Bali Map

With a long broad Indian Ocean beach-front, Kuta was originally discovered by tourists as a surfing mecca. It has long been a popular stop on the classic backpacking route in South East Asia. Back in the 1980s they used to talk about the three Ks: Katmandu in Nepal, Khao San road in Bangkok and Kuta. Today Kuta still attracts some hardcore backpackers as well as families and tourists from all over the world, and is most notably a playground for young visitors from Australia.
Due to the ever increasingly popularity of Bali, Kuta is continually developing, and is not short of unsightly, poorly planned buildings. It can come across at times to be chaotic, overcrowded and congested. However, amongst all the mayhem this place somehow works, and hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoy their time in Kuta every year.
Infrastructure has come a long way in Kuta, although it is still insufficient for the amount of visitors who stay in the area. Some side alleys still have significant potholes and road rules still don't mean very much. Most roads are constantly busy with motor scooters, metered taxis and private cars. Instead of using signals, locals and the seasoned travellers honk their motor vehicles to signal overtaking or squeezing into a tight spot near you. Oftentimes cars fold in their side mirrors when negotiating narrow single lanes with parked vehicles. Now you can access free wifi in local convenience stores, restaurants, cafes and hotels. There are half a dozen prepaid mobile phone sim cards available everywhere with competitive top up plans. Touts will persistently try to get to buy something from them, whether you're walking on the streets or seated in a restaurant.
The five km long sandy stretch of Kuta is arguably the best beach front in Bali. The beach is safe, partially clean, well-maintained, although the beach vendors remain annoying pushing massages, hair braiding, cigarettes and surf boards. The long wide stretch of sand is often full of sunbathers and although most of the serious surfers have moved on to newer pastures, there are still plenty of surf dudes around at most times of the year, and especially so during peak season. As you move north along the beach to first Legian and then Seminyak and Petitenget it becomes progressively quieter and less frenetic.
The area of south Kuta closest to the airport is more correctly known as Tuban, but this name is rarely used.
Once the sun goes down, Kuta is the rough and ready party zone of Bali, even after the tragic events of 2002. Even the most hardened of party animal will find something to please them on Jalan Legian at night.
 

Stretching north from Kuta, Legian offers the same easy access to shops and bars but a slightly more relaxed and less chaotic feeling. The northern area of Legian bordering Seminyak offers a bit of an escape from the crowds and is also a popular surf beach.
This is a small area fronting the beach which stretches from Jalan Melasti (where Kuta ends), north to Jalan Arjuna (where Seminyak begins). Most of the popular Legian hotels are on or close to the beach. The whole of Legian is no bigger than a few blocks in a large city, but despite its small size, this area has a very high profile with visitors due to the lovely beach frontage and proliferation of mid-market hotels.
There is a long north-south boulevard between the beachfront hotels and the beach, which is only open for authorised vehicles when there is a ceremony being held. Otherwise it is a well paved footpath, and makes for an excellent walking route, allowing users an easy beach-side stroll along to restaurants, bars and the nightclubs at the end of Jalan Arjuna.
 

Seminyak Beach and Petitenget Beach is a continuous expanse of grey sand stretching in both directions as far as the eye can see. To the south it becomes Legian Beach and then Kuta Beach, but is noticeably quieter than both. The sunsets here are famous, and opportunites abound to mix with the glitterati who frequent the high end beach front estalilshments such as Ku De Ta. Easy access points to the beach are at the end of Jalan Dhyana Pura, and from the large public car park (Rp 2,000) between Petitenget Temple and La Luciola restaurant.
Pura Petitenget at the beachside off Jl Petitenget is a compact, pretty Balinese temple, which is known for particularly spectacular beach-side ceremonies. There has been a temple here since at least the 16th century, and although this is not one of the key nine directional temples of Bali, it is an important link in the series of west coast temples between Pura Uluwatu and Pura Tanah Lot.
 

Batu Belig is a quite area located just affter petitenget. Some beach front villas are located in this area. It’s very convenience because it’s a quite place and close to seminyak.

Umalas is a tranquil rice field area. The area is within convenient access to the restaurants and shops of Seminyak. Furniture and handicraft shops with wholesale prices are also close by and the Ngurah Rai International Airport is only a 25 minutes driveaway.
Umalas, a quiet area of Kerobokan and surrounded by terraced rice fields. The villas in this area provide an ideal retreat and hideaway for people who value their privacy and wish to experience the peace and beauty of this magical island.

 

Kerobokan is a tranquil rice field area with many shops and private villas. The area is within convenient access to the restaurants and shops of Seminyak. Furniture and handicraft shops with wholesale prices are also close by and the Ngurah Rai International Airport is only a 25 minutes drive away.  The villas

Canggu proper is a small village on the beach about 20 minutes north of Seminyak, half way to Tanah Lot. Canggu is widely used though to refer to a large coastal stretch of about eight kiliometres, running north from the village of Berawa (just north of Seminyak) to the village of Cemagi (just south of Tanah Lot) taking in Echo Beach, Seseh and Pererenan along the way. It is still a largely rural area away from the beaches, but is being developed fast.
The beaches have dark grey or black sand and are not particularly good for swimming, but do offer some renowned and challenging surfing spots.
The area is popular with many expatriates who cose to live here, and a large number of villas owned by overseas nationals are also located here. Much of the area features quietly undulating terrain with the rice paddies that categorize much of south central Bali.
 

Canggu proper is a small village on the beach about 20 minutes north of Seminyak, half way to Tanah Lot. Canggu is widely used though to refer to a large coastal stretch of about eight kiliometres, running north from the village of Berawa (just north of Seminyak) to the village of Cemagi (just south of Tanah Lot) taking in Echo Beach, Seseh and Pererenan along the way. It is still a largely rural area away from the beaches, but is being developed fast.
The beaches have dark grey or black sand and are not particularly good for swimming, but do offer some renowned and challenging surfing spots.
The area is popular with many expatriates who cose to live here, and a large number of villas owned by overseas nationals are also located here. Much of the area features quietly undulating terrain with the rice paddies that categorize much of south central Bali.
 

Tanah Lot is one of the important directional temples in Bali. The temple is located on a rock just offshore. It is said to be the work of revered 15th century Hindu priest Nirartha and forms an important element of Balinese spirtualism and mythology. This is an extremely popular tourist destination and the whole area is often very busy indeed, especially in the late afternoons, pre-sunset. The area between the car park  and the beach adjacent to the temple is a maze of souvenir shops selling just about every Balinese trinket imaginable. Once you have fought your way through the souvenir vendors to the beach, you will see the magnificent temple perched on a rock just a few metres offshore. There is a footpath to the raised cliff area just to the south from where the views of the temple and the sunset behind it are outstanding. Photo-opportunities abound.

Tanah Lot is one of the important directional temples in Bali. The temple is located on a rock just offshore. It is said to be the work of revered 15th century Hindu priest Nirartha and forms an important element of Balinese spirtualism and mythology. This is an extremely popular tourist destination and the whole area is often very busy indeed, especially in the late afternoons, pre-sunset. The area between the car park  and the beach adjacent to the temple is a maze of souvenir shops selling just about every Balinese trinket imaginable. Once you have fought your way through the souvenir vendors to the beach, you will see the magnificent temple perched on a rock just a few metres offshore. There is a footpath to the raised cliff area just to the south from where the views of the temple and the sunset behind it are outstanding. Photo-opportunities abound.

This is a tiny, remote village in one of the least visited areas of Bali. It is very much a surfing hot spot, and most visitors who do stay here stay for that reason alone. For non-surfers, it does offer a glimpse of what so much of Bali was like before the growth of mass tourism in the 1970s, and is a great place to relax.
Medewi is located about 75 kilometres west of Denpasar on the main south coast road, about 34 kilometres further west than the town of Tabanan. Anyone who travelling from the south of Bali by road to the west coast port town of Gilimanuk will pass by here.

The beach is very rocky with some large flat grey stone boulders interspersed with pebbles and black sand. Not the best beach for sunbathing or lounging, but good for long quiet strolls.
Sunset over the Indian Ocean here is quite magnificent.
Surf. The long left hand wave at Medewi Beach rolls all year and is popular with surfers for that reason. The largest waves tend to be in July and August. There is also right-hand break less than 100 metres away around the northern point. When the surf is small there is also a beach break, working mid-tide, over the river mouth about 250 metres to the south south. There are several other surf breaks nearb, including Balian Beach (30 minute drive east). For updates on conditions is is worth checking Medewi Surf Information .
Relax. This is a very quiet coastal village with nothing really going on bar the surfing, and the local fisherman doing their business.
Understand the origin of Medewi as a place name. This area was a forest with many Ketket or thorny trees. In Balinese, thorny forest is Alas Meduwi hence the place was named Meduwi which then became Medewi.
 

Jimbaran is just south of the airport and Kuta. This was formerly a real backwater of south Bali -just a tiny fishing village with a daily market. That all started to change in the 1980s though, and Jimbaran is now home to several world class five-star beach resorts, plus a few more moderate mid-market hotels. There is little in the way of budget accommodation though. Because of the number of five-star beach resorts, there are also many high-end villas in this area, particularly on the ridges of high ground above Jimbaran Bay. This has resulted in monikers such as the "Beverly Hills of Bali" or "Millionaire's Row".
The bay itself has a pleasant white sand beach and is very safe for swimming. The three clusters of grilled seafood restaurants on the beach are a major tourist draw in the evenings, as is the truly stunning sunset.
Jimbaran has an increasing number of rather chic shops but there is little or no nightlife here. It has the advantage of being a little closer to Kuta and Seminyak (and the cultural highlights of Central Bali) than Nusa Dua.
Jimbaran is between Kuta and the Bukit Peninsula, with Nusa Dua to the southeast and Uluwatu to the southwest.
Jimbaran is only 10-15 minutes south of the airport. Jimbaran is around a 20 minute drive from Legian and Seminyak, and 30 minutes from Sanur , via the Jl Ngurah Rai bypass.
 

The place name Nusa Dua can be used in two ways: either it can refer to the entire eastern side of the Bukit Peninsula at the southern tip of Bali, or it can refer to the purpose-built, safe and rather sterile tourist enclave (Kawasan Pariwisata, quite literally Tourism District) at the southeast side of this peninsula.
As well as a host of luxury hotels, Nusa Dua is home to the most popular golf course in Bali and the main convention centre on the island.
Nusa Dua understandably gets a lot of bad press amongst travelers as it is so artificial and sanitised. That does not change the fact though that the beaches here are glorious - white sand, deep, long and safe for swimming. The public beach at Geger is the best to head to if you are not staying at Nusa Dua. This is also home to one of the best museums in Bali. The fact that it is nearly always empty is testament that most visitors who stay here in the least Balinese part of the island, are not unsurprisingly not terribly interested in learning much about Bali.
The Nusa Dua enclave has three manned gates and everyone entering is subject to a security search. This can have a slightly claustrophobic effect, and only contributes further to the impression that you are in an artificial location.
BEACH
Pantai Geger (Geger Beach). This is the public beach in Nusa Dua. This splendid white sand beach at the western edge of the enclave retains lots of the character that is missing in the sanitised Nusa Dua resort zone. Generally safe for swimming and some beach side warungs. Head westwards out of the Nusa Dua enclave passing the golf course and then the St Regis Hotel (on your left). Shortly after the St Regis, take the first turning left towards to the beach and procerd to the Pantai Geger car park.
Many companies in Nusa Dua offer water sports activities (banana boat, parasailing, jetski, diving, flying fish, etc). You can book directly on the beach at Nusa Dua or Tanjung Benoa, or have your hotel organise for you. All the operators work together to ensure that there is very little (if any) price difference. Expect to pay about US$25-30 for most activities.
 

This is a large limestone peninsula which, bar a slither of land just south of the airport, would be a separate island. It is rugged and dry, and pre-tourist development this was a real backwater of Bali.
The Bukit (as it is commonly referred to) includes the famous cliff-hanging temple at Uluwatu, a number of Bali's very best beaches including Balangan, and the top surfing spots on the island. As is so often the case, it was intrepid surfers who really opened up the eyes of the world to this part of the island.
The two main towns with strong local communities on the Bukit are Pecatu and Ungasan.
The Bukit Peninsula is connected to Kuta through Jimbaran by the busy Jalan Bypass Nusa Dua and this is the only route in. Take this main road south to the junction with Jalan Uluwatu II (the famous McDonald's junction), turn west towards Jimbaran Bay, continue about 2 km and at the four road junction make a sharp left up the hill (signposted for Uluwatu). Continue on this road into the heart of the peninsula.
A taxi from Kuta to Uluwatu for example takes 30 to 40 minutes on winding roads and will cost about Rp 120,000 one-way. If you are just visiting for the day, consider asking the driver to wait trip as it can be difficult to find transport back. Figure on paying the taxi driver Rp 20,000/hour to wait. Joining a tour can be a cheaper way of getting to Uluwatu and this destination is very widely offered by tour operators all over the island.
•    Balangan. Rated by some as the single best beach in Bali and one which receives relatively few visitors. It takes a bit of finding but from the main junction at Ungasan heading out from Jimbaran towards Uluwatu turn right (west) by Nirmala Supermarket. The road then twists and turns for about 6 km until you reach the beach. Keep following informal signs to "Balangan" or "Balangan Surf" and a west-northwest bearing. This is a stunning beach and well worth the effort required in finding it. There are a few very laid-back warungs on the beach and even a couple of bungalows where you can stay the night.
•    Bingin. Another white sand beach north of Padang-Padang and south of Dreamland. The beach here is not easy to access as the cliffs are high but the ocean views alone make the visit worthwhile. From the village of Pecatu head towards Padang-Padang and look for informal signs on your right directing you to "Bingin Surf". Proceed down the maze of small roads here, paying a Rp 3,000 toll if the village attendant is there, until you reach the obvious parking areas at the clifftop. There are two sets of steps down the cliff to the beach which are known as the northerly and southerly steps. Don't be surprised if you have to walk through grassy fields with cows and narrow pathways. Women offering massages might chase you from the parking lot. They'll back off after a firm 'no'.
•    Dreamland. Formerly a very beautiful beach which has been ruined by the adjacent Pecatu Graha Indah "New Kuta" development, Sadly it has turned into "Nightmare-land". There are still excellent surfing conditions, especially for intermediate surfers & on days when other breaks are too big to surf. The break goes right & left, is not too shallow and has decent shape. If you do visit this beach, try to imagine how glorious it was before the bulldozers moved in. The entrance road to Pecatu Graha Indah is about 2 km southwest of Ungasan on Jl Uluwatu, and is impossible to miss adorned as it by huge statues and truly massive, intrusive billboards. The entrance fee to use the road down to the waterfront is currently Rp 10,000.
•    Padang-Padang. A truly lovely beach with a big surf break offshore. Accessed from a stepped pathway on the north side of the obvious bridge 3 kilometres north of Uluwatu Temple heading back towards Pecatu. The white sand beach here is a little bit narrow at the highest of tides but is otherwise very nice indeed.
•    Suluban Beach. To the west of Padang-Padang Beach is secluded Suluban Beach. Access is not as public as that for Padang Padang, hence it is generally very quiet here. Even at hig tides with the rolling surf,Suluban Beach has a rather wide sand beach. As tide receeds some 100 metres, Suluban Beach makes a nice exploratory wade amoung the rocks, corals and seaweed. The view from the Suluban cliff-line above is a show of spectacular ocean colours
 

Gianyar is a regency (kabupaten) in the island of Bali.. It has an area of 368 km2 making it the second most densely populated district in Bali The town of Ubud, a centre of art and tourism, is located in Gianyar. The villages located in the east cost, juts after Sanur are also located in Gianyar.
Ketewel  is a peaceful village located just a few kilometres up the coastline from Sanur. It is essentially a rural area known for its fertile volcanic soil and rice terraces that grow by the sea. Ketewel is accessed by a new bypass that enables travellers to explore Bali with relative ease.
 

The stretch of coastline from Manggis through Candidasa town itself and east to Bugbug, is normally just referred to as Candidasa.
This is a laid back and very relaxing area of Bali with a wide range of accommodation options. Many visitors, especially Europeans, combine a stay in the hotspots of south Bali with a more relaxed break here. The black sand beaches are very narrow and often disappear altogether at high tide.
Candidasa is 60 to 80 minutes from Sanur along the recently opened east coast road, and is also easily reached from Ubud. A direct trip from the airport will take about 90 minutes. Candidasa is about 15 to 20 minutes further east from Padang Bai where public ferries from Lombok arrive.
In the hills just four km inland from Candidasa at Tenganan, is the most famous Bali Aga (original Balinese) village. There is another (distinct) Bali Aga community in the village of Trunyan on the shores of Lake Batur near Kintamani, but visitors are advised that Tenganan is much easier to reach and far more welcoming of outsiders.
The Bali Aga people have retained an ancient pre-Majapahit Balinese culture, and this is apparent in the many obvious differences from the rest of Bali which you will find in Tenganan. The villagers maintain a strict adherence to ancestor worship, cosmology and other animist beliefs, as well as a rigid social organisation. Villagers must live inside the village and marry from within. Tenganan is closed to outsiders after dark. The dialect of Balinese spoken here is heard nowhere else, and differs substantially from even the other Bali Aga community in Trunyan.
This is an isolated community in almost every way. The village is separated from the rest of the world by a solid stone wall that entirely encompasses the village. There are four gates in the wall, one for each point of the compass. All houses are exactly alike and aligned either side of natural stone pathways. Each house is accessed by a flight of steps and then a simple gate which opens into a courtyard, around which are arranged the bedrooms, the kitchen and a longhouse which serves as a store. Each house has its own empty shrine where it is believed ancestor spirits reside when they visit their descendants.
The focal point of the village is the 70 foot long Bali Agung pavilion, where the village elders meet to discuss matters of concern. This structure is clearly very old but nobody seems to know just how old. The major communal village temple is the Pura Puseh (the temple of origin), and this actually lies outside the village walls just to the north.
Tenganan produces some of the finest woven basket-ware, and a fabled double weave ikat fabric, called Geringsing. This fabric is extraordinarily complex and fine pieces fetch enormous prices in the international markets. Collectors of Geringsing have very deep pockets.
A local custom that has been become a popular tourist spectacle involves ritual blood sacrifice whereby combatants fight using wickedly thorned pandanus leaves. The aim of each participant is to draw blood from their opponent. This ritual combat is known as mekare kare and is scheduled whenever there is an important temple ceremony in Tenganan. An elaborate feast follows.
In Candidasa there is not much beach, especially at high tide. Concrete breakwaters run parallel to the shore for the length of the town.
There is a quiet and little visited black sand beach west of Candidasa proper called Pantai Labuan Amok. Although it has an unsightly Pertamina oil terminal at one end, this is a clean beach in a pretty bay, and the offshore waters offer good snorkeling with live coral in shallow waters. There are many other small coves and bays to explore in this area and all visitors are encouraged to do so.
Five kilometres north east of Candidasa is Pasir Putih (White Sand Beach), one of East Bali's well-kept secrets. It's a five hundred metre long, isolated, beautiful, white sand beach fringed with coconut palms. There are a few warungs (small shops) who rent sunbeds and umbrellas. Massage ladies make it into a tourist place.
Candidasa is a renowned diving area with good sites close offshore as well as around the nearby islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. The close offshore rocky islets of Gili Kambing, Gili Biaha and Gili Mimpang offer superb but demanding diving which is only really suitable for more experienced divers. Currents are very strong here. Expect large manta rays and even mola mola in season.

Amed refers to a long stretch of coast running from the village of Cucik about 14 km eastwards incorporating the seven villages of Amed, Jemeluk, Bunutan, Lipah, Selang, Banyuning and Aas. The pace of life here is slow and the coastal scenery quite stunning making Amed the perfect place for a relaxed holiday in Bali.
Amed is the most recent tourist development area in Bali. It was only in 2000 that tarmac was laid on the roads. Telephone lines were installed in 2003 and it took until 2007 for a bridge to be built over a section of the main road that regularly washed away during the rainy season.
This is the most commonly used base for visitors wishing to dive the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben. There are other good dive sites close at hand and a thriving dive industry has developed all the way along the coast here.
Amed's inhabitants live from fishing, salt-making and tourism. The lack of tourism-based revenue, its remote nature and the generally harsh environment for farming, meant that this area was very much one of the poorer areas in Bali. Amongst others, the East Bali Poverty Project drew attention to the plight of the local villagers in this area and that, together with recent tourist development, has gone a long way to improving general standards of living, health and education;
Amed lies on the north-eastern tip of Bali, a little more than a two hours drive from the Ngurah Rai International Airport. A taxi service to Amed is available at the airport for about Rp 400,000.
Amed is accessed by turning east at the village of Culik which lies on the main east coast road from Karangasem to Singaraja.
Shuttle buses regularly serve the destination from Candidasa and Lovina and now that the road has been greatly improved,
The easiest way into Amed though is still to hire your own transport with a driver. Be aware that the Amed district is stretched out over more than ten kilometres. Transport by local drivers is widely available in Amed.
If you are coming from Gili Trawangan, there is daily speedboat service to Jemeluk in Amed, departing Gili Trawangan at 11AM.
Most people come to Amed as a getaway, including expats from other parts of the island. It is a favourite honeymoon destination for tourists and is very popular with divers and snorkelers. Day trips to local places of interest such as the water palace at Tirta Gangga and Bali's most sacred temple, Besakih, can easily be arranged. Mount Agung with lots of trekking options is just 30 to 40 minutes from Amed.
Traditional outrigger boats are available for fishing charters from the main beaches in the Amed area. This normally involves early morning trolling for mackeral.
Have a traditional massage on the beach. Women from the local villages are always on hand for an invigorating massage, especiallly so at Lipah Beach.

Snorkeling
Amed has some good snorkeling within metres of the shore. A reef follows the majority of the coastline and is quite close in. Due to the limited number of visitors to the area, the sea life is healthy and abundant. There is a small wreck in quite shallow water off Lipah Beach. This is not the World War II "Japanese Wreck". David Pickels' book on diving in Bali described this dive site for the first time back in 1999 as the Lipah Bay Wreck, and he admitted his mistake in the meantime. Matter of the fact is that this little wreck is not located in Lipah Bay at all, but some villages further east along the coast, namely in the village of Banyuning. The dive site is locally known among the dive operators as the "Japanese Wreck". Lipah Bay is a nice snorkel spot and actually also has a small wooden wreck in only 1.5 metres of water. Best places for snorkeling are:
Diving
There is some fine diving in Jemeluk Bay both from the beach and from boats in deeper water. After a gentle slope out from shore, the wall here drops off dramatically to depths of 40 metres plus. The coral is healthy and fish life abundant. There are some good drift dives further east at Selang and Bunutan but these are generally only suited to more experienced divers.
Beware of diving after a heavy rain, the water from the run-off can greatly reduce your visibility.
Tulamben
Tulamben is a small fishing village, 30km north of Amed, about 20 to 30 minutes drive. As well as local dives off the various Amed beaches, a notable attraction is diving the wreck of the USS Liberty at Tulamben. Some divers base themselves at Tulamben itself where all of the hotels have either in-house dive operations or are allied to one or other of them.
The Liberty is a US Army transport ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942. The wreck lies about 30 metres offshore and is absolutely covered in soft corals. A huge range of reef fish have made this their home and occasional pelagics visit as well. Some of the wreck can even be seen by snorkelers. There are other dives in the Tulamben area and keen divers will have no problem entertaining themselves for a few days in this area. One word of warning - The Liberty is a very popular dive and unless you are actually staying at Amed or Tulamben and get there early in the day, it can be very crowded indeed.
 

Sanur is Bali's oldest upscale resort area and is a mature beach-side town. Despite the abundance of restaurants and accommodation, it has a quiet and relaxed feel to it. In general terms, it is more expensive than Kuta but cheaper than Seminyak. Sanur tends to appeal most to middle-aged and older families, especially Europeans.
The Sanur area is sandwiched between the main Jalan Ngurah Rai bypass and the beach. One main route called Jalan Danau Tamblingan runs north to south through the town and it is easy to orient yourself with reference to this road.
Sanur is a 20 minute taxi ride from the Ngurah Rai International Airport, and a pre-paid coupon costs Rp 90,000. There are plenty of metered taxis all over the island who will be keen to take you to Sanur.
If you are driving yourself, this is one of the more staightforward areas of Bali to find as the main Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai is the western boundary of Sanur. There are many well signposted exit points from this main road into the heart of Sanur. Allow about 20 minutes driving time from Kuta or Legian, about 30 minutes from Seminyak or Ubud and 10 to 15 minutes from Denpasar.
 

Singaraja still has some of the feel of an old colonial capital. The streets are wider and grander than elsewhere in Bali and some of the old houses set in large gardens recall days long gone. Singaraja just looks different to other towns and cities in Bali. This is also a noticeably multi ethnic city. The muslim influence is especially apparent in the district near the old docks called Kampung Arab and the largest Chinese temple in Bali is here.
This is major academic centre with two univerisities, and the number of students residing swells the population to just over 100,000, making Singaraja Bali's second largest city.
It takes 2 to 3 hours to drive to Singaraja from the south of Bali. There are three main routes: east via Kintamani, taking in the stunning active volcano and mountain vistas, west via Pupuan, through beautiful rice-paddies, spice and coffee plantations; and central, via Bedugul with its famous market and botanical gardens. Whichever route you take, the journey is sure to be scenic and interesting
 

Lovina is a relatively new name coined in the 1950s by a local Buleleng Regency official with a good eye for future tourism-based development. It essentially consists of seven traditional villages, which all slightly merge into one on a ten kilometre stretch of the main road which hugs the north coast to the west of Singaraja: Temukus, Kalibukbuk, Anturan, Pemaron, Tukad Mungga, Banyualit and Kaliasem. Kalibukuk is the main hub of this area and is often thought of "Lovina town centre". The whole stretch of coast here is fringed by quite narrow black sand beaches, which are accessed by a multitude of small lanes which run perpendicular to the east-west coast road. The beaches are generally safe for swimming, and the waters of Bali's north coast, in direct contrast to the crashing surf of the south, are relatively calm. Diving, snorkelling and dolphin watching are the main activities, but perhaps above all else, this is an area in which to relax and take in a very slow, traditional pace of life. It can get a little crowded in July and August, but outside that peak season, this is a quiet part of the island.
Most visitors arrive in Lovina from the south in a self-drive hire car or with a car and driver. A journey from Kuta takes about 3 hrs and from Sanur slightly lesss. Ubud is a 2 hour car journey over the central highland range. Many visitors from the south choose though to break their journey at Bedugul or Kintamani.This is a good area for walking as the roads are relatively quiet and the beaches long and easily passable.
Renting a bicycle is popular and again, easy to find. Many hotels have their own. You should be aware though that away from the coast road, there are a lot of steep hills.
The easiest way to visit the surroundings of Lovina is by renting a motorbike. There are many roadside outlets and expect to pay between Rp 50,000 and 90,000 per day. The roads are quite good here and nothing like as crowded as in south Bali.   Local bemos ply the north coast road between Singaraja and West Bali, stopping at all points on the Lovina stretch. You will need some patience and they can be very crowded indeed. As there is only one main road it is though hard to get lost.
Lovina’s black sand beaches are quite lovely and lend themselves well to exploration on foot at a leisurely pace. The sea is very calm here and is safe for swimming. The feeling on the beaches is one of laid-back tranquility with small, colourfully decorated traditional outriggers called perahu dotted along the shoreline. These are a reminder that you are in a traditional fishing community. There are a few hawkers, but nothing like as many as on the southern beaches, and this is as good a place as any in Bali to explore quiet beaches at your own pace. At the highest of tides the beaches can get a little difficult to traverse in places, so it is best to time your walks for a falling tide.
The small road that runs down to the beach-front from the main east-west coast route at Kalibukuk is called Jalan Bina Ria. At the beach end of this road is a rather wonderful dolphin statue. Apart from being a notable piece of kitsch, this is a reminder of the reason for the initial drive beind tourist development at Lovina (dolphins, obviously). Mini wooden and stone replicas of this statue are for sale widely in the area.
There are several dive operators based out of Lovina that operate daily dive and snorkeling trips to Menjangan Island, Tulamben and Amed, as well as dives from the local beaches. Be sensible and careful as some hotels and counters try to sell unlicensed diving trips that may look official on paper. Do not pay before you have seen the dive centre, and check that you will dive with certified divemasters/instructors.


 

This is a small laid-back village which has become increasingly popular with visitors in recent years. There are a number of waterfront resorts and its proximity to Lovina and West Bali National Park together with the extreme natural beauty of the area, has fuelled quite rapid growth in tourism infrastructure in the area. Pemuteran is home to the largest artificial Biorock reef project in the world and there is a real spirit of marine conservation effort in this area. Visitors usually arive in Pemuteran on the north coast road from Lovina or Singaraja or from the west at Gilimanuk.
Regular bemos ply the north coast road but they are very slow and get extremely crowded.
You will have no problem renting a car with driver to take you from Lovina to Pemuteran - fix the price in advance and make sure petrol is included.
A direct ride to Pemuteran from tourist centres in the south will take about four hours depending on traffic on the coast roads. This is a great place to walk or get around by bicycle.
Early morning dolphin watching boat trips can be arranged through any hotel. By no means guaranteed, but you have a decent chance of finding a pod here. The beaches are especially nice in this area and consist of a particularly fine grained black sand.
Menjangan Island and West Bali National Park are easily reached from here. The Menjangan Island boats depart from Labuhan Lalang which is a 15 minute ride west from Pemuteran. Obligatory permits can be purchased from the national park office at the back of the Labuhan Lalang car park and you can also arrange a guide here. It is quite common for groups of visitors to congregate in this car park and join together to charter a boat. Most local hotels will make any arrangements you need for activities related to the national park.
Proyek Penyu (turtle project) is a turtle breeding and release program run by one of the dive operators in co-operation with local villagers. Very much worth a visit and certainly worth your support.
The area around Pulaki village just east of Pemuteran is full of vineyards and is the centre of the grape growing industry in Bali.
Diving and snorkelling is good both here and at nearby Menjangan Island inside the West Bali National Park.
Fishing is good in calm waters and you can charter a boat easily from the beach.
The hills and mountains that form the southern backdrop to Pemuteran offer many opportunities for interesting hiking. Ask at your hotel for directions and/or a guide.
 

Ubud, a town in central Bali, is far removed from the drunken bikini scene in Kuta, and is regarded as the cultural centre of Bali. It is famous as an arts and crafts hub, and much of the town and nearby villages seems to consist of artists' workshops and galleries. There are some remarkable architectural sights, artistic gems to be found, and a general feeling of well being to be enjoyed, all thanks to the spirit, surroundings, and climate of the place.
While Ubud seems to outsiders like one small town, it is in fact fourteen villages, each run by its own banjar (village committee). Ubud has grown rapidly, and some central parts are creaking under the strain of coping with the number of visitors. That said, most development is sympathetic to the zeitgeist, if not designed specifically in the local style. Growth continues apace, but there are still terraced rice fields along the rivers, and away from the town centre, regular, quiet village life carries on relatively undisturbed.
Orienting yourself in Ubud is fairly straightforward. The town sprawls for several kilometres in all directions, with all of the small villages within a five km radius of the central market being loosely referred to as "Ubud". If you choose a reasonably central place to stay, it is easy enough to get around on foot.
Central Ubud has three main streets: Jl Raya Ubud, Jl Monkey Forest and Jl Hanoman. At the intersection of Jl Raya and Jl Monkey Forest are Ubud Market, Ubud Palace, and the main bemo stop — unsurprisingly, there's also a near-permanent traffic jam here.
Jl Monkey Forest, which runs south through town to the Monkey Forest, is a built-up area, and home to a wide array of accommodation, art galleries, and cafes, as well a number of local services such as schools, a sports field, pharmacies, and travel agents. Jl Hanoman, which runs parallel to Jl Monkey Forest just to the east, is a bit quieter and makes for more pleasant walking.
To the immediate west and northwest are the villages of Campuan (Tjampuhan, Campuhan) and Kedewatan, home to some of the most upmarket hotels in the whole of Asia, with views over valleys sculpted by the Ayung and Wos rivers.
Directly to the south, past the Monkey Forest and still within a twenty minute walk of the central market, is Padang Tegal which then runs into the southern villages of Nyuh Kuning and Pengosekan, about three km from central Ubud.
Due to its elevation at 600 metres above sea level, Ubud enjoys cooler temperatures than the coast, and it is sometimes necessary to bring a pullover for the evening. The midday sun can still be scorching though and the humidity often relentless, a murderous combination for temple tramping which, in hilly Ubud, usually requires climbing up and down staircases. (Head out early to beat the heat and the crowds.) If there is a time to avoid, it would be the depths of the wet season in January and February — when it rains in Ubud, it really rains.
The area around Ubud is characterised by gently rolling rice paddies, and these create an impression of greenness which can be quite startlingly beautiful. This is especially true to the south and southeast of the town. Any visitor approaching from the south will appreciate this and it is worth a stop just to absorb the gentle beauty of it all.
 

Lombok is an island in the West Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia . It is part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east.
Mataram is in fact an agglomeration of a number of villages that have grown together. The main ones are Ampenan, the harbour on the west coast and the site of the airport; Mataram itself, in the center; and Cakranegara, the commercial hub to the east.
Bangsal is a tiny little port in northwestern Lombok, about 1 km away from the town of Pemenang. It's strictly a transfer point on the way to and from the Gili Islands, and few people hang around here any longer than necessary.
The Senggigi region is formed by several different nearby areas all lying along the same two-lane coastal road. The exact boundaries of each area can seem rather ill-defined. While pockets of development can be found in some areas, long stretches of open undeveloped land lie in between. Nightlife and major restaurants are concentrated in the central township of Senggigi. The first time visitor should be aware of these distinct regional differences. Simply booking a hotel in Senggigi could mean a relatively remote location where the town centre can only be reached by taxi or public transport.
Tanjung is a developing tourist destination on mainland Lombok. There are currently three resort style hotels in the area including Lombok's most prestigious resort, The Oberoi Lombok at Medana Beach. The Kosaido Golf Club is located on the nearby Sire Peninsula, and the newly established Medana Bay Marina brings modern mooring and anchorage services to the area.
 

Take a boat across to the Gilli Islands for lunch or some snorkelling Lombok's most popular tourist destination, the Gili Islands (or just the Gilis) came to the attention of the wider world as a backpacker mecca in the 1980s and 1990s. This is still true to some extent, and the islands are still a fixture on the Banana Pancake Trail. But the times they are a changing, and there is now a rash of glamour options on the islands, especially so on Gili Trawangan. The islands are very relaxed and laid-back, with countless little beachside cafes still playing reggae and serving up questionable "energy" drinks, but also at the other end of the scale, elaborate seafood buffets, fresh salads and good quality western and Asian food. Best of all, there are no cars or motorbikes to disturb the peace.
There are increasing numbers of westerners living on the Gilis, and operating businesses ranging from dive companies to resorts. There is a strong environmental focus here as the reefs have been very damaged in the past. While once people came to dive, snorkel and party, a more upmarket tourist is showing up now. It is still all about the beach, there are many more options to wine and dine or hang out and meet new friends.
Strictly speaking, the name "Gili Islands" is rather redundant as gili simply means "small island" in Sasak, but the name has stuck and is universally used and understood in Lombok.
 

Nusa Lembongan is a small island off the southeast coast of the main island of Bali. Fast becoming one of Bali's most popular attractions, this island paradise is a world away from the hassle and hectic pace of South Baii. Neither hawkers nor traffic mar the magnificent scenery; this is a fine place to just put your feet up and relax. Main activities include surfing, diving and snorkeling. The water is some of the clearest you will find anywhere, and a vivid aqua blue in colour.
Nusa Lembongan is approximately eight square kilometres in size, and is one of three neighbouring islands, the others being much larger Nusa Penida and tiny Nusa Ceningan . The three islands are separated from Bali by the Badung Strait. Some visitors may find Nusa Lembongan a little slow after the pace of South Bali.
Many areas around the island are good for diving and snorkeling, with abundant marine life and healthly coral. Surfing can get a bit crowded, but the waves are good. There are several white sand beaches away from the main centres which are virtually never crowded. There is a flourishing and well established seaweed farming industry here, and many visitors find it interesting to learn about this.
The only realistic way (although you can charter a helicopter  to reach Nusa Lembongan from Bali is by boat. There are several options according to budget and speed. Most of the scheduled services leave from Sanur Beach at the end of Jalan Hangtuah, and involve getting your feet wet. The exact departure and arrival point on this beach depends on the tide. Other services run from Benoa Harbour, and there are local public boat services to and from Padang Bai and Kusamba in East Bali, but these are not recommended for reasons of safety and comfort.