Bali: rice terraces, temples and how to choose your base

Bali is small enough to cross in a few hours and varied enough to feel like several islands stacked together. Volcanoes rise past 3,000 metres, rivers carve gorges through jungle, and more than 10,000 temples anchor a Hindu culture found nowhere else in Indonesia. The island's one real trap is treating it as a single destination: traffic is slow, distances deceive, and the Bali you get depends almost entirely on where you sleep.

• Getting there: Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), near Denpasar in the south
• Best months: April to October, the dry season; July and August are busiest
• Currency: Indonesian rupiah; cards common in the south, cash still useful inland
• Getting around: private drivers are affordable; scooters only for confident riders
• What it costs: genuinely mixed — from simple guesthouses to some of Asia's great resorts

Why go

Because few places layer landscape and living culture so densely. In a single day you can watch sunrise from a volcano, walk a UNESCO-listed rice terrace, and end at a clifftop temple as a kecak choir chants the sun down. Ceremony is not staged for visitors here; processions simply happen, and the polite traveller steps aside and enjoys the privilege.

Choosing your base

Ubud — culture and jungle

The island's artistic heart, ringed by rice fields and river gorges. Base here for galleries, yoga, the Campuhan Ridge Walk, the Sacred Monkey Forest, and day trips to the terraces at Tegallalang. Central Ubud is busy; stay a few kilometres out for quiet.

Canggu — surf and cafés

Bali's fast-changing surf town: black-sand beaches, co-working spaces and a relentless brunch scene. Fun and sociable, but traffic is notorious. Pick it for surf lessons and nightlife, not serenity.

Seminyak and Sanur — comfort first

Seminyak does polished beach resorts, boutiques and sunset cocktails. Sanur, on the calmer east-facing coast, suits families and anyone who wants a gentle, walkable seafront.

Uluwatu and the Bukit — cliffs and swell

The limestone peninsula in the far south holds Bali's most dramatic coastline and its best surf breaks. Base here for beach days below the cliffs and evenings at Uluwatu Temple.

Sidemen and the east — the slow Bali

Rice valleys under Mount Agung, small guesthouses, weavers' villages. If your picture of Bali is green and quiet, it still exists here.

Must-sees

Start with the temples. Tanah Lot sits on a rock offshore and is at its theatrical best at sunset. Pura Ulun Danu Bratan appears to float on Lake Bratan in the cool highlands. Besakih, the 'mother temple', climbs the slopes of Mount Agung. For rice terraces, the sweeping UNESCO-recognised landscape at Jatiluwih outclasses busier Tegallalang. Energetic travellers climb Mount Batur (1,717 m) in the dark for a sunrise over the caldera — typically a two-hour ascent with a local guide.

Practical tips

Hire a driver for temple loops; day rates are reasonable and the roads demand local knowledge. Dress modestly at temples — a sarong and sash are usually provided or rented at the entrance. Respect Nyepi, the annual day of silence (usually in March), when the whole island, airport included, shuts down for 24 hours. Prices for entry fees and tours shift often, so check current rates locally rather than trusting older guides.

Tip: Split your stay between two bases — say four nights in Ubud and four on the coast. You will halve your driving time and see two different islands for the price of one.