BALI

1. Finding bali

2. Some sights to behold

3. Getting there

4. Destinations

5. What to do

6. Getting around

7. Accomodations

Bali, a.k.a the island of the Gods. Who hasn’t heard of it? It is well known around the world as one of the go to destinations to visit at least once in your life. And for many it will lead to probably more visits then just one. Some would also call it the last paradise on earth. That might be a bit far fetched, but I can definitely say that it comes very close. There is a reason of course why I have been to Bali 5 times already.

Bali is part of the many islands that all together form Indonesia. It lies in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Right in-between the islands Java and Lombok. And right next to Bali you have the 3 smaller islands Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida. Which are also part of Bali.

Getting to Bali

There are 2 ways to get to Bali:

The first is by airplane. The Bali airport, named Ngurah Rai airport, is an excellent airport with a hub for international and domestic flights. It is located south of the island. Just below Denpasar. The capital city of Bali.

By boat (west side). There are several ports from which you can enter Bali by boat. If you are coming from Java, on the west side of Bali, you will most likely be taking the ferry from Ketapang on Java, to Gilimanuk on Bali. This ferry leaves 24 hours a day every 15-20 minutes. Taking you about 45 minutes to get across.

By boat (east side). If you are arriving on the east side of Bali, from the Lombok direction (including the Gili islands and Nusa Lembongan/ Ceningan/ Penida) You will most likely arrive by a so called fast boat ferry. Which you will have to book yourself at one of the many fast boat ferry companies. This can be done online or at any of the ports. Different companies sail different routes. So where you will arrive on Bali depends on which company you choose, and from which neighboring island you are coming from. The most common arrival ports are:

Amed:

Padang Bai:

Sanur Harbor:

And Serangan Harbor:

So choose the ferry that sails to the port closest to your destination.

Destinations

Bali is an amazing place, with a fast amount of wonderful destinations to visit. If you are travelling internationally, you will most likely arrive at Ngurah Rai airport. Which is located in the most dense populated part of Bali. Right next to the capital city of Denpasar.

Around this area is where you have most of the neighborhoods where most of the tourists reside. You have Kuta right above the airport. Which is more of a party and shopping neighborhood. Renown for a lot of partying Australians, a lot of traffic and some great shopping malls.

A little further north lies Seminyak. Which is a place that is bit more jet set. With more villa accommodations, beach clubs and trendy restaurants. And it is as such also a bit more expensive than other parts around it.

Then you also have Canggu right next it. It is a nice place to visit, but it is a bit overhyped with western trendsetters. It does nonetheless have a lot of great restaurants. And it is the perfect place to learn how to surf.

Then on the south side of the airport you have the South Kuta Peninsula. Which has places like Jimbaran, Uluwata, Ungasan and Nusa Dua. And in those places you will find most of the absolutely gorgeous beaches Bali has to offer.

On the east side of Denpasar you also have Sanur. Which is a more laid back neighborhood. A bit more family friendly, and less focused on drinking and partying. But it still has all the great amenities like beautiful beaches and great restaurants.

Travelling a bit further up north you will find Ubud. Which is often classed as the cultural capital of Bali. It is located in the jungle, with beautiful jungle scenery (like the Campuhan ridge walk seen below) and rice fields all around it.

But if you travel even further away from the more crowded and touristy parts, you can find places like the coastal area Amed all the way to the east. Which is surrounded by amazing cultural sights, a huge volcano and lush green rice field sceneries.

Travelling all the way up north you can find the coastal area Lovina. Known for its dolphin spotting tours.

And everywhere in-between, from coast to coast, you can find little villages, beautiful rice fields, temples, mountain areas, jungles, waterfalls. You name it.

And often people also combine a visit to Bali with some of the smaller islands right next to it. Nearest are the 3 islands known as Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida. Of which Nusa Penida is the largest and definitely the most up and coming destination. As it holds some of the most breathtaking nature sceneries you can find. Like the Kelingking beach T-rex cliffside. Very much beloved by tourists to make some Instagram pictures.

If you go a little further away. You can go and visit the Gili Islands. these 3 small islands are officially part of Lombok, but are often visited by tourists travelling from Bali. They are 3 small beautiful tropical islands. Going by the names Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan (a.k.a Gili T.) And all islands have no motorized traffic. It is very serene, with the most beautiful beaches and crystal clear water. And also perfect for snorkeling and diving. It is highly likely that you will spot a turtle or two, just by walking into the water from the beach.

So as you see, there are many different locations you can visit in Bali. But in my travels around Bali, and therefore in the sights I will be showing you here, I want to show you more than the standard locations most tourist will visit.

I also wanted to cover a lot more than you are probably able to see in a 2 or 3 week trip. Some of the locations I visited are popular destinations, and some are still more hidden gems. So I hope you will enjoy the sight I will share with you from Bali.

What to do

There are so many thing to do when you are in Bali. And the following is just a little excerpt of the tons of things to do:

Definitely go and visit one of the amazing beaches. You can find the best ones in the South Kuta Peninsula. But also along the coast from Kuta all the way up to Canggu, you can find great beaches to spend the day. And almost all of the beaches (especially the ones in Canggu and Uluwatu) are great for surfing.

If you are a lover of food, you are in the right place. The amazing Indonesian cuisine can be found everywhere over the island. The warungs (which are the local restaurants) serve amazing dishes like mie goreng, sate and nasi campur as much as you like. And especially if you are near Ubud, I can recommend you to go and visit one of the homestay warungs, and enjoy one of their delicious home cooked meals. Or join one of their cooking classes to learn how to make it yourself.

And if you are not really up for Indonesian food, you can literally find restaurants with cuisines from all over the world in all the popular neighborhoods.

If you want to see more nature, you can head more inland. You will be able to find amazing looking jungle views and rice fields everywhere. Especially in places like Jatiluwih, Tegalalang, Sidemen and the Amed area.

Also when you head more into the mountainous area, you will be able to come across large jungle area’s and many waterfalls. Although most of the waterfalls are a bit more difficult to reach. As they will require going up and down a lot of steps. But nonetheless there is so much to see in Bali.

Do a day tour. There are so many tours organized to go and see places like the rice fields, the waterfalls, temples and the volcanos. But you can also go on hiking tours, downhill cycling tours, rafting, driving quads and many more. You can easily find and book tours at your accommodation. Or at the tourist stalls that you can find everywhere on the streets in the more touristy neighborhoods.

Get a driver for a day. If you like some more privacy and some more flexibility, you can rent a driver for a day. These drivers are normally offering their services in front of the larger hotels and accommodations. Renting one will cost you somewhere around 500k IDR. They will then offer you to pick around 4 to 5 destination from their list. Which you can then visit in a day. They will pick you up early in the morning, probably somewhere between 7:00-8:00, and drop you off back at your accommodation around 17:00 or 18:00 or so. Just in time for dinner. You will be able to spend at least an hour or maybe more at each destination. A great way to see many sights in a day and don’t have to worry about transport and timing.

Go exploring yourself. If you like your flexibility and you are a bit adventurous, then the best thing to do is rent a motorbike and go and explore the island like that. It is the way I did it. And it was absolutely amazing. You can drive towards wherever you want, stop wherever you want, and take in all the amazing sights you will come across on your drive around the island. The Bali traffic can be very hectic, and renting a motorbike is therefore not for the faint-hearted. But if you have a motorcycle license and enough experience driving on the left side of the road. Then don’t miss out on making such a touring adventure.

Getting around

There are several ways to get yourself around town in Bali. But as as a tourist it will predominantly be 2 modes of transport. Renting a motorbike or taking a taxi. There isn’t really any public transport, except for a few buses here and there. But those are mostly used by locals. I also wouldn’t recommend walking at most places. It is often more dangerous then riding a motorbike. There often isn’t a sidewalk. And if there is a sidewalk, there are often dangerously deep holes in them that can be around 40-50 cm cm deep. Because often the water drainage runs open underneath the sidewalks. You’ll won’t be the first tourist getting seriously injured that way.

Accommodations

When it comes to accommodations, there is more then plenty to choose from. You can make things as expensive or luxurious as you want. At most tourist destinations you have a wide range of options.

You can have accommodations like homestays from maybe 10-30 euro per night. Where you rent something which is similar to a studio. But it is part of a locals home.

Or you can get a hotel in all ranges. From cheaper hotels for something like 15 euro’s per night, all the way up to 5 star luxury resort rooms. Where you might pay 150 euro per night.

And if you want to go all out, you can even rent your own villa. And these also come in all ranges. From one bedroom villas for maybe 50 euro per night. All the way up to like 10 bedroom villa’s with large luxury pools and amazing cliffside views. Where you can stay with all your friends and family. But it might set you back several hundreds of euro’s per night.

But one tip that I want to mention, is that it is often the case for all of these different types of accommodation, that there is a day price, a week price and a month price. And for some (especially for villa’s) a year price. Where the longer you book an accommodation, the cheaper the price will get. In the end this could maybe even save you like 50-60 percent in price per day. If you book something for example for a month instead of a day. But also with week prices. Where I for example stayed at a 4 star hotel for 7 nights for the price of 5. And honestly, it only cost me 120 euro’s for the whole week. So you can find amazing deal.

I would just recommend to look on Booking.com or Agoda for amazing hotel deals. You can also go on Airbnb to find more villa and homestay accommodations. Or if you are looking for a long term rental for a villa, something like Facebook groups for Bali villa rentals, is a good place to start.

But also be aware, that prices for accommodations are very season dependent. With periods in-between June up to August , and December being the high season. With prices often fluctuating significantly if booked in advance in those periods.