Things to do in Bali

South Bali

Surfing

How could we not go surfing whilst in Bali?! Known for its surfing beaches, we just had to try out what Bali has to offer. There are several good surfing spots around the south of the island to choose from: Kuta, Canggu, Seminyak and Uluwatu. It’s worth noting that the north of the island is not suitable for surfing due to the lack of waves, so if you plan to travel around Bali make sure you get your surfing fix before leaving Denpasar!

We chose to book our lessons through Airbnb which cost us £11.85 per person for an individual instructor each. We enjoyed it so much that we went back later in our trip! The second time we went we paid in the local currency which cost us Rp150,000 for a beginner and Rp200,000 for an intermediate lesson.

The other option for finding and booking surfing lessons is to just turn up at the beach you want to surf at and, as you’re walking along the sand, several local instructors will approach you offering lessons. Remember that bartering is a must in Bali as they will know you are a tourist and think they can charge you more! If you are unsure of what price to aim for you can use how much we paid above as guidance.

Tanah Lot Temple

This temple is one of the classic Bali sights, and visits are offered as a part of many Bali tourist tours. It’s an old traditional Balinese temple, with a tiered thatched roof, built on top of a huge rock that is only connected to the mainland at low tide.

We recommend looking up the tide tables before your visit to ensure you visit at the right time, giving you the best opportunity to view the temple. As a tourist, you can’t climb the steps up the rock to visit the temple itself; only locals are allowed. You can, however, receive a blessing at the foot of the rock when the tide is low (we all need our spirit cleansing sometimes).

We also enjoyed rock pooling whilst here as the beach is very rocky, and we were able to spot crabs, several types of fish and even a lobster!

There are lots of places to eat and drink, as well as a small market on the mainland, if you wanted to make your trip here longer and enjoy a meal with a coastal view. However, the sea is too choppy to swim, so don’t arrive thinking it’s a great place for a beach day!

Temple entry costs Rp 60,000. If you are choosing to visit as a stand alone trip and not part of a tour you will also have to consider taxi fees. The trip cost us Rp 150,000 (for the car) each way from Seminyak using the Grab app.

Hidden Canyon

This was probably my favourite activity of the whole trip. It’s the perfect mix of picturesque surroundings and fun! You get to gorge scramble and swim whilst admiring the beautiful canyon and interesting shapes that the water has carved out of the rock face. An added bonus is that you are in the shade almost the entire time, so no need to worry about your sunscreen washing off!

We paid Rp 100,000 per person for this activity but the prices vary depending on the size of your group. It’s cheaper the more people you have, so we recommend asking around at your hostel to find other people to go with. Another option is to wait at the tour desk until another small group arrive and ask if they would like to share a tour guide with you.

We suggest wearing your swimming costume (with or without clothes over the top), as a large portion of your time is spent wading through water (or full on swimming if you’re short like me!). We also found it easier when walking barefoot as you can get a better grip on the rocks so we recommend wearing shoes that are easy to slip on and off (such as flip flops).

Central Bali

Hike Mount Batur

Mount Batur is one of the three volcanoes on the island of Bali. It’s the second largest volcano (the largest is still active and it is therefore forbidden to hike up, so Mount Batur is your next best option). The hike up the mountain gives you incredible views of the valley and lake below, and the walk is not too challenging.

We do still recommend paying for a guide though, as they will know the safest routes and can give you lots of interesting information about the mountain and surrounding area whilst you walk. There are also resident Long Tailed Macaques, which we were able to see, and even give water to (with our guides permission and instruction).

The classic tourist option is to do a sunrise hike where you ascend in the dark and then eat breakfast at the top whilst you watch the sunrise. This option is easy to find a guide for, and many of the activity booths you will find on the streets in Denpasar and Ubud will be able to organise this for you.

We opted for a slightly different option: a sunset hike where you ascend in the evening, eat dinner at the top whilst watching the sunset, and then descend in the dark. As this is a less popular option the hike was very quiet and we didn’t see any other walkers until the very top where there were a handful of people eating and enjoying the views. We booked our guide through Airbnb which cost us £33.89 per person. This included transport from our accommodation in Denpasar, as well as a bottle of water and a small meal at the top (you get to hard boil the eggs yourself in the volcanic steam!).

Batik Class

Batik is a local method for creating and dying patterns onto cloth. I did this with one of the people we were travelling with as an arts and crafts afternoon. We learnt how to use a Canting (the traditional tool used to apply the hot wax) from the local craftsman. After stencilling a design onto my material and practicing with the Canting, I was able to trace my design with hot wax. I could then fill in the wax bordered blocks with coloured dye.

The craftsman taught us all the techniques we needed for drawing, tracing with the Canting and blending the dyes. The experience took about 3 hours and we got to take home our finished sarongs at the end. We really enjoyed it and I recommend this for anyone who enjoys arts and crafts, or learning traditional local production techniques.

We booked our experience through Airbnb which cost us £20 each. This included all the materials and instruction required to make our very own sarongs! We also got transport to and from our Ubud accommodation, as well as a bottle of water and snack whilst there.

Kanto Lampo Waterfall

The Kanto Lampo Waterfall is a beautiful but relatively small waterfall. In order to reach the waterfall you need to pay Rp 20,000 per person at the top, and then walk down several steps to reach the bottom of the valley that the river runs through. The waterfall itself covers the entire rock face and many of the protruding rocks cause the water to run over them and off the edge, creating a wall of waterfalls!

The river at the bottom of the waterfall is fairly deep and I recommend wearing your swimming costume, as both Will and I were submerged past our waists. In order to get up close and personal with the waterfall for pictures, or a cold shower, you will need to wade through the river. Although it is deep enough to swim in places, it’s not a swimming opportunity as there are large boulders, meaning you only really get pools of water a few meters wide.

The area is reasonably busy as many tourists come to see the waterfall and take pictures, but there is still plenty of photo opportunities without people if you’re willing to wait a few minutes. You can also wait for the prime spot in front of the waterfall to be free, and then climb up to the rock face to have your picture taken. The entire area is shaded by the steep sides of the canyon so no need to worry about sunburn – you can just relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Tegenungan Waterfall

This waterfall is the tallest one we saw whilst in Bali. It was also the busiest. There were locals selling various souvenirs (such as doors signs, random I know!), as well as lots of tourists sightseeing and taking pictures. There are bars and hotels along the top of the waterfall playing loud music, giving the whole area a party feel!

Tegenungan Waterfall offers lots of great photo opportunities, however, it’s difficult to get any without an abundance of tourists in the background. The best way to get a waterfall selfie is to go for a cold dip in the pool at the bottom (remember to bring your swimming costume!). There is a floating barrier around the base of the falling water which you can walk right up to if you wish.

We paid Rp 20,000 each for entrance to the main area which includes the waterfall, a temple and a hot spring bath. Access to the top of the waterfall is not included in the main ticket, and if you want to go up you will have to pay extra at the stairs at the base of the waterfall.

The other thing we recommend checking out whilst here is the stacked rocks downstream of the waterfall. The noise from the waterfall and music from the bars is muffled and it’s much more quiet, giving the area a relaxed, serene feeling.

North Bali

Banyumala Twin Waterfalls

These beautiful waterfalls were our favourite of the trip. When we visited there were very few sightseers, maybe only 10 other people. This lack of people gave the whole area a very relaxed and natural feel, unlike the Tegenungan Waterfall which had more of a party vibe going on. We enjoyed sitting on the rocks at the edge, watching the birds swooping about, and dipping our feet into the water. The pool is deep enough for a swim if you choose but be warned, it’s not warm!

In order to reach the waterfall you must drive down a long and very bumpy road, at the end of which there is a car park. From here you need to walk the rest of the way. There are obvious, hand painted signposts pointing you in the right direction with questionably accurate distances until you reach the waterfall (about 300m walk if the signposts are to be believed). At 100m to go, there is a booth where you must pay Rp 30,000 each for access, and they give you a bottle of water to take too. The remaining 100m is just steps down to the bottom of the waterfall, where you can relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.

West Bali

Melanting Temple

This was our favourite temple due to the lack of tourists. We were the only sightseers and it gave us the opportunity to see the temple being used for what it was originally built for: prayer and worship. We were able to see the locals in their traditional dress carrying offerings up the many steps, or taking part in a group prayer session.

We really enjoyed exploring the temple and seeing the different worship practices taking place. Tourists are required to pay a donation at the desk found to the right of the main steps before entering. Our driver suggested a donation of Rp 10,000 each, which looking at the log book, seemed pretty standard. You are also required to borrow a sarong and belt if you are not wearing a long skirt or trousers. Being able to dress in traditional Balinese temple wear is not only necessary, in order to respect their culture, but also added to the immersive experience for us.

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