The Ultimate Bali Travel Guide.
What to see, where to stay, where to swim
Districts:
1. Jimbaran, Bukit, Uluwatu, Nusa Dua
2. Ubud
3. Amed
4. Lovina
5. Canggu, Seminyak
Beaches:
We've been to two oceans and traveled all over the island. It has it all: white beaches, yellow beaches, black beaches, hot oceans, cold oceans, turquoise water, waves, smooth waters.
So, a big overview of Bali's beaches:
· prices in local rupees
· districts in brackets
🏊🏼♂️- for swimming
🏄🏼♀️- for surfing
🌅- for sunsets
Indian Ocean:
· Jimbaran - yellow sand, small waves, free (Jimbaran village), for swimming 🏊🏼♂️
· Tegal Wangi - for sunsets, cliffs, only locals, free (Jimbaran) - not for swimming🌅
· Padang Padang - 15,000/person, lots of people, turquoise water, but corals, a beautiful entrance through the cliffs, the most popular in Uluwatu, luxury hotels nearby, expensive cafes, European party scene (Uluwatu) - and swimming near the shore and surfing to the corals 🏄🏼♀️🏊🏼♂️
· Suluban - 5,000/bike, there are parties at sunset, bars, surfing, boards for rent, music, monkeys racing across the rooftops, you can swim (no waves near the shore) and climb the rocks to the neighboring beaches (Uluwatu) 🏊🏼♂️🏄🏼♀️🌅
· Nyang Nyang, Nunggalan - waves, long coastline, there's a section of a ship for photos, but it's a long walk down, we didn't go, free 🏄🏼♀️ (Uluwatu)
· Karma - wonderful beach, turquoise water, white sand, no waves, free, but 350 steps to go down and then up (Ungasan) 🏊🏼♂️
· Melasti - our favorite beach, white sand, turquoise water, sun loungers for rent, paragliding, no waves, scenic road on the way down - 10,000/person + 2,000/bike (Ungasan) 🏊🏼♂️
· Pandawa - 15,000/person, very similar to Melasti. You can take a kayak and sail away to watch the sunset, but there are more corals here - not very convenient for swimming 🏊🏼♂️🌅 (Kutukh district)
· Geger - 3,000/person, white sand, no waves, turquoise water, but there are corals and seaweed at low tide. From here you can go to Nusa Dua 🏊🏼♂️ (Nusa Dua)
· Nusa Dua - considered the most luxurious. There are two Nusa Dua beaches: one near Geger, from where you can access it for free, it's the same. The second is higher up, on the mini peninsula of Nusa Pudut - statues, clean beaches, sun loungers, costs 2,000 rubles per bike (Nusa Dua) 🏊🏼♂️
· Tanjung - only a hotel beach, but they let us in for free (Nusa Pudut Peninsula) 🏊🏼♂️
· Black Beach - free, really black! (Ubud) 🏊🏼♂️🏄🏼♀️🌅
Pacific Ocean:
· Dolphin - free, dirty, snorkeling
· Lovina - free, dolphin watching and snorkeling 🐬
Bali Waterfalls:
All can be reached from Ubud; We did the same for the waterfalls in the central part, and went to the northern ones from Lovina because it was closer to us.
· Tegunungan - powerful, but the water is yellow, we didn't go, but it usually opens the route.
· Tukad Petanu waterfall - free, small, and only for locals.
· Kanto Lampo - 20,000 rupees (100 rubles) per person. You can walk there, there are rocks, crevices, and a large waterfall.
· Gia rang reng - about 15,000 per person. There are two waterfalls, but you can visit one (small, quite flat, and wide). The second one requires a guide and costs money. We didn't go, they asked for a lot and didn't haggle.
· Tukad Cepung - very cool, I don't remember how much it costs, but everything ranges from 10,000-20,000 rupees (up to 100 rubles). There are gorges there, rivers, rocks, and huge stones everywhere. A very powerful waterfall inside a cliff, but you have to get there when the sun is at its zenith to get great photos.
· Aling Aling is the northern waterfall. We got there for free: we drove about 100 meters from the paid parking lot to the waterfall and the ticket office, parked our bike there, but carefully, so as not to get a flat tire, and there's a free road leading to the waterfall. You can jump from 5, 10, and 15 meters into the water, but you have to pay separately (about 800 rubles).
· Sekumpul. This is the highest waterfall in Bali; entrance to the observation deck is 20,000 Bali coins per person. But there are such mountains there!
There's also a second waterfall, and all of this is in the jungle among the mountains—the view is magnificent!
· Nung Nung is a 50-meter waterfall where you can swim in the pool below. Very beautiful
· Leke Leke - a 30-meter waterfall right in the jungle in a narrow crevice, very beautiful.
Temples of Bali:
From Ubud:
1. Pura Besakih
2. Pura Taman Yun
3. Gunung Kawi (tombs)
4. Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
5. Tirta Empul
6. Goa Gajah Cave (Elephant Cave)
From Amed:
7. Pura Lempuyang
8. Pura Goa Lawah
From Bukit:
9. Tanah Lot - which is in the ocean and can only be accessed at low tide
10. Pura Luhur Uluwatu
Transportation:
Rent a motorbike
Gojek taxi: both cars and motorbikes
1. Bukit. Jimbaran, Uluwatu, Nusa Dua
After arriving in Bali, we settled into the village of Jimbaran, near the airport on the Bukit Peninsula.
· Everyone on vacation packages goes to Kuta, but it's dirty, there are waves, and there are lots of people there.
· Those who spend the winter usually go to Canggu or Seminyak—it's above Kuta, but there are surfer waves there and the beaches aren't at all suitable for swimming. There are lots of expats, restaurants, and parties. But if you want a beach vacation, the ocean often brings trash and sand, which isn't very good.
· So we decided to go south. We drove around the entire peninsula in two days: beaches with turquoise water and no waves.
And further inland, to Vishnu Park. There are also amazing sunsets at Uluwatu (tourists, fee required) and Secret Beach (locals, free).
So it's best to spend a couple of days in Bukit, explore the beaches, swim, enjoy the sunsets, and eat cheaply.
Bukit Map:
1. Beaches
2. Vishnu Park
3. Tanah Lot Temple
4. Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple
Bukit Beaches:
Everyone says that Bali's beaches are completely unsuitable for swimming, that the waves and water are dirty.
But here are a few beaches on the Bukit Peninsula with turquoise water, light-colored sand, and no waves:
🔆Geger Beach - costs 3,000 rupees per person, free parking. Palm trees, beautiful red umbrellas, light-colored sand.
🔆Nusa Dua - go through Geger and you won't have to pay. This beach is considered the most luxurious, but I liked the following two the most:
🔆Melasti - a winding, serpentine road overlooking the ocean. Everything is well-equipped: changing rooms, restrooms, sun loungers. 20,000 rupees per person (100 rubles) + 2,000 rupees per bike
🔆Karma Beach - turquoise water, a small, secluded beach. To get there for free, you have to climb 350 steps. Or you can pay to take a special cable car. Parking is free
🔆Jimbaran - we stayed here. The beach has yellow sand, but it's clean and the waves are small, so children can swim. Parking and admission are free. You can easily and cheaply learn to surf there, as there are small waves and sand, not coral, where the waves will grind you to dust while you're learning.
🔆Padang Padang - crowded, entrance fee 15,000 rupees/person
🔆Eat, Pray, Love Beach (free)
🔆Suluban Beach (5,000/bike) - there are many passages, cliffs, clear water, no waves at all near the shore, everyone surfs in the distance. There's also a single-fin cafe there, where we watched the sunset.
🔆Nyang Nyang and Nunggalan - free (same coastline), but the descent is far, the waves are strong.
🔆Pandawa - 15,000 rupees/person. The beach is similar to Melasti, beautiful cliffs, turquoise water. We took a kayak and paddled out to the ocean to watch the sunset.
🔆Tanjung Benoa - we were let in through the hotel. Nusa Dua is generally considered to have the best hotels and clean beaches. But my favorite is still Melasti.
· Vishnu-Garuda Park (Vishnu Kencana, GWK)
Its main attraction is a large 122-meter statue of the god Vishnu flying on the sacred Garuda bird. It's best to come here in the afternoon to stroll through the park without the sweltering heat and to watch traditional Balinese dances at sunset.
· Tanah Lot Temple - the one in the ocean and accessible only at low tide.
· Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple - a temple where you can watch a beautiful sunset.
Parties:
Savaya near Melasti
Single fin Uluwatu
2. Ubud
The best place for me is Ubud: temples, greenery, a center of spiritual life. Monkey forest and rice terraces.
Ubud Plan:
1. Monkey Park
2. Saraswati Temple
3. Artists' Trail
4. Tegallalang Rice Terraces, Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
5. Taro Elephant Safari Park, Helipad, Elephants 🐘
6. Tirta Empul Temple
7. Gugung Kawi Tombs
8. Waterfalls
9. Besaki Temple
10. Batur Volcano
11. Black Beach
12. Bali Dacha
13. Handara Gate
14. Pura Taman Yyun Temple
15. Goa Gajah Cave (Elephant Cave)
· Monkey Park (Opening Hours: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Price from 400-800 ₽ per person on various aggregators)
A picturesque forest, a real jungle, where monkeys roam, unafraid of people and able to climb Right on your head or snatch personal belongings.
· Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati Temple (Water Palace)
The temple is located right in the center of Ubud. A beautiful temple with a lotus pond in front of it.
· Artists' Trail - a beautiful nature trail right in Ubud.
· Tegalalang Rice Terraces - Bali's calling card. There are many rice terraces, but these are the most famous.
· Jatiluwih Rice Terraces - the second most famous, larger and more beautiful, 35 km from Ubud.
· Taro Elephant Safari Park - elephants 🐘
A sanctuary where elephants rescued from Sumatra live. Here you can feed, wash, and pet the elephants. There's also a hotel at the reserve where you can stay overnight.
· Tirta Empul Temple 🛕 (open until 6:00 PM)
A water temple where people perform ablutions to clear their thoughts. A very beautiful and spiritual place.
· Gugung Kawi Tombs - Not far from Tirta Empul, you can descend along small rice terraces to the river and tombs.
· Besakih Temple (open until 5:00 PM)
A large temple on a mountain, 45 km from Ubud, where a serpentine road leads. It offers a view of Mount Agung. Very beautiful.
· Pura Taman Yyun Temple - a beautiful large temple surrounded by water, a large grounds.
· Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple - on Lake Bratan.
· Batur Volcano.
Usually everyone climbs it as part of a sunrise tour. We rode our bike from Ubud, left it at the base next to the lake, and hiked from the very bottom. It's a 2-2.5 hour climb from the lake. Tours take people closer to the summit, so the hike is much shorter. But we did it for free, avoiding the local mafia. The volcano is active, but you won't see a lava vent there, only steam.
· Black Beach - volcanic beaches in the Saba and Keramas areas are easily accessible from Ubud
· Bali Dacha
Bathhouse, vats, and a spa complex in the jungle
· The best waterfalls near Ubud:
1. Tukad Cepung - gorges, rivers, cliffs, and huge boulders. A very powerful waterfall inside a cliff, but you should go there when the sun is at its zenith to get great photos.
2. Nung Nung - a 50-meter waterfall where you can swim in the pool below. Very beautiful
3 • Leke Leke - right in the jungle in a narrow crevice, a 30-meter waterfall, very beautiful
· Handara Gate - gate
Paid, about 300 rubles per person, you have to wait in line, leads to the golf club and hotel. Everyone takes photos here, the most famous gate.
3 Lovina
Our third house is in Lovina - it's a completely different place, unlike Bali.
The ocean is quiet, you can hear mosques, mountains are everywhere, the people are special.
While walking along the beach, we met a group of locals singing reggae. They invited us to a bonfire that night, and we spent several evenings like that.
We gathered three religions at once, discussed Balinese gods, watched the sunset on the beach, and went to a bar to play guitar. Lovina turned out to be a wonderful place. The most wonderful thing about it all is the people.
It's very hot in the north, and the Pacific Ocean is too warm, but you can travel and see everything in 2-3 days.
Lovina itinerary:
· Dolphins, snorkeling
In the morning, you can swim with dolphins in the Pacific Ocean and snorkel.
· Aling Aling Waterfall is the northern waterfall. We got there for free: we drove about 100 meters from the paid parking lot to the waterfall and the ticket office, parked our bike there, but carefully, so as not to get a flat tire. The road to the waterfall is free. You can jump into the water from 5, 10, and 15 meters, but you have to pay extra (about 800 rubles), but we didn't, it was a bit scary.
· Sekumpul Waterfall is the most beautiful!
It's the highest waterfall in Bali, and the entrance fee to the observation deck is 20,000 rubles per person. But there are such mountains there! It's as if dinosaurs are about to burst forth! Green, huge, lying in waves, ready to rise and move at any moment. There's also a cafe with a view of the waterfall.
· Brahma Aram Temple - a large Buddhist monastery where you can stroll and visit the temples.
4 Amed
· Gate of Heaven and Pura Lempuyang Temple - another gateway where everyone takes photos with a view of Mount Agung.
· Pura Goa Lawah Temple
· Virgin Beach (white sand)
· Lahangan Sweet - a treetop view of Mount Agung.
· Reef - diving and snorkeling spots.
· Raman Ujung - a grand royal palace.
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