Pandanus - the walking trees of Nusa Lembongan

I have always been fascinated by those tall, spindly, almost cactus-like trees with spikey leaves that seem to thrive on Pacific-rim beaches. Those of you who have visited south-east Asia or the Pacific Islands will know what I mean. The Pandanus genus contains approximately 600 species and they can grow up to 20 metres in height.

Typical beach-side Pandanus tectorius trees on Nusa Lembongan.

In Nusa Lembongan, the local Pandanus (p. tectorius)species seems to very much enjoy the beach-side sandy soil and is certainly tolerant of salt spray from the ocean. There is something almost primeval about the way this tree clings to the earth and spreads its spikey canopy. The habit of dropping prop roots from existing branches has resulted in the locals calling this the walking tree. It certainly does sometimes look as if the trees are indeed 'walking'.

A spectacular tangle of Pandanus drop roots - the walking trees

Pandanus makes for a spectacular beach-side flora around the island but especially in the south-western quarter. There are excellent examples in the Devil's Tear, Dream Beach and Sunset Beach areas. The owners of recently completed villas here have tried wherever possible to keep the Pandanus trees - they really do make for a superb component of a landscaped garden on a tropical island.

Pandanus as part of a landscaped waterfront garden on Nusa Lembongan

A fruiting Pandanus tree on Nusa Lembongan

As well as their form, Pandanus trees can be appreciated for the beauty of their reddish orange fruit. I do not know of any human uses of the fruit or flowers but they are an attractive component of the tree and seem to be popular with fruit bats and squirrels. Thoughout Asia and the Pacific islands, the leaves of Pandanus species are widely used for weaving traditional mats and other products. The leaf extract from one particular species (now widely cultivated) is also used as an aromatic flavouring in both savoury and sweet cooking.

So when you visit Nusa Lembongan, take a few moments to appreciate those wonderful, primeval trees.

And perhaps Mr Tolkien was right about Ents after all?

Visitors to Nusa Lembongan doing their bit to save sea turtles

There are few people out there who would not be aware of the threats posed to the various species of marine turtle which grace our oceans in different corners of the world. I am very pleased to report that Nusa Lembongan is participating in a program to help address these threats.

Sunset Beach in Nusa Lembongan - a location for releasing baby turtles to the Indian Ocean

Bail Hai Cruises is running an adopt a turtle cruise programme whereby visitors release a baby Olive Ridley Turtle to the ocean on the Nusa Lembongan. These turtles have been hatched in a supervised facility in neighbouring Bali from eggs collected from beaches in west Bali where scavenging from dogs and other disturbance provide very real threat. All revenue generated from the release programme goes towards:

i. incentivising local villagers in Bali to report incidents of laying turtles so that the eggs can be taken away from areas of danger into the supervised hatchery



ii. education of schoolchildren in Bali about the importance of marine conservation and the role of turtles in that

iii. the administration and improvement of the hatchery

iv. the collection of data for research into turtle populations

This weekend I was lucky enough to witness the release of 15 or so baby turtles on my very favourite Sunset Beach on Nusa Lembongan. Each of the tiny youngsters made it successfully to the ocean and it was great to see the interest from all the participating visitors and the children in particular.

Clearly this is a very worthy programme and one which we would urge all visitors to island to participate in. For just US$10 you can adopt and release a baby turtle. There may be other participants in the scheme but I can certainly recommend Bali Hai Cruises from everything I witnessed this weekend. According to the supervisor they are running multiple release cruises at the moment and more details are available on the Bali Hai Cruises website.

The Jewels of Nusa Lembongan, Part I - Beaches

Dream Beach
Many Lembonganites rate this as their favourite beach and bay on the whole island. Dream beach is a gorgeous spot with an often deserted powdery white sand beach. Be careful with swimming here though as the waves are big and the current can be very strong. Never enter the water close to the rocks at the southern end of the bay. There is a good cafe and bar at the northern end of the bay which is part of Dream Beach Bungalows, the only place to stay in this area and it is right on the beach. A visit to Dream Beach, perhaps to spend a lazy day, is highly recommended.

Mushroom Bay
Quaint Mushroom Bay is home to the established Nusa Lembongan Resort and the Bali Hai Tide Huts. This is a great swimming bay with calm waters and little alfresco cafes along the beach to while away lazy afternoons. Mushroom Bay is also the centre for most watersports activities on the island. Visitors wishing to get away from the busier Jungut Batu and discover the rugged untamed coastline of the west coast will generally arrange to come into Mushroom Bay by boat directly from Sanur in Bali. Day trips from Sanur are feasible.

Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach lies almost equi-distant between Dream Beach and Mushroom Bay. The white sand beach here makes for a quite stunning setting with spectacular, crashing waves. It is not a beach for swimming though and please do not try. A simple beachfront cafe has recently opened at Sunset Beach and is a perfect starting spot for exploring on foot the spectacular western coastline. To the south is Devil's Tear and Dream Beach and to north the rugged cliffscape of Cap De Blanc. This area has recently become the "in place" for lovers of Nusa Lembongan to build sophisticated holiday homes and when you visit there it is easy to see why. As you might imagine from the name, the Sunset Beach area is a great spot for viewing the spectacular Nusa Lembongan sunsets.

Photos: kindly provided by BPC, copyright@Bali Property Consultancy