Dukuh Sibetan Village – Great grandmother of the snakefruit

In and around Dukuh Sibetan

Close to the foot of the majestic and still active Mt Agung, Dukuh Sibetan villagers are only too aware of their precarious existence. When the volcano erupted in 1963, sand and rocks blanketed the village farmlands, making a return to normal agriculture impossible. One of the few crops that were able to survive in these new conditions, however, was salak- the snake fruit, already present in the area for hundreds of years.

Thus, the farmers of Dukuh Sibetan became ‘seed-savers’ and have worked to make their diversity of salak species their specialty. There are now 14 varieties of this strange fruit grown by the Dukuh Sibetan people, ten regarded as rare. The locals have developed a cottage industry making Bali’s only salak wine, sweet and surprisingly tasty!

The village itself is quiet and traditional, blessed with cool, clean air and a feeling of true serenity. A stroll around the village roads offers breathtakingly beautiful vistas of mountains, palm trees, ant-like villages and in the distance, the blue ocean.

Dukuh Sibetan is comprised of and surrounded by, salak gardens and forest, riddled with tiny paths. A beautiful pond, full of stories and mythology, sits at the bottom of a high cliff dripping with vines and spring water. The villagers invite you to try and feel the spirit of the place.