Nearly the whole of west Bali's mountain ridge is conserved as Bali Barat National Park (Taman National Bali Barat), a 760-square kilometre area of wooded slopes, savannah, rainforest, mangrove swamp and coastal flats, which is home to a range of small animals and approximately 160 species of bird - including the elusive and endangered Bali starling, Bali's one true endemic creature. This was also once the province of the Bali tiger, but the last one was shot here in the 1930s.

Although over ninety percent of the parkland is out of bounds to visitors, there are a few trails kept open to the public. The two most rewarding are described below; The Tegal Bunder trail is better for stationary bird-watching and animal-spotting, while the Gunung Klatakan trail is a longer hike through more interesting terrain. Pulau Menjangan, or Deer Island, off the north coast and accesible from the park, is another worthwhile destination, particularly for divers and snorkellers. There's also a two-hour walk around Teluk Terima, which takes you through monsoon forest and coastal flats fairly similar to those at Tegal Bunder. The more taxing five-hour hike up the slopes of Gunung Bakingan and back down again follows a river course for part of the way, and traverses tropical rainforest similar to that on Gunung Klatakan, with sightings of hornbills fairly likely.

All dark green Ubung (Denpasar)-Gilimanuk bemos pass the national park headquarters at Cekik, as do all dark red Singaraja-Gilimanuk bemos - get out at the sign announcing "Taman National Bali Barat". These bemo routes also make access to trail heads a bit easier: The Gilimanuk-Denpasar road skirts the southern edge of the park, while the Gilimanuk-Singaraja road zips through the middle of Bali Barat, dividing the Prapat Agung peninsula in the northwest from the mountainous ridge further east.