Blimbingsari Village, Jembrana: A Balinese-Style Church in the Melaya Hills

About 120 kilometres from Denpasar, or 3–3.5 hours of driving toward Gilimanuk, there is a village that never appears on lists of popular Bali attractions. Blimbingsari Village sits in the hills of Melaya District, Jembrana Regency, roughly 30 km west of the town of Negara. It is a Balinese Christian community — and it is precisely here that Balinese architecture and custom feel most alive.

A village born from exile

Blimbingsari was founded in 1939, when Balinese who had converted to Christianity were moved by the Dutch colonial government into the forest area of Melaya. Out of that forest grew a settlement they named Blimbingsari, nicknamed "The Promised Land". That story is still felt in the way residents care for their village today.

Gereja Pniel and Gereja Imanuel

• Gereja Pniel in Banjar Blimbingsari — the village icon, with a candi bentar split gate, carved ornamentation and a bale kulkul. There is no cross-topped tower like a European church.
• Gereja Imanuel in Banjar Ambyarsari, the village's second church.
• Services use Balinese traditional dress, the Balinese language, gamelan and Balinese dance; Balinese dishes are served during celebrations.

Beyond the churches: homestays, farms and trekking

Blimbingsari was designated a tourism village and inaugurated as a digital-based tourism village in 2020. Residents run their own homestays, there are cocoa, coffee and fruit gardens, and trekking routes that cross rice fields and the forest edge.

When to come and how to behave

• Sunday morning to see the Balinese-style service; weekdays if you want quiet.
• Modest clothing is required, especially during worship.
• There is no official entrance ticket — visitors customarily leave a voluntary donation.
• Combine it with the nearby Palasari Church & Reservoir and West Bali National Park.

Practical Info & Booking

• Location: Blimbingsari Village, Melaya, Jembrana — View on Google Maps
• Hours & cost: the village is open all day with no official entrance ticket; bring cash for a voluntary donation and for homestay rates agreed directly with the owner.
• How to visit: simply come without a reservation to walk around the village; for an overnight stay or a trek, arrange it with the tourism village managers on site or a local Jembrana tour operator. For Sunday worship, arrive early and ask permission before photographing.
• Social media: search on Instagram
• Access: ±120 km / 3–3.5 hours from Denpasar via the Denpasar–Gilimanuk road, turning toward Melaya and then climbing about 10 km; ±30 km from the town of Negara.

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