Things to Do in Bali: The Experiences Actually Worth It

Bali has two versions. The one on Instagram queues forty minutes for a photo on a swing. The real one starts a valley away, at dawn, and asks nothing but that you show up early and dress respectfully. This guide sorts the experiences that genuinely deserve your time from the ones you can skip without regret.

The experiences worth building a trip around

Sunrise from Mount Batur

A 2 am start, a two hour hike in the dark, then the sun rising over a caldera lake with Mount Agung on the horizon. It is the island's classic for a reason. Book a local guide (mandatory in practice), bring a warm layer, and do it early in your stay before the 2 am alarm loses its charm.

The sea temples: Tanah Lot and Uluwatu

Tanah Lot on its wave-battered rock and Uluwatu on its 70 meter cliff are Bali's two great sea temples. Go at sunset, accept the crowds, and at Uluwatu stay for the kecak fire dance: a hundred chanting men, the ocean behind, no instruments. Guard your sunglasses from the monkeys, they are professionals.

Waterfalls, chosen well

Bali has dozens; three repay the drive. Sekumpul in the north is the most spectacular, a proper jungle amphitheater. Nungnung is tall, powerful and rarely crowded thanks to its 500 steps. Tibumana near Ubud is the easy, swimmable one. Go before 9 am and you may have any of them almost to yourself.

Rice terraces: Jatiluwih over Tegallalang

Tegallalang is ten minutes from Ubud and looks it: swings, queues, sellers. Jatiluwih, a UNESCO landscape an hour further, is six square kilometers of terraces you walk mostly alone. If you only see one, drive the extra hour.

Surf, at your level

Beginners belong on the beach breaks of Canggu and Kuta with a 25 dollar lesson. Intermediates graduate to Medewi's long lefts or Serangan. The Bukit (Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Bingin) is world class and unforgiving: watch first, paddle second.

Underwater: Nusa Penida and the USS Liberty

Manta rays cruise Nusa Penida year round, and from roughly June to October the bizarre mola mola joins them. On the east coast, the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben starts five meters deep, making it one of the most accessible great wrecks on earth. Amed next door is the freediving capital.

Ceremony culture, respectfully

Bali's calendar is dense with ceremonies: Galungan's bamboo penjor arching over every road, temple anniversaries, full moon processions. You are welcome to watch and often to join, with a sarong, a sash and some discretion. If your dates include Nyepi, the day of silence, plan for it: the whole island, airport included, stops for 24 hours. It is a constraint and a privilege.

And for life on the ground (restaurants, run clubs, jiu-jitsu, spa, beaches, rides), we keep a short living selection on our Activities & good addresses page.

What you can skip

• The Tegallalang swing-and-queue circuit, unless waiting behind influencers is your idea of nature.
• Captive wildlife attractions: elephant rides, drugged-looking photo props, civet-cage kopi luwak tastings. The monkey forest in Ubud, where animals roam free, is the exception.
• Kuta's party strip, unless 2009 nostalgia is the goal.

Frequently asked questions