Bali tourism guide - all about bali paradise tourism, vacancy and holiday information

Welcome to Bali

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Regions of Bali
North Bali
North Bali includes most of the Buleleng district, around Singaraja. It has a rich history of Bali behind its casual daily life. In Singaraja you can find remnants of Dutch imperialism as it was the administrative center of the Lesser Sunda Islands then. Horse-pulled carriages (dokar or sado) gallantly walk the pleasantly tree-lined streets, landscaped by Dutch colonial houses. Lovina Beach, a group of small villages west of Singaraja, offer popular beach resorts, with many of the amenities of Kuta but without its crowdedness. Spectacular sunset as in Kuta, dolphin watch out into the sea, snorkelling and diving in the clear water, and active social and night life scenes can be found in Lovina.

East Bali
The Eastern part of Bali is the most mountainous area of the island. The highest point in Bali, Gunung Agung (literally means Holy Mountain), is located here. And the Mother Temple of Bali, the Besakih Temple, is located at the foot of Mount Agung. This is the Mount Olympic of Bali, and you can find here various manifestations of Bali's religious beliefs. The Klungkung area is also historically significant, having served as a focal point of art and culture in the Gelgel dynasty. The roof of Kertha Gosa, the court room of the Klungkung kingdom, is dramatically painted with thousands of panels, telling the story of justice.
A long stretch of beaches marks the East side of Bali - diving, snorkelling, spectacular sunset, sun bathing, etc. Tenganan - Karangasem a village of the Bali Aga people, is also here, just west of Candidasa, where you can see a mysterious water temple submerge from the water.

Central Bali
Central Bali, predominantly around Ubud - Gianyar, is the central of art in Bali. Ubud is the birthplace of Bali's modern paintings. And Puri Lukisan Museum (Palace of Fine Arts) and Museum Neka are two excellent museums with permanent collections of paintings that will tell the evolution of Balinese paintings. Galleries are practically everywhere. A little South of the city you can find Celuk where silver and gold jewelry has been perfected to the very details, and Mas where masks for dances and other performances are made. And further North you can enjoy the panorama of the highland of Bali, in Kintamani - Bangli by Lake Batur or in Bedugul by Lake Bratan.

South Bali
In South Bali, from Denpasar to Kuta to Nusa Dua, you can find a wide variety of things. Traces of the Badung Raja of Puputan War fame still exist. Beautiful, tranquil beaches gracefully integrate with the world's most sumptuous and luxurious hotels in Nusa Dua. And then there is Kuta, where everything you want as a tourist and everything you hate about tourists coexist.

West Bali
Most of West Bali areas are not as popular as the other parts of Bali. (Hint: for those who truly say that they want to get away from other tourists...) Gilimanuk, at the Western tip of Bali, is the gateway to Java. The wildlife of Bali is preserved in the Bali Barat National Park. Also found here is the tomb of Jayaprana, a 17th century king whose Romeo and Juliet style lovestory is immortalized by folklores in Bali.

The History of Bali

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Bali has a long chain of history from the ice-age era (pre-historic time) to modern, global civilization era. With a dynamic characteristic indicating selectivity and flexibility, the Balinese culture initially reflects a configuration of an expressive culture dominated by religious, solidarity and aesthetic values.

Nowadays, it develops along with the adoption of foreign values especially in the aspects of the economic, science and technology, as a result of the global modernization.

In general, the history of Bali is divided into three different eras including the pre-historic, the Hindu-Buddhist era and the modern culture.

The pre-historic marked the oldest and simplest way of life, an era of hunting and food-stuff gathering, verified by the discovery of several tools and hunting equipments. In the following era there were also building construction system and a particular communication system. These were just proofs of the existence and further development of Balinese culture. The Balinese culture flourished that nowadays one can indicates a perfect bonds between religions, tradition and culture to become the identity of the Balinese community.

The Dutch seamen were the first Europeans to arrive on Bali and started to introduce western culture in 1597, though they hadn’t discovered any appealing aspect until 1800s. Around 1846 the Dutch returned with colonization in their minds, having established a strong political base as majority of the Indonesian islands were under their control since the 1700s. The military campaign embarked from the northern coast of Bali. With the help of Sasak people of Lombok, by 1911, all Balinese principalities were under the Dutch control.

The sense of Indonesian nationalism began to grow after the World War I, with the young generation declaring the national language in 1928, known as Bahasa Indonesia. During the height of World War II the Japanese arrived, expelling the Dutch and ruled the country for about 3.5 years, which ended later in 1945 when Indonesia declared independent led by its very first president, Sukarno. Yet the new-born nation was only recognized by the international community as an independent country in 1949.

Bali Local Transportation

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Because of the size of the island, it is not difficult to get around Bali by various modes of transportation. The traditional types of transportation to the high class limousine are available for tourist to choose. Not to forget the sea transportation that connect Bali to some of its sister islands. However, train does not exist in Bali.

Bemo : this is the most used transportation in Bali especially in the city of Denpasar. It is a miniature van with a routine route set by local government periodically. This type of transportation is good for short distance around town and cities, because of its size and passenger can get in and out at any point. Most importantly, it is cheaper compared to some other type of transportations, even though fairly slow. Price ranges usually around Rp 3,200 to Rp 4,000 per one stop over.

Buses : there are buses for transportation between towns that relatively bigger compared to bemo. These buses connect all towns and most places of the island through local bus stations. Likewise bemo, buses also can be stopped at any point of the routes. They mostly operate day time inter island, but some are available at night for long distances within cities. Fares are between Rp. 1.500 to Rp. 10.000 per one stop point.

Taxi : Taxi is the most efficient and convenience transportation in the island. Either chartered or metered one, they are everywhere and quite inexpensive compared to some other countries. In Bali there are some different companies providing taxi services.

Rental Cars, Motorbikes and Bicycles : If you plan to explore Bali in half day or full day trip, the best way is hiring a car with the driver. The average rate is from Rp 120,000 to Rp 300,000 a day depending on the type of the vehicle. There are many independent car rentals around the island. If you wish to have better services, you can go to a Travel Agent. You even can hire a tour guide of your own language. The other possibility is to rent a self drive car. An international driving license from your own country is required. This rule also applicable for motorbike rental, but in some cases you can get a temporary permit at local police office. Price ranges are around Rp. 35,000 to Rp. 50,000 per day for motorbike and Rp. 15,000 for bicycle. Likewise, a safety helmet is a compulsory when you ride a motorbike. Meanwhile, bicycles are normally available for rent at hotels. Some bigger resorts even provides bicycle tour for free including a professional tour guide.

Dokar : in many areas of Indonesia, a traditional horse and cart transportation still can be found in many different versions. In Bali, this kind of transportation is known as “dokar”. Nowadays, the use of dokar is simply limited due to efficiency. In some areas dokars are even prohibited by the government because it becomes a dwindling sight around the street. A dokar ride can be a fairly bumpy and unique experience. That is why some hotels and event organizers sometime offer a dokar ride for their guests, wedding couples or special groups.

Sea transportation : to travel to some sister islands of Bali famous for their marine activities, local cruises is the most convenient. They normally offer a tour package including meal, activities and even a resort to stay over night. Some traditional boats are also in service for shorter distances such as to Serangan or Menjangan island.