8 Secret travel tips in Bali
Welcome back to the 3rd article of the Insider Tips series! For this article, we travel to Bali, the paradise of Indonesia. Bali has been a hotspot amongst travelers for many years now, the picture-perfect place for your Instagram feed. Filled with perfect beaches and gorgeous rice fields, what more can you ask for? Next time you travel to Bali make sure you try one of these 8 Insider tips in Bali that we have collected for you. Traveling and experiencing places not common amongst locals allows you to truly discover Bali on another level.
8. Scuba dive with Oceanic Manta Rays
Truly experience the sea by scuba diving with some of the most extraordinary creatures you will ever lay your eyes on in Bali, the Oceanic Manta Rays. On the coast of Nusa Penida, you can go scuba diving or snorkeling and swim alongside the Oceanic Manta Rays. You might not even believe your eyes to how long they can grow, but they grow up to 7-meters in length! Don’t miss out on this truly unique experience with some travel mates or alone. You might want to even capture this beautiful moment and print it out in a photo book to forever cherish. Let’s swim in the waves with our new fish friends.
7. Unique Luwak Coffee
While you’re here in Bali a true insider tip is to try their Luwak Coffee! You might feel a bit disgusted when you know how the coffee is made, but I am about to tell you how it’s made. The coffee has been pooped out by the Asian Civet who eats the coffee fruit and poops out a bean. Mmm… nothing sounds more appetizing. However, you can’t back out that easily yet! Once you have a taste of the Luwak coffee all your worries about the animal pooping will disappear. You can go visit a Luwak coffee plantation and many of them offer free tours where you can even interact with the Asian Civets. Grab a travel mate and indulge in a truly special cup of Luwak coffee, just head over to JoinMyTrip!
6. Admire the volcanic black sand beach
Imagine a black beach paradise, how cool would that be? Well, there’s a place in Bali where the beaches are filled with natural volcanic black sand. Come over to the dark side and check out one of the many beaches along the north and east coast where you will come face to face with black glittering powder-like sand. You will be so mesmerized you won’t ever want to leave this place. Put on your favorite swimsuit and go swimming in the sea in the black sand. Don’t forget to take a couple of snapshots, because your friends might not believe you!
5. Visit the majestic Ulun Danu Beratan temple
There are many temples in Bali you should visit, but this temple located in the north of Bali stands out especially. In the village of Candikuning lies a majestic floating temple. The Ulun Danu Beratan temple used to be a place where locals would make their offerings to the waters of Bali and is considered a sacred place. The temple is 11 stories high and when the water rises the whole place looks like it’s floating. You can’t help but fall in love with the beautiful mountainous scenery that surrounds the temple which will sweep you right off your feet, leaving you wanting to come back for more. If you want to explore the temple with other travel mates, plan your own trip and find like-minded travelers to explore with!
4. Try out the street food!
Many of us in the western world are used to going to restaurants to eat and don’t really have many “Street food” vendors as such in the Asian world. Street food in the Asian community however is a huge part of their culture! You see street food vendors on every corner and they produce some of the best food for a cost of nearly nothing. We highly recommend you to try out the street food while you’re here instead of going to the “traditional” restaurants or cafes. You will be surprised by how cheap you can travel around and how delicious street food is. Trust me, once you try it, you will only be craving street food for the entire duration of your trip. The best street food in Bali is said to be Sate Babi in Canggu. Here you can get a very simple meal but oh so delicious!
3. Sunrise at the top of a volcano
Who doesn’t love watching the sunrise? What about watching it from a volcano? While you’re in Bali the real insider tip is to hike up Mount Batur Volcano and watch the sun as it rises. Isn’t this a great way to start your day? Take in the moment and admire the view in front of you, where you can see Lombok from above. To get up to the volcano, you must take a 1 and a half hour hike up so make sure you have your sportswear prepared. 1 and a half hours might not seem like much but it does get pretty steep towards the end. If you are as unathletic as me, you might be cursing through the whole way up, but why not find other travel mates to share the suffering with? Although, the hike is 100% worth it. Good things come to those who work hard for it!
2. Sweet, sweet martabak
Now you can’t leave Bali without trying some dessert?! That would be a crime. For those sweet tooths try the local delicacy martabak. Martabak is basically a stuffed pancake that is filled with goodies such as peanuts, chocolate sprinkles, and some milky cream. It is to die for! You will regret it if you leave Bali without at least having a bite of this deliciousness that will just melt away in your mouth. You can easily find it all around Bali in small street stalls so pop into a stall and grab a Martabak on the way. Plus, they are incredibly inexpensive which gives you no reason to not try them. They sell for around a euro a piece so buy 10 or even 20 if you want, go wild!
1. Be hypnotized by the rice terraces
This may not seem like a Bali insider tip since it has been booming with tourists lately, but we can’t let this one go. You will understand why once you’re there and experience the beautiful sight of Jatiluwih rice terraces. Even though you can find rice terraces all over Bali and Indonesia, this one specifically stands out. You can see the perfectly sculpted terraces amongst the field of rice. Although, like every great place takes some effort to get there. You have to hike through one of the hiking trails depending on how long you choose to hike. You can choose between 3 different trails which are 30 minutes long, an hour-long, or 1 and a half hours long. Make sure to bring your best shoes suitable for hiking, otherwise, you could also just walk barefoot but that might not be such a pleasant experience.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of insider tips for Bali that will make your trip to paradise worth it! Find like-minded travelers to join your trip to Bali or plan your own trip with JoinMyTrip. Share costs, experiences, and come home with unforgettable memories. Stay tuned for our next edition of the Insider Tips Series!
Fancy some more travel inspiration, tips, and tricks? Check out our other articles;
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- The 10 Best Snorkeling Spots in Europe
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- 7 Weird Covid Inspired Innovations
