What I’ve heard about places to visit in Bali

Often, when you travel you only hear the best tips of things to do when you get to your destination and talk with locals or people who have seen more of the place than you. But then you have already made some bookings based on the research you’ve done online so you can’t change your plans even if you would like to.

Research online is great, but the problem is that there is so much information that it’s hard to find the right one, especially from a place you don’t know at all. I thought I would make my contribution to the humongous amount of tips already existing on visiting Bali, but I’ll do it in a different way.

Instead of sharing my experiences, which are quite limited as it is impossible to see everything from this island in only three weeks and I don’t feel entitled to make a “complete guide to Bali”, I will simply list all the tips I got from people I talked to along the way. Like this, you can already hear some rumors of things to do before arriving. I hope this will make planning your trip a bit easier.

These are obviously not all necessary true and they are subjective too, but I’ve heard these things from several people and at least they can give some idea of where you want to go in Bali or not. Of course, you should also do more research and find information about different places from other sources to check what you’re likely to enjoy or not depending on how you travel.

-Canggu: the LA-beach-babe-smoothie-bowl-yoga-spot. This one I can stand behind. Also a great surf spot for more advanced surfers

-Seminyak: great surf spot for beginners, with a lot of surf schools in the area

-Kuta: not the best place to stay, except for parties. Way too touristy and crowded

-Denpasar: not exceptional either, city-like and too touristy

-Uluwatu: the best beaches and some great surf spots as well

-Nusa Lembongan: great spot for diving and swimming with manta ray

-Amed: less touristy town with black sand beaches, good for snorkeling and diving

-Northern part of Bali: not touristy at all, good if you want to get a feel of the local life

-South-Western coast: Beautiful, less crowded beaches

-Nusa Penida: beautiful, calm beaches, very relaxing, but the roads are bumpy

-Ubud: more spiritual-minded travelers than in the south, a very chill vibe. If Canggu and Seminyak are the surf spots, Ubud is the yoga spot

-Gili Trawangan: the party Gili. Good for solo travelers who look for a more lively vibe

-Gili Meno and Gili Air: more quiet and calmer Gilis, great for relaxing, good especially for families and couples

-Lombok: less touristy than Bali, also a muslim island (Bali is hindu) so a different vibe

-North-West of Bali: less touristy, more local. If you want to see less crowded waterfalls, look for the ones in this area instead of Ubud