A quick guide to Bali!

 

Bali has become such a hotspot over the year amongst many tourists, because of the culture, the weather and different experiences the not so little island has to offer! Bali’s welcomes thousands of tourists on a daily basis (especially Australians due to the short distance), resulting in tourism being the main income for Bali. Bali has a lot to offer on a trip, the massages, the shopping, the cultural experiences or just sitting by the beach, which can make it hard to plan out what you actually want to do. Here’s a quick guide to Bali to help you start planning your next trip to Bali!

Population: 4.1 million

Language: Balinese, Indonesian and English

Prior to arrival:

Personally, I like to plan my trips to the hour, or just have a day plan and work around it. So it’s always good to know what you want to do, and how much you can do in a day in terms of time and everyone’s choice.

I made a book where I had the map of Bali and highlighted all the key places I wanted to visit, and also places of interest, followed by the distances etc. My not so little book had everything I needed to know before I traveled to Bali, including our flight details, accommodation details as well as visa details.

It’s always good to know if you require a visa for a country you’re traveling too, and apply if you need to well before you book your tickets. Lucky for us it was free visa on arrival for NZ passport holders.

You can get more information about visa on arrival for Bali: https://www.bali.com/visa-indonesia-entry-requirements-bali.html

On Arrival:

Ngurah International Airport

The Bali airport is very beautiful and so very developed! I was really impressed!

Some companies do offer a fast pass where you can skip the lines for visa and get a VIP service, personally, I avoided this option because I only had cabin baggage, and didn’t really mind the queue. 89 USD wasn’t really worth it, especially since the immigration lines were moving fast.

Getting Around Bali:

Getting around Bali can be done in many ways, and it mainly depends on where you are staying in Bali!! If you’re staying in a central location it’s best done on foot, or whenever you can! Other ways of getting around are the popular tourist option of hiring a scooter or a private driver. Private drivers are available at a really affordable rate!

Hiring a scooter comes with the obvious risks, especially when it comes to a new country where we are unaware of the rules and traffic.

I’m really grateful for Instagram, as a private tour guide got in touch with me and offered me a private tour for my friends and me. It was a really good rate for a 10-11 hour day, and the tour guide Putu was so nice! We were so comfortable with him, that we asked him to give us tours for two more days! I’ll put his details below.

Instagram: @one.stop.vacation

Name: Putu

Email: pututka987@gmail.com

Phone: +6285 858 795 055 – he’s best reached on Whatsapp

Getting By:

Balinese if the official language that the locals speak in Bali, however, English is well spoken amongst them.

A few phrases that I picked up:

Hello: Hello

Thank you: Sukzma

Excuse Me, Sorry: Permisi

Bye: Bye

Things to see:

There are so many mesmerizing things to see in Bali, whether it’s the temples, the beaches, the markets or the hot spot tourist locations. A few places to get you started to plan your trip are:

• Kuta Beach
• Seminyak Beach
• Fish tank spas
• Massages – they are so cheap!
• Markets
• Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud
• Tegalaland Rice Terrace in Ubud
• Uluwatu Temple
• Tannah Lot Temple
• Bali Marine Safari
• Lembongan Island
• Gili Island  – Trawangan/Air/Memo – Lombok

Where to eat and drink

Indonesian food is a must try when you’re visiting Bali, the flavours are so different to Asian food. There are so many places you can try Indonesian food like the restaurants at the beaches or in the markets.

Where to stay

Bali has many towns to stay in, and it just depends on personal choice where you choose to stay! I stayed in Seminyak because its known to have a more family environment is a little cheaper and is a very popular choice amongst young tourists. Getting around Seminyak is so easy as everything is easily accessible.

Kuta

Which is a busier neighborhood and is known to be the party central has some very beautiful resorts.

Ubud

Known to give you an ultimate cultural experience of Bali has also become a very popular location for tourists to stay in. Especially with the opening of two new hotels, Four Seasons and the Ubud Hanging Gardens, which is on my bucket list for the next time I’m in Bali because the views are incredible!

Uluwatu

Then neighborhood in Uluwatu is right by cliffs, giving the best views and the clifftop bars. Staying in Uluwatu is a little pricey, but you’re paying for an amazing experience.

I really, really loved my trip to Bali, even though 1 week flew by so fast! I will definitely be visiting again!!

Check out for my next posts where I show how I spent my one week in Bali!!

 

To see more about my Bali trip, check out my social media links!!

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