Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island and province and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands.
East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller offshore islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan to the southeast. The provincial capital, Denpasar, is the most populous city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second-largest, after Makassar, in Eastern Indonesia. The Denpasar metropolitan area is the extended metropolitan area around Denpasar. The upland town of Ubud in Greater Denpasar is considered as Bali's cultural centre. The province is Indonesia's main tourist destination, with a significant rise in tourism since the 1980s, and has become the country's area of overtourism. Tourism-related business makes up 80% of the Bali economy.
Getting to Bali
From February 14, 2024, all international tourists entering Bali are supposed to pay a Rp 150,000 Tourist Levy. This can be paid online, or at cashless payment counters at the airport. The Bali government says this fee will help preserve Balinese culture and natural beauty, however questions have been raised about the levy's transparency and legality.
- 01Ngurah Rai International Airport
Worth seeing
Bali's best known attractions are its countless Hindu temples. Each village is required by adat (customary law) to construct and maintain at least three temples: the pura puseh (temple of origin) at the kaja (pure) side of the village, the pura desa (village temple) at the centre for everyday community activities and the pura dalem (temple of the dead) at the kelod (unclean) end.
Things to do
Bali's Hindu culture and history is both extraordinary and unique. Many visitors get so wrapped up in shopping, partying and beach life to miss the opportunity to understand and absorb at least some of this. You cannot fail to see temples, come across ceremonies and witness daily offerings, and those who take the time and effort to understand what is going on around them will find their visit very rewarding.
Where to eat
Bali has a huge variety of cafes and restaurants, serving both Indonesian and international food (see Indonesia for a menu reader). For better or worse, some American chains have established a presence here, although almost exclusively confined to the southern tourist areas. You will see KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut and Starbucks. Interestingly, the menus are often highly adapted to the local tastes.
Getting around Bali the local way
- Get inIf you do make the effort to walk outside the airport to the street, you can also flag down a bemo (local minivan).
- Get inMost of the bemos in this area will be heading to Kuta (the road to Kuta heads to the left looking out from the airport gate), but don't absolutely bank on it, and be prepared for a hot, crowded journey.
- Get inAnd if you are a lone backpacker you can try an ojek (unmetered motorcycle taxi) in the first intersection outside the airport (3 to 5 minutes walk), for less than half of a taxi meter fare.
- Get inIf you are not sure if a taxi can reach your hotel because of narrow streets, or you are unsure of your hotel's location, an ojek is a good option: they frequently take narrow streets as shortcuts, use pedestrian paths and sometimes go against traffic on theoretically one-way streets.
- Get inAn ojek to Kuta costs Rp10,000 to Rp15,000.
- Get inThere are direct bus services to Bali from all major cities on Java and Lombok that link with ferries for sea crossings.
- Get inFerries cross from Ketapang on the island of Java to Gilimanuk in western Bali every 15 minutes, 24/7.
- Get inSlow ferries are the safest and best value option and are used extensively by locals as passengers, with vehicles, and goods; Fast boat accidents are more likely than on slow ferries especially during heavy seas when they have been swamped by waves leading to loss of life.
From Wikivoyage: Bali, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: EGimaging (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
