What is the oldest tree in Bali?
Bali's best-known old trees are figs kept by temples and villages. The banyan at Pura Kehen in Bangli, about 45 minutes from Ubud, holds a drum tower in its crown and is said to be at least 400 years old. The Kayu Putih tree behind Pura Babakan near Marga, about an hour from Ubud, is about six metres across at the base, and local estimates put it at 500 to 700 years.
No Indonesian register lists Bali's trees, and none of these has been dated, so every age here is a local or published estimate rather than a measurement. Pura Kehen's figure comes from Wikipedia; the Kayu Putih tree's from a ministry article (more than 500 years) and its caretakers (about 700). The Bali Botanic Garden says its giant fig is more than 100 years old and among its oldest plants. Bunut Bolong in Jembrana, about three hours from Ubud, has no age figure at all, and the Gesing banyan near Munduk rests on travel pages repeating a tradition of 700 years. The species of several is unsettled, so they are entered as Ficus. They are also far apart: Bangli is east of Ubud, Marga and the Bedugul highlands lie north-west, and Bunut Bolong stands on the road from Pekutatan to Singaraja in the far west, so each is a stop by car or scooter. Pura Kehen asks a small donation and a sarong, the Kayu Putih tree takes a donation written in a visitors' book, the botanic garden sells a ticket, and Bunut Bolong stands free beside the public road. Whether the Gesing banyan is open to everyone was not confirmed.
One of Bali's trees also appears in The Oldest Tree in Every City We Map.