Indonesia in 3 weeks - Bali and Nusa Penida🌏

Indonesia is one of the most amazing destinations I´ve ever been. The food, people, culture, beaches, forest, accomodations and much more. In this guide you will find the best places to visit on Bali and Nusa Penida. Also, if you don´t wanna spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for resorts, I will show you some nice accommodations🏠 where to stay in budget and because good food means good mood, you will see here a lot of great restaurants🥢 and bars🥂 I´ve been. Before we start, you should know that Indonesia is not just about the beautiful beaches and cheap food. Everything has its own magic. I did this trip myself so I can say, you have to try something from everything because if you stay in one or two places, you will never see what else these islands can offer you.

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Summary:

BALI

1) When to go?⏰

2) After arrival✈️

3) Balinese culture⛩️

4) Other places to see📍

5) Trails⛰️

6) Waterfalls💧

7) Beaches🏝️

8) Where to stay?🏠

9) Restaurants🍽️ & Bars🥂

NUSA PENIDA

1) Beaches🌊

2) Others📍

3) Where to stay?🏠

4) Restaurants🍽️

Bali

- the main island for tourism. It completly differs from the whole Indonesia. Bali is multi-religious with a majority practicing Buddhism. These people have tranquil and peaceful lifestyle so you can feel comfortable and safe, even for a solo traveller.

When to go?

Indonesia lies on the equator. That means it has two seasons: the dry season☀️ from May to October and the rainy season🌧️ from November to April. Best time to visit should be from April to September due to the weather conditions BUT it's important not to base your decision just on weather and here's why.

Bali is already heavily crowded with both locals and tourists, especially during the dry season. There are traffic jams🚗 everywhere and it´s almost impossible to get somewhere in town. Moreover, the popular tourist spots are often overrun with masses of people, and you might find yourself waiting in long lines just to take a photo with a waterfall or temple. This may not be for everyone. If you prefer less crowds and lower prices for food, accomodation and services, you shouldn´t be afraid to visit the island during the rainy season.

From my personal experience, most of the rain occurs during the night or briefly throughout the day. It´s not as sunny as in the dry season but at least you won´t get sunburned.😃

You can watch the forecast but it changes from day to day so don´t rely on that.

After arrival:

Save some money during your first days 💵

The only thing you need after your arrival is a SIM card which you buy at the airport. In the capital, Denpasar, there are higher prices than on the whole island, especially in places full of tourists like malls, beaches and around the airport. To save some money, try to avoid these spots. Instead of renting a motorbike outside the airport, go a bit further to the streets and rent it from smaller rentals or directly from the accomodation you´re staying in. The same is for malls. Don´t go shopping to the biggest one but try to find some of the local ones. The beaches are also full of locals that will try to sell you things you don´t need and which cost 5 times more than in stores outside the city centre

Tourists = walking wallets

If you are a tourist, they see you as a walking wallet. So first important thing to know about this area which you can find not that common for you is that they haggle over everything, except for prices in restaurants and markets. They are basically "proffesionals in haggling" and if you´re a tourist, they will definitely try to trick you and sell you their products for 5x higher price. To avoid the higher prices, don´t be afraid to use their own tactics on them.First days of my stay, I was a bit afraid because I wasn´t use to it and didn´t know what I can afford to say but after a few experiences I realized that haggling is a normal part of their life. Sometimes it was fun to bargain over just a bottle of water with locals.

Scooters before cars 🛵

As I said earlier, Bali is overcrowded with a lot of traffic jams, The roads are not wide enough to fit two cars, Sometimes, Google maps tell you "go this way" and there is no road or just a trail between some trees and road signs means nothing. Therefore, renting a car is really useless there. You won´t get anywhere. That´s why you should rent a motorbike instead. I know what you think. "What about my baggage? Where should I put my suitcase?" Well, on Bali, everything is possible. We were two people with two suitcases and two bags and it was fine to drive the whole island. For local it´s not a problem to fit there a whole kithen or even a cow.

Balinese culture:

Monkey Forest 🐵