Places you can’t afford to miss in Bali, Indonesia

As you probably know, Bali is one of the most famous travel destinations in Indonesia for the sake of its glamorous nightclubs, surfing experience, sandy beaches and stunning temples. Although the island is very touristic indeed, you can still find off the beaten track areas that would be interesting to explore on the cheap. Don’t stay in the city center all day long drinking cocktails at the local bars. Don’t let yourself get stuck at the beach for hours either. Rent a scooter, grab a map of Bali and off you go discover what the island has to offer to its visitors! There are definitely way too many things you can do here, so don’t waste your time and be active! Here are top places you simply can’t miss when visiting Bali.

Ulun Danu Temple

Bali’s temple hopping on the cheap is a must when exploring the island. If you feel like getting bored with surfing and sunbathing, try to challenge yourself to explore as many temples as possible. With over 9.000 temples around, you will certainly get yourself busy for hours. One of the most beautiful temples in Bali is certainly Ulun Danu Temple. It’s a typical Hindu temple set on the water lake surrounded by absolutely stunning scenery of Beratan lake and green hill. It can be easily reached by a local bus, bike or motorbike. It’s a perfect place to take some nice photos of, where you can also meditate and relax. This place is out of the world and cannot be missed!

Ubud Monkey Forest

One of the most exciting places I highly recommend to visit in Bali is the Ubud Monkey Forest – a nature reserve and temple complex where lush greenery and, as the name suggests, monkeys, roam the enclave of serenity. Sounds like paradise, huh? Sure it’s peaceful, but after your second visit, it’s really just the same old park. Nothing else, apart from our relatives, sets this park apart from others, and there’s the risk of possibly traumatizing monkey attacks which is a great experience as well! There are approximately 600 monkeys of different age, who spend their time eating bananas, sweet potatoes, swimming in the fountain, climbing the trees, playing, jumping around and just living their normal life in the free.

Tanah Lot Temple

That’s a perfect place for adventurers and temple lovers. As one of the important directional temples in Bali, Tanah Lot is the most visited places in the island. It is situated on a rock just offshore which makes it look absolutely gorgeous at sunset. When you arrive here, you’ll receive a blessing from the priests at low tide – unforgettable experience you’ll cherish forever! Sunset Terrace (further around to the right when facing Tanah Lot) is also stunning and can’t be missed either.

Jimbaran Fish Market

That’s the place for everyone who wants to interact with locals, go for a nice stroll across the beach and taste some fresh fish. This  local fish market offers you fresh seafood as it is located by the sea and near fisherman village. Like most of fish markets in Indonesia, don’t expect this place to be very clean and neat. In fact, it is very smell and quite dirty, but you can get everything you want – from crabs, shrimps  to squids and the food costs nearly nothing. You can buy your own fish and take it to one of the local facilities where they will cook it for you for a fair price. Don’t forget to bargain

Bali is a definitely one of the most spectacular islands, but there’s much more to see in Indonesia. Raja Ampat is one of the wonder islands we can recommend, you can check out here how to get there.

Bali is, of course, much more than these major sights, and actually if you want to, you can spend a most fascinating honeymoon in Bali packed with dozens of great activities.

Guest post written by Agnes from the eTramping travel blog.
Photos by Agnes & Cez.