Bali

Indonesia's most-visited island, and one that holds several quite different places inside a two-hour drive: Ubud's river valleys and rice terraces inland, the surf coast around Uluwatu in the south, the beach-club strip of Seminyak and Canggu, and a quieter, wilder east and north that most visitors never reach.

The terraces are not just scenery. UNESCO inscribed Bali's subak landscape in 2012: a cooperative water-management system of canals and weirs dating to the 9th century, covering 19,500 hectares across five sites and governed through water temples rather than from above.

Bali is a working Hindu culture, not a backdrop. Offerings are placed on pavements every morning, temple ceremonies close roads, and the agricultural calendar still runs on the subak system's temple-based scheduling. That layer is what distinguishes it from other tropical islands with good beaches.

The subak landscape embodies Tri Hita Karana, a philosophy binding the realms of spirit, people and nature, developed over two millennia of exchange between Bali and India. Understanding that the terraces are an irrigation democracy with a religious constitution changes how the Ubud countryside reads.

Beyond that: reliable surf for every level, some of Southeast Asia's best diving off the east coast, and a range of accommodation from very cheap to very grand.

• The subak terraces at Jatiluwih, which are part of the UNESCO property and far larger and quieter than the much-photographed Tegallalang, where the crowd is a few metres from the car park.
• Pura Taman Ayun and Pura Ulun Danu Batur, both within the listed property — an 18th-century royal water temple and the supreme water temple of the irrigation system respectively.
• Uluwatu at the end of the day, for the clifftop temple, the surf below, and the kecak performance at sunset.
• Diving or snorkelling off Amed and Tulamben on the east coast, including the USAT Liberty wreck in shallow water accessible from the shore.
• Sunrise on Mount Batur, a straightforward guided walk up an active volcano, done in the dark and finished by breakfast.
• A ceremony, if one is happening. Temple anniversaries and cremations are public and frequent. Ask your accommodation, dress appropriately, and follow their lead.
• Nusa Penida and the Gili islands, both short boat rides away, for the coast Bali itself no longer has.

April–October, the dry season.

Ubud for culture, terraces, walking and the arts scene; inland, green, no beach. Canggu for surf, cafés and a young, long-staying crowd. Seminyak for beach clubs, restaurants and comfort. Uluwatu and the Bukit for clifftop views and serious surf, spread out and needing transport.

Sanur is calm, flat and shallow-watered, which makes it the easiest base with young children and the departure point for Nusa Penida. Amed and Tulamben in the east are for divers and for a version of Bali with far fewer people. Munduk in the highlands is cool, quiet and green.

Most visitors split their stay between two bases — commonly Ubud plus somewhere coastal — rather than commuting across the island each day.

Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), near Kuta in the south, handles direct flights from across Asia and Australia and one-stop connections from everywhere else. It is the only realistic entry point for most visitors.

Ferries connect Bali to Java in the west and Lombok in the east, and fast boats run to Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and the Gilis from Sanur and Padang Bai.

Airport transfer time is the thing to plan for: Seminyak is close, but Ubud is usually an hour and a half to two hours, and the east coast longer. Traffic in the south is heavy and unpredictable, and journey times bear little relation to distance.

There is no useful public transport for visitors. In practice you have three options.

Ride-hailing apps work well and are cheap, but are restricted or informally banned in some areas where local transport cooperatives operate — you will see signs. Where that applies, use the local drivers.

A driver for the day is the standard way to see anything outside your immediate area, and is inexpensive by international standards. It is the right choice for temple and terrace days inland.

Scooters are how most residents move and how many visitors get injured. Bali has a poor road-safety record, traffic is dense and unfamiliar, and travel insurance commonly excludes scooter accidents unless you hold the correct licence and wear a helmet. If you have not ridden before, Bali is not the place to learn.

Plan around traffic, not distance. Twenty kilometres in the south can take well over an hour.

Balinese food is distinct from the Indonesian dishes found elsewhere. Babi guling (suckling pig) and bebek betutu (slow-cooked duck) are the ceremonial dishes that became restaurant staples; lawar, a vegetable and coconut mix, is the everyday one. Warungs serve nasi campur, a plate of rice with a selection of sides, and remain the best value and often the best food on the island.

Some etiquette that matters. A sarong and sash are required at temples and are usually available at the entrance. Do not enter a temple during menstruation, which is a stated restriction at most sites. Do not step on the small palm-leaf offerings on pavements. Use your right hand to give and receive. During Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence, the entire island — including the airport — shuts for 24 hours, and visitors are expected to remain on their accommodation's property.

Bali spans an unusually wide range: warung meals and simple guesthouses sit at one end, and some of Asia's most expensive villas and beach clubs at the other, often on the same street.

What drives the total: accommodation standard, how much you use private drivers, and how much of your eating happens in Western-facing cafés rather than warungs. Domestic costs are otherwise low. The tourist levy is a one-off, and entrance fees to temples and terraces are modest. The international flight is usually the single largest line for visitors from outside Asia.

Indonesia's visa rules apply and vary by nationality — check the current position for your passport before travelling.

Separately, Bali levies a tourist levy on international visitors. The provincial government's official LoveBali system states it is Rp 150,000 per person, paid once per trip rather than per entry, cashlessly, either online before arrival or at airport and port counters on arrival. Payment produces a QR-code voucher by email. Diplomatic and official visa holders, transport crew, and holders of KITAS, KITAP, family-unification and student visas are exempt.

Pay through the official site rather than a third party, and confirm the current amount and process there before you travel.

The south is congested. Bali's popularity has outpaced its roads. If your image of the island is quiet rice fields, base yourself away from Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu, or plan to leave them daily.

Scooter injuries are the commonest thing that goes wrong. Check what your insurance actually covers before renting one.

Water. Tap water is not for drinking. Stomach upsets are common in the first days; be sensible about ice and raw salads until you have settled in.

Nyepi closes everything for a full day each year, including the airport. Check the date before booking flights around it.

Dress and behaviour at sacred sites have become a live local issue after well-publicised incidents. Cover shoulders and knees, follow posted rules, and treat temples as places of worship rather than photo locations.

Five days. Two nights Ubud (terraces, a water temple, the valley walks), three nights on the coast in Canggu, Seminyak or Uluwatu depending on whether you want surf, food or views.

Ten days. Ubud, then the east coast at Amed for diving and quiet, then the south. Add Nusa Penida as a two-night side trip rather than a day trip: the day trip is a long, rough, rushed way to see it.

Two weeks or more. The above plus Munduk in the highlands and the northern coast, or a hop across to Lombok and the Gilis.

The recurring mistake is treating Bali as small. It is not, and the traffic makes it effectively larger. Two or three bases beat daily excursions from one.