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Sightseeing in Bali

92 sights across Bali, the Nusa islands, Lombok and the Gili Islands, by region and area: what each one is, where it is, and the area to stay in for it. The beaches have a page of their own, and the places children enjoy are gathered on Bali with kids.

South Bali

Canggu

Pura Batu Mejan

Temple in Canggu. Pura Batu Mejan is an old sea temple on the shore at Echo Beach in Canggu, linked by tradition to the priest Dang Hyang Nirartha and named after a sacred stone kept inside. It stands on a raised wall above the sand, with steps down to the beach and a reef break offshore that draws experienced surfers. Ceremonies are held here often, so keep a respectful distance and never climb on the shrines.

Photo: Alharomain354, CC BY-SA 4.0

Mai Main Playground

Play & adventure in Canggu. Mai Main is a family play park on Jalan Padang Linjong in Canggu, opened in mid-2024. Indoor and outdoor playgrounds, a ball pool, a flying fox, an indoor pool and an outdoor lagoon pool, a small farm where children feed the animals and a mini train fill its grounds, with a café for the parents.

Uluwatu

Uluwatu Temple

Temple in Uluwatu. Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali's most sacred sea temples, built on the edge of a cliff about 70 meters above the Indian Ocean at the southwestern tip of the Bukit Peninsula. Visitors walk the clifftop paths for the views, as the inner shrine is open only to worshippers, and a Kecak dance is staged at sunset nearby. Sarongs are required, and the resident monkeys snatch sunglasses and phones.

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0

Pangolin Kids Club

Play & adventure in Pecatu (the area to stay in: Uluwatu). Pangolin Kids Club is a natural play space in Pecatu on the Bukit Peninsula, close to the Uluwatu beaches. About 1,000 square metres hold a 12-metre climbing tower, a climbing wall, a sensory ball pool, a baby area and a shaded outdoor playground, with daily workshops and nannies for children from babies to fourteen.

Nusa Dua

Water Blow

Nature in Nusa Dua. Water Blow is a jagged limestone point on the Nusa Dua peninsula where ocean swells are forced into a narrow crevice and shoot upward in plumes of spray. A short path through a park in the resort area leads to a fenced viewing deck over the rocks. The spray is highest at high tide on days with a strong swell, and anyone near the rail can get soaked.

Photo: Chapsorini, CC BY-SA 4.0

Puja Mandala

Landmark in Nusa Dua. Puja Mandala is a complex just outside Nusa Dua where a mosque, a Catholic church, a Buddhist temple, a Protestant church and a Hindu temple stand side by side. Built in the 1990s, it is a statement of the religious tolerance Indonesia promotes. Visitors can walk between the five buildings outside service times; covered shoulders and knees are expected.

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0

Museum Pasifika

Museum in Nusa Dua. Museum Pasifika is an art museum inside the Nusa Dua resort area with paintings, sculpture and carvings from Indonesia, Asia and the Pacific islands, and works by European artists who painted in Bali. Its collection fills eleven rooms spread over a group of pavilions. A visit takes one to two hours and suits a hot afternoon or a rainy day.

Photo: Museum Pasifika, CC BY-SA 4.0

Jimbaran

Kedonganan Fish Market

Market in Kedonganan (the area to stay in: Jimbaran). Kedonganan Fish Market sits on the beach at the north end of Jimbaran Bay, where the local fleet of outrigger boats lands its catch. Stalls sell tuna, snapper, prawns, squid and crabs by weight, and the warungs around the market will grill or fry what you buy. Come early in the morning, when the boats are unloaded and the choice is widest.

Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0

Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park

Park in Ungasan (the area to stay in: Jimbaran). Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park fills a former limestone quarry on the Bukit Peninsula. Its centerpiece, designed by sculptor Nyoman Nuarta and completed in 2018, shows the Hindu god Vishnu riding the eagle Garuda and stands 121 meters tall with its pedestal. Paths lead between the cut quarry walls, and Balinese dances are staged during the day; there is little shade, so mornings are cooler.

Photo: Terryosano1, CC0

Sanur

Museum Le Mayeur

Museum in Sanur. Museum Le Mayeur is the beachfront home of the Belgian painter Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur, who settled in Sanur in the 1930s and married the Legong dancer Ni Pollok, his main model. The carved wooden house and its garden hold dozens of his paintings of Balinese life. It sits on the beach path in north Sanur, and an hour is enough to see it.

Photo: Andy Mabbett, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pura Sakenan

Temple in Serangan (the area to stay in: Sanur). Pura Sakenan is an old Hindu temple on the northwest shore of Serangan Island, linked in tradition with the priests Mpu Kuturan and Dang Hyang Nirartha. Its walled courtyards of stone shrines draw thousands of worshippers for the temple festival on Kuningan day. It is a short drive south of Sanur across the causeway to Serangan, and visitors wear a sarong and sash.

Photo: Anandajoti, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bajra Sandhi Monument

Landmark in Denpasar (the area to stay in: Sanur). The Bajra Sandhi Monument is a tall stone memorial to the struggles of the Balinese people, shaped like the bell a Hindu priest rings at prayer and opened in 2003. Inside, a ring of dioramas tells the history of Bali from prehistoric times to independence, and a spiral stair climbs to a viewing deck. It stands in the large public park at Renon in Denpasar, about 15 minutes' drive west of Sanur.

Photo: Anandajoti, CC BY-SA 4.0

AeroXSpace Adventure

Play & adventure in Denpasar (the area to stay in: Sanur). AeroXSpace Adventure is a space-themed indoor adventure park on the Ngurah Rai bypass at Sidakarya, between Sanur and the airport, opened in August 2024. Its air-conditioned hall of about 3,500 square metres holds some 25 attractions on several levels: trampolines, climbing walls, drop slides, a ropes course, a zipline and a coaster that rides above it all, with a space of its own for toddlers.

Lapangan Puputan Badung

Park in Denpasar (the area to stay in: Sanur). Lapangan Puputan Badung is the main square of Denpasar, a shady park of about three and a half hectares around a monument built in 1997 to the puputan of 1906, when the Badung court chose death over surrender to the Dutch. A free children's playground, a skate park, giant chess boards and paths fill it, and Museum Bali stands across the road on its east side.

Turtle Conservation and Education Center

Wildlife in Serangan (the area to stay in: Sanur). The Turtle Conservation and Education Center on Serangan island, a short drive south of Sanur, was set up in 2006 to protect the green, hawksbill and olive ridley turtles of Bali's coasts. Eggs rescued from unsafe beaches hatch in its hatchery, turtles hurt by boat propellers recover in its pools, and thousands of hatchlings a year are released into the sea. Staff show visitors round.

Kuta

Waterbom Bali

Water park in Kuta. Waterbom Bali is a water park in Tuban, south Kuta, opened in 1993 and laid out in shady tropical gardens. It has more than twenty slides, from gentle family rides to the Climax, which starts with a trapdoor drop, plus a lazy river and pools. Arriving at opening time on a weekday means shorter lines, and it is a short walk from the hotels on Jalan Kartika Plaza.

Photo: Scoreed, CC BY 2.5

Bali Bombing Memorial

Landmark in Kuta. The Bali Bombing Memorial on Jalan Legian stands where Paddy's Pub was destroyed in the bombings of October 12, 2002, across the road from the site of the Sari Club. A carved stone monument holds a marble plaque with the names and nationalities of the 202 people killed. It sits on a busy shopping street, and a remembrance ceremony is held here every year on the anniversary.

Photo: Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY 2.0

Upside Down World Bali

Museum in Denpasar (the area to stay in: Kuta). Upside Down World Bali is an indoor attraction on the Ngurah Rai bypass in Pemogan, south Denpasar, where a row of furnished rooms, among them a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and a carved Balinese room, are built upside down, with the furniture fixed to the ceiling. Staff show visitors how to pose and take the photos, which turned the right way up look as if everyone is standing on the ceiling. A visit takes half an hour or so, indoors and out of the heat.

Trans Studio Bali

Play & adventure in Denpasar (the area to stay in: Kuta). Trans Studio Bali is an indoor theme park in the Trans Studio Mall on Jalan Imam Bonjol in Denpasar, opened in December 2019 as the first on the island. By 2026 it had sixteen rides and three shows under one air-conditioned roof, among them a roller coaster, go-karts, a Ferris wheel, a ninja-warrior course and a flight simulator over Indonesia. It is a short drive inland from Kuta and Legian.

Bali Wake Park & Aqualand

Water park in Denpasar (the area to stay in: Kuta). Bali Wake Park opened in 2015 around a five-hectare lake on Jalan Raya Pelabuhan Benoa in Denpasar, on the road to Benoa harbour. Overhead cables tow riders round the lake on wakeboards, kneeboards and water skis, with a separate cable for beginners, and the giant inflatables of its Aqualand obstacle course float on the water beside them.

Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation

Wildlife in Kuta. The sea turtle conservation centre on Kuta Beach, off Jalan Pantai Kuta, runs a hatchery on the sand where olive ridley turtle eggs laid on the beaches nearby are moved to hatch in safety. In the hatching season, roughly April to October, the young turtles are released into the sea in the late afternoon, often in front of hundreds of visitors; releases are not daily and are announced on the day.

Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

Tanjung Benoa

Caow Eng Bio

Temple in Tanjung Benoa. Caow Eng Bio is a Chinese temple in the old fishing village near the northern tip of Tanjung Benoa, said to have been founded by sailors from Hainan centuries ago. Its red halls hold shrines to a sea goddess and other deities, and a Hindu temple stands close by. Visitors are welcome outside ceremonies; dress modestly and ask before photographing worshippers.

Photo: Okkisafire, CC BY-SA 4.0

Kerobokan

Mookiland Park Bali

Play & adventure in Kerobokan. Mookiland Park Bali is an outdoor play park on Jalan Raya Kedampang in Kerobokan, between Seminyak and Canggu, opened in 2023. Its 5,000 square metres hold giant inflatables, a ninja-warrior course, zip-lines, trampoline nets and a water play area, with a semi-covered section and a restaurant where parents can sit.

Central Bali

Ubud

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

Wildlife in Ubud. The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is a patch of forest at the south end of Ubud's Monkey Forest Road, home to more than a thousand long-tailed macaques and three Hindu temples dating from around the 14th century. Paths lead past moss-covered statues and banyan roots to a ravine crossed by a dragon-carved bridge. Keep food, sunglasses and loose bags out of sight: the monkeys grab whatever they can reach.

Photo: rheins, CC BY 3.0

Ubud Palace

Palace in Ubud. Puri Saren Agung, the palace of Ubud's royal family, was built in the early 19th century, and members of the family still live in its inner compounds. Visitors can walk through the front courtyards, with their carved stone gateways and guardian figures, across the road from the art market. Most evenings a dance performance is staged in the courtyard, with the carved gate as its backdrop.

Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ubud Art Market

Market in Ubud. Pasar Seni Ubud fills a market building and the lanes beside it, opposite the palace, with stalls of sarongs, woven bags, wood carvings, paintings and silver jewelry. Much of the stock repeats from stall to stall, so it pays to look around before buying. Prices start high and bargaining is expected; mornings are cooler and less crowded than the afternoons.

Photo: Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY 2.0

Saraswati Temple

Temple in Ubud. Pura Taman Saraswati honors Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning and the arts, and was designed in the early 1950s by the Ubud artist I Gusti Nyoman Lempad. A stone walkway crosses a large lotus pond to its red-brick gateway, a few steps off Jalan Raya Ubud. The lotuses are open in the morning, and dance performances are held in front of the temple in the evenings.

Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

Campuhan Ridge Walk

Nature in Ubud. A paved path of about two kilometers follows a grassy ridge between two river valleys on the western edge of Ubud, starting beside the Gunung Lebah temple where the rivers meet. It ends among rice fields and small cafes in the village of Bangkiang Sidem. There is little shade along the way, so most walkers set out at sunrise or in the late afternoon.

Photo: Artem Beliaikin from Moscow, Russia, CC0

Puri Lukisan Museum

Museum in Ubud. Opened in 1956, Puri Lukisan is the oldest art museum in Bali, set in gardens with ponds a short walk west of Ubud Palace. Its four galleries follow Balinese painting and woodcarving from the 1930s onward, including works by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad and the Pitamaha artists. An hour or so is enough to see the collection, and the grounds are quiet even when the main road is busy.

Photo: Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY 2.0

Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets

Museum in Mas (the area to stay in: Ubud). The Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets, founded by the collector Hadi Sunyoto, lies in Mas, the woodcarving village south of Ubud. More than a thousand masks and several thousand wayang puppets, from Bali, Java and countries across Asia and beyond, fill a group of old Javanese wooden houses that were moved here and set in a quiet garden. An hour or two is enough to see it all.

Photo: Anandajoti, CC BY-SA 4.0

Agung Rai Museum of Art

Museum in Ubud. The Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) in Pengosekan, at the south end of Ubud, was founded by the art dealer Agung Rai. Its galleries follow Balinese and Indonesian painting, with works by Walter Spies and Raden Saleh, in large gardens with pavilions and rice fields. It also runs classes in Balinese painting, batik, wood carving, gamelan and dance, and local children practise dancing on its stages.

Photo: Harditaher, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bali Family Hangout

Play & adventure in Singakerta (the area to stay in: Ubud). Bali Family Hangout, formerly Bali Kids Land, is a covered outdoor playground among the rice fields of Singakerta, a few kilometres southwest of central Ubud. Water slides, a splash pad, a trampoline, a sandpit, climbing nets and a bike path sit under its roof, with a toddler room and a café beside them, and a kids club runs on weekdays.

Sangeh Monkey Forest

Wildlife in Sangeh (the area to stay in: Ubud). Sangeh Monkey Forest in Abiansemal, west of Ubud, is a sacred grove of tall nutmeg trees, some of them centuries old, home to about 700 long-tailed macaques. The 17th-century temple Pura Bukit Sari stands at its heart. Shadier and quieter than Ubud's monkey forest, it closed for a week in December 2025 after storm-felled trees damaged the temple, so it is best visited in calm weather.

Payangan

Leke Leke Waterfall

Waterfall in Baturiti (the area to stay in: Payangan). A slender waterfall of about 30 meters drops into a narrow, fern-covered gorge near Baturiti, in the cool hills west of Payangan. The way down takes 15 to 20 minutes on steps and bamboo bridges through the forest, and the path is slippery after rain. It lies a short detour off the main road up to Bedugul, so many visitors combine it with a trip to the lakes.

Photo: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0

Tabanan

Tanah Lot

Temple in Tabanan. Pura Tanah Lot sits on a rock islet off the Tabanan coast and is linked to the 16th-century priest Dang Hyang Nirartha. When the tide is out, visitors can cross the reef to a freshwater spring at the foot of the rock and receive a blessing, but only worshippers climb to the shrines. The clifftops fill up in the late afternoon with people waiting for the sunset.

Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

Jatiluwih Rice Terraces

Rice terraces in Tabanan. Terraced paddies cover the slopes below Mount Batukaru at around 700 meters, part of the subak landscape that UNESCO listed as World Heritage in 2012. Marked trails of several lengths run between the fields and irrigation channels, and the air is cooler than on the coast. The drive from Canggu or Ubud takes about an hour and a half, and mornings are usually the clearest.

Photo: Thomas Fuhrmann, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taman Ayun Temple

Temple in Mengwi (the area to stay in: Tabanan). Pura Taman Ayun was built in 1634 as the royal temple of the Mengwi kingdom, and its courtyards are surrounded by a wide moat. A row of tiered meru shrines with black thatched roofs stands in the inner sanctuary, which is closed to visitors but can be seen over its low wall. The temple is part of Bali's UNESCO-listed subak landscape and lies on the road between Canggu and Jatiluwih.

Photo: Cindi CGJ, CC BY-SA 4.0

Alas Kedaton

Wildlife in Tabanan. Alas Kedaton is a small sacred forest among rice fields near Marga, home to a troop of long-tailed macaques and to large fruit bats that hang from the treetops. At its center stands Pura Alas Kedaton, whose inner courtyard lies lower than the outer one, the reverse of most Balinese temples. It is quieter than Ubud's monkey forest and is often visited on the way to Taman Ayun or Tanah Lot.

Photo: Juan Antonio Segal from Madrid, Spain, CC BY 2.0

Batukaru Temple

Temple in Tabanan. Pura Luhur Batukaru stands in damp forest on the southern slope of Mount Batukaru, Bali's second-highest peak, and is one of the island's great directional temples, guarding the west. Its tiered shrines and mossy courtyards draw more pilgrims than tour groups. Sarongs and sashes are required, and the Jatiluwih rice terraces are a short drive to the east.

Photo: MajaK., CC BY 3.0

Gianyar

Goa Gajah

Temple in Gianyar. The Elephant Cave in Bedulu is an ancient sanctuary whose entrance is carved as a gaping demon's face, opening onto a small cave with a Ganesha statue and lingam shrines. In front lie bathing pools that archaeologists uncovered in the 1950s, and a path leads down to Buddhist remains beside a stream. It is about ten minutes' drive east of Ubud, and sarongs are lent at the gate.

Photo: DerGenaue Allrounder, CC BY-SA 3.0

Tegenungan Waterfall

Waterfall in Gianyar. The Petanu River pours about 15 meters over a broad rock ledge at Tegenungan, in the village of Kemenuh south of Ubud. A long flight of steps leads down to the plunge pool, where people wade and swim when the current allows, and viewing terraces line the top of the gorge. It is one of the easiest waterfalls to reach from the south coast, so it is quietest in the early morning.

Photo: Magul, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bali Bird Park

Wildlife in Gianyar. Bali Bird Park in Batubulan keeps more than a thousand birds of some 250 species in landscaped gardens, with walk-through aviaries and enclosures holding parrots, hornbills and the rare Bali starling. Bird shows run through the day, and the grounds also hold Komodo dragons. It is on the road between Denpasar and Ubud, and a morning visit avoids the midday heat.

Photo: Lasthib, CC BY-SA 3.0

Bali Safari Park

Wildlife in Gianyar. Bali Safari Park is a large park on the coast road east of Sanur, opened in 2007, where trams carry visitors through open enclosures themed on Indonesia, India and Africa, past lions, white tigers, zebras and hippos. Walking trails, animal shows and a children's area fill the rest of the grounds. Allow most of a day; it is about half an hour's drive from Sanur.

Photo: Aryayunitaa, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pura Puseh Batuan

Temple in Gianyar. The village temple of Batuan, a village known for its painters, has a split gateway and shrines covered in dense stone carving, and an inscription that dates the founding of the village to 1022. Visitors may enter the courtyards in a sarong, which is lent at the gate. It stands on the main road between Denpasar and Ubud, about 20 minutes' drive south of Ubud.

Photo: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0

Bali Zoo

Wildlife in Singapadu (the area to stay in: Gianyar). Bali Zoo in Singapadu, between Denpasar and Ubud, opened in 2002 as the island's first zoological park and keeps some 600 animals, from orangutans and elephants to lions and tigers, in tropical gardens. Keepers give talks and feeding sessions through the day, and an area opened in December 2025 brings visitors close to smaller animals such as binturongs and fennec foxes. Elephant rides ended in January 2026.

Photo: Ossi Petruska from Espoo, Finland, CC BY-SA 2.0

Bali Reptile Park

Wildlife in Batubulan (the area to stay in: Gianyar). Bali Reptile Park in Batubulan, next door to Bali Bird Park, has kept snakes, lizards and tortoises since 1996. Venomous and harmless snakes live in its cave-like Serpent Cave, iguanas, tortoises and monitor lizards roam an open area, and keepers give king cobra presentations and guided tours. It makes one visit with the bird park.

Photo: Lasthib, CC BY-SA 3.0

Kemenuh Butterfly Park

Wildlife in Kemenuh (the area to stay in: Gianyar). Kemenuh Butterfly Park lies among rice fields in Kemenuh, south of Ubud, a few minutes' walk from Tegenungan Waterfall. Some fifteen species of Javan and Balinese butterflies fly in its large netted garden, a pupa room holds hundreds of hanging chrysalises from which butterflies emerge, and a small museum of mounted specimens stands beside a koi pond and a restaurant.

Photo: Lasthib, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sayan

Ayung River

Nature in Sayan. Bali's longest river runs through a deep, jungle-lined gorge below the Sayan ridge, with rice terraces stepping down its sides. Rafting trips of about two hours ride its class II and III rapids, several of them starting upstream in the Payangan area. Rafting companies collect guests from Ubud hotels, and the water runs higher and faster in the rainy season.

Photo: Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy, CC BY 2.0

Sayan Ridge

Nature in Sayan. The road through Sayan runs along the rim of the Ayung gorge, and gaps between the houses and warungs open onto views of palm forest and terraced paddies falling to the river. Narrow paths lead east from the ridge through working rice fields toward Penestanan and Ubud. The walks are flat and cool early in the morning, a short ride from central Ubud.

Photo: Fabio Achilli from Milano, Italy, CC BY 2.0

Tegallalang

Tegallalang Rice Terraces

Rice terraces in Tegallalang. Steep rice terraces curve down both sides of a palm-filled valley beside the main road north of Ubud, watered by the centuries-old subak irrigation system. Footpaths drop into the paddies and climb the far side, where some farmers ask walkers for a small donation to cross their land. Early morning, before the tour buses arrive, is the quietest and coolest time.

Photo: Stefan Fussan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Tirta Empul

Temple in Tampaksiring (the area to stay in: Tegallalang). Founded in the 10th century around the spring that feeds the Pakerisan River, Tirta Empul is one of Bali's most important water temples. Worshippers and visitors stand in its stone pools to be purified under a long row of carved spouts, and the spring itself wells up in a clear pond in an inner courtyard. Sarongs are required, and the pools are calmest early in the morning.

Photo: Tigerente, CC BY-SA 4.0

Gunung Kawi

Temple in Tampaksiring (the area to stay in: Tegallalang). Ten shrines carved into niches about seven meters high line both banks of the Pakerisan River near Tampaksiring, an 11th-century royal memorial thought to honor King Anak Wungsu and his family. The site is reached by a long stairway down through rice terraces, so the climb back up takes some effort. Tirta Empul is a few minutes' drive away, and the two are often visited together.

Photo: Pinterpandai.com, CC BY 3.0

Gunung Kawi Sebatu

Temple in Sebatu (the area to stay in: Tegallalang). Gunung Kawi Sebatu is a spring-fed water temple in the village of Sebatu, where clear water fills koi ponds, bathing pools and channels around thatched shrines below a jungle hillside. Villagers come to bathe and leave offerings, and visitors can walk through the gardens and courtyards. It sees far fewer tour groups than Tirta Empul, and sarongs are lent at the entrance.

Photo: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0

Mount Batur

Nature in Kintamani (the area to stay in: Tegallalang). Mount Batur is an active volcano of 1,717 meters rising from a wide caldera beside Lake Batur in Kintamani, about an hour's drive north of Tegallalang. Most people climb it in the dark with a local guide to watch the sun come up over the lake and Mount Agung, a walk of about two hours on loose volcanic gravel. Steam vents near the summit show that it is still active.

Photo: Denny Octora, CC BY-SA 4.0

Museum Geopark Batur

Museum in Kintamani (the area to stay in: Tegallalang). The Museum Geopark Batur stands at Penelokan on the rim of the Batur caldera in Kintamani. Opened in 2007 as a volcano museum, it is now the information centre of the Batur UNESCO Global Geopark, with a large model of Mount Batur and its lake, rocks from past eruptions, a room on the 1926 eruption and a film theatre. From its upper floor a lookout faces the volcano across the caldera.

North Bali

Buleleng

Gitgit Waterfall

Waterfall in Buleleng. Gitgit is a single waterfall of about 35 m that falls into a rocky pool in a wooded ravine, just off the winding road between Bedugul and Singaraja. A paved path of a few hundred meters, lined with small stalls, leads down from the road to the base. It makes an easy stop on the drive between the lakes and the north coast.

Photo: elvranharris, CC BY-SA 2.0

Pura Beji Sangsit

Temple in Buleleng. Pura Beji is a subak temple in the village of Sangsit, east of Singaraja, where farmers honor Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice. Its gates, walls and stairways of pinkish sandstone are covered in the dense, flowing carving typical of north Bali, with barely a plain surface left. It lies just off the coast road, and a sarong is needed to go in.

Photo: Anggabuana, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pura Meduwe Karang

Temple in Buleleng. Pura Meduwe Karang in Kubutambahan is a temple for the spirits that protect crops grown on unirrigated land, such as coconuts and corn. Rows of stone figures from the Ramayana stand on its front terrace, and a relief inside shows a man on a bicycle, said to be the Dutch artist W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, who toured Bali by bike in 1904. It is about 12 km east of Singaraja.

Photo: DayakSibiriak, CC BY-SA 4.0

Gedong Kirtya

Museum in Buleleng. Gedong Kirtya in Singaraja is a library of lontar, the palm-leaf books in which Balinese texts on religion, medicine, history and myth were written, founded under Dutch rule in 1928. Its small rooms hold bundled leaf manuscripts, copper-plate inscriptions and colonial papers. It stands in the old Buleleng palace grounds next to the Buleleng Museum, so the two make one visit.

Photo: Hanno Lans, CC BY 4.0

Lovina

Banjar Hot Springs

Nature in Banjar (the area to stay in: Lovina). The Banjar hot springs (Air Panas Banjar) are three stone bathing pools in a garden in the hills west of Lovina, filled with warm, slightly sulfurous water that pours from carved dragon-head spouts. The lowest pool has spouts high enough to stand under for a massage of the shoulders. Local families come on weekends and late afternoons, so mornings are usually quieter.

Photo: Eric Bajart, CC BY-SA 3.0

Brahmavihara-Arama

Temple in Banjar (the area to stay in: Lovina). Brahmavihara-Arama is Bali's largest Buddhist monastery, founded in the early 1970s on a hillside above Banjar, a short drive west of Lovina. Its terraces hold meditation halls, lotus ponds, Buddha statues and a small copy of the Borobudur stupa, with views down to the sea. It is still a working monastery, so visitors cover shoulders and knees and keep their voices low.

Photo: Enrico Strocchi from Forlì, Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0

Krisna Waterpark

Water park in Temukus (the area to stay in: Lovina). Krisna Waterpark at Temukus, west of Lovina, calls itself the biggest water park in north Bali. It has a wave pool, a lazy river, a raft slide and a boomerang slide, with separate pools for children and toddlers, and next to it the Krisna Funtastic Land fair has a carousel, bumper cars, a small roller coaster and a Ferris wheel.

Munduk

Ulun Danu Beratan Temple

Temple in Bedugul (the area to stay in: Munduk). Pura Ulun Danu Beratan is a water temple on Lake Beratan near Bedugul, dedicated to Dewi Danu, the goddess of the lake whose water feeds the rice fields below. Its tiered shrines stand on small islands just off the shore, often with mist coming down from the hills. Tour groups arrive from mid-morning, so it is calmest early; at about 1,200 m the air is cool.

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0

Munduk Waterfall

Waterfall in Munduk. Munduk Waterfall, also called Red Coral, is a tall, narrow waterfall in a forested ravine on the edge of Munduk village. A short path of steps leads down from the road, and longer trails connect it with the Melanting and Labuhan Kebo falls for a half-day walk. Paths are slippery after rain, which is frequent in these hills, so good shoes help.

Photo: Jean-Marie Hullot, CC BY 3.0

Lake Tamblingan

Nature in Munduk. Lake Tamblingan is the smallest and quietest of the three crater lakes in the highlands above Munduk, ringed by protected forest. Local boatmen take visitors out in dugout canoes, and small old temples, including Pura Ulun Danu Tamblingan, stand along the shore. Mornings are often misty and cool, so bring a warm layer.

Photo: Stefan Fussan, CC BY-SA 3.0

Bali Botanic Garden

Park in Candikuning (the area to stay in: Munduk). The Bali Botanic Garden at Candikuning, founded in 1959, covers more than 150 hectares of cool hillside above Lake Beratan. Lawns and forest paths lead to collections of orchids, ferns, begonias and cacti. On weekends it fills with picnicking local families; cars can drive in, which helps on such a large site.

Photo: Nasudi, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bali Farm House

Wildlife in Pancasari (the area to stay in: Munduk). Bali Farm House is a farm park in Pancasari, in the cool Bedugul highlands, opened in 2024 on almost five hectares. Alpacas, Shetland ponies, donkeys, horses, emus, ostriches, goats, peacocks, rabbits and guinea pigs live in its paddocks and pens, and visitors can feed them, ride the ponies and picnic beside them, with a play area for children.

Photo: Tisa0603, CC BY 4.0

Pemuteran

Menjangan Island

Nature in West Bali National Park (the area to stay in: Pemuteran). Menjangan Island lies off Bali's north-west tip inside West Bali National Park, ringed by coral walls that drop away into deep, clear water. Divers and snorkelers come for the sea fans and reef fish; on land there are small temples and the rusa deer that give the island its name. Boats take about half an hour from Labuhan Lalang, west of Pemuteran.

Photo: Chafidwahyu, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pulaki Temple

Temple in Pemuteran. Pura Pulaki is a sea temple on the coast road just east of Pemuteran, built against a rocky hillside facing the water and linked by legend to the priest Dang Hyang Nirartha. A large troop of long-tailed macaques lives around it and is regarded as the temple's guardians. Keep bags, glasses and food out of reach, and wear a sarong to go inside.

Photo: DayakSibiriak, CC BY-SA 4.0

East Bali

Karangasem

Besakih Temple

Temple in Karangasem. Besakih is Bali's most important temple complex, more than twenty temples climbing the south-west slope of Mount Agung at about 1,000 m, with Pura Penataran Agung at its center. Balinese from across the island come for its many festivals, when the terraces fill with offerings and processions. A sarong and sash are required; come early, before clouds hide the mountain.

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0

Tirta Gangga

Palace in Karangasem. Tirta Gangga is a royal water garden built in 1946 for the last raja of Karangasem, a short drive north of Amlapura. Visitors cross koi ponds on stepping stones, past stone statues and a tiered fountain, with rice terraces on the hills around. Badly damaged by the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung and since restored, it is calmest in the morning before tour groups arrive.

Photo: rheins, CC BY 3.0

Lempuyang Temple

Temple in Karangasem. Pura Lempuyang is a chain of temples on Mount Lempuyang; the summit shrine, Lempuyang Luhur, is one of Bali's holiest. Most visitors stop at the lowest, Penataran Agung, whose white split gate frames Mount Agung on clear mornings, and queue there for photos. Going on to the top means several hours on about 1,700 steps; a sarong is required.

Photo: Enrico Strocchi from Forlì, Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0

USAT Liberty Wreck

Nature in Karangasem. The USAT Liberty, a US Army cargo ship torpedoed in 1942, was beached at Tulamben and later slid into the sea during the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung. It now lies on a sandy slope just off a stony beach, close enough to the surface in places for snorkelers to see it as well as divers. Arrive early, before the day-trip divers.

Photo: Tilonaut, CC BY 3.0

Mount Agung

Nature in Karangasem. Mount Agung is Bali's highest volcano and its holiest mountain, rising to just over 3,000 m; its last major eruptions were from 2017 to 2019, and small ash plumes followed in 2022. Climbs start around midnight, from Pura Pasar Agung for the crater rim or from Besakih for the higher summit, and climbers go with a local guide. The mountain is closed to climbers during major ceremonies and when the volcano is restless.

Photo: Slleong, CC0

Sidemen

Sidemen Rice Terraces

Rice terraces in Sidemen. The Sidemen valley is a long run of terraced rice fields along the Unda river, with Mount Agung rising at its head on clear days. Footpaths lead between the fields, small temples and weaving villages, and local guides lead half-day walks. Mornings give the clearest views of the mountain; the valley is about an hour and a half by road from Ubud.

Photo: Paul Arps from The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0

Kertha Gosa

Palace in Semarapura (the area to stay in: Sidemen). Kertha Gosa is the old hall of justice of the Klungkung kings, in the center of Semarapura, about half an hour south of Sidemen. Its ceilings are painted in the Kamasan wayang style with scenes of the afterlife, including the punishments awaiting wrongdoers, and the Bale Kambang pavilion beside it stands in a moat. A small museum on the grounds covers the royal family and the 1908 puputan.

Photo: rheins, CC BY 3.0

Candidasa

Tenganan Pegringsingan

Traditional village in Candidasa. Tenganan Pegringsingan is a walled Bali Aga village just inland from Candidasa, whose people keep customs older than the Hindu-Javanese culture of the rest of the island. Rows of family compounds line a broad, stepped central lane, and weavers make geringsing, a rare double-ikat cloth that can take years to finish. Visitors walk in freely and leave a donation at the gate.

Photo: DayakSibiriak, CC BY-SA 4.0

Goa Lawah Temple

Temple in Klungkung (the area to stay in: Candidasa). Pura Goa Lawah is one of Bali's most important temples, built around the mouth of a cave where thousands of bats roost. Families come to the black-sand beach across the road for ceremonies, including rites held after a cremation, then pray at the temple. A sarong and sash are needed, and it lies on the coast road between Klungkung and Padangbai.

Photo: Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY 2.0

West Bali

Jembrana

West Bali National Park

Nature in Jembrana. West Bali National Park protects dry monsoon forest, savanna, mangroves and coral coast in the island's far west, and is one of the few places to see the rare Bali starling in the wild. Treks, birdwatching walks and mangrove boat trips are arranged at the park office at Cekik near Gilimanuk, and all need a ranger or licensed guide. Early mornings are best for birds.

Photo: Ron from Nieuwegein / South Moreton Oxfordshire, Netherlands / UK, CC BY-SA 2.0

Islands

Nusa Penida

Broken Beach

Nature in Nusa Penida. Broken Beach, or Pasih Uug, is a round cove on Nusa Penida's southwest coast enclosed by cliffs, with the sea flowing in beneath a natural stone arch. A footpath circles the clifftop rim, looking down into the turquoise water; there is no way down to the sand. It is a few minutes' walk from Angel's Billabong, and the two are usually visited together.

Photo: Aaron Rentfrew, CC BY-SA 4.0

Angel's Billabong

Nature in Nusa Penida. Angel's Billabong is a natural rock pool on the edge of the sea cliffs near Broken Beach, filled with clear green water that spills over a rim of rock into the ocean. On calm days at low tide the pool is still and the colors show best. Waves can surge over the edge without warning and people have been swept out to sea, so swimming in the pool has been banned since 2023; keep back from the outer rim.

Photo: Georgi Kovachev, CC BY-SA 4.0

Goa Giri Putri

Temple in Nusa Penida. Goa Giri Putri is a Hindu temple inside a limestone cave on Nusa Penida's northeast coast. After a climb of about a hundred steps, visitors squeeze through a narrow opening into a cavern around 300 meters long, lined with shrines and with a Chinese shrine at the far end. A sarong and sash are required and are lent at the entrance.

Photo: Sasuke shinozawa, CC BY-SA 4.0

Manta Point

Nature in Nusa Penida. Manta Point is a dive and snorkel site below the limestone cliffs of Nusa Penida's south coast, where reef manta rays gather year-round at cleaning stations to have small fish pick them clean. The rays often swim close to the surface, so snorkelers see them too. It is reached only by boat, from Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida or Sanur, and the swell can be rough.

Photo: Sasuke shinozawa, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lombok

Mount Rinjani

Nature in Lombok. Mount Rinjani is the active volcano that rises over northern Lombok to 3,726 meters, above a caldera that holds the crescent lake Segara Anak and a younger cone, Barujari. Treks to the crater rim and summit start from Sembalun or Senaru and take two to four days with a licensed guide and porters. The trails close in the wettest months, usually January to March.

Photo: César González Palomo, CC BY-SA 2.0

Tiu Kelep Waterfall

Waterfall in Lombok. Tiu Kelep is a broad waterfall that drops in several streams into a pool in the forest below Senaru, on the northern slopes of Mount Rinjani. The path from the village passes the Sendang Gile waterfall after about 15 minutes, then follows an irrigation channel and crosses the river for another half hour or so. Wear shoes that can get wet; local guides offer to lead the way.

Photo: Jordy Meow, CC BY 3.0

Sade Village

Traditional village in Lombok. Sade is a Sasak village in central Lombok where families still live in thatched houses of bamboo and wood, with earth floors smoothed with buffalo dung. Village guides lead visitors along the lanes past rice barns and looms, and women weave and sell the cloth the area is known for. It lies on the road from the airport to Kuta, about 15 minutes north of the coast.

Photo: Midori, CC BY 3.0

Gili Islands

Gili Meno Underwater Statues

Landmark in Gili Islands. The underwater statues off the west coast of Gili Meno, a work called Nest, are a ring of 48 life-size human figures cast in concrete and laid on the seabed by the British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor in 2017. Coral and sponges are slowly growing over the figures, which lie in about four meters of clear water. Snorkelers can swim out from the beach, but the current can be strong, so many join a boat trip.

Photo: Enrico Strocchi from Forlì, Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0

Gili Meno Salt Lake

Nature in Gili Islands. Gili Meno's salt lake is a shallow brackish lagoon in the west of the island, ringed by mangroves and cut off from the sea by a strip of land. Herons, egrets and kingfishers feed along its muddy edges, and a few simple shelters look out over the water. Early morning is the quietest time and the best for birds, before the heat of the day.

Photo: Alexey Komarov, CC BY 3.0

Gili Air

Nature in Gili Islands. Gili Air is the Gili island closest to Lombok, a small, flat island ringed by white-sand beaches and coral reefs where sea turtles often feed. A sandy path follows the shore all the way round, a walk of one to two hours, and there are no cars or motorbikes. Public boats cross from Bangsal harbor on Lombok, and island-hopping boats link it with Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan.

Photo: MisterGrigri, CC BY-SA 3.0

Nusa Lembongan

Devil's Tear

Nature in Nusa Lembongan. Devil's Tear is a stretch of rocky limestone coast on the southwest side of Nusa Lembongan where swells crash into a small cove and throw spray high into the air. It is a short walk from Dream Beach and busiest around sunset, when the spray catches the light. A rope barrier runs along part of the cliff top, but waves break over the low rocks, so stay well back from the edge.

Photo: Sgroey, CC BY-SA 4.0

Yellow Bridge

Landmark in Nusa Lembongan. The Yellow Bridge is a narrow suspension bridge across the channel between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan, used by people on foot and on motorbikes. The old bridge collapsed in 2016 during a religious procession, and the present steel one replaced it in 2017. It is a popular stop late in the day, with views over the shallow channel and the boats moored in it.

Photo: Juxlos, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lembongan Mangrove Forest

Nature in Nusa Lembongan. The mangrove forest covers the northeastern corner of Nusa Lembongan, beyond Jungutbatu, with quiet channels winding between the trees. Local boatmen pole small wooden boats through the waterways, and kayaks and paddleboards can be rented at the edge of the forest. Trips are best around high tide, when the channels are deep enough to explore.

Photo: User:(WT-shared) Burmesedays, CC BY-SA 4.0