THE GRANTOURISMO TRAVEL GUIDE TO

Bali

Bali Travel Guide

In the 1970s surfers went to Indonesia’s mystical island of Bali to ride its mesmerising waves while living as frugally as possible. These days they settle into luxury pool villas and slip in some surfing between yoga classes and smoothie bowls. The Bali of today caters for all budgets, tastes and interests – you can surf, spa and shop, take a cooking class, do a meditation course or watch a traditional ceremony. You can feast on farm to table cuisine or tuck into roast duck, dance on tables or savour beachside sundowners. Avoid Kuta and Bali is as spellbinding as it’s ever been.

Bali Itineraries

ONE DAY

Itinerary

One Day in Ubud – An Itinerary for a Perfect Day in Bali's Verdant Heart. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved. Rice terraces, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

TWO DAY

Itinerary

Weekend in Seminyak, Bali – Two Days of Sunshine, Sipping and Shopping. Sunset at Seminyak Beach, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Stay in Bali

Nandini Jungle Resort & Spa Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Best Ubud Resorts with Jungle Views and Jaw Dropping Infinity Pools.

Best Ubud Resorts with Jungle Views and Jaw Dropping Swimming Pools

The best Ubud resorts with jungle views and jaw dropping swimming pools are often secluded hotels set amidst lush tropical gardens, rice terraces and rainforest with sweeping valley or paddy…

Where to Stay in Seminyak, Bali – From Stylish Beach Resorts to Chic Boutique Hotels. Tijili Hotel, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Where to Stay in Seminyak, Bali – From Stylish Beach Resorts to Chic Boutique Hotels

Where to stay in Seminyak isn’t an easy decision to make with an abundance of luxury lodgings and chic boutique hotels peppering Bali’s most stylish suburb. Our very selective guide…

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Accomodation

Booking.com

Insurance

Safety Wing Nomads Insurance

Eat in Bali

A Local Guide to Eating and Drinking in Canggu, Bali. Chef Geoff Lindsay, Salumeria Tanah Barak, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

A Local Guide to Eating and Drinking in Canggu, Bali

This local guide to eating and drinking in Canggu, Bali, comes from Geoff Lindsay, the Aussie owner-chef of Salumeria Tanah Barak a Spuntini and Campari Bar in Canggu, Dandelion restaurant and the…

Our Guide to Eating and Drinking in Seminyak, Bali. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Our Guide to Eating and Drinking in Seminyak, Bali

Eating and drinking in Seminyak, Bali’s most appealing destination for lovers of good food and drink, has never been better or more interesting than it is right now, with brilliant…

Drink in Bali

Salumeria Tanah Barak, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Salumeria Tanah Barak a Spuntini and Campari Bar – Italian Made in Bali

Salumeria Tanah Barak a Spuntini and Campari Bar in Canggu, Bali, is owned by Australian chef Geoff Lindsay. What makes this chic Italian resto-bar special is its selection of salumi, Italian-style charcuterie, and…

Our Guide to Eating and Drinking in Seminyak, Bali. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Our Guide to Eating and Drinking in Seminyak, Bali

Eating and drinking in Seminyak, Bali’s most appealing destination for lovers of good food and drink, has never been better or more interesting than it is right now, with brilliant…

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Explore Bali

Tanah Lot Temple, Bali – Hindu Traditions and Sea Temple Ceremonies. Tanah Lot Temple, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Tanah Lot Temple, Bali – Hindu Traditions and Sea Temple Ceremonies

Tanah Lot temple, Bali, is a popular sunset spot for most visitors to the Indonesian island but like any must-do attraction in a major tourist destination it can get insanely…

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Ubud Monkey Forest – Monkey Business at Bali’s Macaque Sanctuary

Ubud Monkey Forest must top the list of things to do for most visitors to Bali’s cultural heart of Ubud. It certainly made the top of our list – and it made…

Experience Bali

Best things to do in Bali. Surfing at Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Best Things to Do in Bali from Rice Paddy Walks to Riding Mythical Waves

The best things to do in Bali for us aren’t the things you gawk at in tourism ads or highlight in travel guides. In keeping with our slow, local and…

Things to Do in Bali When it Rains – From Food Tours to Cooking Classes. Tanah Lot, ⁨Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Things to Do in Bali When it Rains – From Food Tours to Cooking Classes

Things to do in Bali when it rains? There’s plenty to do during the rainy season downpours. Bali has so much more to offer visitors than beaches, swimming and surfing…

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Book Bali Tours

Absorb Bali

Back to Bali to Dig Deeper and to Java to Discover Yogyakarta. Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Back to Bali to Dig Deeper and to Java to Discover Yogyakarta

You may have noticed we’ve been quiet here. Where have we been? Back to Bali for the first time in six years, to Java to discover Yogyakarta and explore sublime Borobudur,…

An Amble Around the Rice Paddies of Tumbak Bayuh, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

An Amble Around the Rice Paddies of Tumbak Bayuh, Bali

“Hello! Hello!” two skinny little kids call out as they peek from behind a dilapidated brick wall, a short distance down the lane from our villa in the tiny village of…

Shop Bali

Sustainable Souvenirs to Buy in Southeast Asia and Market Shopping Tips. Luang Prabang Puppet Souvenirs. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo.

Sustainable Souvenirs to Buy in Southeast Asia – No, Not Elephant Pants

Sustainable souvenirs to buy in Southeast Asia include anything that’s handmade and handcrafted, fair trade and ethically-produced rather than factory-made, and locally created rather than imported. Traditional crafts, art and…

Bali Take-Homes: Textiles, Fair Trade and Threads of Life. Threads of Life Shop & Gallery, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Bali Take-Homes: Textiles, Fair Trade and Threads of Life

Threads of Life is a gorgeous fair trade gallery-cum-shop in Ubud that sells exquisite handmade textiles from Bali and the rest of the Indonesia that are ethically produced. Forget the tourist…

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Bali Festivals & Events

A Balinese Royal Cremation Ceremony, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

A Balinese Royal Cremation Ceremony

Kiki was adamant. “There is a Royal Cremation Ceremony tomorrow,” she told us, “You must go!” Our villa manager, Kiki had made it her mission to ensure we were getting the breadth…

Consulting the Calendar: Choosing Auspicious Moments in Time, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Consulting the Calendar: Choosing Auspicious Moments in Time

Each day Desak and Kuman, the cook and housekeeper at our villa at Tumbak Bayuh, consult the Balinese calendar hanging on the kitchen wall. When Kiki, the villa manager, suggests…

Bali Local Knowledge

Things to Do in Bali When it Rains – From Food Tours to Cooking Classes. Tanah Lot, ⁨Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Things to Do in Bali When it Rains – From Food Tours to Cooking Classes

Things to do in Bali when it rains? There’s plenty to do during the rainy season downpours. Bali has so much more to offer visitors than beaches, swimming and surfing…

A Local Guide to Eating and Drinking in Canggu, Bali. Chef Geoff Lindsay, Salumeria Tanah Barak, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

A Local Guide to Eating and Drinking in Canggu, Bali

This local guide to eating and drinking in Canggu, Bali, comes from Geoff Lindsay, the Aussie owner-chef of Salumeria Tanah Barak a Spuntini and Campari Bar in Canggu, Dandelion restaurant and the…

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Bali Resources

How to Get from Bali to Java and Yogyakarta. ⁨Klaten⁩, ⁨Central Java⁩, ⁨Indonesia⁩. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

How to Get from Bali to Java and Yogyakarta Now Bali’s Volcano Has Erupted

How to get from Bali to Java and Yogyakarta now Mount Agung volcano has erupted is a question a lot of travellers who have been stranded on the Indonesian island…

How to eat like locals when you travel. Start with a slurping pho from a tiny plastic stool... Pho noodle shop, Hanoi old town, Hanoi, Vietnam. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

How To Eat Like Locals When You Travel

How to eat like locals when you travel? There’s an abundance of advice out there: slurp soup from a street food stall, sample home-cooked food at a local home, savour…

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Bali Essentials

WHEN TO GO

Bali is warm and humid all year around, with two main seasons.
Apr-Sep Is high and dry season, with the busiest months being July & August and only ocassional rainfall.
Oct-Mar Is the low and wet season and while it doesn’t just pour with rain every day, it does rain a lot at night.

HEALTH

Bali has healthcare treatment facilities for minor accidents, however for serious injuries (surfing and motorbike riding accidents are common culprits) you will need a care flight overseas for more expert care. Be sure that your insurance covers these costs. Recommended Vaccinations

VISAS

There are two main visa types that will concern visitors to Bali; the free visa and arrival and the paid visa on arrival. The free visa on arrival cannot be extended, but the paid visa on arrival (US$35) is generally used to exend the visit for two months. You can purchase a two month visa at Indonesian consulates and embassies before arrival.

WHEN TO GO

Bali is warm and humid all year around, with two main seasons.
Apr-Sep Is high and dry season, with the busiest months being July & August and only ocassional rainfall.
Oct-Mar Is the low and wet season and while it doesn’t just pour with rain every day, it does rain a lot at night.

$1.00 USD = 15,584.75 IDR
$1.00 AUD = 23.59 IDR
€1.00 EUR = 39.00 IDR
£1.00 GBP = 45.59 IDR

The Indonesian currency is the rupiah (Rp), but the currency code is IDR. You’re going to be carrying a lot of notes around as the 1,000Rp note is worth around 6 cents US. When withdrawing money from ATMs you may get a good exchange rate but be hit by big transation fees. The 50,000Rp and 100,000Rp notes are best to carry being respecvely about US$3.50 and US$7.

HEALTH

Bali has healthcare treatment facilities for minor accidents, however for serious injuries (surfing and motorbike riding accidents are common culprits) you will need a care flight overseas for more expert care. Be sure that your insurance covers these costs. Recommended Vaccinations

'Om Swastiastu', hello in Balinese. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

ELECTRICITY

ELECTRICITY IN BALI IS 230 VOLTS. 50 CYCLES/SEC.
Electricity in Bali is 230 volts. 50 cycles/sec. Power plugs used in Bali. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

LOCAL TIME

Time in Bali:

Bali’s Time Zone is (GMT+8) Bali has never utilised daylight saving.

WEATHER

CURRENT BALI WEATHER

TRANSPORTATION

AIR/LAND/SEA

While Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, there are many direct international flights to the island. There is one airport, Ngurah Rai International Airport with a code name of DPS, and it’s just south of Kuta. There are ferries servicing other areas of Indonesia such as Java, Sumbawa and Lombok. Getting around is generally on hired motorbikes, hiring a car and driver is safer.

Bali Daily Costs

BUDGET

Daily Budget Up To:

US$30

  • Guesthouse dorm room: US$5–10
  • Cheap restaurants, street food: US$3
  • Motorcycle hire (weekly) US$25

MID RANGE

Daily Budget From:

US$31–200

  • Air-con hotel room: US$50–150
  • Good local restaurant meal: US$20+
  • Full Spa Treatment: US$30

LUXURY

Daily Budget From:

US$201+

  • Boutique hotel or resort: US$150+
  • Fine dining meal without drinks: US$50+
  • Car and Driver (daily Rate): US$60+