Bali - The word is almost guaranteed to evoke a vivid image in people's minds, even among those that have never been there. The place has achieved an almost mythical status. Can any vacation destination possibly live up to such a reputation? Well, maybe.
For the geographically challenged, Bali is an island less than 100 miles long and 50 miles wide, and is one of more than 10,000 islands that make up Indonesia. The country went through some rough years, with the economic downturn of 1997 and the political upheaval that followed, which resulted in a massive decline in tourist arrivals to Indonesia as a whole. Thanks mostly to the geographic ignorance of so many travelers who didn't know Bali is in Indonesia; the island's tourism business hadn't suffered too much. However, in the wake of the bombings in 2002 and again in 2005, arrivals went down seriously, but by early 2010, even in the wake of the global economic downturn, Bali's value-for-money was garnering an ever-increasing number of visitors, and a renewed interest from developers of new hotel properties.
When planning your trip, you'll definitely want to consider the best time to visit Bali. For any first time visitor to Bali, the first big question is where to stay. The island features a wide array of very different beaches and there are some cultural destinations up on the slopes of the island's volcanoes that should also be considered. See our Bali Basics overview for help deciding where to base yourself for your stay. Then check out our list of the main tourists sights for an idea of what to see and do, away from the beach.
Note: Visitors should be aware of the Balinese New Year (Nyepi), which occurs sometime between mid-March and late April. Nyepi is a day of silence, when restaurants are closed, taxis are off the streets, and people are supposed to remain indoors. Note especially that the airport is closed on Nyepi. There are no scheduled arrivals or departures on the day.
Although we're not generally ones for hauling guidbooks along with us on trips, we did it for our first trip to Bali and were glad we did. The vast array of places and place names, stuck together as they are in the South Bali area, makes a guidebook really useful when trying to answer the inevitable question of “what do we do now?” You can find the current best-sellers at Amazon.
What makes Bali so appealing as a destination is the broad range of experiences on offer. The beaches are the main appeal for most, and there are a wide variety to choose from, depending on the activities you're interested in and your desire for privacy. However, in addition to the beaches there are the cultural centers and pastoral beauty of the volcanic mountains. This makes Bali an ideal destination for those that want a little more than just a beach holiday, but don't want to spend a lot of time (and money) moving around.
One of the main attractions to Bali is that it has something for everyone. Whether its lounging on the beach, surfing, cultural pursuits or mountain scenery, you can find it on Bali. Here's our list of the not-to-be-missed sights.
Tours to many of the sights can be booked through our affiliate Viator. By booking in advance through Viator, you'll be sure to get the tours you want, and you won't be suprised at the cost.
East Bali Map The hills of eastern Bali were once home to some of the most powerful kings of Bali. The few remains of their palaces and playgrounds, such as the Tirta Gangga water palace, give you a glimpse into the Bali that existed before World War II and independence. The area is also home to several of Bali's most important temples, such as the Besakih 'mother temple' and the Goa Lawah bat-cave temple.
Stretching north of the airport on the western facing side of South Bali's long peninsula is a seemingly unending stretch of hotels, bars, restaurants and tourist shops. Tuban, just north of the airport, is the most recently developed of the areas, with some shopping centers and upmarket hotels.
The lines between the various beaches are somewhat blurry and depend, as much as anything, on who you're asking. The stretch of beach along Pantai Kuta road is labeled 'Legian' on many many maps and signs, but I tend to think of it as Kuta, while Legian 'proper' starts at the Legian hotel and runs north.
Far away from the crowds of the southern Bali beaches, on the north side of the island, is the relatively small and undeveloped Lovina beach. Unlike the immensely popular southwest facing beaches around Kuta, there's no pounding surf at Lovina. The sea is extremely calm all the time. Temperatures are also generally warmer than in the south, while the climate is drier.
Although the beach at Lovina is often described as 'black' sand, it's more a dark gray, exactly the color you'd expect from a beach made mostly of volcanic basalt, ground up by the forces of nature.
On the eastern side of Bali's southernmost point is the exclusive resort area of Nusa Dua. This is where you'll find the very expensive five-star all-inclusive resorts such as Club Med and their imitators. The area is generally for those that want a tropical getaway without the hassles of dealing with a foreign culture.
Not far from Ubud, near Goa Gajah, is the impressive Pura Samuan Tiga -- the Temple of the Meeting of the Three. The temple is a popular stop on the way to Ubud, even though its not exactly on the way to Ubud from south Bali.
Meru, thrones and shrines in the inner courtyard. There has been a temple here for at least 1,000 years, but everything you see has been built since 1917, when the temple, along with most of the rest of the island, was leveled by an earthquake.
These days, most people coming to Bali stay around Kuta beach, with its big waves for surfing, big hotels, night life and crowds of people. But Bali is a big island with many beaches, each with its own special character. The first of Bali's beaches to be developed as an international resort destination was Sanur, and you couldn't find a beach that is more the opposite of Kuta.
Sanur lies on the east coast of south Bali, facing the rising sun.
Just north of the frenetically paced Kuta/Legian beach area is the relatively laid back area of Seminyak. While there are plenty of hotels lining the beach, there is relatively little other development, which can make a stay here much more pleasant than some of the other beach areas. Seminyak is perhaps the best place on Bali to stay if you want to laze about in the sun on an uncrowded beach all day, and then have an excellent dinner in a small restaurant in the evening, although some of the restaurants here are so popular, people come from other parts of south Bali to eat here.
In amongst the craggy valleys halfway up the central mountains is Bali's "cultural capital" of Ubud. Although heavily developed as a tourist destination, Ubud retains a more laid-back atmosphere that gives it a less frenetic pace than the beach resorts to the south.
Ubud Area Map Ubud is a sprawling collection of what were once separate villages. Its center is the intersection of two main roads: Monkey Forest Road and Jalan Raya.
Perched high on a cliff over the ocean on Bali's south-western tip is the temple of Ulu Watu. In addition to the fantastic view from the temple, especially at sunset, the temple is famous for its gang of monkeys and perhaps appropriately its Kecak dance performance.
The cliffs and surf north of the Ulu Watu Temple. The temple itself is open only to Hindu worshippers. You can visit the rest of the complex every day.
Bali has the requisite tropical climate to match its location in the tropics. It's worth noting for those in North America and Europe that Bali is south of the equator, so the coolest months are June, July and August, while the hottest months are April and December.
The cool season is also the driest time of year, while December, January and February are the wettest. As in most tropical countries, the rainy season is not necessarily a bad time to visit.
Bali retains its own unique culture, which is probably similar to that of the other islands in the archipelago before the Moslem conversions. Curiously, the Balinese language has no word for 'art' or 'artist.' Art was something everyone did as part of everyday life. Now of course, Bali is something of an 'artists colony' and every other shop in the major tourist areas are galleries.
The traditional crafts of stone sculpture, woodcarving and silversmithing are still very much alive and well represented in the many galleries around the island.
Bali retains its own unique culture, which is probably similar to that of the other islands in the archipelago before the Moslem conversions. Curiously, the Balinese language has no word for 'art' or 'artist.' Art was something everyone did as part of everyday life. Now of course, Bali is something of an 'artists colony' and every other shop in the major tourist areas are galleries.
The traditional crafts of stone sculpture, woodcarving and silversmithing are still very much alive and well represented in the many galleries around the island.
The southern tip of Bali is far and away the most developed area. While there is an almost unbroken string of resort districts stretching north of the airport, each of them has a distinct character, as described below. The "teardrop" south of the airport is a small hill, called the "Bukit" ('Hill' in Indonesian). The Bukit slopes up quickly, and is edged by cliffs on most of its western and southern sides.
