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If you’re Bali-bound, you in all probability know that there’s a LOT to see and do on this province of Indonesia. Supporting a lot of the province’s earnings is its enchantment to vacationers because it’s an excellent spot for vacationers searching for nature, tradition, and journey.
It’s tough to not get over-excited with the pure sights you’ll discover throughout its map. So a lot in order that typically we are likely to overlook the opposite facets of a visit that might lead us to creating dangerous choices.
This article offers you a rundown of errors it’s best to keep away from when touring to Bali.
1. Don’t assume Bali is a small island.
I made my first mistake even earlier than I arrived within the island. For some motive, I assumed that Bali is simply as small as Phuket or Santorini or Singapore. My pals, Bali is a hell of quite a bit greater than that. It is large! It is eight instances greater than Singapore, 10 instances greater than Phuket, 64 instances greater than Santorini, 500+ instances bigger than Boracay! (But it’s extra akin to the whole Cebu or Leyte Island.)
Keep that in thoughts when constructing your itinerary. Don’t schedule your actions instantly after one other in the event that they’re in several components of the island. For instance, getting from Kuta to Ubud doesn’t take only a few minutes. It takes a few hours. And these faraway temples like Lempuyang or Ulun Danu, for much longer. Depending in your itinerary and what you’re in Bali for to start with, it’s essential to decide essentially the most splendid space to remain so that you gained’t waste an excessive amount of time on the street. Speaking of one of the best space to remain…
2. Don’t decide the improper space to remain.
The Kuta-Seminyak space appears to be the busiest and the epicenter of a lot of the motion within the island. It in all probability has the best focus of lodging and eating institutions. But is it one of the best space? Well, probably not. The finest place to remain is determined by why you’re in Bali within the first place.
If you’re after a soothing time, you’re not gonna discover it in Kuta. It’s not even essentially the most central location. That distinction belongs to Ubud, which is on the geographic heart of the island. From Ubud, it’s simpler to see the temples, terraces, and waterfalls of the north and the east. And whereas town heart will get busy too, it’s nonetheless a lot much less chaotic than Kuta and Seminyak. Many of the scenic leases you see on Instagram are located round Ubud. But notice that there’s no seashore right here.
For that, perhaps Uluwatu and Nusa Dua are value contemplating. Most properties listed here are fairly upscale, however they provide a quieter, extra romantic seashore expertise.
If you’re staying in Bali long run, try the rental properties in Canggu (Changgu). This is a favourite amongst digital nomads as a result of it’s extra reasonably priced right here.
If you’re a foodie, nonetheless, Denpasar appears to be an incredible base since you may have an incredible choice of not solely Balinese fare, but in addition different Indonesian and different Southeast Asian cuisines.
While we have now a separate article going deep into the finest technique for selecting your Bali lodging, we’ve additionally rounded up a few of the finest locations to remain beneath to your easy accessibility.
Top Hotels in Ubud
Top Hotels in Kuta
Top Hotels in Seminyak
Search for extra Bali Hotels Here!
Again, one of the best place to remain in Bali largely is determined by your motive for visiting. If you resolve to remain within the Kuta/Seminyak space, there’s one other factor you shouldn’t underestimate: the site visitors.
3. Don’t underestimate the site visitors.
Bali welcomes hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of holiday makers per yr. In reality, in 2024, it has recorded virtually 6.4 million overseas vacationer arrivals, the best recorded previously decade. And an incredible fraction of them selected to remain in and round Kuta and Seminyak, and most of them don’t use public transportation, which isn’t as dependable as one may hope.
Most vacationers favor a non-public tour by automotive or reserving Grab or Gojek to get from one place to a different. It’s no surprise site visitors buildup is a continuing prevalence right here. So you probably have a tour, a present, or a flight to catch, it’s all the time finest to have loads of lead time.
Traffic shouldn’t be as dangerous in different areas, although. But I additionally seen site visitors jams in Ubud’s metropolis heart, too!
4. Don’t fall for taxi and bike scams.
Overpricing taxis are rampant in Bali. In reality, we have now been advised by the locals we met to not hail a cab, however use Grab or GoJek as an alternative. And if we should, solely experience BlueBird, the one respected taxi firm on the island. If coming from the airport, you might also pre-arrange a pickup service on-line.
If you favor touring by bike, watch out for scams, too. I don’t lease bikes overseas so this isn’t one thing I’m involved about. But I had been warned about rental outlets that may cost you for pre-existing damages on the bike. Police scams are mentioned to be prevalent too. They say that some officers would simply cease bike drivers for no matter motive they might consider simply so you can pay them to allow you to go.
But in the event you insist on renting a bike, be sure you have the right driving license and all the time put on a helmet!
5. Don’t dismiss native delicacies.
Partly due to the numerous expats who name this island dwelling, Bali has a vibrant worldwide meals scene! Before coming to Bali, my pals advised me I ought to attempt a myriad of eating places with one of the best burgers, or one of the best tacos, and even one of the best Greek meals. Lots of quick meals chains and cafes too. And that’s nice and all, however don’t depart with out digging into native meals.
Balinese delicacies is spectacular to say the least — from the mouthwatering babi guling (spit-roasted pork, just like lechon) to the ever-present sate and nasi campur to conventional truffles. The better part, they’re all over the place, too! You’ll discover them at excessive finish eating places to humble warung (small family-run eateries). Most of them serve homey, hearty meals.
But if you need the insider scoop, finest to e book a guided meals tour! By becoming a member of a meals tour, you’ll get to know the native favorites and pattern them whereas studying extra concerning the Balinese meals tradition and different suggestions.
We personally booked an Authentic Food Tour from Ubud with GetYourInformation and it didn’t disappoint! Our information Jon Ok. was well mannered, pleasant, and educated and will talk in English rather well. He introduced us to a babi guling place outdoors town heart and to Gianyar Night Market the place he launched to us extra conventional dishes like betutu and an assortment of desserts! In between meals stops, we dropped by rice terraces and Tirta Empul, one of many holiest temples within the island.
FIND A BALI FOOD TOUR FOR YOU HERE
6. Do not drink faucet water.
While we’re as regards to meals, I can’t stress this sufficient: don’t drink faucet water! Not even the locals do that they usually extremely discouraged me too. Most lodging present filtered water. If not, head to the grocery and purchase these big containers and simply refill your reusable bottle once in a while.
Why? Because faucet water in Bali is gonna whoop your insides prefer it did mine. I by no means actually believed within the time period “Bali belly” till it was occurring to me. I spent a whole night time in the bathroom, with out popping out, as a result of each quarter-hour one thing inside me was beginning a revolution. So no, don’t drink faucet water.
And don’t neglect to deliver anti-diarrhea meds!
7. Don’t belief avenue ATMs simply.
And by avenue ATMs, I imply these money machines that you just see within the streets, out within the open and might simply be tampered with. If it’s essential to withdraw from an ATM, select a machine that’s inside a financial institution or different guarded or enclosed institutions like malls. But the financial institution is your finest wager, and also you’ll discover loads of varied respected banks all through the island.
If you should withdraw from one on the road ATMs, all the time double test for indicators of tampering. When unsure, don’t do it and simply discover one other solution to pay or get money. Speaking of money…
8. Don’t overpay by mistake.
In Bali, the official foreign money is the Indonesian rupiah. And 100 USD is roughly 1.6 million rupiah. (And 100 pesos is roughly 28,000 rupiah.) The highest denomination is 100,000 rupiah. Yes, that’s 1 adopted by 5 zeroes.
For those that are conversant in the foreign money, the notes could be simply differentiated by the measurement and the colour. 100,000 is large and pink; 50,000 is blue; 20,000 is inexperienced, and so forth. But for us who aren’t used to seeing that many zeroes, it may be a bit complicated particularly as a result of these zeroes don’t have a hundreds separator. No interval, no comma, no area. So it’s simple to assume that 10,000 is 100,000. It was really easy to make that mistake. And identical to some other vacation spot, you might run into somebody who’s keen to take benefit when the chance presents itself.
It was already my fourth day once I lastly obtained the grasp of it. But perhaps I’m simply sluggish usually. LOL.
But fortunately, I by no means actually needed to pay money that a lot. Most of my excursions had been pre-booked, and I normally paid by card when obtainable. Fortunately, the grocery store in entrance of our lodge accepted bank cards.
9. Don’t maintain your cellphone up within the streets.
Bali is usually secure and has a comparatively low crime price, contemplating how busy and touristy it’s. But like many different vacationer hotspots, petty crimes do exist in Bali particularly inside developed areas like Kuta.
Don’t maintain your cellphone, purse, or pockets out within the open when strolling or standing by the street as a result of somebody on a bike would possibly simply snatch it away. Keep it away from different folks’s attain. And don’t depart them unattended on the seashore or use them to order a desk at a meals courtroom. This shouldn’t be Japan, Dubai, or Singapore.
10. Don’t get trapped in comparable sights.
Before you e book a number of day excursions, test the itinerary first. Most excursions in Bali have comparable sights. There’s usually a cease at Tegallalang Rice Terraces, a espresso farm the place you can style quite a lot of espresso and tea flavors, and Instagrammable websites with big swing and the like. And to be sincere, in the event you’ve skilled one among every variety, you’ve skilled all of them.
So in the event you’re reserving multiple non-public tour, ask your contact or information in the event you may substitute a few of these spots to keep away from a repetitive journey and you can expertise extra of Bali. We’ve executed it earlier than and each information obliged as a result of it’s not tough to search out one other focal point alongside the route.
11. Don’t anticipate an excessive amount of from Bali’s seashores.
When we consider Bali, photos of its seashores immediately come to thoughts. Growing up, I considered Bali as a seashore paradise. But once I was there, I noticed that Bali’s largest belongings will not be its sandy shores, however its well-preserved tradition and inland pure sights. I used to be far more awed by its temples and waterfalls and delicacies than by its seashores.
The seashores right here will not be dangerous. Not in any respect. But simply to handle your expectations, in the event you’ve been to different seashores in Indonesia (or Thailand or the Philippines for that matter) and also you’re anticipating Bali to provide the identical glowing beachscape, then you definately’ll be underwhelmed. That’s to not say that you just shouldn’t come to Bali since you positively ought to, you should! But there’s a lot extra to Bali than its shores.
12. Don’t disregard the queuing instances at Instagram spots.
Of all of the locations I had set foot in, Bali is maybe essentially the most Instagram or IG-worthy. It’s simply bursting with pciture-worthy spots, each pure and man-made.
By now, you in all probability know concerning the Gate of Heaven at Lempuyang Temple. And you would possibly already remember that the reflection created is a mirror trick and that there is no such thing as a physique of water on web site. But that’s not the one factor you have to be conscious of. You see, it’s so common that the road for this photograph can get loopy lengthy. We’re speaking about as much as three hours of ready time for only a minute of photograph session.
On our final journey, we arrived within the afternoon — simply in time for the sundown — and we waited two and a half hours! They say that to keep away from ready instances, go within the early morning. My teammate Pycan did simply that, in time for dawn. They had been second in line.
But even when your timing is true, don’t anticipate the whole lot to be image good. Most pictures you see had been both taken underneath one of the best situations or enhanced digitally. Often, the skies don’t cooperate. It’s extra possible that you just’ll get a plain white backdrop as a result of the mountain is hiding behind the clouds or fog.
A glance-alike could be discovered within the north — the Handara Gate. This additionally has the identical impact. It’s not as common because the Gate of Heaven, however you can nonetheless find yourself ready 40 minutes to an hour to your flip.
Personally, I don’t thoughts the ready instances as a result of I understand how to maintain myself busy. I normally spend the time chatting with our information and different locals. But in the event you’re probably not into IG-worthy spots and also you wish to maximize your keep, you would possibly simply be losing loads of time queuing. There are different picturesque however much less crowded sights elsewhere within the island. But in the event you really need these photographs you see on the web, go forward. You’re already in Bali, would possibly as effectively expertise the total bundle, queues and all.
13. Don’t neglect to deliver mosquito repellent.
Mosquitos are frequent in Bali, so it’s finest to be ready. We didn’t consider it till we checked in to our lodge, which offered a mosquito repellent spray, free to make use of. And we realized some locations and a few months are extra inclined than others. But to be on the secure facet, simply deliver one with you when touring.
14. Don’t disrespect the native tradition.
If you’re into temple-hopping, know that you should costume modestly throughout the neighborhood. Some temples present sarongs that you could be borrow, however to be secure, simply put on one thing that covers your shoulders, higher arms, and legs. This applies to women and men. If you’re bleeding — say, you might have an open wound or, for girls, if presently menstruating, you shouldn’t enter the temples.
Even when there’s loads of tourism exercise within the island, Bali stays non secular, conservative, and conventional. It’ll turn into obvious to you in your first day, simply by taking a brief stroll.
In entrance of the homes and on the sidewalk, you’ll see small palm trays with flowers and meals. These are canang sari (chanang sari), that are every day choices to the Supreme God of Indonesian Hinduism (Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa) as a logo of gratitude. So, watch your step and be sure you don’t stroll on them.
Also, when handing out one thing to an area, all the time use your proper hand. Your left hand is taken into account soiled and is for bathroom duties. And by no means contact anybody’s head, which is taken into account a sacred a part of the physique.
15. Don’t do unlawful medication.
I do know it sounds apparent, however it is extremely vital that you recognize this.
First of all, don’t do medication wherever you journey to, however particularly right here in Bali as a result of Indonesia has a few of the strictest legal guidelines with regards to medication.
Possession is punishable by imprisonment for 4 to 12 years or, if the quantity is sufficiently big, you could be imprisoned for all times, plus fines of as much as 8 billion rupiah. For trafficking, the dying penalty could also be imposed.
That’s not the form of journey you wish to expertise overseas.
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2025 8 12 – First uploaded