{"id":115156,"title":"What to Do in Bali: My 20 Favorite Activities","modified":"2026-10-07T10:39:01+02:00","plain":"Bali often overwhelms first-time visitors: between the temples, waterfalls, surfing, volcano hikes and cooking classes, most people cram 2 weeks of activities into 5 days and spend more time in traffic than actually doing things.\n\n\n\nHere are my 20 favorite activities, with my honest take on what's worth it and what's popular only because it looks good on Instagram. For logistics, itineraries and budgets, read my complete guide to visiting Bali.\n\n\n\n\n1. Watch the sunrise at Tanah Lot\n\n2. Watch the Kecak fire dance at Uluwatu\n\n3. Take part in the purification ritual at Tirta Empul\n\n4. Visit Besakih and quieter temples\n\n5. See the Tegallalang rice terraces at dawn\n\n6. Walk through the rice fields of Jatiluwih and Sidemen\n\n7. Learn to surf in Canggu\n\n8. Dive the USAT Liberty in Tulamben\n\n9. Go rafting down the Ayung River\n\n10. Watch the sunrise on Mount Batur\n\n11. Climb Mount Agung\n\n12. Take a Balinese cooking class\n\n13. Make your own ring in Celuk or batik in Ubud\n\n14. Make canang sari with your host\n\n15. Stay overnight on Nusa Penida\n\n16. Explore Nusa Lembongan by scooter\n\n17. Walk through Ubud's Monkey Forest\n\n18. Walk down to Sekumpul Waterfall\n\n19. See the light at Tukad Cepung\n\n20. Do yoga in Ubud or Canggu\n\nHow much does it cost?\n\nMy other Bali guides\n\n\n\n\n1. Watch the sunrise at Tanah Lot\n\n\n\nOf Bali's thousands of Hindu temples, your driver will happily show you a dozen in a day: a mistake, as 2 or 3 well-chosen temples leave much more of an impression than 7 rushed visits. Tanah Lot is the postcard temple, a small shrine perched on a rock formation just offshore, silhouetted against the sunset.\n\n\n\nAt peak times, a corridor of souvenir stalls leads to a packed viewpoint where groups jostle for the same photo, and you can't enter the temple. At sunrise, I had the place almost to myself. At low tide, you can walk to the base of the rock; at high tide, the temple seems to float on the waves, making for the best photo. At sunset, escape the crowds: the caf\u00e9s on the clifftop sell cold Bintang with the same view.\n\n\n\nTanah Lot. Photo: \ub192\uc740\ubc14\ub2e4\uc18c\ub098\ubb34, Google Maps\n\n\n\n2. Watch the Kecak fire dance at Uluwatu\n\n\n\nUluwatu Temple sits about 70 meters above the ocean: a short clifftop walk, a view south along the coast, and an inner temple closed to visitors. What makes the trip worthwhile for me is the Kecak fire dance at sunset, in an amphitheater carved into the cliff. Around 50 men in concentric circles chant \"cak-cak-cak\", dancers reenact a scene from the Ramayana, and the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean behind them: it's touristy and commercial, yet I found it mesmerizing.\n\n\n\nTemple d'Uluwatu. Photo: Bali FirstOne Driver, Google Maps\n\n\n\nThe monkeys are organized thieves: they snatch sunglasses, earrings and phones, then a handler \"rescues\" your belongings for a fee, so take everything off before entering. After the show, 500 people are looking for a ride at 19:30: hire a private driver for the evening (about 300,000 IDR for 5 hours), or have dinner afterward at nearby Jimbaran Bay while the rush dies down.\n\n\n\n3. Take part in the purification ritual at Tirta Empul\n\n\n\nAt Tirta Empul, I took part in the Balinese water purification ritual, standing beneath stone spouts fed by a natural spring. At most temples, you watch from behind a rope; here, you step into the water and move from fountain to fountain in a specific sequence.\n\n\n\nBeneath Tirta Empul's stone spouts, I took part in the ritual instead of watching it.\n\n\n\nArrive before 10:00, before influencer photo shoots take over the pools and drive away the contemplative atmosphere. A sarong is mandatory (rent one at the entrance), and whatever you do, don't swallow the temple's spring water, a common cause of traveler's diarrhea. For the same ritual in peace, head to Sebatu or Tirta Sudamala, 2 smaller and much less crowded temples.\n\n\n\n4. Visit Besakih and quieter temples\n\n\n\nBesakih, Bali's most important Hindu temple, brings together 23 separate temples on the slopes of Mount Agung, on a scale unmatched on the island; on a clear day, its terraces draw your eye all the way to the volcano's summit. About 90 minutes from Ubud, it's large enough for the crowds to thin out as you go farther in: if you're visiting just 1 temple outside Ubud, this is my pick.\n\n\n\nGunung Kawi, ancient shrines carved into the rock at the bottom of about 300 steps in a river valley, felt much more contemplative to me than the big famous temples, and the climb back up through the rice fields is half the charm. Pura Kehen, in Bangli, attracts almost no tourists, despite its elaborate stone carvings and an enormous banyan tree growing through the entrance. Taman Ayun, in Mengwi (large reflecting pools, well-kept gardens), is worth a quick stop if you're passing through, and the free Saraswati Temple in central Ubud has a lotus pond that looks its best in the morning.\n\n\n\nGunung Kawi. Photo: Amanda Rey, Google Maps\n\n\n\nA temple I avoid: Lempuyang and its famous gates. The mirror-reflection photo is faked with a phone screen placed beneath the camera, the line can last more than 2 hours, and the temple, while decent, doesn't justify either the journey or the wait.\n\n\n\n5. See the Tegallalang rice terraces at dawn\n\n\n\nTegallalang is the terraced rice field in every Bali travel video, bright green steps descending into a river valley about 20 minutes north of Ubud. It's beautiful, but frustrating on the ground: vendors on every trail, requests for \"donations\" around every corner, and narrow paths clogged with busloads of day-trippers by mid-morning.\n\n\n\nTegallalang at sunrise, when I arrived, before the crowds.\n\n\n\nI arrived at sunrise, around 6:00: soft golden light, almost nobody around, and bearable heat on those steep, uneven steps with no shade. Leave the sandals behind and wear proper shoes.\n\n\n\n6. Walk through the rice fields of Jatiluwih and Sidemen\n\n\n\nIf Tegallalang is the Instagram version, Jatiluwih is what you really picture when you think of Balinese rice fields: 600 UNESCO World Heritage-listed hectares, a more expansive landscape, far fewer tourists and no hassle from vendors. I walked there for over an hour without seeing another group. About 90 minutes from Ubud, it is usually combined with Bedugul or a waterfall in the north.\n\n\n\nJatiluwih. Photo: Max, Google Maps\n\n\n\nSidemen feels like Ubud did 20 years ago: a valley in the shadow of Mount Agung, terraced rice fields, weaving workshops and bamboo guesthouses at a fraction of Ubud's prices (see my guide to where to stay in Bali). Nobody tried to sell me anything in the fields: for quiet, less commercialized rice fields, I think this is the best option on the island.\n\n\n\n7. Learn to surf in Canggu\n\n\n\nBali's waves vary enormously from spot to spot, and most beginners end up on the wrong beach. To learn, head to Canggu: Batu Bolong and Old Man's Beach have sandy bottoms, forgiving whitewater waves and dozens of competing schools, which means lessons cost around 350,000-500,000 IDR for a 2-hour group session, and around 50,000-100,000 IDR per hour for board rental alone. The atmosphere is social and welcoming, with warungs and smoothie bowls along the shore between sessions.\n\n\n\nUluwatu is for experienced surfers: sharp coral reef, strong currents, entry points that involve jumping off rocks and frequent trips to the emergency room for reef cuts. Don't surf there unless you're confident on a board; \"Baby Padang\", in the Uluwatu area, is an exception for beginners, but gets dangerously crowded on days with good swell. My advice: spend your first week in Canggu, then a day in Uluwatu. I watched the pros there from the clifftop warungs, and the view alone is worth the trip.\n\n\n\nFrom the black volcanic sand of the north and east to the white sand of the south, the swimming, surfing and atmosphere change from beach to beach. My guide to Bali's best beaches ranks 15 by what they're actually good for.\n\n\n\n8. Dive the USAT Liberty in Tulamben\n\n\n\nTo learn to dive, head to Amed or Tulamben on the northeast coast: calm water, little current and direct entry from the beach. In Tulamben, I dived the USAT Liberty, an American cargo ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942, lying at a depth of around 30 meters just 25 meters from shore and covered in coral and fish. It's one of the best places in Southeast Asia for the PADI Open Water course (usually 3 days, around 300-350 euros).\n\n\n\nNusa Penida is for experienced divers: manta rays, huge and bizarre mola mola (ocean sunfish), spectacular diving, but currents that can be brutal, a \"washing machine\" on bad days. Don't dive at Penida when you're newly certified: get your certification in Amed in 3 days, then take the fast boat to Penida once you have a few dives under your belt.\n\n\n\nA manta ray at Nusa Penida, a spot for experienced divers.\n\n\n\nFor snorkeling, the USAT Liberty has coral-covered sections starting at just 3 meters deep. Manta Point, off Nusa Penida, has a high success rate for spotting manta rays from the surface (the water can be choppy and the boat ride rough), and Amed has a calm, crystal-clear reef accessible from the beach.\n\n\n\n9. Raft down the Ayung River\n\n\n\nThere are 2 rivers you can raft down near Ubud. I did the Ayung, the gentler option: class II-III rapids in a deep jungle gorge, faces carved into the canyon wall, hanging vegetation and small waterfalls, a relaxed outing for families, children over 7 and anyone who prefers to enjoy the scenery.\n\n\n\nThe Ayung, the river I rafted down, in its dense jungle gorge.\n\n\n\nThe Telaga Waja, farther east near Karangasem, has bigger drops, a faster current and class III-IV sections, a physically demanding route that leaves you exhausted and smiling. Both trips last around 2 hours on the water, with lunch included. Book online with the operators: hotels add a hefty markup, and booking directly costs around half as much. Expect to pay between 250,000 and 450,000 IDR depending on the river and operator.\n\n\n\n10. Watch the sunrise on Mount Batur\n\n\n\nSunrise on Mount Batur is probably Bali's most popular excursion, and that is both its strength and its problem. On a clear morning, you reach the summit as the sun rises above Mount Agung and the caldera lake, with views all the way to Mount Rinjani on Lombok: a 10 out of 10 panorama.\n\n\n\nThe climb itself is more of a 4. My driver picked me up around 02:00, and I was at the starting point around 03:30, in a single-file line of hundreds of headlamps winding up the mountain. The trail is technically easy (average fitness is enough), but the volcanic gravel is loose and you're walking without having slept.\n\n\n\nAt Batur's summit, the sun rises over the lake and Mount Agung.\n\n\n\nA local guide is effectively mandatory: the trekking association controls the trailheads, and setting off without a guide risks aggressive confrontations. Expect to pay 25-35 USD per person in a group, or 50-70 USD for a private guide, which I recommend: for a modest difference, your guide sets off earlier, follows your pace and finds you a spot away from the crowds at the summit.\n\n\n\n11. Climb Mount Agung\n\n\n\nIf Batur sounds too easy or too crowded, Mount Agung is the serious alternative: 3,031 meters, Bali's highest peak, and an active volcano whose last eruption was in 2017-2019. Expect a 5 to 7-hour climb depending on the route and your fitness, a need for good physical fitness, and a start around 23:00 the night before to catch sunrise at the summit.\n\n\n\nThere are 2 routes: from Pasar Agung Temple on the south side, shorter but steeper, or from Besakih Temple on the north side, longer but taking you to the true summit. When the clouds cooperate, the view takes in the entire island and the neighboring volcanoes of Lombok. I only recommend it if you have experience with multi-hour hikes at altitude, and a guide is mandatory (around 60-80 USD).\n\n\n\n12. Take a Balinese cooking class\n\n\n\nMy cooking class started in the morning at the market with the instructor, buying ingredients and learning to recognize the spices and staples of Balinese cuisine. The class then lasts 4 to 5 hours, in a family courtyard or an open-air kitchen, making 6 or 7 traditional dishes: satay with peanut sauce, lawar (vegetable and coconut salad), bebek betutu (duck slow-cooked in a banana leaf), nasi goreng and sambals pounded by hand in a stone mortar, before eating everything.\n\n\n\nWant to make it again at home? My nasi goreng recipe is on the site.\n\n\n\nI chopped lemongrass, ground spice paste with a pestle, learned the difference between base genep and base gede (the 2 fundamental spice pastes) and cooked over open flames, then ate with the family who taught me. Groups are small, usually 8-12 participants, and it's one of the few tourist activities in Bali that I left feeling I had learned something. Expect to pay 20-35 euros per person, including the market visit, ingredients and recipes to take home; Ubud has the most classes, and Seminyak and Sanur also have good options. I cook nasi goreng and my sambal oelek at home.\n\n\n\n13. Make your own ring in Celuk or batik in Ubud\n\n\n\nThe village of Celuk, about 20 minutes south of Ubud, has been working with silver and gold for generations. Several workshops offer a half-day session to design and hammer your own silver ring or pendant with a local artisan, for around 300,000-500,000 IDR depending on the complexity and weight of the silver, in a small group (usually 2-6 people) with proper individual instruction. I left with a tangible souvenir.\n\n\n\nMore meditative than exciting, batik, the wax-resist dyeing technique used throughout Indonesia, is mainly practiced around Ubud. In 2 to 3 hours, you draw a pattern on fabric, apply hot wax to the areas you want to leave undyed, dip the fabric in natural dyes and leave with your creation.\n\n\n\n14. Make canang sari with your host\n\n\n\nAt a homestay or small guesthouse, ask your host to teach you how to make canang sari, the little woven palm-leaf offering baskets that Balinese Hindus place outside doorways, at shrines and at crossroads every morning. Most hosts are delighted to do it: for me, it's a quiet, authentic window into daily spiritual practice that no tour operator offers.\n\n\n\nPenglipuran Village, a traditional community about an hour from Ubud, is worth a short visit. I liked its exceptionally well-preserved architecture and bamboo-lined streets, even if the village has shifted somewhat towards tourism.\n\n\n\n15. Stay overnight on Nusa Penida\n\n\n\nNusa Penida, the rugged island visible from Bali's southeast coast, known for its towering cliffs, turquoise waters and the T-Rex-shaped headland at Kelingking Beach, has become one of the most visited islands in the region. My verdict: don't take a day trip from Bali.\n\n\n\nThe speedboat takes 30 to 45 minutes each way, the roads are terrible (deep ruts, single lanes, sharp bends) and the viewpoints are far apart: 80 percent of your time in transit, 20 percent fighting the crowds at the same 3 spots as everyone else. On a day trip, you arrive at Kelingking around 10:00 with 15 busloads of tourists, take a sweaty photo and get back in the car.\n\n\n\nKelingking Beach. Photo: Stephen Stewart, Google Maps\n\n\n\nI stayed overnight on the island, and I recommend 1 to 3 nights so you can see the west (Kelingking, Broken Beach, Angel's Billabong) before 9:00 or after 16:00, when the day-trippers have gone. The east (Diamond Beach, Atuh Beach) is generally less chaotic, and prettier in my opinion, but don't do both sides on the same day. Hire a driver rather than a scooter: steep slopes, loose gravel and no safety barriers make the roads dangerous for inexperienced riders.\n\n\n\n16. Explore Nusa Lembongan by scooter\n\n\n\nIf Nusa Penida sounds like too much hassle, Nusa Lembongan is the easy, peaceful alternative: smaller, flatter, better equipped, with good restaurants, crystal-clear water for snorkeling along the north coast and a pace that feels like Bali might have 15 years ago. I rode around it by scooter in a day, without rushing. The mangroves on the south side are worth a kayak trip, the Devil's Tear blowhole on the southwest coast is impressive when the swell is strong, and the island makes a base for a short boat ride to Penida, without having to put up with its limited and often disappointing accommodation.\n\n\n\n17. Walk through Ubud's Monkey Forest\n\n\n\nThe Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, in central Ubud, is home to around 1,200 long-tailed macaques among moss-covered stone temples and banyan trees. I found it magical, with monkeys swinging overhead and climbing the ruins, but others find it stressful: the monkeys are bold, territorial and known to bite tourists who make eye contact, carry food or wear dangling accessories.\n\n\n\nSacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Photo: Jon Vokey, Google Maps\n\n\n\nRemove jewelry, sunglasses and hats before entering, don't carry food, don't open any bags, don't make eye contact with the monkeys and don't touch them; if a monkey jumps on you, stay still and it will lose interest. Entry costs 80,000 IDR, and if you follow the rules, it's a pleasant 45-minute walk. For staying in Ubud among the rice fields and a short walk from the forest, I have a dedicated guide.\n\n\n\n18. Hike down to Sekumpul Waterfall\n\n\n\nBali has dozens of waterfalls, and most itineraries squeeze 3 or 4 into a day: that's too many, they start to blur together after the 2nd, and the tropical humidity is more tiring than you might expect. Choose 1 or 2, and if you only see 1, make it Sekumpul, the most spectacular on the island: twin falls dropping around 80 meters into a jungle pool framed by tropical vegetation.\n\n\n\nSekumpul. Photo: Anthony S, Google Maps\n\n\n\nThe catch is getting there: more than 350 steep steps, river crossings and a damp jungle trail that left me drenched in sweat before I even reached the water, and the climb back up is worse. Allow 2-3 hours in total and bring water.\n\n\n\nA common scam: people stop your car kilometers before the real parking lot, claiming the road is closed or a guide is mandatory. That's not true, keep going to the official ticket booth and parking lot. Sekumpul is in northern Bali, so combine it with a stay in Munduk or Lovina rather than a day trip from Ubud.\n\n\n\n19. See the light at Tukad Cepung\n\n\n\nTukad Cepung is a cave waterfall: on a sunny morning, light pierces an opening in the rocky ceiling and illuminates the falling water in beams, an effect unique on the island. Arrive before 9:00, because after that the angle of the sun changes and the cave is just a dark, damp space. You can't really swim there, and the rocky, slippery riverbed calls for water shoes.\n\n\n\nFor a swim, head to Banyumala Twin Waterfalls, also in the north: a deep, clean and relatively uncrowded pool. Near Ubud, Nungnung and Leke Leke are good options that save you driving all the way to the north coast, and easy-to-reach Gitgit has become quite commercialized. I avoid Tegenungan, south of Ubud, the most accessible waterfall on the island and therefore the most overrun: a crowded pool by late morning, with more of a water park feel than a nature outing.\n\n\n\n20. Practice yoga in Ubud or Canggu\n\n\n\nYoga is concentrated in Ubud for an immersive experience (multi-day retreats, juice cleanses, sound baths, spiritual workshops), and in Canggu for a younger, more laid-back crowd taking drop-in classes between surfing and caf\u00e9 visits. My advice: don't book an overpriced all-inclusive retreat before you arrive. Rent a quiet room and buy a 5 to 10-class pass at a studio you like, for a fraction of the price and the freedom to try different teachers and styles.\n\n\n\nIn Ubud, I practiced at The Yoga Barn, the largest and most social studio, with dozens of classes a day: crowded and commercial, but ideal for meeting other travelers. Radiantly Alive is smaller and more focused, with high-quality teaching. In Canggu, The Practice attracts serious practitioners with its traditional approach, and Serenity Eco Guesthouse combines affordable classes with a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere.\n\n\n\nHow much does it cost?\n\n\n\nFor a day with several stops, I hire a private driver, 30-45 euros for a full day (8-10 hours): he handles the traffic, suggests the best times for popular spots and looks after your belongings while you hike. Book through your accommodation or an app like Klook, and choose your base with my guide to Bali's neighborhoods to cut down on travel time.\n\n\n\nIn town, I use Gojek or Grab, Bali's ride-hailing apps, and on the street only Bluebird taxis (the blue bird logo), which use the meter, while the others often quote inflated prices. Scooter rental costs 50,000-75,000 IDR per day, but the traffic is genuinely dangerous: narrow roads, unpredictable drivers, limited medical facilities outside Denpasar. If you've never ridden a scooter in Southeast Asia, Bali isn't the place to learn.\n\n\n\nThe hidden cost is time: 40 minutes on Google Maps easily becomes 90 at rush hour, especially around Denpasar, Kuta and on the approaches to Ubud. Group your activities by region: the northern waterfalls and Jatiluwih on the same day. Combine Tegallalang, Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi in a morning around Ubud, and never visit a temple in the north and a beach in the south on the same day: 4 to 6 hours in the car, and the worst timing at both places.\n\n\n\nIn your bag: a sarong, mandatory at every temple (30,000-50,000 IDR to buy, or available to rent at most major temples), closed-toe shoes for volcanoes, waterfalls and rice fields, reef shoes for Tulamben or Tukad Cepung, sunscreen, a reusable water bottle and a lightweight windbreaker. Budget, safety, health, SIM cards and day-by-day itineraries: it's all in my practical tips for visiting Bali.\n\n\n\nMy other Bali guides\n\n\n\nIf you're torn between Bali and Phuket, my things to do in Phuket focus on island-hopping, boat trips and underwater exploration in the Andaman Sea, with offshore islands and dive sites that are easier to reach and less crowded. Bali's temples and rice terraces, though, have no equivalent there. I also have my things to do in Bangkok and Hanoi, and my recommendations in where to eat in Bali. For everything else, start with my complete guide to visiting Bali.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}