Wandering around Bali in February
Bali , the island of the Gods , the magical place where as a tourist you feel in paradise.
Why paradise? Breath taking landscapes from the beaches , rice terraces, jungle , waterfalls , temples. Friendly locals be it hotel staff , driver, tour guide , restaurant worker. Even the ones that what to sell you stuff while you are at a top objective are not pushy and with a polite “No, thank you” they’ll leave you alone. Delicious food and believe it or not good cocktails. The wine not so much but the local beer was good and refreshing. Also, they cherry on top of the cake great value for money for places to stay. The struggle will be to pick where to stay from a lot of good to great choices.
Let me start with the month of February. Yes, it is still the rainy season but the fact that it is cloudy and it sometimes rains (the interval of how long and the intensity varies) makes it feel not too hot. The average temperature for 2 weeks while we were there was somewhere around 29 degrees and you felt it like 35 degrees Celsius due to the humidity. Don’t know why I packed a pair of jeans because I never wore them. Up to each and every one of us what is the compromise while travelling, some rain ( which is a warm rain and with a rain jacket you can still walk around and if it is to intense stop for food/drinks) or very hot. Bonus : the prices for hotels/resorts is almost half the one it is in the dry season! It is also less crowded which is nice since it was plenty crowded in February as well.
Before I get into too many details. For a smooth transition at the airport you can get electronic visa from your home country ( if it is on list) and just wait at a dedicated queue. Faster and hassle free. Official website here. Just one smaller queue instead of two.
I recommend staying the first night somewhere around Denpasar (we choose Sanur) so you can exchange your money there and get a sim-card. All the reviews regarding getting sim-card at the airport where negative some with faulty activation that required further hassle and with some queues. Best relax after a long trip and have the opportunity to start your holiday on the right foot. If you don’t opt to book in advance a driver to take you to your respective hotel , install the Grab app the Uber/Bolt of Asia.
From my research into what to do in Bali, I found out there a lot of options from various rice fields ( all are beautiful) , coffee plantations ( yes, you can try there the famous Luwak Coffee and you get free samples of various types of tea and coffee), temples ( I did not see them all, left some for next time. When you pay the ticket you will also get a sarong to cover your legs) , waterfalls , trekking, diving, snorkeling, monkey sanctuary, Bali zoo (you feed the animals) … plenty to do and to see.
For us the two weeks in Bali where planned like this with these particular highlights of the trip:
Sanur — starting with some relaxation after the long trip, exchange money and get sim card. Nice beaches to chill and a wide selection of restaurants to get a taste for Balinese cooking . I do miss Nasi Goreng …
Nusa Penida — short boat ride from Sanur to here. Be advise that some boats do not dock at the wharf and you have to walk in the ocean a bit from the boat to reach the shore. The water was warm in February and if you have big luggage the staff of the ship will handle it with care and it will reach the shore without a dip in the ocean.
There we booked a diving course of Introduction to Scuba Diving that open our eyes of the wonders of the underwater world. Looking back this is a good place to get your PADI Open Water Certification. Good price and really good value for money for accommodations.
Ubud — in the middle of the jungle . We stayed here the longest and explored a good part of the island.
For me being so close to the elephants was amazing. Such gentle giants and they are so well cared for by the staff. You get to feed it, give it a mud bath , shower and river splash was a true highlight of the trip for me. The river bath in particular. Pictures wise not the same company that organizes the elephant experience will take some pictures that they will over-charge you when you get to the included lunch part. You can take pictures with your phone since there is waterproof box on hand to leave it in.
Rice terraces : Tegallalang Rice Terrace
Waterfalls: Kanto Lampo Waterfall , Tukad Cepung Waterfall and other such amazing places and you can make a day just by going to various waterfalls .
Temples: Besakih Mother Temple
Lempuyang Temple and the famous Gates of Heaven and many beautiful others.
For the Gates of Heaven for the iconic picture there is queue and if you are set on getting the picture I believe being a morning person will be the best bet. It opens at 6 am and you could be one of the first in the queue and get the picture and move on with your day and keep on exploring. If not , for us in February ,so not peak season , the queue around 3pm was of 3hours and 30min . In peak season , our guide mentioned that the waiting time could be close to 5 hours. There are other nice places to get pictures with great landscapes in the background.
Palaces: Tirta Gangga a beautiful former royal water palace in Eastern Bali.
As a fun activity : hike Mount Batur either at sunrise or sunset. But be prepared for a steep climb and a chance of just being surrounded by clouds and not getting to see with your own eyes the surrounding landscapes.
Uluwatu — back to the ocean and beaches. Great place for surfing.
We left some places to visit for next time …
