12 Things to know before visiting Bali

Bali is one of the top places to visit in Indonesia and is a favourite for global travel. It’s an oasis of beautiful beaches, volcanos, diving, architecture and agriculture. In this short guide I’ll talk you through  few of the most important things which I wish I’d known before visiting this beautiful island.

1. The Island Layout

We didn’t do as much exploring of Bali as we might have wanted to do but it’s a good idea to know the rough layout of the island. You will fly into Denpasar which is the capital. There’s lots of hotels, cafes and chilled vibes here but it’s busy (after all it is a city!). To the north west is a mangrove area which I would have loved to have visited but we didn’t have time. Lots of wildlife and nature in the west. Canggu is a favourite for a lot of travellers too. Here there are a multitude of bars and clubs. It’s full of influencers and holiday makers and it can be a little more expensive than the rest of Bali. North of Denpasar is Ubud which is a small town with lots of temples and culture. It’s more “hippy-vibes” with loads of yoga and mindfulness options. This is also where the famous “monkey forest” is, if you’re into that sort of thing. The food in Ubud is amazing and it’s a lot quieter than Denpasar. Finally, the east of Bali has Amed which is a much more chilled area of Bali. With black sand beaches and a slower pace of life, this was the place where we spent most of our trip. 

2. The Sun is Incredibly Strong

On our first day at the beach we made the decision, like many people, to go snorkelling. We hired snorkel gear from our nearest diving shop and went out into the sea. We were so thrilled to see so much wildlife under the waves including turtles, pufferfish, coral (more about that later!) and loads more! We were out there for around three hours splashing around. When we came back in though we both noticed that we were a bit itchy and before long it became apparent that we were terribly terribly burnt. The ozone on the equator is thinner and the sunlight, even on a cloudy day, can cause serious burns. So slap on that suncream before heading out. We had SPF 50 on and still burnt to a crisp. I think the thing which caused us the most problems was being cool in the water and not realising the sun above us. Point to note though, suncream is expensive out there so pack some ahead of time!  

3. Coral can burn!

During the aforementioned snorkelling I scraped my leg across the top of a small piece of coral. When I say scraped, I literally brushed it so lightly that I hadn’t even really noticed it. When I got out there was the lightest of red marks on my thigh. The next day however this mark had blistered and was incredibly sore. The day after it was pretty horrific looking. We thought it might have been a jellyfish sting but upon further research we discovered that coral can in fact produce nasty burns. After a couple of weeks, it has now gone down but the mark is still there. Alice had a couple of smaller blister marks on her wrist and legs from small pieces of floating coral too. If in doubt, wear long clothing! This has the added benefit of protecting you from the sun at the surface too!

4. There are Venomous animals on Bali

This is really nothing to be scared of but certainly something to be aware of. in the undergrowth you may well come across large spiders like the giant golden orb weaver which, while they can bite, it’s incredibly rare. There are centipedes and other biting insects which might hurt but the risk of them is really low. It’s just something to bear in mind. One thing you might encounter however is a snake. Bali has a few snakes: cobras, kraits and sea snakes for starters. All of which can do some serious damage if they bite you. Fortunately snakes are very sensitive to movement and will generally run away from the sound of people. The kraits actually hide their faces when they’re disturbed so they don’t really pose much of a threat. The cobras might be more defensive but we never saw any in Bali. The snake you are more likely to see, especially if you’re diving, are sea snakes. These guys will also keep away from you but can have serious consequences if they bite you. rule of thumb is just to keep you distance when around snakes. 

5. Get A Moped

Mopeds are by far the most popular mode of transport around Indonesia and with good reason! They are able to avoid the potholes and get down the tiny little streets that cars simply can’t. Despite the fact that mopeds are slower, you usually get to your destination faster using one rather than a car. It’s a good idea to know how to ride one before visiting and, ideally, to have a licence for one. It’s unlikely that whoever rents you one will check your license but apparently police have increased the regularity of checks of foreign drivers. So be aware. 

Mopeds mean you have the ability to explore this beautiful island virtually without limits. Fuel is really cheap and so you’ll save yourself a fortune on hiring taxis and drivers.

6. Most dogs are friendly, some are not!

Now I should preface this by saying that we only encountered lovely friendly dogs. We are dog people too so we are more likely to turn a blind eye to a nervous or aggressive dog. But unlike Malaysia and Java, the dogs in Bali are kept as pets and therefore much less afraid of people. They will approach you and may well jump up. Be aware too that if you run away from them, they may well run after you whether in aggression or play. From my experience the best way to deal with dogs is to ignore them. They are after food and if you totally ignore them, they will go and bother someone else. 

7. Where to Eat and Drink

Bali is full of incredible food and unlike much of Asia, there is lots of cheap alcohol too. If you’re in a touristy spot, then you’re usually fine with all the restaurants and bars. There are some things to bare in mind though: 

• Try and eat at busy places. Because of the turnover of people, the food here hasn’t been sitting out in the sun. Meaning that you’re less likely to get poorly
• Avoid side-of-the-road cafes. The food here is often poorer quality and might make you sick. They’re also usually out in the sun with flies and fumes all over them. 
• Don’t drink the tap water. Bali Belly is a thing. Enough said. 
• Try the local cuisine. The curries are absolutely insane and there’s loads of fish on the menu too. You won’t be disappointed by what’s on offer.

8. Wet and Dry Seasons

Indonesia, and therefore Bali, doesn’t really have western seasons. There are just the wet and dry seasons which are pretty predictable. The wet season runs from November - April and the dry season is from May-October. Although it’s worth mentioning that we visited in the wet season but it was still bloody hot so goodness knows how hot it is in the dry season! The wet season has predictable weather though: it will usually be hot and humid in the morning and then chuck it down with rain in the afternoon and evening. If you’re lucky you will also experience the incredible thunderstorms which come with these storms! 

9. Taxis and Grab

If you’ve done any travelling in Asia then you have probably heard of Grab. It’s the equivalent to Uber and definitely worth downloading and setting up prior to arriving. It’s very reasonably priced and incredibly user friendly, especially if you don’t speak the language. We used this for most of our travels around Indonesia. In Bali, local taxi drivers have a bit of a vendetta against Grab similarly to how Black Cabs hate Uber. So you’ll usually be hassled to use local cabs. These are pretty decent too but just be cautious and ask at hotels for taxis if in doubt. 

10. Bring Cash

If you’re in the major tourist hubs in Bali you will be absolutely fine with card payment but in the smaller towns and villages you may struggle to pay for very much without your card. Life is cheap by western standards but it’s best to have 1,000,000IDR in your wallet throughout just in case. For perspective, a meal at a restaurant typically costs 50,000IDR. Contactless isn’t very common on the island so you’ll need to know your PIN. 

11. Cheeky Monkeys

You will probably come into contact with the resident monkeys in Bali during your trip. These guys are generally unaggressive but they have learnt a clever trick: bartering. The long tailed macaques will regularly steal items from tourists and ‘trade’ them back in return for food. They’ve even been shown to recognise higher value targets like cameras, phones and glasses and preferentially steal them and demand extra food for their safe return. you have two options then… either keep your valuables hidden/ don’t take them with you, or bring plenty of food to help you trade your belongings back. Don’t be afraid of the monkeys though, although they seem menacing, they don’t often bite and are only after food. 

12. The population is predominantly Hindu

This is more of something to bear in mind when out and about. There are other religions in Bali (Muslim, Buddhist, Christian) but most are Hindu. This means that there will often be offerings left around the hotels, cars, shops and temples. Be mindful and respectful of these. The architecture of Hinduism is beautiful and worth exploring. Because of the multitude of tourists in Bali the population is not very conservative but it’s also a good idea to be respectful you’re visiting temples and smaller communities on the island. 

And there you have it. We only explored a very small part of what Bali has to offer but this incredible island has so much to offer for a traveller. If you’ve enjoyed this blog then please do check out some of my other articles and get in touch via my Instagram @willhall.wildlife.