Bali Activities and Sports

Learn-to-surf courses operate every day of the year in Bali and cater to all levels of experience. Novices are welcome to learn how to get their balance and catch their first wave and lessons are held over a couple of hours in the morning or after lunch. Experienced surfers will find no end of opportunities to catch waves of Bali’s fabled beaches, especially towards the west of the island.

Scuba diving can be arranged around the island but the best dive outifts are at the resort beach of Nusa Dua, where off shore excursions depart several times daily. Again, all levels of experience are catered for and lessons for absolute beginner divers are easy to book and have a relaxed and patient vibe.

Beach volleyball, jogging, beach yoga and every other sand-based activity under the sun are available all around the island. Some of Bali’s less obvious sporty attractions include a circus school where tourists can learn some impressive new tricks.

Bali’s beauty spas and wellness centres are justifiably world famous. Many of the upscale resorts are located in Ubud and Nusa Dua, but plenty of smaller places in the less upscale parts of Bali offer quality services. The beach ladies who endlessly ply their trade up and down the hot sand all day long do fine massages and excellent manicures and pedicures.

Motor cycles can be rented from any of the main tourist centres and the roads around the island are relatively safe and easy to navigate. Riders with out the confidence to take to the Bali roads on their own can just as easily hire a bike with driver for a half day, day or for the entire duration of their holiday. This is a great way to see Bali and get around from place to place and rates are very cheap.

Cooking courses come into their own in Ubud. In the hills above Bali marvelous schools operate classes in traditional Hindu cooking (avocado milkshakes and nasi goreng, for example) as well as basic tropical recipes. These classes are very popular with Europeans who return home with unexpected skills in cooking with coconuts and pineapples.

Temple lovers are well and truly in their element in Bali with thousands of temples of all shapes and sizes dotted all over the island. Bali’s rich cultural heritage as well as its status as the only Hindu province in Islamic Indonesia means that the island has a holy sense unlike anywhere else in the country. Virtually no home or business doesn’t have a small shrine out front, and no visitor needs to walk far before arriving at an interesting temple.

Outside the temples, visitors can find their own sense of inner peace at a meditation or yoga class. Some of the Raya yoga centres here offer free classes and courses and some morning sessions are held in the shadow of stunning dawn sunrises right on the beach.