There are no travelers in this world who don’t feel inspired by the Island of Bali. This island of Indonesia is one of the greenest islands in the world whose landscape is dominated by beautiful, shiny green rice terraces. This picturesque world provides an ideal background for the uniquely colorful culture of the Balinese people. Some people say that the island has become too touristic, others might even say that it has lost its identity. We don’t share this feeling. We felt intimately connected with everything the island offered to us: the beautiful Hindu temples of Bali, the vivid cultural traditions we encountered in every corner and most of all the friendly people who smiled at us anywhere our motorbike took us.
So, if you are planning your trip and wondering what to do in Bali, this photographic journey around Bali will show you all the things you can do and see in Bali. We will try to bring to you the most beautiful temples in Bali, the most picture perfect rice fields we found, and so that you really feel yourselves on the island, we will show you captures of the colorful, spiritual everyday life of the Balinese people, who we will carry in our heart forever. So just start scrolling down and enjoy the colors of Bali!
Want to learn more about this beautiful island? Read here about the most important cultural traditions in Bali.
Pura Tanah Lot
The Tanah Lot temple is situated on the coast, and it can be accessed on foot only when the tide is low. It is probably one of the most picturesque temples in Bali, especially at sunset.
Pura Tirta Empul
This temple is built around the sacred spring of Tirta Empul, which provides holy water for the local people. We saw many Balinese take a bath here, which is not surprising, since it is considered to bring good fortune and healthy life.
The Rice Terraces around Tirta Gangga
In the area around Tirta Gangga we had to stop every five minutes to look down from the road and feel enchanted by the intense green of the wonderful rice fields of Bali.
Pura Taman Saraswati
The Lotus Temple, as it is referred to by local people, is one of the most beautiful temples in Bali. It is situated in the town of Ubud, and although the temple itself is gorgeous too, we felt especially amazed by the wonderful lotus pond in front of the temple.
Pura Besakih
The main temple in Bali, called as the “Mother Temple”. It is an enormous complex of 23 temples in 6 levels. When we visited this temple complex, it was full of local people celebrating the Full Moon, a local tradition in Bali.
Padangtegal Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana
This complicated name is held by the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, one of the most visited temples in Bali. Apart from the beautiful temples in a dense forest, which scene seems to have come out from an Indiana Jones movie, visitors entertain themselves with the Balinese (sometimes extremely annoying) macaques living around the temple complex
The town of Ubud and the surroundings
Ubud is known to be the center of culture and traditions in Bali. It has become quite popular amongst tourists. We simply fell in love with this place, as we found out that we just had to leave behind the main roads and walk amongst the surrounding rice fields and encountered a world of tranquility with a very special atmosphere.
Ubud is also one of the best places to stay at. It’s located at the center of Bali, hence it’s a perfect location to explore the island from. If you look for more practical information, check out this great Ubud travel guide by Emily Luxton Travels.
Pura Gunung Kawi
This place is known as Bali’s “Valley of the Kings” and is located amongst some of the most beautiful rice fields in Bali. The main shrine features Bali’s kings carved into the rock.
Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
This is another temple in Bali that amazed us by its unbeatable location. It is found on the shores of Lake Bratan and it is dedicated to the goddess of rivers and lakes. A part of the temple complex actually seems to float on the lake, as that part is built on an island just off the shore.
Puri Saren Agung
Although it is hard to distinguish, this is actually the Royal Palace, not another temple. This is the palace where the kings of Bali lived till the middle of the last century.
Goa Gajah
This sacred site is the “Elephant Cave”, which actually does not feature any elephants. The name comes from the river nearby, which is called the Elephant River. The main feature of the cave is actually the entrance, a mouth with the rock beautifully carved around it.
Yeh Puluh Reliefs
This wonderfully carved cliff that is situated amongst beautiful rice fields. The carving is 25 meter long and shows scenes from both everyday life and mythology.
We hope that you enjoyed this trip around the temples and rice fields in Bali through our pictures and you have appreciate our list of what to do in Bali. Have we left out one of your favorite temples in Bali or some other sights that inspired you? Share it with us and our readers.
Bali, will surely be one of the highlights of your travels in this region. For more inspiration, you can check out these great tips for traveling around Southeast Asia.
I am blown away by your photos. I’ve never been anywhere like this, but hope to one day.
I hope one day you get to visit Bali! thanks for your comment!
A very in-depth look at the different layers of experience one could have aside from the typical tourist in Bali. The 3 dimensional quality of your photos is riveting. Well done.
Thanks Betsy for this kind comment, I am really happy that you enjoyed our post!
I love these temple shots and the shots of the local people! What kind of edits do you do to your shots to make them look like a painting/postcard like that? I adore the look!
I am happy that you liked our pictures! I usually play with the contrast and sharpness in my pictures, and probably add some more vibrance to the colors. Sometimes probably I even overdo it, but I like this kind of look too.
I’v been in Bali last year for a whole moth and I’ve absoloutely adored it! I’m thinking of it almost everyday… probably it is paradise on earth!
Probably it’s one of the closest you can get to paradise on our planet, had the same feeling as you!
Bali has been on my bucket list for a while, but now I’m even more inspired to go! Thanks for sharing!
Thank Tracie! I am glad that our post inspired you!
Wow, your photos are stunning! And capturing the local people just doing their normal jobs brings the place to life. Thanks for posting.
Thanks so much Sean, we are happy that you liked our shots!
Awesome shots! Bali reminds me a lot of my hometown, the Philippines. 🙂 Haven’t had the chance to be there but my friends said that it really is much like home.
I can say to you that considering everything, probably the Philippines was our favorite country in South East Asia:) We dream about Malapascua or Siquijor Islands quite often….
Always so happy to read posts about my home country. I love Bali, and my favorite temples are Tanah Lot and Ulun Danu. Your beautiful pictures make me miss Indonesia sooooooo much!
Indonesia is not our home country, but we miss it too! We can’t even decide where we had the best time, Bali, Java, the Gili Islands or Sumatra…
Amazing photos, Bali looks absolutely beautiful and it is one of the places that, when we set off backpacking next year, we can’t wait to visit in Asia.
I am sure you will love it guys! Bali is magical.
Love this in-depth article! Peeling away each layer and photo I was introduced to the human, and natural side of Bali. Great editing style!
Thanks Andrea, it is really kind of you!
Stunning! Good to know where to go now when I visit!
Great! I hope you can get to visit as much of these places as possible in Bali, they really worth your time!
Absolutely amazing photo’s! Visited Bali and Ubud 20 years ago and your photo’s bought memories back so vividly.I would love to go again, it is such a beautiful country and lovely people.
I am sure that it will be an emotional moment for you if you can go back there after 20 years! We would also go back there without any doubt!
What stunning photos! Really captured the beauty of Bali.
I wish we had been able to see more of Bali. We only had a week there and visited Ubud and Amed, but we quickly realised that you could easily spend so much longer on the island. So much to see! Hopefully, we will return some day.
Yeah, there are so many temples, so many beautiful hidden corners on this island. I have just listed the most memorables ones for us, but sure you can fill a book with them!
This is great photo gallery which camera gear do you use? I especially like zhe lady in red lace top 🙂
Thanks Andreja! We use a Nikon D90 DSLR camera with a 18-200 mm lens, photography is our main hobby:)
It’s so awesome that you’ve captured the beauty of its culture and traditions through your lens. Indonesia is definitely a place to visit.
Thanks Megsy! Yeah, Indonesia is well worth visiting!
Your photos are amazing…
Thanks Elaine!
Wow these photos looks incredible ! I guess i must visit Bali 🙂
Yeah, you should visit!:)
Fabulous pics guys. Bali is just a charm apart. Couldn’t go to Tirta Empul but managed to visit the rest of the pretty places.
Thanks! You might get to visit the places you missed out, next time. I would also love to go back there to visit some places we didn’t have time to see the first time!
Such a unique perspective on Bali. Don’t see these images too often!
Thanks guys, I am glad you appreciated our pictures!
Lovely photos, especially those of people! I spent some time in Bali too a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it, especially the north!
Thanks Elena for your comment! It’s really an amazing place apart from the Southern coastline!
You have just made me SERIOUSLY excited for my trip to Bali next month!
Happy to hear that Dannielle!
It’s absolutely incredible how distinct this culture is from the rest of South East Asia – the whole region requires at least 6 months of traveling, for sure.
You are right, Bali with its Hindu religion and culture distinguishes quite a lot from the rest of SE Asia.
I spent two weeks on this magical island and absolutely fell in love with it. I hope I can return one day. I missed a few things from this list, so have to go back to check them out. 🙂
We absolutely loved Bali too, and I am sure that our list is also far from being complete:)
Your photos are GORGEOUS! Definitely some of the best travel photos I’ve seen! I’ve added you to my “reading list,” can’t wait to see more!
It’s really kind of you Beth!
I adore your photos! All of them are just breaktaking! I’d love to go and explore Bali someday!
Thanks Rose! I hope you will be able to visit soon!
Thank you for this article. It was really helpful. Travelling gets really easy with proper information. It is a user friendly and extensive website.