Bali
Bali Wellness — Spa Rituals, Yoga Retreats & the Bali Spirit
Bali has become one of the world's premier wellness and spiritual tourism destinations — the combination of Balinese Hindu spiritual culture, the natural beauty of the island's volcanic landscape, rice terraces, and tropical vegetation, the availability of highly skilled traditional Balinese massage and spa treatments at accessible prices, and a critical mass of yoga retreats, meditation centres, and wellness resorts (particularly concentrated in Ubud and its surroundings) has made Bali the global archetype of 'healing travel'.
Ubud, Monkey Forest, Tegallalang Rice Terraces & Balinese Arts
Ubud — the cultural heart of Bali, in the cool highlands 25 kilometres north of Kuta — is the centre of Balinese arts, crafts, dance, and spiritual life: the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, the Tegallalang rice terraces (recognized under the UNESCO-listed subak water management system), the galleries and craft workshops of the Ubud art scene, and the daily temple ceremonies that punctuate Balinese Hindu life all converge in and around this exceptional cultural town.
Nusa Penida & Nusa Lembongan — Pristine Islands off Bali's Southeast Coast
Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan — the small islands in the Badung Strait between Bali and Lombok, accessible by fast boat from Sanur in 30-45 minutes — are the most spectacular natural environments accessible as a day trip from Bali: Nusa Penida's dramatic limestone sea cliffs, the Kelingking Beach ('T-Rex head' viewpoint), and the world's best snorkelling with manta rays at Manta Point have made it one of the most photographed destinations in Southeast Asia.
Balinese Hinduism — Temple Ceremonies, Cremation & the Spiritual Life of Bali
Balinese Hinduism (Agama Hindu Dharma — the unique form of Hinduism practiced on Bali, a synthesis of Hindu, Buddhist, and indigenous Balinese animist beliefs brought to Bali from Java in the 14th-15th centuries as the Hindu Majapahit Empire declined and its court fled to Bali) is the defining characteristic of Balinese culture and the primary reason that Bali's culture appears so distinct from the rest of Indonesia (which is approximately 87% Muslim).
Balinese Cuisine — Babi Guling, Lawar, Nasi Campur & the Warung Culture
Balinese cuisine is the most distinctively different regional cuisine in Indonesia — unlike the cuisines of Java or Sumatra (which are predominantly Muslim and therefore pork-free), Balinese Hindu cuisine makes extensive use of pork, most famously in babi guling (spit-roasted suckling pig), which is the most important ceremonial food in Bali and the dish most associated with Balinese identity; the Balinese warung (simple family-run restaurant) is the primary social and culinary institution of daily Balinese life.
Tanah Lot, Uluwatu Temple & the Sacred Sea Temples of Bali
Bali's ancient sea temples — Tanah Lot (the offshore rock temple that is the most photographed image in Bali), Uluwatu (the dramatic cliff-edge temple 70 metres above the Indian Ocean at the southern tip of the Bukit Peninsula, with its nightly Kecak fire dance performance at sunset), and the broader network of Bali's 'sad kahyangan' (six paramount temples of the island) — form the spiritual spine of Balinese Hindu civilization.
Mount Batur & Mount Agung — Volcano Sunrise Trekking in Bali
Bali's volcanic landscape — dominated by the sacred Mount Agung (3,031 metres, Bali's highest peak, last active in 2017-2019) and the more accessible Mount Batur (1,717 metres, an active volcano within a spectacular double caldera, the most popular trekking destination in Bali) — offers the most dramatic natural scenery on the island and a direct experience of the volcanic geology that created Bali.
Seminyak, Kuta & Legian — Bali's Beach, Surf & Nightlife Coast
The southwest coast of Bali — from the airport area of Tuban through Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak to Canggu — is the most developed tourist area in Bali and the entry point for most visitors: Kuta (the original Bali beach resort, discovered by surfers in the 1970s and developed into the primary budget travel hub), Legian (slightly more upscale than Kuta), and Seminyak (the most sophisticated of the three, with the best restaurants and beach clubs) all line the 8-kilometre stretch of black-sand beach facing the Indian Ocean.
Sidemen Valley, Amed & East Bali — Traditional Villages and Snorkeling
The less-visited east of Bali — the Sidemen Valley (a green river valley with dramatic rice terraces beneath Mount Agung, known for traditional geringsing ikat weaving and a quiet agritourism scene), and the Amed coast (a string of former fishing villages on the northeast coast with some of the best snorkeling in Bali and a famous WWII Japanese shipwreck dive site) — offers the most authentic and least touristed experience of traditional Bali.