🐒Sacred Monkey Forest
Jungle right in the middle of Ubud: moss-covered ancient temples, banyan roots and hundreds of long-tailed macaques.
Rice terraces, clifftop temples above the ocean, a volcano at sunrise and surf breaks people fly halfway round the world for.
Open the interactive guideCities and regions
What to see
🌾Tegallalang Rice Terraces
Bali's most famous terraces: green steps dropping into a valley between palm trees.
🚶Campuhan Ridge Walk
A free path along a hilltop ridge between two rivers: waist-high grass, palms and jungle views.
🏯Ubud Palace & Market
The royal palace with carved gates and the market opposite: sarongs, baskets, coffee and souvenirs.
💧Tirta Empul Temple
The temple of holy springs, where Balinese walk through a row of fountains in a purification ritual.
🐘Goa Gajah
The 11th-century "Elephant Cave": an entrance carved as a demon's mouth, ancient bathing pools and a jungle path down to a stream.
Don’t miss
Two hours climbing in the dark by torchlight, then the sun rises over the lake and the clouds with Mount Agung opposite. Guides cook breakfast right in the volcanic steam.
A hundred men in chequered sarongs sit in a circle chanting "chak-chak-chak" while the sun sinks into the ocean behind them. It feels less like a show and more like a real trance.
At 7 a.m. the haze still hangs over the terraces, farmers head into the fields and there's not a selfie stick in sight.
Where to stay
🌿Ubud
Culture, yoga, jungle. The heart of the island: temples, rice terraces, cafés and retreats. No sea, the beaches are an hour or more away, and evenings are quiet.
− Not for daily swims: the sea is far away.
🏄Canggu
Surf, cafés, nightlife. The trendiest area: surf breaks, coffee shops, beach clubs and coworking spaces.
− Not for peace and quiet: building sites, scooters and music until late.
🍸Seminyak
Restaurants, shopping, sunsets. Stylish and convenient: everything is close, with a wide beach, spas and boutiques. Pricier than Canggu but calmer in the evenings.
− Not for saving money: prices are among the highest on the island.
🌊Uluwatu & the Bukit
Cliffs, beaches, views. The island's south: white-sand coves, a clifftop temple and villas overlooking the ocean. You need a scooter or a driver, as everything is spread out.
− Not if you don't ride a scooter: without transport you'll be stuck at your villa.
👨👩👧Sanur
Quiet, good with kids. A calm area on the east coast: a flat sea without big waves, a seafront promenade, and the boats to Nusa Penida leave from here.
− Not for parties or surfing: it's quiet in the evenings and there are no waves.
🏨Nusa Dua
All-inclusive resorts. A gated resort area with big hotels and well-kept beaches. Clean and safe, but with very little local life.
− Not for the "real Bali": it's just hotels all around.
🐠Amed
Snorkelling and diving. Villages on the north-east coast below Mount Agung: black sand, coral right off the shore and a shipwreck at nearby Tulamben.
− Far away: 2.5–3 hours from the airport, with few cafés and shops.
✈️Kuta & Legian
Close to the airport. Noisy, budget-friendly and full of tourists. Handy for your first or last night before a flight.
− Not for a whole holiday: noisy, so-so beaches and lots of pushy sellers.
What to eat
- 🐖Babi guling Suckling pig stuffed with spices and spit-roasted. Served with rice, crackling and fiery sambal. Where to try it: Warungs in Ubud and Denpasar, best at lunchtime
- 🦆Bebek betutu Duck in a spice paste, slow-cooked in banana leaves for hours until it falls apart. Where to try it: Balinese restaurants
- 🍛Nasi campur Rice with a little of everything: meat, vegetables, egg, peanuts and sambal. Each warung has its own mix, the best way to try it all at once. Where to try it: Any warung
- 🍢Sate lilit Minced fish or chicken with coconut and spices, wrapped around a lemongrass stalk and grilled over charcoal. Where to try it: Markets and street stalls
- 🍜Mie goreng & nasi goreng Fried noodles or fried rice with vegetables, chicken and egg: simple, filling everyday food. Where to try it: Everywhere, from warungs to cafés
- 🍌Pisang goreng Bananas in crispy batter, a street snack with coffee. Sometimes topped with grated cheese and chocolate. Where to try it: Street stalls and cafés
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Getting to know Ubud
- eSIM, Gojek and breakfast overlooking a rice field
- Sacred Monkey Forest
- Lunch: nasi campur at a warung
- Ubud Palace & Market
- Sunset on the Campuhan Ridge
- Day 2: Terraces and templesin the full guide
- Day 3: Volcano and waterfallin the full guide
- Day 4: The south, Canggu and Tanah Lotin the full guide
- Day 5: The Bukit, beaches and Kecakin the full guide
When to go
greatOKoff season
The SouthCanggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Uluwatu, Nusa Dua
- Jan31°
- Feb31°
- Mar31°
- Apr32°
- May31°
- Jun30°
- Jul29°
- Aug29°
- Sept30°
- Oct31°
- Nov31°
- Dec31°
The dry season runs April to October. The Bukit's west coast surfs best in summer, the east coast in the rainy season.
Ubud & the centreUbud, Tegallalang, Jatiluwih
- Jan29°
- Feb29°
- Mar29°
- Apr30°
- May29°
- Jun28°
- Jul27°
- Aug28°
- Sept29°
- Oct30°
- Nov30°
- Dec29°
A little cooler than the coast and noticeably wetter. Nights in July–August are fresh.
The mountainsKintamani, Batur, Bedugul
- Jan24°
- Feb24°
- Mar24°
- Apr25°
- May24°
- Jun23°
- Jul22°
- Aug23°
- Sept24°
- Oct25°
- Nov25°
- Dec24°
Around 22–25° by day, and it can drop to 10–14° at night and dawn. In the rainy season the summits are often in cloud.
Nusa Penida & the eastNusa Penida, Lembongan, Amed
- Jan31°
- Feb31°
- Mar31°
- Apr32°
- May31°
- Jun30°
- Jul29°
- Aug29°
- Sept30°
- Oct31°
- Nov32°
- Dec31°
Drier than the south. The water around Penida is cooler and currents are strong: snorkel only with a guide.
Entry & documents
Many passports get a visa on arrival (VOA) or an e-VOA in advance at molina.imigrasi.go.id: IDR 500,000 for 30 days, extendable once for another 30; some, including ASEAN passports, are visa-free. Everyone also pays the IDR 150,000 Bali tourist levy (Love Bali) and fills in the free All Indonesia arrival card within 72 hours before landing. Check the current rules for your passport before you travel.
Local etiquette
- 🧣Enter temples in a sarong and selendang sash with your shoulders covered. They're often handed out at the entrance, but your own in your bag comes in handy.
- 🌸Watch your step: the little baskets of flowers and rice are canang sari offerings. They're placed on pavements and doorsteps every morning, so walk around them.
- 🤲Hand over money and things with your right hand or both hands. The left hand is considered unclean.
- 🙅Don't touch anyone's head, even a child's: to the Balinese it's the most sacred part of the body.
- 🧗Don't climb temple walls, shrines or sacred trees for photos: Bali's rules treat it as a serious offence, up to deportation.
- 🩸Women are asked not to enter temples during their period; it's also written into the official visitor rules.
Did you know
- 🛕Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, yet on Bali almost nine in ten people follow Balinese Hinduism.
- ✈️On Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, the island's international airport closes for 24 hours: not a single plane takes off or lands.
- 👶Balinese children are named by birth order: the first is Wayan, the second Made, the third Nyoman, the fourth Ketut. The fifth is Wayan again, so there are thousands of identical names on the island.
- 🌾Subak, a thousand-year-old shared irrigation system for rice fields built on canals and water temples, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2012.