Last Updated on June 28, 2019 by Christine Kaaloa
If you can’t decide whether you love the beach, mountains, or countryside, etc… Bali serves up a photogenic feast for you to explore. From natural beauty to cultural traditions and spiritual sights, it will capture you with breath-taking and exotic sights. You’ve never seen anything like it before!
Read Things to Know Before about Bali
Here’s the top 10 awesome sights of Bali which inspired me and I know it’ll inspire you too!
1. Uluwatu Temple
Located on the southernmost tip of Bali, one of the most strikingly picturesque images you’ll see of Bali is of Uluwatu Temple in the distance at sunset. A short stroll leads you past monkeys to the temple. Unfortunately, you can’t enter the temple but only view it from the outside and the best shot of it, as at a distance like the photo above.
Tip: The monkeys are pretty aggressive, to the point some travelers take walking sticks to scare them off. Be sure not to have anything dangling from your backpack as they will likely try to jump on you.
2. Tanah Lot
Purah Tanah Lot or “Land in the Sea” is a pilgrimage temple on a rock in the middle of the sea. It’s one of the tourist hotspots for its intriguing setup and photographic beauty.
3. Tampaksiring’s Tirtul Empul Temple
Tampaksiring is 20 km northeast from Ubud, houses Tirtul Empul Temple, one of the holiest temples in Bali, which dates back to 960. A courtyard of temples and a pool, it also houses a hot spring that bubbles in the main courtyard. Locals come to take a dip in the pool for spiritual purfication, during the full moon and new moon.
4. Besakih Temple
Located at slope of Mount Agung and east of Tampaksiring (photo above), Besakih Temple is Bali’s mother temple and the biggest in all of Bali. The complex is along a sloping mountain and is residence to 23 temples. Why so many temples? Well, it’s due to hierarchy and caste and this defines where your family will worship. Families come to pray for their ancestors and recently deceased.
5. Kintamani: Viewing of Mount Batur & Lake Batur
Kintamani is a rather underwhelming village, but it’s also a popular viewing ground to see the active volcano, Mt. Batur and it’s sister lake.
6. Rice terraces of Tegallalang village
Tegallalang is a village known for it’s rice terrace. Disappointing, are the swarms of touts selling souvenirs to car passengers arriving, but it’s definitely worth the time to get there as it’s another photogenic feature of Bali. The rice terraces, carved into the side of a hill slope, make a gorgeous design of their own. Getting there by motorbike isn’t difficult and the beauty of the countryside makes it a nice ride.
7. Bukit Jambul Rice terrace
Just 30 minutes from Besakih temple, Bukit Jambul or “Hill Crest”, is popular for its rice terrace and its panoramic scenery.
8. Ulun Danu Bratan
Ulun Danu Bratan sits on Lake Bratan, in the Bedogul mountains. What’s unique to this area is that water temples are common here.
9. Temen: Coffee Plantation
If you didn’t know it, Bali is known for its coffee too. But the real reason to visit coffee plantations like Temen are to learn about and taste the Kopi Luwak. The coffee is made from a cat-like animal called the Luwak, whose poop makes one of the most expensive coffees in the world.
10. Balinese traditional performances
There’s a handful of nightly traditional Balinese shows, from shadow puppets and Legong dance (shown below). I took in a Legong dance performance and discovered that along with the story and gestures, the hand motions are very important. Female performers practice at a very early age to bend their fingers back so that they can attain the flexibility required for the striking hand positions.
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21 Comments.
Scuba diving and eating rambutans
I’d love to scuba in Indonesia!
GRRRL TRAVELER I sent you a PM to your other FB account.
I was there 10 years ago and I can still feel the hospitality. The best thing of Bali is the people.
If you are checking out Uluwatu Temple, be sure to check out Uluwatu Beach. It’s a small beach carved into huge overhanging cliffs, making for some pretty dramatic views. You need to follow the road that goes to the right, immediately before you pay for Uluwatu Temple.
I still can’t believe I never made it to Bali when I was living in Asia. It looks like such an amazing place! Hope to get there eventually…
@Heather: Yes, it is amazing. It’s also unique from the rest of Indonesia. =)
I love all the tourist hotspot in there. But much more like the “TANAH LOT” it is awesome hotspot. It is really amazing. Love love to go there and experience how it feel when I am in there. Maybe it is good feeling. It is worthy place.
Great Post – I’m going to Bali in a few weeks so these ideas are much appreciated – so much more to Bali than Bintang and Kuta
@Anna: There’s definitely a lot more to Bali than those cities!
I’ve never been to Bali 🙁 Hope to get there within the year, I have read so much about how beautiful it is!
@Aleah: Yes, I hope you get out there too! =)
Wonderful choices! These are deff the places that made me re-believe in the magic of Bali!
@Glamorous: Thanks. Magic is a good work to describe it all. =)
This is a great post. It makes me want to pack up my rucksack.
Words can’t describe how much I enjoyed my stay in Bali. Although many claim that it’s so touristy. I managed to explore places undiscovered by tourists and I absolutely loved it! Uluwatu Temple is definitely my favourite one!
@agness: I thought that might be the case too; but found it far less touristy than many other SEAsian countries I’d been to. I’ll bet you found some wonderfully untouristed places. The country is beautiful.
I missed a couple of them from the list when I visited last month. Wonderful land and culture!
@Niranjan: I’m sure what you saw was still a lot! =)
I’m so sorry that I missed Bali when I was traveling in Southeast Asia last year. But, if things go well I might be headed there this fall. I’d love to see one of the traditional Balinese dances!
@Karisa: Oooh, yay! I hope you make it there- I thought it was going to be a tourist hype place, but there was much more to it than I thought! =)