In Bali, beauty is hidden behind every corner.

Sketching a list of Bali’s Most Beautiful Places is as hard as it is taking a plane back home from this stunning island.

After struggling for hours, I finally did it and in this article you will find my personal top 10 favourites hotspots in Bali and the instructions on how to reach them and enjoy them at the fullest!

These locations are so captivating, they could easily fill a  whole Bali-themed photobook!

Have fun! 🙂

 1. Kelingking Beach (Nusa Penida)

Keling King Beach is extremely hard to reach beach located in Nusa Penida (a little island off the south-eastern coast of Bali). It is reachable by booking one-day trips from Sanur or my own means (ex. scooter) if you’re already on Nusa Penida.

The beach at the bottom of a 150m cliff and it’s only reachable by walking the narrow staircases all the way down. The cliff-view from the top is already worth the trip: the crystal turquoise colors of the water are awe-inspiring, the height of the place jointed with a privileged-view of the horizon is hauntingly beautiful and the contrast between land and sea makes it all the more overwhelming.

If you choose to go to the bottom, please be prepared as this paradise hides also some dangers. Be sure to bring with you a BIG bottle of water something to eat and good hiking shoes. Expect around 45minutes to get down and 90minutes to get back up. It may seem a lot, but consider that the heat makes it much harder than in normal conditions. Also, swimming at the beach is highly advised against due to the strong water currents and high waves.

Few tourists reach the bottom of the beach, making the climb and the bottom an almost private experience. Also, it is common to see manta rays swimming close to the coastline. If you’re in good health condition, that is definitely an experience to try out.

Nevertheless, In my opinion, the view from the top is already the main pay-off of the excursion to Keling King beach and something definitely not to miss if you’re spending a couple of weeks in Bali.

2. Pura Lempuyang

The GWK Park (Garuda Wisnu Kencana) is a huge cultural site located in the Southern Part of Bali (Ungasan), it takes about 3-4 hours to visit, and in our opinion, it’s the perfect place to start your discovering journey in Bali. The ticket entrance for the whole park is 125.000IDR (about 7 Euros).

The highlight of the park is for sure the 120m-tall statue of god Vishnu riding Garuda; it is a monument so huge that you can see even from the plane or on the horizon from many faraway coastal beaches like Seminyak, Canggu, etc. Still, when you face it in front of you it’s a sense of immensity hard to ignore.

What many guides don’t tell though, is that the GWK Park offers way more insights into Balinese culture and religion than only the statue.

An open-air amphitheater offers every hour different performances of Balinese dances accompanied by live gamelan music (traditional percussions). The stage quite improved from the day the park opened, with huge wooden decorations and colors and so did the performances; for sure a must-see in GWK Park.

On another wing of the park are an indo/Buddhist garden (where you will be required to wear a sarong to enter – they will provide you with one at the entrance-) with two other huge statues, a far-reaching hill-view of the landscape around and quiet water-gardens.

Searching more around, close to the main entrance we found a small art-gallery where traditional Balinese houses & rooms are re-built and showcased. Here it is possible to dress up in traditional costumes for professional photo shooting (we passed on that, it seemed way too touristy for our taste) or just simply have a private guide (included in the entrance ticket) to give you a 30-minute presentation about the objects you will find in traditional Balinese houses. A cool thing that we loved, is that in the gallery you are allowed to try all the strange musical instruments they have, including the huge gong 😉

One of the most interesting parts of the park for us has been a small cinema where every hour is projected a children-friendly cartoon about the history of Garuda and Wisnu. The movie is comical, thought for children as well as adults, but nevertheless, it is very instructive and makes easy and memorable an otherwise complicated religious story. Also, a great bonus is that the cinema has cool air-conditioning so it makes up for an enjoyable 30-minutes break from the scorching Balinese sun.

TIP. As everywhere in Bali, but especially here: don’t forget your sun cream and to bring a lot of water; you are likely to walk a lot under the sun to reach the GW statue and better be prepared.

 4. Jatiluwih Rice Terraces

If you want to immerse yourself in the magic of rice terraces without being overwhelmed by tourists; Jatiluwih is the place to be. Being a bit further away from Denpasar than Ubud, this stunning place is still not so frequented by short-term tourists and that helps to preserve the authenticity of this valley.

We did this park in one day, leaving the morning from Seminyak in two on one 125cc scooter we took about 3 hours to reach it (the last 15kilometers are pure green emerald dream *-*). We won’t lie, by scooter is quite a long way and your ass will likely hurt a bit, but hey, we rented a battle-NMAX-scooter for 20 days and it never let us down. (For a good online renting website, try Bikago.com, we rented twice from them and they offer excellent scooter-delivery service at your door for a good price and additional services you may need – wifi, suncream, GPS, repellent, etc).

The price to the valley for foreign tourists is 40.000IDR (about 2 Euro), the money supports the cleanliness and facility of the park and also gives you insurance for any accident it may happen within the park.

When you are in, we would suggest you reach the big “Jatiluwih” Hollywood-style writing on top of the hill, park, and walk from there. The path is easy to follow and an all-around park walk will take you approximately 2 hours. Depending on the season you can witness different stages of the rice plants’ life; from February new little plants are growing in the paddies till July when they are harvested (and then again in the second part of the year).

What will you mostly encounter on your path is: GREEN. Wonderful, astonishing, eye-hurting, eye-watering GREEN. Jatiluwih in Balinese means Beautiful (jati-real, with-beauty) and the name says it all. This place is a hidden pearl in the heart of Bali, peaceful, quiet, where nature and tradition still rule, far away from the chaotic everyday life of Denpasar.

At the border of the Jatiluwih village are also some good-priced restaurant with a direct view of the fields; definitely recommended to end your tour with a good Bintang and some Balinese…rice! 😉 

 5. Diamond Beach (Nusa Penida)

Diamonds are normally deep-down the earth and you should go deep down to find them. Diamond Beach is no exception.

Located just south of Atun Beach, Diamond Beach is for the bold and fit who can reach it. The stairs to this hidden gem are steep and dangerous at times; the path requires good body conditions and it is hard to take if you are scared of highs.

This natural barrier-to-entry though, also makes the beach scarcely visited by tourists and thus, one of the wildest and more private beaches in Nusa Penida.

At the bottom of the stairs is a tiny beach bar where you can get some drinks, small foods and take a ride on a swing between two palms where you can get wondrous photos over the sea. Diamond beach is best by sunrise, but don’t expect many people during the whole day neither; it is not massively touristy and we believe it won’t be anytime soon (given the stairs to get there).

 6. Kampo Lampo Waterfalls (Ubud)

In about a 20-minutes scooter ride from Ubud Center, you can reach Kampo Lampo waterfalls.

Do not expect anything Iguazu-like massive, but an attractive and gentle rock-enclosed river covered by broadleaved trees. Here the water falls from one rock to another creating a white wall of water. The highlight of this place in our opinion is the light that is filtering through the large tree leaves, giving the place a surreal atmosphere.

Taking a good picture it might take some time, as the place is well-known and highly instagrammable. Despite that, waiting in waist-high fresh water for a great photo while enjoying the surrounding is surely a nice way to escape the midday Bali heat.

The entrance to the park is a small 10.000IDR fee (0,50 Euro).

 7. Tirtta Gangga – Water Gardens

On your way back to Pura Lempuyang (or while waiting for the long queue), Tirtta Gangga is a place not to be missed. These water gardens are perhaps the most famous in Bali, still, they are not overwhelmed with tourists (probably because the gardens are far away from Denpasar).

The 10-levels fountain is an emotional beauty, the statues all around raise the art level of this garden and create a mystic atmosphere all around. The rock-path emerging from the water is an experience on its own.

Here you better hold your phone tight and watch your steps. When you’ll walk the way, you will notice plenty of huge carps and fishes coming to swim just below you: they want food!

Outside of Tirtta Gangga, everybody is selling bags of orange fish food (also the ticket seller at the entrance!) and apparently, the feeding of the fishes has become a little side-business for the inhabitants of the village which leave the tas to tourists (we haven’t bought any though).

Seeing all tourists making selfies while feeding the fishes, we could not do anything else but wonder how many times accidentally someone fell into the ponds.

Visiting the whole Tirtta Gangga in our opinion is possible in 30 minutes; 1 hour if you’re a photo freak;) The place is not huge but cured in all details and definitely worth the visit. On one side of the park is also a fresh-water pool if you’d like to take a cooling bath (this pool without fishes;). On the other, is a small bar with affordable prices offering little snacks, fruit juices and a nice view of the whole garden. 

 8. Campuhan Ridge Walk + Swing (Ubud)

The Campuhan Ridge is a 9km walk hidden in Ubud and starting very close to its center. Here a paved path runs on the ridge of small hills between two small rivers. The walk is free and there is no entrance fee, also there is not loop option, so be prepared that the distance you walk you’ll have to walk back!

What you can expect is lush green, rice terraces, nature and a beautiful calm atmosphere sometimes so hard to find nowadays in Ubud (the “spiritural capital” of Bali). Although the Campuhan Ridge is becoming more touristy in recent years, it is still relatively quieter and makes up for a nice break from the hustling touristic Ubud.

The views, silence, peace and nature are truly inspiring. We would recommend to take this walk early morning (7-8am) or couple of hours before the evening as it may get pretty hot and walking up and down under the scorching sun may ruin the bliss of the experience. As always in Bali, may liters of water be with you!

About 600meters into the walk, we also found the swing you see in the photo; for 40IDK (2 Euro) it is possible to try it and take photos. If you want to just try a swing, this is a faster and way cheaper alternative than spending one day at the Bali Swing Park, waiting in line for tourists taking their Instragram photos.

Be prepared, that in about 20 swings, most people start feeling dizziness: bonus experience of the Bali swings! 😉

Last but not least, as you’re in Ubud, don’t forget to check out the curious Monkey Forest, the 1000-year old Goa Gajah Temple and the gorgeous Tibamana waterfall, all easily reachable with a private scooter or for very convenient prices by contracting one of the many Bali drivers offering their services in the area! 😀

 9. Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot (“land in the sea” – in Balinese) is a rock formation on the west coast of Bali, north of Denpasar, which became famous for hosting the homonymous Temple of Tanah Lot.

What makes this place so poetically special, is that the temple is only reachable with the low tide when a rock path appears. With the high tide, the little temple becomes an island on its own. This place is surely a must-see for people passionate about photography.

Outside of the temple’s gate, stands a great variety of souvenir shops and markets; all prices are highly (HIGHLY!) negotiable, and you can find excellent deals for your buck. Cloths, souvenirs, decoration, and anything you can think of, here you may find.  (read our Bali Travel Tips if you want to know more about negotiating in Bali and where to shop for things).

Last but not least, being on the west coast, also Tanah Lot boasts dream-like sunsets. On the left side of the temple are stairs and on top of the cliff stand many bars with terraces. A little tip is just don’t stop on the first one but keep going 30-40 meters more until you’ll find the best view for you. Cold Bintang as always, and enjoy;)

The entrance fee is 60.000IDK (around 3,40Euro).

 10. Canggu Surf Beach

The surfers’ corner of Bali, high waves, laidback hippi-vibes, coffee shops, buzzy beach clubs and an overarching chill social atmosphere. This and much more is Canggu.

Located north of the caotic Kuta and the stylish Seminyak. slightly south of Tanah Lot; Canggu has become the escape place for digital nomads and foreigners looking for a modern conception of life; one where time runs slower and meaningful. For this reason, here the concentration of foreigners and foreign-owned businesses is much higher in this area than in the rest of Bali. In Canggu you perhaps won’t see the authentic Balinese lifestyle but still you can enjoy a pleasurable mix of Balinese values jointed with a western young-culture. 

If you plan to visit Canggu we would suggest you to take at least half a day to have time to stroll around the village, try some food and of course enjoy a cold Bintang watching the sunset. The sunsets here are immensely beautiful and attract huge crowds; the atmosphere of seeing so many people sitting in the sand around you and watching that huge fireball diving in the sea is just magical, powerful and memorable.