Things to do in Bali

Bali is an island rather than a compact city, so most of what separates two similar activity listings here is the road between you and them.

The second thing to read is the inclusion list, because temple entry, a performance, a sanctuary ticket and a boat seat are sold separately.

Foreign visitors also pay the provincial Love Bali levy once per trip, which sits outside anything an activity listing covers.

1. 01

   Monkey Forest on its own admission

   The Padangtegal sanctuary opens at 9:00 and stops admitting at 17:00, and it is ticketed separately from any Ubud walking itinerary. Its rules bind the visitor rather than the operator: nothing to eat or drink inside, lockers for plastic bags, no touching and no feeding.

   Best for Visitors who came for the sanctuary itself, not for a photo stop on a six-place loop.

   Consider A guided Ubud day commits you to its stop list, and the one fixed thing in it is a gate that closes at 17:00.

2. 02

   Tirta Empul as a ritual rather than a viewpoint

   The spring at Tampaksiring, about 14 km northeast of Ubud, feeds 30 waterspouts into two purification pools. Bathers start at the left-hand pool and work along one spout at a time, and two spouts are reserved for funeral rites.

   Best for Visitors who intend to take part in melukat, not to photograph other people doing it.

   Consider Bathing ends with wet clothes and a change, so the rest of that day has to be built around the ritual.

3. 03

   Uluwatu: three things, sold three ways

   The temple stands on a 70 metre cliff at Pecatu, and Indonesia Tourism tells visitors to arrive around 5 pm for the Kecak dance. Entry, the performance and the transfer are separable, and a listing naming only the dance may leave the admission to you.

   Best for Visitors building one south-coast evening around a single cliffside performance.

   Consider Ubud to Uluwatu runs 1.5 to 2 hours each way, which turns a one-hour dance into the whole evening.

4. 04

   Tanah Lot, where the tide sets the visit

   The shrine sits on rock separated from the shoreline at high tide, so how close you get is decided by the water rather than the ticket. Sarongs are handed out at the entrance, and the site lies about 45 minutes by road from Denpasar.

   Best for Visitors who want a west-coast temple and are willing to build an afternoon around it.

   Consider Indonesia Tourism advises late afternoon for the sunset and an earlier arrival for a quieter temple area, so one visit cannot give you both.

5. 05

   A World Heritage subak landscape, not a terrace backdrop

   UNESCO’s Bali property covers five rice terraces and their water temples across 19,500 hectares, governed by a subak system of canals and weirs dating to the ninth century. Jatiluwih in Tabanan belongs to it; Tegalalang, the terrace most Ubud listings mean, does not.

   Best for Visitors who want the working irrigation culture and the institution that runs it.

   Consider Tabanan is a west-inland day of its own, so taking it drops either the Bukit coast or the boat day.

6. 06

   Batur: the climb or the caldera rim

   Mount Batur is 1,717 metres inside a double caldera that UNESCO lists as a Global Geopark across 15 villages in Kintamani. The crescent lake measures 7 km by 1.5 km, and the rim, the lake and the hot springs are reachable without the ascent.

   Best for Visitors choosing between a pre-dawn climb and a seated view of the same caldera.

   Consider A guided ascent is sold with a collection in the small hours, so it quietly takes the evening before it as well.

7. 07

   Nusa Penida measured in road, not stops

   Boats cross from Sanur, Kusamba or Padang Bai to Toyapakeh or Sampalan in about 30 to 45 minutes. Once ashore the roads are hilly and partly rocky, so a four-stop itinerary can mean four transfers and a viewpoint at each.

   Best for Visitors willing to give the crossing and the island’s west a whole day.

   Consider The descent to Kelingking’s sand is steep and dangerous, so a listing that shows the beach is not promising you will stand on it.

8. 08

   The Gilis as a reef day, not a viewpoint day

   Boats leave Bali for the Gilis from Padang Bai or Serangan, and the islands allow no motorised vehicles, so you move by bicycle or cidomo. Three-island snorkelling runs take in Coral Garden, Turtle Point and the Bounty Wreck.

   Best for Visitors who would rather spend the day in the water than at a railing.

   Consider A bicycle lap of Gili Trawangan takes about an hour, which tells you how much of a day return is actually boat.

9. 09

   East Bali gates, and the shuttle you cannot skip

   Lempuyang sits in Karangasem, two to three hours from central Bali, and a shuttle bus from the parking area is mandatory rather than optional. Besakih, on the slopes of Mount Agung, is a further two to three hours from Ubud on winding road.

   Best for Visitors willing to spend most of a day in a car for one east Bali temple.

   Consider Indonesia Tourism recommends a driver for both because of the terrain, and early morning for the view, which rules out a late start.

10. 10

    North-coast falls against an Ubud-side one

    Sekumpul in Buleleng is seven waterfalls side by side beneath forested cliffs, on the opposite side of the island from the southern beaches. Tegenungan sits in Gianyar within reach of Ubud, with natural pools you can swim or wade in.

    Best for Visitors adding water to an inland day without surrendering the day to it.

    Consider Crossing Bali north for Sekumpul is the day, while a Gianyar fall can sit inside an Ubud afternoon.

FAQs about Bali

Booking FAQ

Read the booking platform’s full booking terms and conditions