Nothing excites me more than traveling to a new place. So before anything else, let me share my latest trip to the Emerald of the Equator, Indonesia.

Indonesia, like the Philippines, is an archipelago. It is a Southeast Asian nation made up of thousands of volcanic islands and a home to hundreds of ethnic groups speaking many different languages.

One of the most famous islands in Indonesia is Bali. It is known for its forested volcanic mountains, iconic rice paddies, beaches and coral reefs. The island is home to several religious sites such as the Uluwatu Temple.

To its south, the beachside city of Kuta has lively bars, while Seminyak, Sanur, and Nusa Dua are popular for resorts and villas. Bali is also known for its yoga and meditation retreats.

Over time it has become a popular tourist destination in Indonesia most especially after the release of the famous movie “Eat, Pray, Love”. Bali is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. There is so much to see and do in Bali. Six days, for me, is not enough but we tried our best to enjoy Bali’s best during our short but sweet stay.

Note: Filipinos can enjoy Bali visa-free for 30 days. If you wish to extend, you can either get a Visa on Arrival or a Multiple Entry Visa.

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👀 Must-See

Bali Temples/Palaces

When I hear someone talk about Bali, I always picture temples and pagodas. True enough in Bali, they are all over the place. Balinese are very talented when it comes to arts and crafts. This is very evident in all their furniture, fixtures, homes, and temples. You wouldn’t miss a block without extrinsic decors or carvings. Their attention to detail is shown in every intricate piece they make.  Any door or gate of any temple or family palace has impressive carvings. Perfect for your Instagram feed, don’t you think?

Ubud Palace, Saraswati Temple, Uluwatu Temple are just some of the temples we visited. Most of these temples look alike but they have different and significant back stories.

Also, expect to see ‘offerings’ everywhere, not just in temples but literally every place or spot you can think of.

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Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida is the largest of the three islands off the southeastern coast of Bali. The other two are Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan which I have yet to visit. This has been one of my highlights in Bali! A day trip will never be enough, I tell you. There is more on this island that I have yet to see. I will definitely go back there soon.

Just to summarize our day trip to this beautiful island, we went to see the Kelingking Beach, Broken Beach, Angel’s Billabong, and Crystal Beach.

To know more about Nusa Penida, read: Exploring Nusa Penida Before Sunset

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Tegalalang Rice Terraces

Located on the north side of Ubud, Bali Tegalalang Rice Terraces is a famous tourist attraction because of its beautiful rice paddies. Many tourists who travel to and from Kintamani do stopovers here to witness the beauty of the verdant terraced rice field scenery.

The Terraces is open to everyone who wishes to visit. Enjoy the beautiful panorama of the scenery while sipping a cup of coffee or tea, a fresh coconut juice, or while having lunch. If you want to climb up and down the valley, you may do so. The locals simply ask for any amount, some sort of donation, to help keep maintain the area.

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Bali Beach – Surf!!!

Bali may not have the whitest shores in Asia but Kuta’s and Seminyak’s are must-visit spots. Both Kuta and Seminyak are in the southern part of Bali. It is known for its nightlife and luxurious living but trust me when I say its more than that. I am not really into partying but I enjoyed my short stay in Seminyak.

Of course, the whole experience will not be complete without being able to surf. Many say Siargao in the Philippines has better waves than Bali. I seem to believe that I have not really seen the best waves in Siargao yet. I did not really care about the kind of waves cos I’m not a pro surfer. As long as I get to try to ride Bali’s waves, I’m good!

During our visit, our surf instructor told us that the waves were not the usual size. They were really huge, it got me thinking twice! But I surfed anyway.

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Mt. Batur in Kintamani

Aside from Kintamani’s great coffee, Mt. Batur is one of the town’s highlights! Mt. Batur is a semi-active volcano and is the third highest peak in Bali. Most blogs would tell you that the climb to Mt. Batur is just moderate but I would rate the climb as hard.

The climb to the summit is no easy thing. We started trekking around 3:30 AM and it took us two to three hours to reach the top. I really thought I was going to die there. (Haha!) Now the question is, “Why did you climb Mt. Batur?”. Well my friends really wanted to do it and we have the excuse to catch the sunrise on top of an active volcano.

To know more about my Mt. Batur experience check: 5 Things To Remember Before Climbing Mt. Batur (For First-timers).

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🏠 Lodging

During our first two nights, we stayed in Bali Chic Oasis also known as Honeymoon Guesthouse in Ubud. For the next three nights, we stayed in a new hotel in Kerobokan, Seminyak named Sand Beach Luxury Living.

For the first two nights, we paid 3,922.50PHP, and 5,774.02PHP for the remaining three nights. We were five in the group so we only paid 1,939.304PHP per person. That’s around 40USD! Note that prices will differ depending on the exchange rate. The exchange rate of PHP to IDR during our visit was 1 PHP =  268.39 IDR.

I highly recommend Bali Chic Oasis/ Honeymoon Guesthouse in Ubud. We got a huge room with three double beds. Their huge bathroom includes a huuuuge bath tub enough to fit 2-3 people. Aside from the pretty interiors and exteriors, and the overall ambiance of the place, their staff are very warm and accommodating. They also offer yoga and cooking classes. And if you’re the type who prefers planned tours, they can arrange it for you as well.

As for Sand Beach Luxury, the hotel is quite far from Seminyak village. Our driver had a difficult time locating the hotel since its new. The good side to it is that you can sleep soundly because it’s far from the partying crowd. Their rooms are really huge too! We got two rooms, with two king size beds plus one single bed. The room has a huge bathroom as well with a classy bath tub. There are times when you can’t find any staff at the lobby. Need not to worry! Whenever they’re they will not disappoint. All of their staff are very warm and thoughtful.

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🚙 Going Around

You might want to ask how we went around Bali. So I’ll just go ahead and say ‘Uber and Grab is life’. Most of the locals, especially the Uber and Grab drivers, will tell you not to tell anyone about booking the aforementioned services. Why? It is believed to be somewhat illegal since local taxi drivers will not be able to get passengers. But who wants to book an overpriced taxi, right?

Traffic in Bali can be tiring. Most tourists rent bikes or motorcycles for faster transport. But if you don’t have an international license or you don’t know how to drive, it’s better to hail a cab or ride any TNVS. If you’re not in a hurry and you prefer to be shaded most times, arrange car rental services. There are plenty of options.

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🗒 Itinerary

Below is a preview of our itinerary for this trip hoping to help you plan your future trip to Bali. Here you go!

Day 1

Activities:

• • Denpasar (Ngurah Rai Airport) to Ubud

• • Check-in and freshen up

• • Lunch at Babi Guling Oka (Transpo Included)

• • Stroll around Ubud and visit different temples

• • Stroll with the monkeys at Ubud Monkey Forest

• • More walking around Ubud Village

• • Dinner at Casa Luna

• Chill/Free time

Expenses: 1 PHP =  268.39 IDR

Uber from Airport to Ubud         64,000 IDR

Uber from Villa to Babi Guling     3,000 IDR

Lunch at Babi Guling                    68,000 IDR

Starbucks                                        68,000 IDR

Ubud Monkey Forest                    50,000 IDR

Water                                               10,000 IDR

Shopping                                       520,000 IDR

Dinner at Casa Luna                     50,000 IDR

TOTAL                                           833,000 IDR / 3,103.692 PHP

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Day 2

Activities:

• Visit Tegallalang Rice Terraces
• Coffee and Tea tasting at Alas Harum AgroTourism
• Visit the Medicine Man’s house (Optional Palm-reading)
• Lunch at Bebek Bengil
• Explore Ubud Village, Ubud Market
• Dinner by the river at Swept Away Samaya (reservation needed)

Expenses: 1 PHP =  268.39 IDR

Uber from Villa to Tegallalang    35,500 IDR

Tegallalang Fees                             15,000 IDR

Water                                               10,000 IDR

Uber to Bebik Bengil                       6,250 IDR

Lunch at Bebik Bengil                120,000 IDR

Luwak Coffee                                 50,000 IDR

Souvenir from Alas Harum      550,000 IDR

DQ Ice Cream                                 43,000 IDR

Shopping                                         75,000 IDR

Dinner at Swept Away                295,000 IDR

Taxi back to Villa                           32,000 IDR

TOTAL                                        1,231,750 IDR / 4,589.403 PHP

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Day 3

Activities:

• Trek to Mt. Batur in Kintamani, catch the sunrise!
• Freshen up and prepare to transfer to Seminyak
• Balinese lunch
• Transfer to Kerobokan, Seminyak
• Enjoy the view at Uluwatu Temple (Optional Kecak Dance)
• Dinner in Seminyak
• Chill/Free time

Expenses: 1 PHP =  268.39 IDR

Mt. Batur Package                       400,000 IDR

Guide tip                                          20,000 IDR

Soda                                                 30,000 IDR

Motor                                               40,000 IDR

Lunch at Ubud                               79,000 IDR

Taxi to Seminyak                           70,000 IDR

Uluwatu Temple                            30,000 IDR

Taxi for Uluwatu                           60,000 IDR

Bintang                                            14,500 IDR

Magnum                                          11,000 IDR

Water                                                 3,000 IDR

Dinner at Seminyak                      70,000 IDR

TOTAL                                           827,500 IDR / 3,083.20 PHP

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Day 4

Activities:

• • Seminyak to Sanur
  • Boat ride to Nusa Penida
  • Explore Nusa Penida

• • Boat ride to Kuta

• • Dinner at Warung Siam, Seminyak Village

• Chill/Free time

Expenses: 1 PHP =  268.39 IDR

Nusa Penida                                  460,000 IDR

Lunch at Nusa Penida                   35,000 IDR

Water                                                 7,000 IDR

Dinner at Warung Thai                95,000 IDR

Taxi to Hotel                                   10,000 IDR

Bintang                                            14,500 IDR

TOTAL                                           621,500 IDR / 2,315.66 PHP

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Day 5

Activities:

• • Seminyak to Kuta

• • SURF!!!

• • Lunch at Kuta Beach

• • Kuta to Krisna

• • Shopping time

• • Krisna to Seminyak (Hotel)

• • Freshen up

• Chill/Free time

Expenses: 1 PHP =  268.39 IDR

Uber to Seminyak Beach                7,000 IDR

Surfing                                           270,000 IDR

Breakfast at Seminyak                115,000 IDR

Uber to Krisna                                  6,000 IDR

Shopping                                       193,000 IDR

Uber to Hotel                                  10,000 IDR

Lunch at Seminyak                       31,000 IDR

Ice Cream                                        20,000 IDR

Alfomart Goodies                          42,000 IDR

Dinner at Seminyak                      71,000 IDR

TOTAL                                           765,000 IDR / 2,850.329 PHP

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Day 6

Activities:

• • Catch the sunrise

• • Prepare for Brunch

• • Check-out from Hotel

• Seminyak to Denpasar (Ngurah Rai Airport)

Expenses: 1 PHP =  268.39 IDR

Brunch                                              FREE

Taxi to Ngurah Rai Airport          12,000 IDR

TOTAL                                              12,000 IDR / 44.71 PHP

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💰 Summary of Expenses

Total Daily Spending:             4,290,750 IDR / 15,986.99 PHP

Pre-trip Expenses: Accommodation, Airfare, Travel Tax

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If you wish to know more about this trip, just leave a message, send me an email, or follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

xo,

PHOTO GALLERY