Budget
Crowds
History
Nightlife
Food
Cultural Distinction
Bali, famous for its vast rice terraces, its rolling white sand beaches, and its tranquil Hindu temples and yogi vibes, has become a hotspot for travel for just about everybody. First jumping into the public eye in the 2006 novel Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Bali has since been idealized in pop culture through movies and instagram influencers alike. However despite how remote and peaceful those instagram posts make it seem, if you don’t travel Bali correctly, it is anything but. With its mass tourism and commercialization, this island has begun to reflect western culture much more than its national neighbours. For me Bali was not a main hotspot on my to do list during my first trip to Indonesia, and instead I only spent a week on the island as a break from my travels to the more remote parts of the country. As a result I spent much of my time here relaxing with a few drinks with some other travellers on the beach, while I worked with a local visa guide to renew my visa for another month. However this did not stop me from still exploring at least some of the island, and while overall Bali was not my favourite destination in the country, there are ways to escape the crowds around Kuta beach and Ubud, and to find some of the peace and tranquility that have made the island famous.
Don’t forget to check out my post on Indonesia here for more information.
My itinerary
1. Arrival in Denpasar and stay in Kuta area
Seemingly to purposefully contrast the slow pace of Sulawesi, the arrival in Denpasar is anything but slow or relaxing. The western commercialization is immediately evident with the flashing lights of the several storefronts and clubs that line the main streets around the Denpasar and Kuta areas, while the streets are riddled with foreigners on scooters that drive with the skill that would indicate it was the first time they had ever ridden one. Not confident enough in my own skill on a scooter to navigate the mayhem of these roads, I opted for a Gojek which should have taken 30 minutes to arrive at my hostel in Canggu from the airport, however with the chaos of the local streets, ended up taking me 3 hours. In Canggu I found an area commercialized towards a younger party crowd, which after my time in Sulawesi, which lacked any party crowd, I welcomed the change for a few days. However, as far as extended travel goes, it is an exhausting area both mentally and financially, and I would not suggest spending more than a couple days here.
On my third day I decided to get away from the hustle and bustle of the area around the hostel and the beach, and along with a few new friends I headed to check out the nearby Hindu temple of Pura Tanah Lot. Unfortunately, and our surprise, even this religious monument has been heavily commercialized. With entire markets lining their way through the area, and large tour groups roaming the temples, the peace and tranquility that Hindu temples are renowned for was absent. While the temple itself is rather impressive, my visit here was my indicator that it was time to head north to try and escape the mass tourism of the islands south coast.
2. Ubud
As a centre for the traditional side of Bali, Ubud is another hotspot for tourists travelling to the island, and while commercialization is still heavily present, the area has maintained much more of its cultural identity than that of the Southern part of the island, which becomes apparent with the night celebrations that will occasionally break out in the streets. My first stop in Ubud was to explore its surrounding landscapes of waterfalls, rice terraces, and coffee plantations, as well as the must stop attraction of the monkey forrest. Ubud was also the spot where I, along with a few friends I had met from the hostel in Canggu, rented a villa for the Bali vibe idealized by Instagram, including the essential infinity pool for the ultimate Insta pics.
3. Mt. Batur
When it comes to Bali, the further away you get from Kuta in the south, the more you are able to escape the business of the tourism industry, and for me the hike up Mt. Batur in the north was the highlight of my time on the island. While the hike up the volcano is well trafficked, it is no where as busy as the other parts of Bali that I had a chance to experience. Located at the centre of a caldera and next to a caldera lake, the area around the volcano is filled with natural beauty, and is best experienced from the top of the volcano at sunrise. For this reason the best time to start the hike up the mountain is around midnight, so that you will reach the summit shortly after 6 in the morning to find a good spot, away from the crowd, to enjoy the view. While we had opted to have a guide take us up, the volcano is well-trafficked enough that one could do without by simply following the rest of the crowd on their way up the cliffs. I will say though that the benefit of the guide was that we were brought up a alternative route and were able to avoid the greater chunk of tourists, and even more impressively were brought down the volcano on a trail that had no other groups, and offered amazing views of the caldera lake before being brought down the volcanic sand dunes, remnants from the volcanoes most recent eruptions. Having started the hike at midnight, we arrived back at our hostel at noon the next day, ready to move on to our next destination. It was time to leave the commercialized island of Bali for its less touristed sister Lombok to its east, and its nearby Gili Islands.
Missed List
1.Nusa Penida
A short distance to the south east of Bali, Nusa Penida is perfect for escaping the larger islands beach vibe culture, and seeking for something a little more adventurous. With its hilly landscape, and poor road infrastructure, this island is perfect for a thrilling exploration via motorbike or car.
2. Tulamben
A small fishing village in northern Bali that is a world class diving location due to the nearby shipwreck of the Liberty, a US Army Transport ship that was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in WWII. Due to the shipwrecks close proximity to the island, the dive is actually able to be begun on the beach, reducing the costs of making the dive, and making it one of the cheapest places in the world to get your divers permit.
3. West Bali
Now I know I have spent much of this post complaining about the commercialization of the island, but that may be because my experience was primarily in the Southern region around Denpasar and Ubud. If you head away from these hotspots and go towards the east, Balinese culture is much more alive, and in my opinion, worth a future trip.
Food
Babi Guling
While I didn’t have the opportunity to experience much of Bali’s traditional food scene due to the westernized menus that most restaurants have adopted, there are still several restaurants across the island that specialize in Babi Guling, the Balinese rendition of a suckling pig, and an absolute must try when visiting the island.
Budget
$40 CAD
The major bonus of Bali’s commercialized tourism is that it is super easy to maintain a budget, which is one of the reasons why the area is so popular for young backpackers and holidayers looking for a party scene. With a plethora of competition, one can easily find accommodation for as low as $5/night. If you stick to the street food, you’d also be able to get by on a further $5/day, however if like myself, or if you are only spending a week in Bali for vacation, you may as well give yourself a little comfort, and breaking the budget by only a few dollars is worth the reward for the value of comfort it will provide. The cost of transport will be pretty consistent if you are able to stick to scooter rentals or Gojeks, which will run fairly cheap to get to any part of the island, although it isn’t always easy to stick to these two options. Overall you can expect to pay $10-$15/day for transport if you plan on working your way around the whole island, but can be reduced to $7/day if you plan on sticking to an area accessible by solely scooter rentals. Whats really going to run the budget is the attraction fees. As a tourist destination, you will be charged for everything from Hindu temples to access to waterfalls. You can expect to pay $15-$20/day for these for an overall budget of $35-$45/day.
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