak while fleeing from the court of Blambangan.
The area is heavily forrested, has long been considered a buffer zone between Java and Bali. With the integration of Bali within the Dutch colonial empire, it became increasingly subjected to Javanese and Madurese influences. The area is arguably the most ethnically heterogenous in Bali. Some villages are ethnically mixed, as the Madurese settled along the coast.
The Loloan area is populated by a Malay speaking population of Bugis descent. There are also many Balinese Christians, as part of Jembrana was made into a settlement area for Balinese who converted to Catholicism and Protestanism at the beginning of the century.
The nature scene is no less varied than its culture. Jembrana covers no less than 841 km�, much of which is made up of an uninhabited mountain massif in the North. In the South, the coastline comprises 71 km of beach.
The sand is mostly of volcanic origin, hence black, but there are also beautiful white coral beaches especially in Medewi- and mangrove forest. Southern Jembrana has also some of the most beautiful rice terraces in the island. Roughly half of the territory of Jembrana, mostly in the mountain, is part of the West Bali National Park.
