The Island Of Gods.
That's how they describe this little small island of Indonesia. Everyone dreams of going there at least once in their life. And it's really easy to do it by yourself and experience this amazing island.
Today I will give you some important basic information you should know before you will start to plan your trip to Bali.
Where is this island?
Bali is a small island of Indonesia in the Lesser Sunda Islands archipelago, lying in the Indian Ocean, between Java in the west and the island of Lombok in the east. It is the most popular tourist destination in whole Indonesia.
When to go there?
The weather in Bali is great all year round. Tempertures change minimally and humidity is high.
There are two seasons on the island:
1. Rainy Season - from October to March
2. Dry Season - from April to September
Dry season is of course the favorite time for most of tourists. Thats why you will see a lot of traffic jams on the road & many people in the touristic places. However the dry season doesn't guarantee zero rainfall during your stay.
And it' also important to say that during rainy season there are also days when it doesn't rain at all.
In my opinion, it is worth to fly to Bali at any time! Even if it's rain... just take good raincoat with you and VAMONOS!
Currency in Bali
You will pay in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR). All the prices are quoted in thousands, so you will quickly become a 'millionaire' in Bali :D
1 USD = around 15 000 IDR
Prices in stores/restaurants are usually shortened by three zeros, so if you will see price like '150' - it means 150 000 IDR, not 150IDR.
Sometimes they put 'k' when it comes to thousands and 'j' for a million.
1k = 1000 IDR
1j = 1 000 000 IDR
Payment methods
More and more on the island you can pay easily with your card. Even in small shops or local markets they start to use this method.
But it's still good to have some cash always with you. There are plenty of ATMs in every city, so it should be no big problem with cash withdrawals.
Another intresting method is quick transfer. For that I was using Wise App. You just put your credit card info or connect with your ApplePay and in really short time money will be transfered on the seller's account.
It's really common method in there.
Local food - what is worth eating
Price bargaining
In many places on the island you will not find prices on the things you want buy. You need to ask first and the seller will give you some price. Mostly is really high and not even worth the thing you wanna buy. The best method is to divide this price by half or even by 3. You will negotiate so long until the both sides are satisfied with the price.
I do not encourage anyone to argue over a few pennies, but haggling is something normal in Indonesia and even my local friends negotiate with local sellers and it's nothing wrong with that.
How to get around the island.
We have here 3 good options.
1. Private driver with a car:
common way to explore Bali are full day trips with a driver. You tell the driver where you want to go and when - he makes good plan for you, picks you up and in the end takes you back to your hotel.
Full Day Trip costs around 400k - 1 mln IDR. Depends on company and your negotiation skills.
2. Grab & Gojek
Those are 2 important applications you should download before going to Bali. You can order a Taxi, Scooter or Food with it.
3. Rent a scooter
It's one of the best way to explore whole island. With a scooter you are independent and you can drive anywhere you want at any time you want.
Prices are low. One day costs around 50k IDR & for all month you can find some small scooter for around 600k IDR.
But don't forget to be careful and respect the driving rules. Even at first sight you might think - there is no rules. There are. Ask people, local people and observe them how they are driving. Slow, chaotic, but safe :)
Cities & Areas you need to know
Ubud
Canggu & Seminyak
Uluwatu
Munduk
Kintamani
Amed
Sideman
Thank you!
This was just a small beginning & I hope you like it.
Many other intresting things are comming!
And see you soon :)
@benovea
The home for unique & authentic travel
