Places to visit in Bali

Good question Julie.  I'm looking forward to the responses you receive as I will be back there for all of March 2014.  I really want to check the island out, not just the bars and the usual tourist activities.  Planning on regular longer visits to Bali in the near future.  Cheers.  Jim

Hi Julie, just sharing, If you going to Kuta or Sanur, all look the same with the busy of the pubs, hotels and villas. If you want to know about the real Bali's life style for your and family, I recommend you to go to some villages in Bali such as Candidasa. Around Candidasa (east of Bali) you can find the real Balinese life style with the cultures, environment.

In short, there is the real Bali and then there's everything else.

Everything else is where nothing but a tiny vestige of the Balinese culture remains.  That would be Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Nusa Dua, Canggu and Jimbaran.  Unless you like to party with Aussie bogans, avoid Kuta and Legian at all costs. The other areas down south are all very westernized.  Sanur is about the only spot in southern Bali which retains some decent semblance of what Bali used to be all about...and that's remarkable, as Sanur was the very first spot on Bali developed for tourism. 

The "real" Bali can be found most everywhere else on the island, and that's a lot of ground.  Absolute high points would be Ubud, which for no small reason is regarded the cultural heart of Bali, the central and northern mountains, and East Bali.

Roy, Whats the mangrove trails like? Every time I go to Bali I put it on my list of things to do then the wife see a factory outlet sale and that becomes a next time event! The beaches to the west are different to Kuta and the drive west along the coast is good. I have often taken a bike out that way and just disappeared down a road and ended up in a small village or beach and it has been far more fun than being in Kuta.

Luke, sorry but I can’t tell you about the trekking around in the mangroves but there are endless great trekking opportunities in Bali, for example, hiking up Gunung Agung and Batur, in and around Sideman and Munduk in the central highlands or in Ubud in the various rice fields and along the Ayung River gorge, and of course the world famous Victor Mason bird walks which he started way back in 1990 and the Campuhan Ridge Walk, which this particular blogger has done an excellent job describing in detail:

thelittlepinkjournal.blogspot.com/2011/01/travelogue-bali-campuhan-ridge-walk-in.html

I spent all of 1 day in Ubud.  I get the feeling I might have missed some of it.

" I get the feeling I might have missed some of it."

You missed a lot of it, but hey, you can always come back! 

You mean there's more than the monkey forest?

"You mean there's more than the monkey forest?"

Not unless you feel right at home there!

Monkeys love me.





You should see some of the PMs I get.

Hmmm, care to share some of those PMs?  This could be fun!

I would never betray anyone's confidence.

Except when I do.

Hi Julie,

For a fairly decent cultural experience pop over to Lembongan Island. It's a 30minute boat trip from Sanur. The Island is kind of like Bali was about 20 years ago. Check it out there are plenty of ceremonies to look at, nice beaches, great diving and snorkelling, surfing, good food lots of jungle...check it out