One hundred things to do in Bali, grouped by where they are rather than ranked against each other. Bali is not a city you work through in order — what you can realistically see is decided by where you sleep, so this list is arranged by area.
Bali is not one destination. It is a handful of quite different places separated by roads that are slower than they look, and what you can realistically do depends almost entirely on which side of the island you sleep on.
So this list is not ranked. It is grouped by area, because that is the decision that actually governs your days. A hundred things, with the honest notes attached — which need a six o'clock start, which are crowded, and which are not worth the drive.
How to use this list
Two or three items a day, not six. Bali's roads are single-carriageway through villages for most of their length. A morning site and an afternoon site is a full, unhurried day.
Distances lie. Ubud to the Bukit Peninsula looks like an hour on a map and is closer to two. Anything crossing the south in the late afternoon takes longer again.
Mornings are the whole game. Between six and ten the light is best, the cloud has not yet built over the mountains, and the coach fleet has not left the south. Almost every item on this list is better before ten.
The south — Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta, Sanur
Where most visitors land and many never leave. Dense, busy, and genuinely good for food, surf and sunset.
Worth the time: the Sanur beachfront path at dawn is one of the most pleasant hours in Bali and almost nobody does it. Echo Beach at sunset is the classic Canggu evening. Batu Bolong is where most people in Bali learn to surf, for good reason — a forgiving beach break with a dozen schools on the sand.
Kuta rewards being seen early. At six in the morning it is a wide, quiet beach with fishermen on it; by ten it is the Kuta of its reputation.
The Bukit Peninsula
The limestone plateau off Bali's southern tip: white sand, cliffs, and the island's most dramatic temple.
Uluwatu Temple at sunset is the headline, and the kecak fire dance performed in the clifftop amphitheatre afterwards is worth staying for — a hundred men chanting in the dark with the sea below. Book ahead in high season and mind the resident macaques, which take sunglasses and phones with practised efficiency.
The beaches below are the reason to spend a day here rather than an evening. Bingin at low tide, when the sand opens out. Balangan for space. Nyang Nyang if you will walk twenty minutes down and rather longer back up.
Tabanan and the west coast
Bali's green agricultural province, and the quietest stretch of coast within ninety minutes of the airport.
Tanah Lot is the anchor — a sea temple on an offshore rock, walkable at low tide and marooned at high. Almost everyone arrives at five in the afternoon. Come at seven in the morning, or stay for the twenty minutes after sunset when the site empties, and it is a different place.
Inland, Jatiluwih is roughly six hundred hectares of UNESCO-listed rice terraces with four marked walking routes and, unlike Tegallalang, no photo props and very few people.
The coast between Kedungu and Balian is black volcanic sand, consistent surf, and rice fields running almost to the shore.
Ubud and the central highlands
The cultural centre: river valleys, temples, craft villages and waterfalls, with a busy core and a calm periphery.
Campuhan Ridge Walk at sunrise, before the heat. Tirta Empul, where Balinese Hindus have purified themselves in spring water for a thousand years — go early and observe the etiquette. Gunung Kawi, a set of shrines carved directly into a river gorge, reached down three hundred steps.
The craft villages between Denpasar and Ubud — silver in Celuk, wood carving in Mas, painting in Batuan — are more interesting than the Ubud market and are usually passed straight through.
The east — Sidemen, Amed, Candidasa
Slower, greener, and far less visited than the south.
Sidemen is the Ubud of thirty years ago: a valley of rice terraces with Mount Agung behind it. Tirta Gangga and Taman Ujung are royal water palaces, both extraordinary and neither crowded.
Amed and Tulamben are the diving. The USAT Liberty, a wrecked American cargo ship, lies in shallow water a short swim from the shore at Tulamben and is one of the most accessible wreck dives anywhere.
Tenganan is a Bali Aga village — pre-Hindu Balinese, with its own law, calendar and the double-ikat geringsing cloth woven nowhere else on earth.
The north — Munduk, Lovina and the lakes
Cool, misty highlands and a quiet black-sand coast.
Pura Ulun Danu Beratan sits on Lake Bratan with its shrines appearing to float — best in the morning before the cloud comes down. Munduk is walking country: waterfalls, coffee and clove plantations, and long views down to the sea.
Sekumpul is the most impressive waterfall in Bali and involves a genuine descent and climb. Banyumala is the prettiest, and quieter.
The Nusa islands
Three islands off the southeast coast, reached by fast boat from Sanur.
Kelingking Beach on Nusa Penida is the T-Rex-shaped headland in every photograph of Bali that is not actually Bali. The viewpoint is straightforward; the descent to the sand is a serious, exposed scramble that people underestimate every week.
Manta Point off Penida gives reliable manta encounters, snorkelling as well as diving.
Beyond Bali
Short flights that turn a Bali trip into an Indonesia trip: Komodo, Sumba, Lombok, the Gilis, and Java.
The 100, by area
| # | What | Area | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunset at Echo Beach | South | Beach | Busy but the classic Canggu evening |
| 2 | Surf lesson at Batu Bolong | South | Surf | Forgiving beach break, schools on the sand |
| 3 | Sanur beachfront path at dawn | South | Walk | Paved, flat, kilometres long, empty at six |
| 4 | Pura Petitenget, Seminyak | South | Temple | Small, active, easy to combine with sunset |
| 5 | Kuta Beach at first light | South | Beach | A different beach before eight |
| 6 | Bali Bombing Memorial, Kuta | South | Memorial | Brief and worth stopping for |
| 7 | Sindhu morning market, Sanur | South | Market | Local produce, from 05:00 |
| 8 | Turtle conservation centre, Serangan | South | Wildlife | Check it is a conservation site, not a photo op |
| 9 | Le Mayeur Museum, Sanur | South | Museum | Belgian painter's beachfront house |
| 10 | Berawa to Pererenan beach walk | South | Walk | Best at low tide |
| 11 | Canggu rice-field shortcuts on foot | South | Walk | Disappearing fast to construction |
| 12 | Jalan Kayu Aya boutiques, Seminyak | South | Shopping | Bali's densest design retail |
| 13 | Sunset drinks above Batu Bolong | South | Food & drink | Arrive an hour early in season |
| 14 | Bali Kite Festival, Sanur | South | Festival | Seasonal, roughly July–August |
| 15 | Uluwatu Temple at sunset | Bukit | Temple | Spectacular, crowded, mind the macaques |
Uluwatu Temple at sunset — Bukit The temple sits on a limestone headland about seventy metres above the water, and the appeal is the position rather than the building, which is small. Come for the last ninety minutes of light and expect company: this is one of the busiest sites on the island at that hour. Sarongs are provided at the entrance. The macaques are organised and quick — sunglasses, phones and anything loose should be in a bag, not on your head.
| 16 | Kecak fire dance, Uluwatu | Bukit | Culture | Book ahead in high season |
Kecak fire dance, Uluwatu — Bukit Performed in an open amphitheatre on the cliff edge as the sun goes down, with a chorus of men producing the entire soundtrack vocally — no instruments at all. It runs roughly an hour and tells an episode from the Ramayana. Book ahead in high season and arrive early enough to get a seat on the sea side. The performance is timed to the sunset, so the light does half the staging.
| 17 | Bingin Beach at low tide | Bukit | Beach | Long stair descent; sand disappears at high tide |
| 18 | Balangan Beach | Bukit | Beach | More space than Bingin, easier access |
| 19 | Padang Padang | Bukit | Beach | Small, famous, busy in proportion |
| 20 | Melasti Beach | Bukit | Beach | Wide and flat, dramatic cliff road down |
| 21 | Nyang Nyang | Bukit | Beach | Long walk down keeps it empty |
| 22 | Green Bowl Beach and cave | Bukit | Beach | Many steps, rewarding at low tide |
| 23 | Watch Impossibles from the cliff | Bukit | Surf | Expert break; the view is the point |
| 24 | Garuda Wisnu Kencana park | Bukit | Culture | Enormous statue, divisive, good views |
| 25 | Pandawa Beach | Bukit | Beach | Calm water, corridor cut through limestone |
| 26 | Jimbaran seafood on the sand | Bukit | Food & drink | Agree the price before you sit down |
| 27 | Karang Boma cliff viewpoint | Bukit | Viewpoint | Open cliff edge, no railings |
| 28 | Tanah Lot at low tide | Tabanan | Temple | Walk the causeway to the base |
Tanah Lot at low tide — Tabanan The sea temple is only reachable on foot when the tide is out, which turns a photograph into a visit. Check the tide table before you go — at high water you see the same rock from the same clifftop as everyone else, and at low water you walk the causeway to the base and look up at it. Seven minutes from Nirjhara, which makes an early arrival genuinely easy.
| 29 | Tanah Lot after sunset | Tabanan | Temple | Site empties within twenty minutes |
| 30 | Batu Bolong rock arch, Tanah Lot | Tabanan | Temple | Quieter than the main temple |
| 31 | Jatiluwih — Yellow route | Tabanan | Walk | ~3 km, the best short option |
Jatiluwih — Yellow route — Tabanan The shortest of the marked walks through the UNESCO-listed terraces, at roughly three kilometres on a mostly flat path. It is the best return on effort in Tabanan: you are inside the subak system rather than looking at it from a viewing platform, and the crowds that fill Tegallalang do not come this far west. Go before ten, when the cloud is still building over Batukaru and the light is on the water in the terraces.
| 32 | Jatiluwih — Green route | Tabanan | Walk | ~6 km, near-solitude |
| 33 | Pura Luhur Batukaru | Tabanan | Temple | Forest temple, rarely any visitors |
Pura Luhur Batukaru — Tabanan A forest temple on the slopes of Bali's second-highest volcano, and one of the few major sites where you can arrive and find nobody there. The setting does the work — moss, tall trees, mountain air noticeably cooler than the coast. It is an active temple with a working congregation rather than a visitor attraction, and it should be treated that way: sarong, sash, quiet.
| 34 | Surf at Kedungu Beach | Tabanan | Surf | Three breaks, a fraction of Canggu's crowd |
| 35 | Sunset at Nyanyi Beach | Tabanan | Beach | Black sand, farmland behind, no infrastructure |
| 36 | Seseh Beach | Tabanan | Beach | Fishing village, very quiet |
| 37 | Bali Butterfly Park | Tabanan | Wildlife | Good with children |
| 38 | Subak Museum, Tabanan | Tabanan | Museum | Explains the irrigation system properly |
| 39 | Balian Beach | Tabanan | Surf | The far west; consistent river-mouth break |
| 40 | Cycle the Tabanan rice villages | Tabanan | Cycling | Flat, shaded, best before nine |
| 41 | Pupuan and Belimbing terrace drive | Tabanan | Scenic drive | Empty roads through the highlands |
| 42 | Campuhan Ridge Walk at sunrise | Ubud | Walk | Under an hour; unbearable by ten |
Campuhan Ridge Walk at sunrise — Ubud A paved path along a narrow ridge between two river valleys, under an hour end to end, and one of the few walks in Ubud that needs no guide, no ticket and no car. Sunrise is not a suggestion — there is no shade on the ridge and it becomes unpleasant by mid-morning. Start from the Warwick Ibah entrance and turn back when you have had enough; it is the same view in reverse.
| 43 | Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary | Ubud | Wildlife | Secure your belongings, genuinely |
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary — Ubud Twelve hectares of forest inside Ubud itself, with three temples and around a thousand long-tailed macaques living in it. The animals are wild and habituated, which is a specific combination: they are unbothered by people and entirely willing to take what you are holding. Bags closed, nothing in your hands, no eye contact. The forest itself — banyan roots, stone stairs, river gorge — would be worth the entrance without them.
| 44 | Tegallalang rice terraces | Ubud | Scenery | Iconic and heavily commercialised |
| 45 | Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave | Ubud | Temple | 9th-century, small, atmospheric |
| 46 | Tirta Empul purification springs | Ubud | Temple | Active ritual site — observe the etiquette |
Tegallalang rice terraces — Ubud The most photographed terraces in Bali and the most commercialised: swings, platforms, cafés terraced into the slope and an entry fee at several points along the road. That is worth knowing rather than avoiding — arrive before eight and it is genuinely beautiful, arrive at eleven and you are queuing for a viewpoint. Jatiluwih is the alternative if you would rather have the landscape without the infrastructure.
Tirta Empul purification springs — Ubud A tenth-century water temple where Balinese Hindus queue at a line of spouts to perform melukat, a purification ritual. Visitors can take part, and many do, but this is a place of worship in active use rather than an attraction with a religious theme. Go early, watch before you decide whether to enter the water, and follow what the people around you are doing. Sarong and sash required; a change of clothes if you go in.
| 47 | Gunung Kawi rock-cut shrines | Ubud | Temple | Three hundred steps into a river gorge |
| 48 | Ubud Art Market | Ubud | Market | Early or late; negotiate |
| 49 | Neka Art Museum | Ubud | Museum | The best survey of Balinese painting |
| 50 | ARMA Museum | Ubud | Museum | Strong collection, calm gardens |
| 51 | Legong at Ubud Palace | Ubud | Culture | Nightly, central, arrive early for a seat |
| 52 | Tegenungan waterfall | Ubud | Waterfall | Closest to Ubud, therefore busiest |
| 53 | Tibumana waterfall | Ubud | Waterfall | Single curtain into a wide pool |
| 54 | Kanto Lampo waterfall | Ubud | Waterfall | Cascades over stepped rock |
| 55 | Balinese cooking class | Ubud | Food & drink | Best ones start at the morning market |
Gunung Kawi rock-cut shrines — Ubud Around three hundred steps descend into a river gorge where ten shrines, each about seven metres high, are carved directly into the cliff face. They date from the eleventh century and the setting — running water, rice terraces on the walk down, very few people — does as much as the monuments. The climb back up in the heat is the whole cost of the visit, so go in the morning.
Balinese cooking class — Ubud The good ones start at a morning market rather than in a kitchen, where you are walked through what everything is before you cook with it. Expect to make a base gede spice paste from scratch, which is the foundation of most of what you will eat in Bali and the single most useful thing to take home. Half a day, and it changes how the rest of the trip's meals read.
| 56 | Silver-smithing in Celuk | Ubud | Craft | Make a piece, do not just shop |
| 57 | Wood carving in Mas | Ubud | Craft | Generations-deep workshops |
| 58 | Painting village of Batuan | Ubud | Craft | Distinctive dense black-ink style |
| 59 | Bali Bird Park, Singapadu | Ubud | Wildlife | Well run; good with children |
| 60 | Sidemen valley rice walk | East | Walk | Ubud thirty years ago |
Sidemen valley rice walk — East Terraced valley below Mount Agung, with paths between the paddies, a handful of guesthouses and almost no tour traffic. Sidemen is regularly described as Ubud thirty years ago, and for once the comparison holds. Walking is the activity — there is no single site to see, and that is the point. Best combined with a night in the valley rather than driven to and from.
| 61 | Lempuyang "Gates of Heaven" | East | Temple | Long queue for the photograph; the temple is the point |
Lempuyang "Gates of Heaven" — East The split gate with Mount Agung framed between its halves is one of the most recognisable images in Indonesian tourism, and the queue for the photograph regularly runs to hours. The reflection in those pictures is a mirror held under a phone, not a pool. Behind the gate is a genuine and important temple complex climbing the mountain in seven stages, which almost nobody walks. Decide which of the two you came for.
| 62 | Tirta Gangga water palace | East | Palace | Stepping stones across the koi pools |
| 63 | Taman Ujung water palace | East | Palace | Larger, emptier, sea behind it |
| 64 | Besakih, the Mother Temple | East | Temple | Bali's most important; go with a guide |
Besakih, the Mother Temple — East Bali's largest and most important temple complex, a series of twenty-three temples on the slopes of Mount Agung at around a thousand metres. The scale is the experience — terraces rising up the mountainside with the volcano behind. Go with a guide, both to understand what you are looking at and to navigate the arrangements at the entrance, which have a reputation for confusing visitors.
| 65 | Mount Agung sunrise trek | East | Trek | Serious climb, licensed guide required |
| 66 | Amed's black-sand coves | East | Beach | Fishing boats drawn up on the sand |
| 67 | Snorkel the Japanese shipwreck, Amed | East | Snorkel | Shallow, straight off the beach |
| 68 | Dive the USAT Liberty, Tulamben | East | Dive | Shore entry; among the world's most accessible wrecks |
Dive the USAT Liberty, Tulamben — East A US Army transport torpedoed in 1942 and pushed into the sea by the eruption of Agung in 1963, now lying in five to thirty metres of water thirty metres off a black pebble beach. It is entered from the shore, which makes it one of the most accessible wrecks anywhere: no boat, no long surface swim. Snorkellers reach the shallow end. Go at first light — the site is busy by mid-morning.
| 69 | Freediving course, Amed | East | Dive | Calm water, established schools |
| 70 | Tenganan Bali Aga village | East | Culture | Pre-Hindu Balinese; double-ikat weaving |
| 71 | Candidasa lotus lagoon | East | Scenery | Best in the early morning |
| 72 | Virgin Beach (Pantai Perasi) | East | Beach | White sand, warungs, calm water |
| 73 | Salt farming at Kusamba | East | Culture | Traditional evaporation on black sand |
| 74 | Pura Ulun Danu Beratan | North | Temple | Go before the cloud closes in |
Pura Ulun Danu Beratan — North The temple on Lake Bratan, at around twelve hundred metres, with shrines that appear to float when the water is high. The altitude means cloud closes in through the morning, so early is not about crowds here — it is about whether you see the mountains behind. Noticeably cold by Bali standards; bring a layer.
| 75 | Munduk waterfall walk | North | Waterfall | Several falls on one route |
| 76 | Banyumala twin waterfalls | North | Waterfall | Steep descent, worth it |
| 77 | Sekumpul waterfall | North | Waterfall | The most impressive in Bali; hard work |
Sekumpul waterfall — North Widely held to be the most impressive waterfall in Bali: a cluster of falls dropping into a jungle amphitheatre, reached by a long descent of steps and a river crossing. The walk back up is the hard part and it should not be underestimated in heat. Local guides at the entrance are effectively obligatory and worth it for the route-finding. A half-day from anywhere, and the only waterfall on this list that justifies that.
| 78 | Git Git waterfall | North | Waterfall | Easy access, popular |
| 79 | Canoe on Lake Tamblingan | North | Water | Dugout canoes, forested shore |
| 80 | Lake Buyan viewpoint | North | Viewpoint | Both lakes in one frame |
| 81 | Wanagiri viewpoints | North | Viewpoint | Built photo platforms; view is real, staging is not |
| 82 | Bali Botanic Garden, Bedugul | North | Garden | Cool, vast, uncrowded |
| 83 | Coffee and clove plantations, Munduk | North | Food & drink | Ask how the coffee is processed |
| 84 | Lovina black-sand beach | North | Beach | Calm water, slow pace |
| 85 | Lovina dolphin boats | North | Wildlife | Widely criticised for crowding the animals — research operators or skip |
| 86 | Banjar hot springs and Brahmavihara-Arama | North | Wellness | Buddhist monastery nearby, worth pairing |
| 87 | Kelingking Beach viewpoint | Nusa | Viewpoint | Descent to the sand is genuinely dangerous |
Kelingking Beach viewpoint — Nusa Penida The cliff formation shaped like a dinosaur's head, and the most photographed thing on Nusa Penida. The viewpoint is a short walk from the car park, which fills by nine. The descent to the sand is a steep, exposed scramble on a deteriorating path with a genuine injury record — the view from the top is the attraction, and treating it as such is the sensible call.
| 88 | Angel's Billabong | Nusa | Natural pool | Only safe at low tide, never in swell |
| 89 | Broken Beach | Nusa | Viewpoint | Natural arch into a circular bay |
| 90 | Crystal Bay | Nusa | Beach | Snorkelling and sunset |
| 91 | Diamond Beach | Nusa | Beach | Steep carved staircase down |
| 92 | Manta Point snorkelling, Penida | Nusa | Snorkel | Reliable encounters, can be choppy |
Manta Point snorkelling, Penida — Nusa A cleaning station off the south-west of Nusa Penida where reef mantas gather year-round, making sightings unusually reliable. The water is open ocean and frequently choppy — this is not a calm-bay snorkel, and seasickness on the boat out is common. Operators run from Sanur and from Penida itself. Choose one that keeps its distance from the animals rather than chasing them.
| 93 | Mangrove paddle, Nusa Lembongan | Nusa | Water | Quiet, shallow, early morning |
| 94 | Devil's Tear, Lembongan | Nusa | Viewpoint | Stand well back |
| 95 | Yellow bridge and blue lagoon, Ceningan | Nusa | Scenery | Short crossing from Lembongan |
| 96 | Komodo National Park | Beyond | Island | 75-minute flight to Labuan Bajo |
| 97 | Sumba's megalithic villages | Beyond | Island | One-hour flight to Tambolaka |
| 98 | The Gili islands | Beyond | Island | Fast boat or flight via Lombok |
| 99 | Mount Rinjani, Lombok | Beyond | Trek | Multi-day; serious undertaking |
| 100 | Borobudur or Ijen crater, Java | Beyond | Culture / trek | Flight to Yogyakarta or Banyuwangi |
Ten that are worth the early start
Some of these are transformed by arriving before eight, and ordinary after ten.
- Tanah Lot — low tide, empty causeway, soft light
- Campuhan Ridge Walk — shade does not exist on that path
- Jatiluwih — cloud builds over Batukaru through the morning
- Tirta Empul — before the tour groups, while it is a ritual rather than a queue
- Pura Ulun Danu Beratan — the lake clouds over by mid-morning
- Sanur beachfront — the best hour of the day on that coast
- Kelingking viewpoint — the car park fills by nine
- Sekumpul — the climb back is brutal in afternoon heat
- Ubud Art Market — before the coaches, when it still sells to locals
- Kuta Beach — genuinely lovely at six, genuinely not at ten
Five that are overrated
Said plainly, because a list of a hundred unqualified recommendations is inventory, not judgement.
Lempuyang's "Gates of Heaven." The famous reflection is a mirror held under a phone. The queue routinely runs over an hour. The temple itself is beautiful and almost nobody looks at it.
Tegallalang. Genuinely photogenic, and now a corridor of swings, platforms and separate entrance fees. Jatiluwih is forty times the size, UNESCO-listed and quiet.
Garuda Wisnu Kencana. Impressive engineering. Not much else, and expensive for what it is.
The Lovina dolphin boats. A flotilla of boats chasing wild animals at dawn. Widely criticised on welfare grounds and unpleasant to be part of.
Kuta after ten in the morning. Worth seeing at first light. Not worth a day.
Choosing where to stay by what you want to do
| If you want | Base yourself | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Temples, terraces and quiet | Tabanan / southwest coast | Tanah Lot 7 min, Jatiluwih 45 min, Ubud 1 hr |
| Culture, craft and river valleys | Ubud | Everything in items 42–59 within 40 min |
| Cliffs, white sand and surf | Bukit Peninsula | Items 15–27 all within 30 min |
| Diving and slow days | Amed / east | Tulamben and the wrecks on the doorstep |
