- Posted: 6 July, 2015
- Category: Asia, Cuisines, Destinations, Hotels, Restaurants, Travel
Bali, Indonesia (By Hello965 Friends)
Bali is an island and a providence of Indonesia with approximately 4 million in population. It is considered the most popular destination for tourism in Indonesia. known for it’s wonderful culture, heritage, art and beautiful beaches, surrounding islands and marine life. The currency in Indonesia is the Indonesian Rupiah. And get ready because you gonna be a millionaire! as of the writing of this post, 1 KD = 44,000 Rupiah. I spent 7 days in Bali, in which I explored nearly all major areas of the island.
Do you need a Visa?
For Kuwaiti citizens, yes. You can obtain the visa as you arrive to Denpasar airport which will grant you access for 30 days. You only need a valid passport and a 35$ entry fees.
How to get there
Fly Emirates offers direct flights to Denpasar International airport which takes around 9 hours to get there from Dubai .
Notable Towns and Cities
Kuta – The most developed and busiest area in Bali. Known for beach activities, shopping destination and night life.
Seminyak – a quieter and more luxurious part of Bali. Most of the big resorts, villas, private beaches and local markets are located here
Ubud – located at the center of Bali. if you are into arts and museums, this is where to go. also the area is surrounded by a huge forest and rivers which is popular for rafting and canyoning.
Jimbaran – similar to Seminyak, the area is filled with beach-side resorts and really nice restaurants
where to stay
I stayed in Seminyak and i personally highly recommend to stay in this area. lot’s of things to check out in the area and it offers easy access to the more relaxed part of the beaches and the town. I would also recommend to spend few nights here and to go to Ubud and spend no more than a couple of nights there. Ubud will give you a completely different feeling than the rest of the areas as it is in the middle of the jungle and away from all the city noise. Transportation in Bali is mostly done through taxi services or, if you wanna be more efficient, use the scooter! Most of the activities that you would like to do will offer hotels pick-up and drop-off. Touring companies are almost all over this island which is great as it makes finding information or what to do or where to go easy.
Places to see and things to do
Exploring the towns in Seminyak and Kuta are probably the first thing you would want to do. I made some amendments to my plans based on the information I got from the touring booths I found on the way. Also i bought a local SIM card with an Internet plan to have access to Google maps on my phone.
I recommend to take a biking tour if you are able. The tours will take you through villages, exploring the daily Balinese life through the rice farms. You will get to know the culture a lot better this way and he scenery is breathtaking. I recommend this tour, which also includes a Balinese cooking class http://www.viator.com/tours/Bali/Bali-Cycling-Eco-Tour-with-Buffet-Lunch/d98-3665DPS50K
The Royal Temple of Mengwi is one of the most important temples in Bali. Built in 1634 by a King of the Mengwi dynasty. If you want to check any of the local temples in Bali, this is one you don’t want to miss. The Sunset Temple of Tanah Lot is another temple to check out. Nearby the temple is the The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Careful not to have any shiny objects on you, or the monkeys will steal it from you, they do that! This tour combines all three activities in one day http://www.viator.com/tours/Bali/Bali-Monkey-Forest-Mengwi-Temple-and-Tanah-Lot-Afternoon-Tour/d98-3665DPS33K
Beaches
Seminyak and Kuta beaches are the two popular ones. Kuta beach is popular among surfers and all sort of beach activities such as parasailing, flyboard. While Seminyak beach is a much more relaxed beach environment. You can do Scuba diving but you need to go to one of the nearby islands, most are roughly an hour by boat. Rafting and Canyoning can be done as well in Ubud, which is about an hour and a half drive from Seminyak or Kuta.
I personally did canyoning and rafting through the local tour companies which offer the booking online as well through Viator. I highly recommend doing the below tours!
Rafting & elephant Safari Park http://www.viator.com/tours/Bali/Elephant-Safari-Park-and-White-Water-Rafting-Adventure/d98-3665ELERAFT
Lembongan Islan day trip http://www.viator.com/tours/Bali/Bali-Reef-Cruise-and-Lembongan-Island-Day-Trip/d98-3665AREEFK
Restaurants
Below are the notable restaurants I have tried in Seminyak and Ubud:
Chandi – Asian food and
Urchin – Grill and seafood
Locavor – Mixed Located in Ubud. My favorite restaurant in the area.
Honestly nothing tasted better than my own cooked food(not really) done in one of the village i visited 🙂
Although the majority (about 80%) of Indonesia are Muslims, Bali is dominated by Balinese Hinduism. The best time to visit Bali is from April to June and September to October. This is right before and after the peak of the seasons. whether it’s a family trip, a solo trip or a honeymoon, Bali has so much to offer.
Cheers,
Ahmad