A Hindu island of temple ceremonies, rice terraces and clifftop villas, with a spa culture that runs deeper than hotels.
Bali is a Hindu island in a mostly Muslim country, and religion shapes every day. Offerings of flowers and rice sit on doorsteps, processions close roads, and village temples hold ceremonies you are welcome to watch if dressed with a sarong and sash.
We split most trips between the green interior and the coast. Ubud and the hills around it give you rice terraces, crafts and riverside spas. The Bukit peninsula in the south has clifftop villas above surf beaches. The east, around Sidemen, is slower still.
The honest caveat is traffic and development in the south. Canggu and Seminyak are busy, and short distances can take an hour by car. We keep driving days short, base you in two or three places, and point you to quieter corners such as Munduk and the east coast.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
Ubud sits among rice fields, gorges and craft villages. Walk the Campuhan ridge at dawn, visit the terraces at Tegallalang early before the crowds, and see stone carving and silverwork in the villages nearby. For a quieter view, drive west to Jatiluwih, where the terraces are watered by the ancient subak irrigation system.
Pura Luhur Uluwatu stands on a sea cliff at the southern tip of the island. At sunset, a kecak performance is held in the amphitheatre beside it, with a circle of men chanting the story of the Ramayana. Arrive early for a good seat and hold on to sunglasses, because the temple monkeys are quick. Stay on the Bukit for clifftop villas and surf beaches.
Mount Batur is an active volcano in a huge caldera, and the classic walk starts in the dark to reach the rim by sunrise. On a clear morning you see the lake below and Mount Agung and Lombok’s Rinjani on the horizon. It takes about two hours up, on loose ground, so wear proper shoes. Go in the dry season and pair it with hot springs on the lakeshore.
Balinese massage uses long strokes, pressure points and scented oils, and the island’s spas range from riverside pavilions in Ubud to cliff-edge treatment rooms on the Bukit. Many resorts also offer water blessings at temple springs such as Tirta Empul, led by a local priest. Book a longer ritual on your first full day to reset after the flight.
Nusa Penida, a short boat ride from Sanur, has high limestone cliffs and reliable manta ray snorkelling at Manta Point. Currents here are strong and the water can be cold, so go with a good operator and a private boat. Set out early, before the day boats arrive, and stay overnight on Nusa Lembongan for a gentler pace.
The Sidemen valley, in the shadow of Mount Agung, is what Ubud was a generation ago: terraces, weaving villages and very little traffic. Walk between rice fields with a guide, visit the water palace at Tirta Gangga, and swim off the black-sand beaches near Amed. Two nights is enough to slow the whole trip down.
Combine the interior and the coast. Stay in or just outside Ubud for culture and spas, add Sidemen or Munduk for peace, then finish on the Bukit for clifftop villas or in Sanur and Nusa Dua for calm, family-friendly water.
The original Ubud retreat, built like a Balinese village on the lip of the Ayung River Gorge and still woven into the life of Kedewatan.
Stilted pavilions on a hillside above the Lombok Strait, below Mount Agung, with a three-tier pool and a private black-sand beach.
A 22-acre forest estate above the Ayung River, built around wellness programmes led by resident practitioners and a sacred spring.
Three resorts in one on a kilometre of calm Geger Beach in Nusa Dua: an all-suite hotel, a big family resort and a private pool-villa enclave.
Thirty-two pool villas stepping down a hillside to Jimbaran Bay, 20 minutes from the airport, each with a butler and its own garden.
Thatched lanais and pool villas in 16 acres of gardens on Seminyak Beach, with the shops and restaurants of Seminyak a short walk away.
Sample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.
Five nights at a wellness retreat in the Ayung River valley with a programme of yoga, treatments and healthy food, then five nights on the quiet east coast, where terraced suites look over the Lombok Strait.
Bali has a dry season from about April to October and a wet season from November to March. The dry months are sunnier and less humid; the wet months bring heavy afternoon rain, but the island is green, quieter and warm enough to swim all year.
Festivals follow Balinese calendars. Nyepi, the day of silence, usually falls in March, when the whole island, including the airport, shuts for a day. Galungan comes round every 210 days, when villages hang tall bamboo poles over the roads.
A 10-night island loop from rice terraces to clifftop villas. Best from April to October. 10 nights.
Fly in via Singapore and drive up to Ubud. Rice terrace walks, a spa morning and a temple ceremony.
East into the Sidemen valley for rice field walks, the water palace at Tirta Gangga and a swim at Amed.
Via Mount Batur to the cool north. Waterfalls, clove plantations and the lake temple of Ulun Danu Beratan.
South to the coast for clifftop villas, the kecak at Uluwatu and a day on Nusa Penida before flying home.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for Bali (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
There are no direct flights from the UK. The quickest route is via Singapore, about 13 hours from Heathrow and then under three hours to Bali.
UK passport holders need a visa, available on arrival or as an e-visa, and must pay the Bali tourist levy and complete an arrival card. Read the FCDO entry requirements (opens in a new tab) before you fly.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for Bali (opens in a new tab)
See TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) well before travel. Drink bottled water, use mosquito repellent and treat the sun and ocean currents with respect.
The currency is the rupiah. Hotels and restaurants take cards; cash is needed for temple donations, markets and small warungs.
Local SIM cards and eSIMs are cheap and widely sold, and worth having for maps and ride apps. Villa wifi is generally good.
Most hotels and restaurants add tax and a service charge to the bill, so extra tips are optional. We suggest tipping drivers, guides and spa therapists.
It can be. The rain from November to March usually comes in heavy afternoon bursts, leaving mornings clear, and the island is green and quieter outside Christmas. It is a good time for spas, culture and value. It is less good for trekking Mount Batur, diving or relying on beach days.
We usually suggest splitting the time. Three or four nights in a private villa near Ubud, with a pool over the jungle, then four or five on the Bukit peninsula above the ocean. Add two nights in Sidemen or Munduk if you want to feel you have the island to yourselves.
Parts of the south are, especially Canggu, Seminyak and the roads between them. The traffic is the real problem, not the beaches. Most of the island is still rural and calm. Staying outside central Ubud, choosing the Bukit or Sanur, and visiting sights early makes a large difference.
Bali is the hub for eastern Indonesia. Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo National Park, is just over an hour away by air, and Sumba and Lombok are close too. A week in Bali followed by a few days on a boat in Komodo is one of our favourite combinations.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: April to June and September.
Beyond Bali: Komodo dragons, the reefs of Raja Ampat, the temples of Java and the wild coast of Sumba.
Temple cities, cool northern hills and two coasts with opposite monsoons, so there is nearly always a good beach somewhere.
Twenty-six coral atolls, one resort to an island: here the reef and the transfer decide the holiday, so we start there.
Ancient cities, tea hills, leopards and beaches in an island small enough to cross in a day.
