Bali Tourist Info

Bali is a well-travelled place – crowds have been coming here in large numbers for decades, and so the tourist infrastructure of the island is very established. What this means for the first-time visitor is that no real trouble should be anticipated in regards to getting around, finding accommodation or seeking help when it’s needed. Local hawkers may be a bit too keen to help sell goods and services to tourists, but there are several official tourist offices that offer extensive information and friendly assistance.

Most new arrivals will enter Bali via Ngurah Rai International Airport at Denpasar, Bali’s largest and capital city. After passing customs and other particulars, the journey into Kuta, Bali’s main tourist drag, takes around thirty minutes and there are ample taxis and auto-rickshaws waiting out front of the Arrivals Hall. Prices can be negotiated with the driver as elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Bali’s Government Tourist Information Center is right in the centre of Kuta, on Jalan Bakung Sari. It is centrally located and filled with schedules, brochures and tour and trip information. The officers here will be able to call hotels, arrange courses and classes, and provide pretty much any information required. Unless visitors have everything booked in advance or are prepared to take their chances with touts, the Information Center is a great place to start a first trip to Bali.

Renting a motor cycle is the next choice for many visitors. Bikes are cheap and cheerful and fairly reliable but visitors should be mindful that many travel insurance policies don’t cover accidents on rented motor cycles. If you are injured while riding or injure someone else, you may not be covered and prices can be astronomical. Also, you are completely responsible for any damage and subsequent repair costs to the rented vehicle.

The famous Bali surf is generally safe and the beaches at Kuta and Legian are very heavily populated. Visitors should be advised, however, that no beach in Bali is patrolled by any form of life guard service and the surf can get choppy at times. During rough weather, maybe reconsider going too far out into the deep.

The party scene in Bali is wild but visitors should bear in mind that the infamous drug laws of Indonesia apply here and that many foreigners are currently languishing in Bali’s squalid jails for minor drug offenses, including possession of minor quantities of soft drugs. Also, crackdowns of fake clothes DVDs and CDs that are sold at all Bali market places mean that penalties can apply either departing Bali or on arrival at your home airport for purchasing illegally pirated merchandise.

Hotels in Bali run the gamut from ultimate six-star luxury resorts right down to tiny bungalows made of bamboo. There are even ample opportunities to camp out on the beach or in the jungle, and backpacker-style dormitories abound. Good value mid range places are the choice of many, and these avoid the high prices of the upscale hotels as well as the discomforts of some of the el-cheapo places.