About 90 per cent of Balinese are Hindu, much different to the Islamic majority in the rest of the Indonesian archipelago.This is part of what gives Bali its unique flavour and why many people sometimes mistake Bali as a separate country – it isn’t, just culturally distinct from the rest of Indonesia because it is predominantly Hindu.

Balinese Hinduism is the island’s main religion. A smaller percentage of the Balinese people are Muslim (about one in twenty people), Christian (about one in a hundred) or Buddhist (one in two hundred people). Balinese Hinduism is a combination of ancient Hinduism as found and practiced in India and local beliefs which include animism and various tribal and ethnic traditions.

Also part of Balinese Hinduism, a composite religion, is ancestor worship, worship of gods or folk heroes and other such traditions. Balinese religion follows Hinduism in the belief in a number of gods and goddesses who project their powers and symbolism into all natural and man made objects.  Therefore, Balinese people will often be observed honouring sacred pieces of cloth or even furniture. These objects have been interpreted as being invested by the powers of the related gods and goddesses.

Bali’s polyglot religious culture extends to Chinese immigrants too. These Balinese residents – Sino-Balinese – are primarily Taoist and to a smaller extent Buddhist but the happily worship in Hindu temples and a very welcomed there. Joint wedding, birth and funeral customs are presided over by both Sino-Balinese Taoist priests as well as a representative from the Hindu community.

All kinds of churches and temples are found across Bali and many of these are open to the public. As always, observe respect of local religious customs and be very careful to show respect to objects or area invested with religious importance. The island of Bali is full of temples and shrines these too are very popular tourist attractions.

Depcitions of Hindu epics like the Ramayana or the Mahabhrata were the hallmarks of classical Baliense art in the Kamasan or Wayang styles. Coloured dyes drawn onto rended bark fabrics, these artworks hang in galleries and museums all over the world and some can still be bought today in Bali, especially in the art galleries in Ubud.

Bali’s real art boom came early in the 21st Century with the arrival of artists from Europe, the Americas and Australia. The influence of these artists on local Balinese artists saw a shift away from religious themes and into paintings that depicted – literally or in abstract – scenes of daily or routine life in Bali.

The main focus of new Balinese art during this period – when even Charlie Chaplin visited – was on Ubud, and the smaller Bali towns of Sanur and Batuan, a centre of carving and music. The three towns soon started producing distinctive works of their own emerging styles with the Ubud artists creating agricultural, open scenes of nature and the Batuan artists created more bustling urban scenes.

Balinese woodcarving is possibly the most renowned artisan product and makes for very interesting and potentially quite valuable souvenirs and even investments. Many collectors and curators make regular trips to Bali, particularly Ubud, to purchase woodcraft to take home to their own stores and galleries. If this is your motivation to visit Bali, be sure you are aware of import laws and also, quarantine requirements since the export of any kind of natural fibre or artwork, especially in bulk or in large numbers is subject to restrictions.

Gold and silver jewelry is another good buy and some rings and brooches are intricately carved and polished up to a beautiful gleam. As always, shopping for gold or silver in Bali comes with a buyer beware caveat when it comes to gem stones and precious metals, however vendors are generally trustworthy and the metals are usually the real thing.

Drug and narcotic laws in Bali are infamous and severe. Arrivals at Denpasar airport are greeted with a billboard decorated with a skull and crossbones and with the slogan “Penalty For Drug Trafficking Is Death” and Denpasar’s Kerokoban Prison is home to convicted drug smugglers from Australia such as Schapelle Corby (marijuana) and Renae Lawrence (heroin).

Penalties for owning, buying, selling or smuggling any quantity of any drug are extreme. Small quantities of any drug found on a traveller as they pass out of Bali’s airport can result in minimum 20 year sentences and the death penalty is routinely applied for heavier cases. Appeals can be futile and the only way to earn remissions is via admission of guilt and appeals to the Indonesian president for clemency.

Drugs are available all over Bali and most especially in tourist centres like Kuta. The visitor should be mindful of the penalties that apply, even for drug use and possession. Also, that Indonesian jails are full of foreigners imprisoned on drugs charges. Penalties including the death penalty are usually more severe for non-Indonesians

The Bali Nine – teenagers from Australia – were followed for some months by Indonesian and Australian police before being apprehended carrying heroin strapped to their bodies at Denpasar airport. The drug laws in Indonesia and Bali are as severe as those in other countries in the South East Asian region.

The occasionally aggressive monkeys of Ubud’s world famous monkey forest – official title Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary – will go for your bananas without asking first and you should be prepared for this. The vendors out front of the forest will sell them to you, with no advance warning so be prepared. The monkeys won’t bite you, but they will gang up and start hissing before they begin their attack on your food supplies and it can be a scary experience. The monkeys aren’t dangerous but if you are bitten and blood is drawn, you will need to take evasive action in regards to tetanus and hepatitis as with any animal bite.

The Monkey Forest is one of Ubud’s main attractions but only begins the list of must sees in this unmissable part of Bali. It’s the first thing you will see on your left in you arrive in Ubud from Kuta on a motor bike as the Monkey Forest is right there at the southern end of town, just near the rice slopes.

Over 300 monkeys now live here, a huge increase on numbers that had been dwindling in the wild for decades. The sanctuary is also known as The Monkey Forest of Padangtegal and in this incarnation it is a sacred Buddhist site. The Buddhist ecology monks that are active at the site are committed to ecology and conservation and their successes with the flora and fauna of Ubud and Bali is acclaimed around the world.

The surrounding area is home to two thousand people who follow traditional Balinese lifestyles. The Monkey Forest is central to Ubud’s community and culture groups and brings the bulk of tourists and their tourist dollar into the area.

Beautiful Bali

One of Asia’s most popular destinations continues to draw the crowd, with its fantastic beaches, excellent hospitality, lovely landscapes, intriguing temples, tropical gardens and exotic Balinese culture. Whether you’re coming for a party or some peace and quiet, the island offers all that and more, both in the mountains and beside the sea.

This Bali guide and blog is the pre-cursor to a full travel guide to the island, featuring dozens of pages and images to help you plan your trip and get the most from your visit. From spas to surfing, food to festivals we have it covered here with our expert travel writers. It’s part of a larger series on Southeast Asia travel destinations.

Bali has recovered from it’s terrible bombing and offers a safe and relaxed destination that epitomises the best of tropical Pacific islands. Come on in to this site to see it for yourself before you’ve left home. Before planning your trip consider saving money on flights, travel deals and hotels with discount vouchers offered by some sites.