Before I dive into this article, I feel the need to touch on some important pointers you’ll need to know about Bali. First is the weather. The best time of the year to visit Bali is in the dry season which falls between April and October, with the peak season beginning from June to August.
Second is flights. Flights to Bali during the peak season tend to be super expensive if you are traveling from far. We are talking about tickets ranging above $2000 unless you book your tickets months in advance. However, I found a little travel hack that can save you thousands of dollars. Instead of taking a direct flight to Bali, fly into a different city first, like Jakarta, then fly to Bali from there (this was cheaper by $1000!) Jakarta to Bali is only $150. Alternatively, you can fly into a nearby country like Malaysia and then fly to Bali. You can use this travel hack to other destinations as well.
Third is the dreaded Bali Belly. The water in Bali is known to cause stomach upsets. Brushing your teeth with tap water or having drinks with contaminated ice could lead to Bali belly. To save yourself from this, make sure to buy some activated charcoal pills to help with that. It saved me from bad stomach upsets a couple of times. An instance when these pills came through for me was when I was about to go on the Mt. Batur hike. If it weren’t for these charcoal pills, I would have had to forfeit my hike. Click here to see the one I got from Amazon, it works instantly!
Bali is a perfect destination for solo travelers because you will meet a lot of other solo travelers as well. From my experience, it is easy to make new friends as long as you are friendly and keep an open mind. I remember making friends with a lovely girl on my plane to Jakarta and we hit it off pretty well. If you are reading this, hello Angela :)
Bali is among the 17,000 islands found in Indonesia. 17,000 sounds absurd, right? But yes, Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world, it is also the biggest country in South East Asia and ranks as the 4th most populous country in the world. There are so many beautiful and unique places to visit in Indonesia like Komodo Island, East Java, Lombok, etc. Bali just happens to be the most popular.
I will categorize Bali into the northern and southern part because these two feel like completely different places in terms of the landscape. In the north is where you have the thick lush jungles, waterfalls, rice fields, volcanic mountains, iconic temples, etc and the south is where you have the beach towns like Canngu, Seminyak, Kuta, Uluwatu, etc. If you want to properly explore Bali, I would recommend splitting your time and staying in both the north and the south to make it easy to navigate and explore. There are also islands very close to Bali like Nusa Penida and Gili T where you can make day trips from Bali.
First, let's start with the northern part of the island.
This is the place you go if you want to experience a more authentic slice of Balinese life. It is quite laid back and has dense tropical jungles all around it. Here is where you will find so many Hindu temples, waterfalls, rice fields, volcanic mountains, etc. Ubud is a nice spot for accommodation since it is somewhat centrally located.
Wondering what to do in this part of Bali?
Bali swing
Ah! The iconic Bali Swing. Several places around Ubud offer this, I chose Alas Harum and loved it! The landscape is very aesthetically pleasing and has a lively atmosphere to it. It has several swings overlooking rice terraces, a waterfall with a fish pond, Balinese coffee tasting, animal-shaped caves, a tree house, and a club called Cretya where you can relax, eat, have a drink, or swim at their several infinity pools overlooking the rice fields. It’s almost like an amusement park of its own, a one-stop shop for all the fun I say. For the ladies, you can rent out those gorgeous long dresses for the Bali swing. There is also zip lining and a sky bike for the adrenaline junkies. If you plan on visiting Cretya, a reservation is not necessary but it is better to go a bit early as it tends to get packed and you can miss a spot by the pool.
ATV Bike Adventure
The ATV bike rides here have tracks through rice fields, jungles, waterfalls, and mud in remote areas of Ubud, sounds adventurous huh? This was my second time on an ATV bike and I nearly drove myself into a ditch! Nevertheless, it gave me so much adrenaline. You would need to be good at driving for this adventure because some parts are very difficult to maneuver and it can get wild really fast. We drove through small rivers, a waterfall and climbed up steep slopes in the jungle, so it can be a bit tough for a beginner. But if you are not good with ATV bikes, no worries because you have the option of being in the back seat of the guide.
Hike Mt. Batur
If you are a hiking fanatic, listen up. The hike starts at 3 am which at first sounded absurd to me. Surprisingly, there were so many people on the hiking trail, you would think that a hike in the middle of the night would be an activity tourists would keep away from but nop, not in Bali. If you don’t like hiking that much and still want to experience this, there is an option of going on a scooter halfway up the mountain, unbelievable! If you don’t like hiking at all, there is an option of taking a Jeep to see the views at sunrise, but note that the Jeep doesn’t go all the way up. Mt. Batur is an active volcanic mountain and we could see steam coming out of some parts of the mountain at the top. The view at the top during sunrise is incredible! You can spot Mt. Agung (the tallest mountain in Bali) right next to it with clouds floating below its peak. This hike is fairly easy and it took us about one and a half hours to hike to the top, so it is very beginner-friendly. I would recommend this activity if you want to add some adventure to your trip!
Visit Waterfalls
There are so many beautiful waterfalls in Bali, and almost all of them are located in the northern part of Bali. It is important to note that the waterfalls tend to be spread out and far apart from each other. If you want to visit a number of them it is best to hire a driver for the day. I would advise you to research first on the waterfall you intend to visit because some of them require some serious trekking down while some are in caves which makes them a bit more difficult to access. Nonetheless, they are so breathtaking. I really loved the thick lush jungles surrounding the waterfalls, it gave the place a magical fairytale look. Don’t forget to bring your swimsuit if you plan to take a dip at the waterfall. The price of hiring a driver for 8 hours should roughly be $40 from what I researched online.
Take Classes
You can take classes like Balinese cooking classes, yoga, or jewelry-making classes. I find these activities to add some depth to your travels because you end up gaining a new skill. It is also a way of closely interacting with the locals and other travelers as well. I did the jewelry-making class at a silversmith village in Ubud and it was one of the highlights of my trip. We used silver and were instructed on how to make jewelry from scratch. I chose the design that I liked from a collection they had and was walked through the entire process. The price of each piece of jewelry you make is decided by its weight, the heavier the jewelry, the more expensive. I made two rings and they are probably my most treasured pieces of jewelry because I made them myself. My favorite part was that I could engrave anything I wanted on the rings.
Rice field Tours
There are so many rice fields in the northern part of Bali. You will see them as you drive along the roads. Some of them like Tegalalang and Ceking Rice Fields offer tours in them. The winding terraces of the rice fields against the backdrop of the palm trees give you that pleasant sense of being in Bali.
Visit Temples
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The most iconic temples are found in this part of Bali. The predominant religion in Bali is Hinduism which makes up about 90% of the population, so expect to see Hindu statues almost everywhere you go. The people here have shrines outside their houses and you will often see offerings in terms of flowers put on these shrines every day. These flowers are also put on the roads, paths, hotels, shrines, houses, etc as a form of gratitude and a wish for peace and abundance in the world. Most of the temples are open to the public to go and visit. If you would like to witness a purification ritual, I would recommend visiting Tirta Empul Temple, tourists are also allowed to partake in this ritual.
Try Local Cuisine
The small traditional restaurants are called “Warung”. Here you will be served traditional Balinese food. I tried Nasi Goreng, a popular Balinese dish consisting of rice, egg, satay, meat, crackers, chili sauce, and a salad. I ended up eating it from the first day I entered Bali to the very last day, it was that good! There are so many other dishes you can try, Asian food is one of the best if you ask me. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try a variety of dishes because I got so hooked on Nasi Goreng, goddammit!
I would like to mention a unique restaurant near Ubud by the name Merlin, based on the famous show called “Merlin”. Its theme is based on Magic, just like the show. As you enter the restaurant, there is a large “spell book” at the reception that you randomly open and it chooses your meal for the day. You can also opt to pick a bunch of fortune-telling cards that will choose your starter, main and dessert dish for you, so unique huh? However, you are also allowed to make your selection in case you are not impressed by the food that chose you.
Visit another Island
