If like me you are daydreaming about the days you'll get to travel again, then why not start planning your trips for 2021? Although I would advise against actually booking anything yet because of the current situation, unless it's through booking.com and it comes with free cancellation. So in January I finally got round to visiting Bali, and it was just as I expected it to be - hot, vibrant and full of tourists. I had a great time and we had a perfect mix of relaxation, adventure and cheap cocktails. I spent 9 days in the area - staying in Ubud, Gili Trawangan and Seminyak. If you're a first time visiter to Bali, these are some experiences I recommend.
1. Mount Batur sunrise hike.
If waking up at 2am is out of the question then skip to the next point, but it's definitely worth it! We got picked up and then had a 2 hour drive to the start of the hike. The climb is 1717m and takes around 2 hours to reach the top. In terms of difficulty I would say 6/10, I think I found the way down harder as there were so many small rocks and I fell on my bum within 5 minutes of our descend *face palm*. The view is 100% worth it though.
2. Take part in a Balinese cooking class.
One of my favourite parts about travelling is eating, of course. So I thought it would be fun to sign up for a cooking class with a Balinese family. Our hosts were lovely and there was only 5 of us in the group (two friends and me, and a couple from Singapore) which made it more of a personal experience. We made 8 traditional dishes, sampling them as we went along and then they were placed in a buffet style for us to eat later. The samples were so filling that I struggled to finish my plate afterwards, but I still ended up eating dessert after obvs.
Balinese cooking class - £14.79
3. Bali swings and coffee tasting.
You'll find there are a number of 'Bali Swing' activities around the area, differentiating in price. RealBaliSwing being the most expensive. Our driver took us to 'Intan Sari Luwak Coffee & Bali Swing Bukit' which cost us a fraction of the price, and there were also some extra nests for photo spots. We also got to sample 15 different coffees and herbal teas. There's a coffee in Bali called 'Luwak coffee' which essentially, is coffee made out of the droppings of the animal.
4. Relax in a flower bath.
My lovely best friend Daniella booked this for me as a Christmas gift and ahhhh it was heaven. You get to soak in a warm bath full of flowers for 45 minutes. The lady was also in there for 5 minutes trying to take the perfect Instagram photo for me, and she kept insisting on taking more lol. You can do this on your own with a book like I did, or with your partner.
Flower bath at the Udaya Resort & Spa - £35 (approx)
5. Hop over to the Gili Islands.
So the whole idea of us travelling to the Gili Islands was to see the underwater statues, but we were so hungover the day after that we only managed a bicycle ride around Gili Trawangan and some snorkling. Even that made me feel a bit queasy.
We stayed at Mad Monkey's on Gili T and we had our own private Tipi, and the communal showers were pretty modern. The atmosphere at the hostel was great and hosted pool parties too. Only difficulty was that the clubs and bars are on the other side of the island, which you either have to get to by foot (40 minutes), by bicycle or on a horse and carriage.
TIP: The Gili Islands consist of 3 main islands - Gili Trawangan is the most popular amongst backpackers and people looking for a bit more atmosphere, whereas Gili Air is better for a relaxing stay or a family holiday. Gili Meno is where you'll find the famous underwater statues but you can also hop from another island to get here.
Transfers to and from Gili Islands - prices starting from £20 one way depending on speed of boat you choose.
6. Visit the monkey forest.
If you're from Gibraltar then this probably won't impress you that much because we've got over a 100 macaques roaming around on the rock, but it was still a cute experience. You can find over 1000 monkeys here and the entry fee is around £4.
7. Swim at Banyumala Twin Waterfalls.
If you've got a driver in Bali then they'll probably suggest this 'lesser known' waterfall which is further up north. It wasn't too busy although you might be slightly out of breath when you're making your way back up to the carpark. Whilst you're here you can stop by the Handara Gate which is a 20 minute drive from here, and is where everyone takes the iconic photo below.
TIP: Don't let the photo fool you, the water effect is achieved by the camera man holding a mirror below the camera lens - it still looks awesome though! You can also expect to queue up for a photo here, luckily when we arrived at 9:30am there weren't many people there, but when we drove passed later in the afternoon there were at least 20 people waiting in line.
8. Go Temple hopping.
If you're not very religious, then I suggest picking a few you really want to see and stick to those, or else you'll be paying for entry fee every time you enter and you can end up wasting a lot of your day driving from place to place. I'd suggest visiting Pura Tirta Empul Temple and Ulun Danu Bratan. At Pura Tirta you can 'get purified' in the water, so if you plan on doing this make sure you pack a change of clothing!
TIP: I'd definitely recommend hiring a driver, it will save you a lot of money on taxis as you can usually hire a personal driver for 10 hours for around £40 a day for the whole car. We were recommended Dessy and the service was great.
9. Watch the sunset at the Campuhan Ridge Walk.
The signage for this place isn't very clear, so when you follow google maps you might still have to ask a local nearby how to start the walk. We kind of left it too late and we were only arriving as the sun was already setting, so make sure to check when sunset is so you're not stuck in the jungle in the dark! We were also sweating buckets because the jumpsuits we bought from the market weren't exactly very breathable, so our photos didn't quite turn out as planned.
10. Eat in a warung.
Warung translates to a family owned business or restaurant, and is where you will find authentic balinese food when you want a break from all the instagrammable acai bowls. Some of the best ones we visited were Warung Mendez, Warung Bintang and Warung Puspa. You'll find meals here range from £2 - £10.
Have you ever experienced any of these activities in Bali? Or do you have any others you enjoyed on your trip?
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