Bali

Introduction

Legian Beach, Bali, Indonesia

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Bali is the western most island in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. The island is located west of Java and east of Lombok. With a population of over 3 million with the vast majority of the island's population, 93.18%, being Hindu makes this place very different from the rest of Indonesia. Bali is one of the largest tourist destinations in Asia and the largest tourist spot in Indonesia.

History

The island was first settled around 2000 BC by people from Taiwan. The culture took a major shift when Hinduism was introduced from India in the 1st century AD. When the Hindu empire on Java fell in the 15th century most of the intellectuals, priests, musicians and royalty relocated to Bali. The Dutch discovered the island in 1597, although Dutch control was not solidified untill the 1890s. Even then Dutch control was loose at best. After Indonesian independence the island was hit hard during the communist crackdowns of the 1950s and 1960s with 10% of the islands population being executed. In 2002 and 2005 bombs were set off in major tourist areas, which greatly affect the tourist industry.

Geography

Kintamani Lake, Bali

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The island contains of a series of steep and high volcanos with the tallest being Mount Agung at 3,142 metres (10,308 feet) on the eastern end of the island. Mount Batur, also on the island, had one of the largest volcanic events on the planet about 30,000 years ago. The southern part of the island is the alluvial plain, which has several shallow rivers that are low during the dry season and swell during the wet season. Bali is surrounded by beaches and vibrant coral reefs. The beaches in the south usually have white sand and the beaches in the northern or western parts of the island have jet black sand. The ecology of the island is stunning with over 280 birds and plenty of wild animals.

Cities

• Singaraja was the colonial capital of the province.
• Denpasar is near the southern coast and is the current day capital of the province and largest city on the island.

Tourist Towns

• Kuta is a major tourist area on the island.
• Padangbai is a beach town on the south east side of the island.
• Seminyak
• Sanur
• Lovina
• Jimbaran
• Ubud - Has a large art market and with several museums and galleries is the cultural centre of Bali.

Sights and Activities

The main attractions for tourist going to Bali are the stunning beaches, amazing mountains, art work, dance, music and pumping nightlife. On top of this there is extremely clean and clear water that are filled with coral reefs, which makes for world class diving. For adventure seekers there is some of the best surfing in the world and excellent mountain climbing.

Tanah Lot, Bali

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Tanah Lot

Located 20 kilometres from Denpasar sits the amazing temple and rock formation of Tanah Lot. The temple was built in the 15th century by the famous priest Niratha, who was wondering the coast and came along some fishermen. After the fishermen gave him food and spending the night on the little island he told the fishermen to build a shrine on the rock. The temple is one of the seven seaside temples located around the coast of Bali. The temple is supposedly protected by poisonous sea snakes.

Bali Baret National Park

Bali Baret National Park is located in the north western part of the island. The park is roughly 10% of the land area of the island of Bali. it is bordered by the port town of Gilimanuk and the village of Goris. The park covers many different ecological zones including coral islands, savanna, mangroves and mixed-monsoon forests. There are even some ancient volcanic remains to explore.

Other Sights and Activities

Oh Beautiful Bali

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• Seven Seaside Temples - Seven Seaside Temples are worth a visit becayse these seven coastal Hindu temples are within eyeshot of each other. Most were built in the 15th century and have stunning architecture.
• Mother Temple Besakih - Mother Temple Besakih is located in the village of undefined on the slopes of Mount Agung is one of the most important Hindu temples in Indonesia.
• Beaches - Spend time on white and black sand beaches to get a good tan and relax.
• Surfing - Hang ten on some of the best waves in the world.
• Diving in Bali is a great place to check out the reefs with some scuba diving or snorkeling.
• Rock climbing here is amazing on the cliffs around the island.
• Arts and Crafts on Bali are some of the best in the world.
• Traditional Dance here is stunning. Learn a move or two of traditional Balinese dance makes a trip great.

Events and Festivals

• Rice Harvest Festival - Every year in May, Bali salutes Dewi Sri, who is locally revered as the rice god. The harvest time is considered a blessed season among Bali residents, and celebrations erupt all over the city. Small straw rice dolls created to represent Dewi Sri are placed all around town and are expected to bring good fortune. Along with lavish decorations and parades, traditional delicacies are served.
• Bali Spirit Festival (25 Mar 2013 - 01 Apr 2013) - Drawing yogi's from all across the globe, this event is a celebration of all things Namaste. For the past 5 years, this festival has brought hundreds of musicians, dancers, and yogis to Bali for a festival full of live music, yoga, and performance art - all for the common cause of making the world a more positive and peaceful place.
• Bali Arts Festival - A month-long celebration that reaches every region in Bali. Visitors will be able to choose from an array of events during this time - from traditional dance and musical performances to local crafts and artwork presentations. Delicious local cuisine will also be prepared and available for visitors to sample. Parades are also a common occurrence during this cultural festival, complete with extravagant colors and beautiful displays that will sure to leave you in awe.
• Negara Bull Races - Typically held on Sundays during the months of July and October, bull races are held in Bali. The bulls are cleaned and dressed in garland and hitched to makeshift chariots before they are raced in this exciting event.
• Melasti and Nyepi - Melasti is a purification festival held the day before Nyepi. On Melasti, villagers dress in their finest clothing and make their way to the sea carrying offerings to their gods. At the shore, pigs are also ceremonially sacrificed and statue representations of the gods are cleaned. This festival is supposed to get a little rowdy with loud cheers and banging of drums; everyone exhausts themselves in preparation for Nyepi. During Nyepi, Bali becomes a ghost town, and everyone - including tourists are expected to remain silent. No one is allowed to work, travel or partake in any indulgences. Visitors are advised to observe this custom and to stay inside their hotels for the day. It is believed that if everyone participates, the evil spirits will leave the island because they will think the city is uninhabited. This event occurs every year in March in accordance to the lunar calendar.

Weather

Bali has a tropical climate with hot, humid conditions. Temperatures are mostly between 30 and 32 °C during the day and nights are still well above 20 °C. The mountains in the interior are cooler and see more clouds as well. The April-October period is the dry season and November-March is the rainy season, though showers are still possible during the dry season and periods of dry weather occur during the monsoon season.

Climate Zone is a good website for seeing the weather at Bali through the year.

Getting There

bali_lembongan_01

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By Plane

Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) is located in the southern part of the island, just 13 kilometres south of Denpasar. It is the third busiest airport in the country and now meets international aviation security standards. The airport has extensive international service and good domestic service, including flights to Jakarta, Surabaya, West Papua, Borneo, Sulawesi and Sumatra. Pretty much every country in the Asian and pacific region can be reached directly by flights from this airport.
Garuda Indonesia flies to/from Hong Kong, Melbourne, Nagoya, Osaka, Perth, Seoul, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo and lowcost airlines Air Asia serves Kuala Lumpur.
Several other airlines have some more destinations, including Taipei, Amsterdam, Dili, Darwin, Brisbane, Doha, Bandar Seri Begawan, Guangzhou, Broome, Bangkok, Moscow and Adelaide.

By Boat

There a car and passenger ferry connecting Bali (Gilimanuk) and east Java (Ketapang), crossing takes about an hour. There's also a car and passeger ferry between Bali (Padangbai) and Lombok (Lembar), crossing takes about 4 hours. There are now also some direct services from Bali to the Gili Islands as well, all of them either via Lombok, or continuing to Lombok after the Gili Islands:

• Blue Water Express travels from Benoa to Bangsal on Lombok, continuing to Gili Trawangan, taking about 2 hours
• Gili Cat travels to Gili Trawangan from Padang Ai (1.5 hours).
• Island Getaway travels there from Serangan (2 hours).
• Perama Express to Trawangan from Padang Ai, continuing to Senggigi.

Pelni ships link Bali with many other parts of Indonesia, including Waingapu, Ende, Kupang and Kalabahi, Bima, Makassar and Papua, Labuan Bajo and Sulawesi.

By Bus

Some long-distance services can take you all the way to Jakarta, using the ferry services described above. Jakarta is about 24 hours away, Yogyakarta about 16 hours. Lombok can be reached as well by bus. Check the Peramatour buscompany for more schedules and prices.

By Train

There’s a train station near the ferry port on Java, with trains to Probolingo, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Jakarta.

Getting Around

By Car

Most of the roads hug the coastline or the edge of the mountains. Due to the steepness of the mountains in the interior of the island there are very few roads across the island, although some take you to the central volcanos. A car with a driver is relatively cheap if you share with a few more travellers and gives you maximum flexibility regarding the route and sights.

By Bus

Larger minibuses and full-size buses ply the longer routes, particularly on routes linking Denpasar, Singaraja and Gilimanuk.

By Boat

There are no regular connections between places on Bali as it's faster overland, but you can rent boats to go for a day out on the sea including fishing trips.

Eat

Drink

The night life in Bali is one of the best in the world. Mainly dominated by western tourists these places can get pretty rowdy year round.

Sleep

Bali has sleeping options for every kind of traveller. Therefore if your looking for a luxury resort or a hut on the island has a place to sleep for any kind traveller. Budget accommodations including travellers ratings:

External Links

• Bali Governmental Website
• Bali Tourism Board