Bali is an island and province of Indonesia. The province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. It is located at the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. Its capital, Denpasar, is located in the southern part of the island. Bali is part of the Coral Triangle, the area with the highest biodiversity of marine species. In this area alone, over 500 reef-building coral species can be found. For comparison, this is about 7 times as many as in the entire Caribbean. Being just 8° south of the equator, Bali has a fairly even climate year round. Average year-round temperature stands at around 30°C with a humidity level of about 85%. The west monsoon is in place from approximately October to April, and this can bring significant rain, particularly from December to March.
Bali lies just to the west of the Wallace Line and thus has a fauna that is Asian in character, with very little Australasian influence and has more in common with Java than with Lombok. There are around 280 species of birds, including the critically endangered Bali myna, which is endemic. Among the larger trees, the most common are: Banyan trees, jackfruit, coconuts, bamboo species, acacia trees and also endless rows of coconuts and banana species. Numerous flowers can be seen: hibiscus, frangipani, bougainvillaea, poinsettia, oleander, jasmine, water lily, lotus, roses, begonias, orchids and hydrangeas exist. Bali is the home of the Subak irrigation system, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bali is a popular tourist destination. Tourism-related business makes up 80% of its economy. It is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music.
History: Bali was inhabited around 2000 BC by Austronesian people who migrated originally from Southeast Asia and Oceania through Maritime Southeast Asia. The Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293–1520 AD) on eastern Java founded a Balinese colony in 1343. A mass Javanese immigration to Bali occurred in the next century when the Majapahit Empire fell in 1520. Bali’s government then became an independent collection of Hindu kingdoms which led to a Balinese national identity. In 1597, the Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman arrived at Bali, and the Dutch East India Company was established in 1602. Afterward, the Dutch governors exercised administrative control over the island, but local control over religion and culture generally remained intact. Dutch rule over Bali came later and was never as well established as in other parts of Indonesia such as Java and Maluku. Imperial Japan occupied Bali during World War II. It was not originally a target in their Netherlands East Indies Campaign, but as the airfields on Borneo were inoperative due to heavy rains, the Imperial Japanese Army decided to occupy Bali, which did not suffer from the comparable weather. In 1946, the Dutch constituted Bali as one of the 13 administrative districts of the newly proclaimed State of East Indonesia, a rival state to the Republic of Indonesia, which was proclaimed and headed by Sukarno and Hatta. Bali was included in the “Republic of the United States of Indonesia” when the Netherlands recognised Indonesian independence on 29 December 1949.
*(All the above information are from Wikipedia.)
Transport:
Airport: Bali is served by Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport which connects with other major cities in Indonesia and to many other countries across the world.
Road: There are direct bus services to Bali from all major cities on Java and Lombok that link with ferries for sea crossings.
Ferry: Ferries cross from Ketapang on the island of Java to Gilimanuk in western Bali every 15 min, 24 hr every day.
Local: For local transportation, there are buses operated by Perama bus company which is a cheap mode of transport within Bali, there are taxis for hire, Bemos which are minivans and there are always self-driven cars and bikes for hire.
Tourist Interest:
Tanah Lot Temple: Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali. It is home to the ancient Hindu pilgrimage temple Pura Tanah Lot (literally “Tanah Lot temple”), a popular tourist and cultural icon for photography.
Read my experience in Tanah Lot in Bali.
Uluwatu Temple: Uluwatu Temple is a Balinese sea temple (Pura Segara) in Uluwatu (Kuta South, Badung). The temple is regarded as one of the sad kahyangan and is dedicated to Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in his manifestation as Rudra.
Besakih Temple: Pura Besakih is a temple complex in the village of Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung in eastern Bali, Indonesia. It is the most important, the largest and holiest temple of Hindu religion in Bali.
Goa Gajah: Goa Gajah, or Elephant Cave, is located on the island of Bali near Ubud. Built in the 9th century, it served as a sanctuary.
Rice Terraces: The Tegallalang and the Jatiluwih Rice terraces are famous in Bali for the scenic beauty.
Mount Agung: It is an active volcano that sits 1,500 meters above sea level. Gunung Agung stratovolcano is the highest point on Bali. It dominates the surrounding area, influencing the climate, especially rainfall patterns. From a distance, the mountain appears to be perfectly conical.
Kintamani: Kintamani is a village on the western edge of the larger caldera wall of Gunung Batur in Bali. It is a popular tourist destination.
Pura Ulun Danu Beratan: Pura Ulun Danu Beratan, or Pura Bratan, is a major Shaivite water temple on Bali. The temple complex is located on the shores of Lake Bratan in the mountains near Bedugul.
Gitgit Twin Waterfall: The falls are a popular tourist destination in Bali for the bridge walkway and cool water. The falls are located in Gitgit Village, Sukasada District.
Ubud Monkey Forest: The Ubud Monkey Forest is a nature reserve and Hindu temple complex in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Its official name is the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary.
Kuta Beach: This is a favourite beach for surfing.
The other places of interest are GWK, Jimbaran, Bali Safari, Seminyak, Celuk and Mass village and others.
Tour Planner:
This tour planner is made on the basis of the location of the destinations. One can make changes as per their interest, convenience and accessibility and duration of the trip. Bali is a vast place with a lot of destinations scattered around. It is good to plan it as per the direction. One can cover the eastern part on a day, the northern on a day and so on. The other way is to start from one place and move around making night halts at places which facilitates onward travel.
Hotels: Bali being a popular tourist destination, there are many hotels scattered around every region of Bali. Some of the hotels are Natya Hotel Bali, Ubud Village Hotel, Villa Indah Ubud, Kuta Luxury Residence, Juada Garden, W Bali Seminyak, Kusuma Resort and many others.
You can plan your trip through: