The name of Tista Village was derived from the word “Ngetis” which in Balinese means resting or a place to rest. According to a local legend, a prince wandered around this village looking for a piece of land to build his castle. In his journey, he crossed mountainous areas with hilly terrain and tributaries, until finally, he met a monk who gave him instructions to continue his journey toward the south. After he arrived at the suggested location, he thought the area was not good enough because of the condition of the land is too bumpy. The Prince then continued his journey toward the north, hoping he would find the right place to establish his palace until finally, he arrived at the area which is now called as Kerambitan.

One day some areas in Bali was hit by a serious problem which made many residents decided to go to Kerambitan seeking for protection. By the king’s son, the people who came in his new castle at that time were ordered to find a place to rest on the west side of the Lating River. Until then, since then the west area of the Lating river is called as Tista (rest area). Due to more and more migrants from various other parts of Bali decided to live in this area, so this small rest area was started to change became a residential area / small village which is still called as Tista Village until today. There are four Banjars (local community councils) belong to Tista villages: Banjar Dangin Pangkung, Banjar Dauh Pangkung, Banjar Carik and Banjar Lebah.

As a tourist village, Tista Village offers a wide variety of tour packages including

• village trekking packages with workshop activities in the blacksmith village,
• ploughing rice fields,
• playing rindi instruments (traditional musical instruments similar to gamelan but made from bamboo).

Yoga package is also available with activities includes a yoga sessions held in the village hall (bale), cooking class with vegetarian menu along with traditional drinks and snacks.. Another package is the Andir Dance class package, which includes a session of dance class led directly by a professional dance instructor and costumes rental consist of kamen (Balinese sarong), scarves, and also kepet (traditional Balinese fan).

“Pinge” Village name according to residents means “White”. Formerly at Natar Jemeng temple (one of the village temples which is also known as the historical and religious relics), there is a very large white chrysanthemum tree. That is why The Banjar (local community council) where the Natar Jemeng Temple located was then called “Banjar Pinge”.

Pinge village is located in Marga-Tabanan Region. It has colder fresh air compared to the south area of Bali, as it stays on the altitude 500 meters above sea level. Pinge Village is 34 kilometres away from Denpasar City Center and can be reached by driving a car or motorbike for about 1.5 hours.

Some tourist agencies offer Tabanan regency tour packages with the route Denpasar – Bedugul – Pacung Village T-junction – Jati Luwih – Yeh Panes – Pinge-Tabanan Tourism Village – Alas Kedaton.

Pinge Village has a large rice field area with a very beautiful view, along with a temple in the rice field complex called Pura Beji, the environment around the temple is very quiet and serene. Many tourists and also yoga enthusiasts, often do meditation activities in this temple. Other activities can be tried by tourists who come to Pinge Village are watching directly the farmers who are ploughing the fields, preparing the seeds, planting rice seeds, reaping and putting rice stalks in the barn.

Supporting facilities for tourism in Pinge Tourism Village include; saung/ bale a traditional resting place designed like an open pavilion with the roof made of dried straws, information centres and tour guides. Tourists who want to enjoy the natural atmosphere of the countryside for longer period of times can stay in some traditional houses in the village.

Nyambu Village is located in Kediri-Tabanan, just about 20 km from Denpasar City Center. This village is so unique although its location is not so far from the city, but the atmosphere seems so quiet and serene, not much touched by modernization like the city. There are a lot of free lands used to grow crops and rice all over the village, even more, 50% of the villages are rice field. On April 29, 2016, Nyambu Village was inaugurated as Ecological Tourism Village by the Regent of Tabanan, Ni Putu Eka Wiryastuti.

Nyambu village offers tour package options that include tours of agricultural history, local history, and religious tour. In this small village, we can find 67 temples that are designed beautifully and traditionally by the predecessors in the days of Ancient Bali.

There are two activities in Nyambu Village that we can join during our visit. The first activity is called “Susur Sawah”. Visitors are invited to do trekking on two kilometres rice field while learning about the mechanism of rice fields in Bali. They were then followed by the second activity, Susur Budaya, where visitors are invited to join the local while doing their everyday life like cooking and religious activities.

One of the most important places in this village is Pura Rsi, which was built hundreds of years ago by a priest who was asked by the people of Hamlet Mundeh & Nyambu Village, to eliminate outbreaks of diseases and disasters that had attacked the region in the past.

Pinggan is one of the villages located in the northern part of Kintamani. The area is very famous for its stunning view of sunrise and campsites overlooking Mount Batur and highland villages. Every weekend, there are many people, mostly local youngsters come to Pinggan for camping. If you don’t feel like camping, you can also come here for taking pictures with the view of golden sunrise. It is very cold up here, so wearing a jacket and gloves are necessary.

Penglipuran Village is one of the best well-preserved traditional villages in Bali. It is located in the central area of the island, about an hour drive to the north from Ubud. This Village has largely been left to show original structures and building methods. Each family has to leave at least one original building to show tourists how things might have been. Very clean, busy, but not rushed and a great place to see another side of Balinese life. There is also a charming bamboo forest area nearby.

Local community has created several fun activities for tourists to enjoy during their visit, such as cycling, hiking, cooking class and more.

Tenganan is an ancient village, home to Bali natives Bali Aga people. The village is beautiful and photogenic. The villagers still work on their craft as they have done for generations. Items cost a little bit more pricey here but having the opportunity to watch how much skill and patience go into a piece is priceless. The popular products from Tenganan is double-woven textile called ikat. Other souvenirs like traditional calendar, maps and carvings also can be found here. The village was clean and tidy, the people were friendly and not at all pushy.

During an annual event Mekare-kare all men in this village will join on a war-festival by fighting each other on a stage using only rattan shield and prickly pandan leaves as the weapon. The ladies will watch the fight and occasionally chanting few traditional songs by the stage.

Celuk Village is actually an area located along the street of Jalan Raya Celuk near Ubud – Sukawati. It is very famous for its silver & gold handicrafts, in particular jewellery, there are many silver & gold galleries lining on both sides of the road. This is where you will be able to see the silversmiths & goldsmiths in action. However, the workshops are usually beside & outside the shops.

Tourists will be mesmerised with the intricate designs on rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, hairpins & brooches. Prices vary according to the weight & the difficulty levels of the design. Other items such as medals, decorative ornaments & souvenirs are also currently making headway into the global market.

Most of the artists busy at work have been trained since young as it is an art passed down from one generation to the next. Thus, their skills & craftsmanship is of international level.

Some gallery has a silver-class for tourists who want to seriously learn on how to make their own jewellery. The course usually already included with the materials used, booklets and snacks.

Batuan Villages is located in central Bali about 10 kilometres south of Ubud. It is popular for its artworks and handicrafts. Here the painters make beautiful paintings of their culture, god & Goddesses, dancers, demons depicting their culture, religion and history. Some artists have a very nice and old workshops which are very interested to be explored. There is a modern shopping complex nearby, which is an excellent place to shop. It is like a one big huge supermarket where you will get souvenirs to clothes to food items etc. at a reasonable price.

Trunyan Village is one of the most unique attractions in Bali. It is located on the isolated eastern shore of the Lake Batur. The village is accessible by boat only. The funeral rite here is unique, the villagers simply put the dead bodies on the ground, covered by cloth and a bamboo cage, and left to decompose. The banyan tree near the burial ground is thought to keep the corpses from smelling putrid. There are many incidents reported about locals were forcing the tourists to give them some money, thus it is very recommended for you to hire a local guide when visiting this village.