Things to Do in Bali: The Definitive List, from Temples to Cliff Jumps

You could visit Bali ten times and not finish it. One small island holds active volcanoes, a thousand-year-old temple culture that is still alive rather than museum-kept, two coasts of completely different beaches, jungle waterfalls, world-top-ten surf, and a food scene that outgrew its size years ago. Here is the honest hit list, organised by type, with what each costs and when to go.

The temples worth your time

Bali has tens of thousands of temples. These five justify the sarong.

Uluwatu Temple. On a 70-metre sea cliff at the island's southern tip. Go for the last two hours of daylight: monkeys, crashing surf below, and the Kecak fire dance at sunset in the clifftop amphitheatre, a hundred bare-chested men chanting the Ramayana as the sky turns orange. The Ramayana connection lands especially well for Indian visitors. Entry plus dance around Rs 700.

Tanah Lot. The postcard: a temple on a rock in the sea, silhouetted at sunset. Heavily visited but earns its fame. Combine with Taman Ayun's moated royal temple on the same run.

Tirta Empul. The holy spring temple near Ubud where locals and visitors queue in the pools to pass under thirty water spouts in a purification ritual. Participate, do not just photograph; changing rooms and sarongs are provided. Mornings are calmest.

Lempuyang, the Gates of Heaven. The split gate framing Mount Agung, two hours east of Ubud. The photo queue can run two hours by mid-morning, so leave at dawn. Pair with the lily ponds and royal pools of Tirta Gangga nearby.

Besakih, the Mother Temple. A vast complex on Agung's slopes, Bali's most sacred site. For those who want the deep end of Balinese Hinduism rather than a photo stop.

Temple rules everywhere: shoulders and knees covered, sarong tied (rented or lent at the gate), never climb structures, never point your feet at shrines, and women are asked not to enter during menstruation, a rule taken seriously locally.

Volcanoes, terraces and waterfalls

Mount Batur sunrise trek. A 2 am pickup, two hours of switchbacks by torchlight, then sunrise at 1,717 metres above a caldera lake with Agung and, on clear days, Rinjani on the horizon. Guides, breakfast and hot springs afterward come packaged for Rs 2,000 to 3,000. The best effort-to-reward ratio in Indonesia. Dry season only.

Tegallalang Rice Terraces. Ubud's emerald amphitheatre of paddies. Walk down into them rather than shooting from the cafes. Before 9 am it is a different, better place. The Jatiluwih terraces further west are grander, quieter and UNESCO-listed if you have the extra half day.

Waterfalls. The named circuit near Ubud: Tibumana for a gentle swim, Tukad Cepung for the shaft of light in the cave (before 10 am), Kanto Lampo for the terraced cascade photo, Tegenungan for scale. Further north, Sekumpul is the island's most magnificent, a proper trek, and Banyumala and Aling-Aling near the Munduk hills reward the drive. Entries Rs 50 to 150 each; water shoes and a dry bag pay for themselves.

The Bali swings. Jungle swings over the Ayung valley and Tegallalang, Rs 500 to 1,500 depending on the operation. Touristy, undeniably fun, dresses flutter on request.

Islands and the sea

Nusa Penida. The day trip that produces the trip's best photographs: Kelingking's dinosaur-spine cliff, Broken Beach's natural arch, Angel's Billabong's tide pools, a swim at Crystal Bay. Fast boat from Sanur plus island driver, packaged Rs 3,000 to 4,500. Dry season, sturdy shoes, early boat.

Snorkelling and diving. Manta rays off Penida year-round; the USS Liberty shipwreck at Tulamben, one of the world's most accessible wreck dives, starts three metres deep; Menjangan island in the far northwest for wall coral; Amed for easy shore snorkelling. Fun dives from Rs 2,500; try-dives and courses widely available.

Surfing. Beginners: Kuta, Legian and Batu Bolong in Canggu, lessons Rs 1,500 to 2,500 with board. Intermediates and up: Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Bingin on the Bukit, the reason surf magazines have covered Bali for fifty years.

Water sports. The Tanjung Benoa strip near Nusa Dua runs parasailing, jet skis, banana boats and the underwater walker helmets; combo packages Rs 2,000 to 4,000 after friendly negotiation.

Beaches to actually swim at: Nusa Dua and Sanur (calm), Padang Padang and Thomas Beach (Bukit coves), Jimbaran (sunset seafood on the sand). Beaches to watch, not fight: Canggu and Uluwatu's surf breaks have real currents; respect the flags.

Culture, food and the rest

Kecak, Legong and Barong dances. Beyond Uluwatu's Kecak, the Ubud Palace stages Legong most evenings, all gilded costume and impossible finger choreography, tickets around Rs 500.

Balinese cooking class. Market tour at dawn, then a morning building lawar, sate lilit and the ceremonial babi guling spice pastes (vegetarian versions standard). Rs 1,800 to 2,500 and the souvenir is a skill.

Spa culture. From Rs 600 village massages to flower-bath rituals in river-valley resorts. Book one early in the trip; you will book more.

Ubud's galleries and the Campuhan Ridge Walk, the Sacred Monkey Forest (hold your sunglasses, seriously), coffee plantations in the hills, the Sidemen valley for the Bali of thirty years ago, and Jimbaran Bay for grilled seafood dinners with your feet in the sand.

Nightlife. Beach clubs around Canggu and Seminyak for sunset-to-late sessions; Kuta for the unapologetic party; Uluwatu's Single Fin for the Sunday institution.

A sensible week's selection

Do not attempt this whole page in one trip. A first week does well with: two temples (Uluwatu at sunset, Tirta Empul in the morning), Tegallalang plus two waterfalls, Nusa Penida, one beach day with a surf lesson or beach club, the Kecak dance, one massage minimum, and either Batur sunrise or the Lempuyang east-Bali day. That is a full, unhurried, unforgettable week, and it leaves the rest as the reason you will come back.