The beauty of this island is un-Bali-able!

Bali, you are Beautiful! I went here for one week and couldn't overcome it for days. While I can't give you a specialist, but for sure will suggest all best possible options to explore here. I can share with you a simple beginner's blog like I would as a companion! 

There will be places I miss since I'm just sharing about spots I really went to or remained at. However, before I went to Bali, I accomplished such a great deal examine on the web and had these spots all rattled off to attempt, so I'm simply sparing you a little research. My trip to Bali was one week long starting from January 14 until 22. Bali is all time favourite destination for most of the individuals around the globe with a list of unending idyllic beaches, captivating spiritual energy, terraced rice fields and exotic sunsets. There is such a great amount to see and experience on this radiant island heaven! 

Someone rightly said, "Don’t talk about heaven if you’ve never been to Bali".

To plan a perfect vacation all we needed was a good travel partner who could assist us in planning all arrangements and itineraries. It is such a great destination and so much to explore,  see and do that we never wanted to miss any part of it.  At this point, we started looking out for travel agents who could give us best experience within our budgets and so we finally selected Bali go trips (the organizer was Indian but settled in Bali) thus they understood our requirement well.

We booked our flights (Malindo Air) four months before our scheduled travel dates, then it costed us 50K for 2 passengers. And thus, our journey began from Mumbai - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on 14 January. 

#crazyus

City of dreams - Ariel view

 

Ngurah Rai International Airport

Reaching Ngurah Rai International Airport (that's Bali) the immigration and other formalities were quick and took about half n hours but we had 2 important task to do (i) Currency Exchange (ii) Local Tourist Sim to communicate with our travel agent.

Here, you get sim depending upon your stay plan 7 days, 10 days or 15 days etc and accordingly they have talk time and data card. We purchased a sim inside airport with 7 days validity. Another information, do not go for currency exchange in the airport, outside authorized shops will give you better rates. 

We were staying in Seminyak, Ramada Encore - a beautiful property to explore.

Ramada Encore by Wyndham Bali Seminyak  

Day 1 - Arrival in Bali and Check-in

Arrival in Bali, check in in Ramada and then a leisure day to explore the property and Seminyak Square. We didn't keep much travel on day one, thinking to keep it relaxing after long flight. 

The good place #swimmingpool

Exotic Drinks 

Seminyak Square - Mega Mart

Day 2 - Uluwatu and Beach Adventure Full Day Tour

After our delicious breakfast in hotel, we headed to Nusa Dua Beach. Nusa Dua signifies 'Two Islands' in Indonesian. This place has large number of top end line resorts and most guests come here to enjoy the crystal clear beach water, water activities, surfing and Indonesian cuisines. 

En route to the beach

Nasi Padang - An Indonesian Cuisine

We then reached, the Padang Padang beach - precious stone blue coloured water.

Padang Padang Beach

After lunch from here, we went to Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Bali, renowned for the grand statue of Hindu god Vishnu, riding on Garuda back. It is likewise famous for craftsmanship and Balinese culture. 

Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue - 122 meter tall 

The statue is also set amidst the sprawling Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, which stretches across 60 hectares.

Near the entrace of GWK you will find a place named ASANA - Artseum Bali, Experience Bali's First Curated Photo Studio.  It Relive Tradition and Redefine Moment for tourists like us!

ASANA (entrance) - Artseum Bali

ASANA Artseum showcases curated art pieces and historic values from Balinese & Javanese culture. We enjoyed and experienced their cultural thematic photo studio with more than 15 studios to explore.

Thematic Photo Shoot in ASANA

Later in the evening, we visited Uluwatu Temple, known for the superb environment and sunset view. 

Uluwatu - a Balinese Hindu Sea Temple

After a full day tour, we were back to our hotel exhausted, happy and excited for the next day 😊

Day 3 - Island Tour (Nusa Penida) Full Day Tour

Beautiful morning at Ramada and at 6:00 am we were to head for Sanur Harbour to take our fast boat and visit the beautiful island of Nusa Penida. 

Sanur Harbour

After 2 hrs travel, we reached our first sight seeing destination: Angel Billabong, Broken Bridge and the Kelingking cliff

The Angel Billabong is a natural rock lagoon with beautiful scenic seascape located in the shore that offer amazing view, this place is often visited by foreign or local tourists to enjoy the beautiful scenery. You can go down and see from near the beauty of this nature form rock and also you can swim in this nature lagoon. We decided to stay back and capture the scenic beauty.

Near, to this was Broken Bridge

The natural bridge stretches over turquoise waters that flow in and out of the natural archway, hence the name Broken Bridge.

Kelingking Cliff

Kelingking has a secret beach, where we need to make our way through rough pathway but we decide to head along the cliffs. There is a worn path along the cliff edge but no railing so we had to be more careful. Here we can find multiple epic viewpoints, with arguably a better look at the beach than the hike. It definitely has one of the best sunset spots on the island of Nusa Penida and a unique angle of Kelingking Secret Point Beach.

After lunch, we got ready to explore Crystal Bay, known for its serene aura and spectacular beauty. 

Crystal Bay

Enjoying Beach

#funtime

After full day tour, we were dropped at same meeting point in Sanur harbor and transferred back to our hotel.

Day 4 - Ulun Danu Beratan and Tanah Lot Full Day Tour

Our pick up time for today was 9:00 am, today we were to explore north of Bali. First spot for this day was Handara Gate.

Bali Handara Gate is one of the most Instagrammed spot on the island.  It's become a must-visit place among tourists and photography lover.

Handara Gate is actually the entrance to a golf resort. The traditional Hindu gate symbolizes the entrance from the outer world to the temple, or in this case, golf course, and plays an important role in Indonesian culture, particularly in Bali.

Next, we head towards The Wanagiri Hidden Hills & Bali Swing, which is popping up on everyone's Instagram feed lately! And I didn't want to miss this at all.

Photo shoot at Wanagiri Hidden Hills

Next, we went to Ulun Danu Beratan Temple. It is both a famous picturesque landmark and a a floating temple on the western side of Beratan Lake in Bedugul, central Bali. 

Ulun Danu Beratan, literally ‘the source temple of Lake Beratan’, shares the scenic qualities with Bali's sea temples of Uluwatu and Tanah Lot. The smooth reflective surface of the lake surrounding most of the temple’s base creates a unique floating impression. The misty Bedugul mountain range surrounding the lake complements the temple's scenic backdrop.

Ulun Danu Beratan Temple

Tanah Lot Temple is probably the most popular and photographed temple on the island which located in coastal side of Beraban countryside, Kediri sub district and Tabanan Regency.

Tanah Lot Temple stands for earth (Tanah) and sea (Lot), quite appropriate considering its spectacular setting on top of an impressive rock overlooking the sea

Tanah Lot Temple

Perfect sunset view from Tanah Lot to end the day

Day 5 - Ubud and Kintamani Full Day Tour

After, a perfect delicious Indonesian breakfast - Nasi Goreng, we were ready to begin our day and explore Ubud for remaining 3 days.

Nasi goreng, is "fried rice" in both the Indonesian and Malay languages, is an Indonesian rice dish with pieces of meat and vegetables added.

We ordered vegetarian version of Nasi Goreng 😋

Our first destination was Tegenungan Waterfall - When in Ubud a visit to Tegenungan waterfall is one of the great things to do. It's a beautiful waterfall in Ubud and its surrounding area. It is a popular waterfall and worth a visit whenever you plan a Bali trip and especially if you are staying in Ubud.

Tegenungan Waterfall

Once we reached the entrance we had two options (i) either to walk down a narrow rough pathway of stairs which would be roughly hundred stairs (this sounded scary for us) (ii) or we could chill at one of the cafes and still enjoy great view of the waterfall. We agreed on the later option without giving a second thought.

Cafe with waterfall view

From here, our driver took us on Kintamani Village. It is a mountain tourist attraction above an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level. Very unique and enchanting view of a lake and volcano.

View from the top

The main attraction here is the Lake Batur where the village of Penelokan. Provides a spectacular view of the crater lake and Mount Batur. Which is located on the vast volcanic caldera. We can see the amazing natural scenery of Penelokan. Combination of Mount Batur and a stretch of black stone with Lake Batur and the blue caldera. It is often called as the most beautiful caldera in the world. As the number of tourists increases, Penelokan already has adequate infrastructure facilities complete with lodging and restaurants.

Panoramic View - Lake Batur & Mount Batur Volcano

After lunch, we had Tegallalang Rice Terrace on our way back to Ubud. Undoubtedly, the Tegalalang Rice Terrace is again one of the most beautiful places to visit in Bali. It has become a destination for travelers making their way between Bali’s sandy beaches, towering mountains, and steaming volcanoes. A truly awe-inspiring sight, the beautiful green rice paddies stretch beautifully making a pleasant view to watch for. It seems like an eternity.

Also we visited coffee plantation for the most famous coffee in the world called Kopi Luwak.

Rice Terrace

An ultimate experience of Bali Swing

Our last 2 days, were kept as leisure in our package that included Explore Local Market in Ubud, Balinese Spa and Romantic Candle Light dinner. But now, we checked out from Ramada and check in our new property in Ubud. It was a private water pool villa at Alam Puisi Villa- is surrounded by rice fields, and was off the beaten path, it's just a short walk to the main street with more restaurants and shops than you can count. The rooms are spacious and have beautiful Balinese touches.

Alam Puisi Ubud

We enjoyed 2 hours Hot stone massage where our therapist used smooth, heated stones, either as an extension of their own hands, or by placing them on the body while they massage other parts of the body. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this trip to Bali. In our daily busy schedule, we often forget to spend time with our partners or loved ones, vacations like these and destination like Bali strengthens this bond again and helps us to make beautiful memories. There is still lots to do in Bali like white water rafting, diving out by the other islands. If time permits, do plan stay at Gilli Island (you shouldn't miss it).

My travel planner for this trip was: Mr. Rahul from Bali go trip (www.baligotrips.com/)