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Bali, Indonesia, top 10 things to do (Wimup travel guide)
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Video guide · 39:21
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Top 10AsiaIndonesia

Top 10 Things To Do in Bali

Country
Indonesia
Best months
May · Jun · Sep
Population
4.4M
Language
Indonesian & Balinese
Budget / day
$50–120
Quick answer

The best things to do in Bali are watching the Kecak at Uluwatu Temple as the sun drops, climbing Mount Batur for sunrise, walking the UNESCO-listed rice terraces at Jatiluwih and taking the fast boat to Nusa Penida. Give the island seven to ten days, come in the dry season between May and September, and pay the 150,000 rupiah tourist levy on the official Love Bali site before you land.

Best of Bali

▶ Video guideOpen the film page (39:21) →

Bali is one island of 5,780 square kilometres wearing four personalities at once. The south is surf breaks and beach clubs, the centre is rice terraces and temples, the east and north hold the volcanoes and the diving, and the Nusa islands sit forty minutes offshore by fast boat.

The 10 best things to do in Bali

Watch the Kecak at Uluwatu Temple, Bali, Indonesia
1

Watch the Kecak at Uluwatu Temple

Temple· Pura Luhur Uluwatu, Pecatu, South Kuta, Badung Regency

The temple stands on a limestone headland roughly 70 metres above the Indian Ocean, and the Balinese count it among the six sanctuaries held to keep the island in balance. Come for the last hour of light. The amphitheatre beside it stages the Kecak, a Ramayana retelling chanted by a seated chorus with no instruments.

Time2–3 hrs
CostTemple entry
Best atSunset
TipZip your bag, the macaques are practised
Map
Climb Mount Batur for sunrise, Bali, Indonesia
2

Climb Mount Batur for sunrise

Volcano· Toya Bungkah, Kintamani, Bangli Regency

Batur tops out at 1,717 metres inside a far older caldera, so the standard route is about 400 metres of climbing rather than the epic the photographs suggest. Groups leave the trailhead before dawn and reach the rim in roughly two hours, above the cloud with Lake Batur on one side and Agung on the other. A registered local guide is required, and enforced.

Time6–7 hrs door to door
CostGuided trek, ticketed
Best atPre-dawn
TipBring a fleece, the rim is cold
Map
Walk the Jatiluwih rice terraces, Bali, Indonesia
3

Walk the Jatiluwih rice terraces

Landscape· Jatiluwih, Penebel, Tabanan Regency

Tegallalang is closer to Ubud and busier for it. Jatiluwih is the one UNESCO listed, part of the cultural landscape built on subak, the farmer-run irrigation cooperatives that have divided this water since the ninth century. Marked loops run from the ticket gate, from twenty minutes to a couple of hours, past the water temples that decide who irrigates when.

Time2–3 hrs
CostTicketed, vehicle fee extra
Best atMorning
TipTake the longer green loop
Map↗ Website
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
4

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Ubud

Nature reserve· Jl. Monkey Forest, Padangtegal, Ubud, Gianyar Regency

Twelve and a half hectares of banyan forest in the middle of Ubud, owned by the village of Padangtegal, holding three fourteenth-century temples and well over a thousand macaques. It works as a conservation site rather than a zoo: the paths are the monkeys' territory. The rules are not decorative. No food in hands or pockets, no sunglasses on your head.

Time1–2 hrs
CostTicketed at the gate
Best atOpening hour
TipLeave the loose earrings at the hotel
Map↗ Website
Tanah Lot at low tide, Bali, Indonesia
5

Tanah Lot at low tide

Temple· Beraban, Kediri, Tabanan Regency

A small temple on a rock offshore, cut off at high water and reachable across the reef when the tide drops. Only Balinese Hindus go up into the sanctuary; everyone else walks the base, where a spring under the rock is used for blessings. Check a tide table before the drive: the difference is a couple of hours of water.

Time2 hrs
CostTicketed, parking extra
Best atLow tide near sunset
TipCliff path north for the wide view
Map↗ Website
Look down on Kelingking Beach, Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia
6

Look down on Kelingking Beach, Nusa Penida

Viewpoint· Bunga Mekar, Nusa Penida, Klungkung Regency

The headland that reads as a dinosaur in every photograph of Indonesia, an hour across the strait from Sanur and another hour of hard road once you land. The viewpoint is free and costs only parking. The descent is a roughly 100-metre scramble down rope-assisted steps, steeper than it photographs. Swimming at the bottom is forbidden, and the currents are why.

TimeFull day from Bali
CostFree, parking only
Best atEarly morning
TipBook the first fast boat out
Map
Bathe in the spring at Tirta Empul, Bali, Indonesia
7

Bathe in the spring at Tirta Empul

Temple· Manukaya, Tampaksiring, Gianyar Regency

A spring temple founded in the tenth century where Balinese Hindus perform melukat, a purification that works through a line of stone spouts in a bathing pool. Visitors may join, in a sarong, moving from the left and skipping the two reserved for funeral rites. Go at opening or leave it: the queue is the difference between a ritual and a photograph.

Time1–2 hrs
CostTicketed, sarong included
Best atFirst hour
TipDry clothes in a bag, lockers are small
Map
Dive the USAT Liberty wreck at Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia
8

Dive the USAT Liberty wreck at Tulamben

Dive site· Tulamben, Kubu, Karangasem Regency

A 120-metre US Army transport, torpedoed in 1942 and pushed off the beach by the 1963 eruption of Agung, now lying on its side 25 metres from the black stones of Tulamben. It is a shore dive: you walk in. The hull runs from three metres down to nearly thirty, so a snorkeller and a technical diver can share it. Go on the first slot of the morning.

TimeHalf day
CostDive shop rates
Best at06:00 to 08:00
TipBooties, the entry is loose cobbles
Map
Trek down to Sekumpul Waterfall, Bali, Indonesia
9

Trek down to Sekumpul Waterfall

Waterfall· Sekumpul, Sawan, Buleleng Regency

Seven separate streams dropping into one canyon in the north, three hours from the southern beaches and worth the day it costs. The upper viewpoint is a short walk from the ticket desk; the base takes a guided descent of several hundred steps and a river wade. Local guides run the trail and the tiers are priced separately, so decide before you pay.

Time4–5 hrs on site
CostTiered: viewpoint
Best atMorning
TipShoes you can soak, not sandals
Map
10

Spend a day at Waterbom Bali

Water park· Jl. Kartika Plaza, Tuban, Kuta, Badung Regency

The one attraction in Kuta that consistently over-delivers, and the obvious answer to a day with children or a day after a night out. Slides run through 3.8 hectares of mature garden rather than concrete, and the park has built its reputation on the landscaping and the waste record as much as the rides. Open every day from 09:00 to 18:00, public holidays included.

TimeHalf to full day
CostTicketed, lockers extra
Best atWeekday morning
TipReef-safe sunscreen, the rest is banned
Map↗ Website

All 10, mapped

Bali · 10 spots
AllTemplesNatureBeach & waterFree

Bali travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Bali?+
Seven to ten. That covers three or four nights in the south for the beaches and the cliffs, three in Ubud for the temples and terraces, and one long day for either Nusa Penida or the volcanoes and waterfalls in the north. Five days works if you drop one of those three.
What is the best time of year to visit Bali?+
May, June and September. They sit inside the dry season without the July and August crowds and prices. The wet season runs roughly November to March, which means afternoon downpours rather than washed-out days, and it is when the evening Kecak at Uluwatu is most often moved or cancelled.
Do you have to pay the Bali tourist levy?+
Yes, if you are a foreign visitor. It is 150,000 rupiah per person per visit, paid on the official Love Bali site or at the airport, and it produces a QR voucher. Pay only on the government domain ending .go.id: lookalike sites charge double. Indonesian nationals are exempt, and the charge is per visit rather than per night.
How do you get around Bali?+
Hire a driver for the long days and use ride-hailing apps for short hops. There is no rail network and distances take far longer than the map suggests, so the north coast or the west is a full day either way. Scooters are cheap and everywhere, but they need a licence that covers them and the traffic is not forgiving.
Do you need a visa for Bali?+
Most Western passport holders buy a tourist visa on arrival at Ngurah Rai, valid for 30 days and extendable once, and the same visa can be bought online before departure. Indonesia renumbered its visa categories recently, so check the current index for your nationality on the official immigration site rather than on a travel blog.
Temples

Best temples in Bali

Six that are worth arranging a day around, from the cliff edge to the lake.
Pura Luhur Uluwatu
Sunset
Pecatu, Badung

Pura Luhur Uluwatu

Sea temple · Kecak nightly

The cliff temple, and the one to see last thing in the day. The sunset Kecak in the amphitheatre next door is the reason most people come twice.

Map
Tanah Lot
Icon
Beraban, Tabanan

Tanah Lot

Sea temple · Tide-dependent

Offshore on its own rock, reachable across the reef at low water and photographed from the cliff path the rest of the time.

Map↗ Website
Pura Besakih
Half day
Rendang, Karangasem

Pura Besakih

Mother Temple · 1,000 m

Twenty-three linked temples climbing the southwest slope of Mount Agung, the holiest site on the island. Take an official guide from the entrance.

Map
Tirta Empul
Ritual
Tampaksiring, Gianyar

Tirta Empul

Spring temple · Melukat

A tenth-century spring where Balinese Hindus purify under a row of stone spouts. Visitors can join in a sarong, best in the first hour after opening.

Map
Pura Ulun Danu Beratan
On the note
Bedugul, Tabanan

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan

Lake temple · 1,200 m

The thatched shrine on Lake Beratan that ended up on the 50,000 rupiah note. Cool, often misty, and an easy pairing with the northern waterfalls.

Map
Pura Taman Ayun
UNESCO
Mengwi, Badung

Pura Taman Ayun

Royal temple · Moated

The garden temple of the old Mengwi kingdom, ringed by a moat and listed by UNESCO as part of the subak cultural landscape. Quiet, and twenty minutes off the Ubud road.

Map
Beaches

Best beaches in Bali

The south for surf and sand, the east for black volcanic shore and calm water.
Padang Padang
Surf
Pecatu, Badung

Padang Padang

Surf · Small cove

Reached down a staircase through a cleft in the rock, which is half the appeal. A serious reef break offshore, a short strip of sand below.

Map
Bingin
Sunset
Pecatu, Badung

Bingin

Surf · Cliffside

Warungs stacked down the cliff and a fast left over shallow reef. Steps down, steps back up, and no road access to the sand.

Map
Balangan
Views
Jimbaran, Badung

Balangan

Surf · Long sand

A wide golden stretch under low cliffs with one of the better viewpoints on the Bukit peninsula, and enough room to avoid everyone else.

Map
Sanur
Families
Sanur, Denpasar

Sanur

Swim · Reef-protected

East-facing, so it gets the sunrise, and protected by a reef that keeps the water flat. A paved beachfront path runs several kilometres of it.

Map
Nusa Dua
Calm water
Nusa Dua, Badung

Nusa Dua

Swim · Lifeguarded

The calmest swimming on the island: reef-protected water, lifeguards, and facilities built around the resort strip.

Map
Amed
Diving
Amed, Karangasem

Amed

Snorkel · Black sand

Volcanic sand and a shore reef on the east coast, with outrigger jukung pulled up on the beach and Agung behind them.

Map
Where to eat

Best restaurants in Bali

Six kitchens worth booking, from foraged tasting menus to a dessert bar with no main course.
Asia's 50 Best
Lodtunduh, Ubud

Locavore NXT

Tasting menu · $$$$

The forage-to-table successor to Locavore, in a village south of Ubud, and the highest-ranked Bali restaurant on Asia's 50 Best. Book well ahead.

Map
Institution
Ubud, Gianyar

Mozaic

French-Balinese · $$$$

Chris Salans has run this garden dining room for two decades and it remains the reference point for fine dining in Ubud.

Map↗ Website
Design
Kerobokan Kelod, Seminyak

Merah Putih

Indonesian · $$$

Archipelago cooking under a soaring concrete-and-glass roof. The best argument on the island that Indonesian food belongs at this price.

Map↗ Website
Desserts only
Ubud, Gianyar

Room4Dessert

Dessert bar · $$$

Will Goldfarb's dessert-only degustation with cocktails paired through it. Nothing else in Bali is structured like it.

Map
Open fire
Seminyak, Badung

Sangsaka

Wood fire · $$$

Indonesian dishes cooked over open flame and coals, small menu, loud room. The counter seats are the ones to ask for.

Map
Beachfront
Nusa Dua, Badung

Kayuputi

Pan-Asian · $$$$

The formal beachfront room at the St. Regis, and the south's answer to the Ubud tasting menus. Lunch is the quieter booking.

Map
Beach clubs

Best beach clubs in Bali

Five that justify the day rate, spread across Seminyak, Canggu and the Uluwatu cliffs.
The original
Petitenget, Seminyak

Desa Potato Head

Beach club · Day beds

The one that set the template, built from reclaimed shutters on Petitenget beach and now a village of restaurants, a hotel and a music programme.

Map↗ Website
Big nights
Berawa, Canggu

FINNS Beach Club

Beach club · Pools

The biggest operation in Canggu, with pools, slides and a sunset DJ line-up. Loud by design and organised for it.

Map↗ Website
Sunset
Uluwatu, Pecatu

Single Fin

Cliff bar · Surf view

Perched on the cliff over the Uluwatu break since 2008, which makes it the sunset spot on the Bukit. Sundays are the busy ones.

Map↗ Website
Relaxed
Echo Beach, Canggu

La Brisa

Beach club · Driftwood

Built out of reclaimed fishing boats on Echo Beach, more shade and hammock than dance floor, and the calmest of the Canggu clubs.

Map↗ Website
Big DJs
Ungasan, Badung

Savaya

Club · Clifftop

A hundred metres above the Indian Ocean on the Bukit cliffs, and the island's main stage for touring electronic acts.

Map↗ Website
Spas and wellness

Best spas and wellness in Bali

Four addresses that carry Bali's wellness reputation, from a bamboo retreat to a village massage house.
The Yoga Barn
Drop-in
Ubud, Gianyar

The Yoga Barn

Yoga · Daily classes

The centre of gravity for yoga in Ubud, with a full daily timetable, sound healings and teacher training, open to drop-ins.

Map↗ Website
Multi-night
Mambal, Badung

Fivelements Retreat

Retreat · Riverside

Bamboo pavilions on the Ayung river running plant-based food, Balinese healing rituals and multi-night programmes.

Map↗ Website
Walk-in
Campuhan Ridge, Ubud

Karsa Spa

Massage · Rice field

Open-sided rooms at the end of the Campuhan ridge walk, looking over rice fields and a lotus pond. Balinese massage at village prices.

Map
Serious
Begawan, Gianyar

COMO Shambhala Estate

Wellness estate · Residential

A residential wellness estate above the Ayung gorge, with resident practitioners and programmes measured in weeks rather than hours.

Map
Waterfalls

Best waterfalls in Bali

Four, from a full day in the north to an hour out of Ubud.
Best
Sawan, Buleleng

Sekumpul

North Bali · Guided descent

Seven streams into one canyon, the best of them on the island. Viewpoint, guided descent to the base, or the longer circuit taking in the neighbouring falls.

Map
Light beam
Tembuku, Bangli

Tukad Cepung

Central · Cave light

Falls into a cave mouth, so the appeal is the shaft of light that lands on the water mid-morning. Twenty minutes of walking from the car park.

Map
Swim
Wanagiri, Buleleng

Banyumala Twin

North · Swimmable

Two streams over a rock face draped in ferns into a deep, clear pool. The best swim of the four and a steep set of steps to reach it.

Map
Tegenungan
Closest
Blahbatuh, Gianyar

Tegenungan

Central · Easy access

The closest to Ubud, wide rather than tall, and the busiest for exactly that reason. Worth it early or as a stop rather than a destination.

Map
Day trips

Best day trips in Bali

Five that get you off the southern strip, four of them by road and one by boat.
Boat
Klungkung Regency

Nusa Penida

Fast boat · 40 min

The dinosaur headland at Kelingking, Angel's Billabong and the manta cleaning stations. Rough roads, so book a driver on the island rather than a scooter.

Map
Nusa Lembongan
Easy
Klungkung Regency

Nusa Lembongan

Fast boat · 30 min

The calmer sibling, small enough to cover on two wheels, with mangroves, a surf break and a yellow bridge across to Nusa Ceningan.

Map
Sidemen valley
Quiet
Karangasem Regency

Sidemen valley

Drive · 2 hrs

Rice terraces under Mount Agung with a fraction of Ubud's traffic, and the easiest place on the island to see weaving still done by hand.

Map
Cool air
Buleleng Regency

Munduk and the crater lakes

Drive · 2.5 hrs

Coffee and clove country in the mountains, with Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan below and a cluster of waterfalls in walking distance.

Map
Overnight
Jembrana and Buleleng

Menjangan and West Bali

Drive · 4 hrs

The national park at the far western end, with the island's clearest snorkelling off Menjangan. Worth an overnight rather than a return drive.

Map
What's on

Festivals & annual events in Bali (2026)

Time your trip around the island's biggest dates.
Mar

Nyepi and the ogoh-ogoh

Balinese New Year. The island stops for 24 hours: no travel, no work, no lights.

Every 210 days

Galungan and Kuningan

The biggest event in the Balinese calendar, marking the return of ancestral spirits, with penjor poles over every road.

Apr

BaliSpirit Festival

Five days of yoga, music and healing arts in Ubud, at The Yoga Barn and the gardens of the Puri Padi.

May

Ubud Food Festival

Four days of Indonesian cooking, producers and workshops at Taman Kuliner in Ubud.

Jun to Jul

Bali Arts Festival

A month of gamelan, dance and craft at the arts centre in Denpasar, opening with a parade. Admission is free.

Jul

Bali Kite Festival

Village teams fly kites the size of small aircraft over Mertasari beach in Sanur, with gamelan playing on the sand. Held in July.

Jul to Nov

Makepung buffalo races

Water buffalo pulling decorated ploughs at speed through the Jembrana countryside, on Sunday mornings through the dry season.

Oct

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

Southeast Asia's largest literary festival, spread across venues in Ubud. The twenty-third edition ran in late October 2026.

Getting around

Bali transport & airports

How to arrive and how to cover the island once you have.
DPS

I Gusti Ngurah Rai International

The island's only airport, at Tuban between Kuta and Jimbaran, fifteen minutes from Seminyak and ninety from Ubud in traffic. Grab and Gojek work from official lounges in the car parks.

Map↗ Website
Car

Private driver

The default way to cover Bali, and cheaper than it sounds split between two. A driver takes a day rate, waits while you walk a temple, and knows which road is closed for a ceremony.

Map
Apps

Grab and Gojek

Ride-hailing works across the south and Ubud, with a motorbike option that halves the price. Some beaches are enforced no-pickup zones, so expect to walk a block.

Map↗ Website
Public

Buses and fast boats

Trans Metro Dewata runs cheap provincial buses through the south, and the Kura-Kura Bus links Kuta with Ubud. For the Nusa islands, fast boats leave Sanur through the morning.

Map↗ Website
Traditional food

Must-try dishes in Bali, Indonesia

The classics to order before you leave.
Bebek betutu, Bali (Wimup travel guide)

Bebek betutu

Duck packed with spice paste, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed for hours until it pulls apart.

Sate lilit, Bali (Wimup travel guide)

Sate lilit

Minced fish or pork mixed with grated coconut and spice, wrapped around a lemongrass stalk and grilled.

Lawar, Bali (Wimup travel guide)

Lawar

Finely chopped vegetables, coconut and minced meat bound with spice.

Nasi campur Bali, Bali (Wimup travel guide)

Nasi campur Bali

A plate of rice ringed by small portions of everything: satay, lawar, egg, peanuts, crackling and sambal.

Sambal matah, Bali (Wimup travel guide)

Sambal matah

Raw shallot, lemongrass, chilli and lime leaf dressed in hot coconut oil.

Ikan bakar, Bali (Wimup travel guide)

Ikan bakar

Whole fish split, painted with spice and grilled over coconut husk.

Dadar gulung, Bali (Wimup travel guide)

Dadar gulung

A pandan crepe, green from the leaf, rolled around coconut cooked with palm sugar.

Babi guling

Suckling pig turned over coals with turmeric, lemongrass and coriander root, served with crackling and rice.

Bali fact sheet

Bali at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
Indonesia
Region
Lesser Sunda Islands, between Java and Lombok
Population
4.4 million (Bali province)
Founded
A province of Indonesia since 1958
Nickname
Island of the Gods
Language
Indonesian (official) and Balinese
Currency
Indonesian rupiah (IDR)
Time zone
UTC+8 (WITA), no daylight saving
Calling code
+62, area code 0361
Airports
I Gusti Ngurah Rai International (DPS), Tuban
Power
230V, Type C and F two-pin plugs
Emergency
112
Ideal length
7–10 days
Getting around
Private driver & scooter
Tourism board
Official site

Interesting facts

  • Bali covers 5,780 square kilometres and holds about 4.4 million people, one small island out of the roughly 17,000 Indonesia counts.
  • Subak, the farmer-run irrigation cooperatives that have shared this water since the ninth century, are on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
  • Bali is the only Indonesian province with a Hindu majority, in a country that is overwhelmingly Muslim.
  • On Nyepi the whole island stops for 24 hours from 06:00, and Ngurah Rai airport shuts with it, handling only emergency and medical flights.
  • Mount Batur reaches 1,717 metres but sits inside a much older caldera, so the sunrise trek climbs only about 400 metres from the trailhead.

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