White Water Rafting
Get your heart racing rafting down one of Bali's many winding rivers. White water rafting in Bali is suitable for everyone- from kids to the elderly, notices and the professionals. Choose your grade and join your experienced guide down river, whilst taking in Bali's incredible mountain rainforest scenery. Your friendly Balinese rafting guides will have you laughing and squealing the whole way down!
Surf
Surfers from around the world visit Bali for its perfect barrels year round. Some of the best breaks in the world are located in Bali. The wind blows offshore for 8 months, making this tropical island a surfer's paradise. Combine this with friendly local Balinese surfing companions and guides, a group of your closest mates and a few bottles of Bintang beer, you will see why surfers return year after year. There are waves for the beginners too, with numerous surf schools scattered along Legian and Kuta beach. As always the best advice is local advice, so ask a fellow surfer or book a day's surf tour with a tour company who will take you to some of the island's secret surf spots.
Dive & Snorkel
Take a boat trip out to one of the many reefs that fringe the island of Bali and snorkel or dive amongst brightly coloured Clown and Angel fish, Manta rays and Sunfish. A must see is the beautiful coral gardens off the coast of Nusa Lembongan. Bali is a diver's paradise and you'll find many registered dive shops in coastal towns and resorts catering for first time to experienced divers.
Monkey See Monkey Do
A trip to the Sacred Monkey Forest near Sangeh is a must. Be prepared- as soon as you step off the bus and have a hand full of bananas a swarm of Balinese long-tailed macaques will scurry along with paths to meet you. Within the forest is the ancient Balinese Hindu temple- the perfect location for some great photographs, the creatures of the forest are extremely camera friendly too- sitting on your lap waiting for the right moment.
Cooking
Balinese cuisine has been an Australian favorite for decades and one of the best places to learn to create these dishes is at a half or full day at one of Bali's famous cooking classes. You'll not only learn the tricks of the kitchen, but you'll get to enjoy a banquette created by yourself and your fellow classmates.
Waterbom Water Park
One of the best ways to escape Bali's humid days is a day at Kuta's Waterbom Water Park. Set in 3.8 hectares of tropical gardens and home to 17 world class water rides including The Race Track, SuperBowl and the Boomerang. Waterbom guarantees fun for all ages - from the young to the young at heart.
Shopping
From t-shirts to sunglasses, from handbags to handcrafts,Bali is renowned as a bargain shopper's paradise, where the art of bartering is alive and well. Every beach front precinct has its street side hawker stalls and in the larger towns multi storey shopping complexes showcase designer brand goods that can be purchased at very reasonable prices.
Tours
There's a tour that will suite every one that comes to this island paradise. Grab a blue taxi and a guide for a day of shopping, join a bus tour or hire a private driver and spend time sightseeing through the changing landscape as you drive to the mountaintop arts colony of Ubud.
If you're looking for a combination of art and a great buy, visit villages that specialize in handcrafted silverware and jewelry, potters and wood and stone carvers. Celuk is the silver capital of Bali, here you will find uniwue hand crafted silver jewels and warehouses exporting Bali's silver jewellery to the rest of the world.
You cannot spend time in Bali and not visit some of the fabulous temples and scared sites scattered along the island's coastline. Three must sees are the temples of Tanah Lot and Uluwatu and the village of Kintamani which rests 5000ft above sea level on the rim of an active and sacred volcano 'Mount Batur'. All three offer breathtaking views and are well worth the short drive.
Be Pampered
After a long day of strolling the streets shopping in Kuta and Legian, those feet of yours will be aching and in need of a soothing foot spa and massage. There's the Bali beach massage and then there's the full spa treatment - both are great value. Body scrubs, facials, waxing, massage you name it! Nearly every street in Bali will have a beauty salon, and expect to pay only a few dollars for all of your treatments. The luxury and pampering of one of the international standard spa retreats in Bali cannot be beaten. Travellers from around the world escape to Bali to spend a week in one of the many secluded Heath and Yoga Retreats in the mountains.
Elephant Safari
Jump on a jumbo for a completely different view of Bali - rainforest, rice paddy fields and local villages. Your jungle safari will take you into a protected forest where you see colourful birdlife, wild monkeys and other forest dwellers. The Bali Elephant Park is recognized as a world leader is home to elephants that have were rescued from deforestation in Central & Southern Sumatra and offers a number of shows and up close learning experiences
Barong & Kris Dance
The Barong is probably the most well known story telling dance, narrating the fight between good and evil where Barong, Bali's mythical guardian battles (in dance) the demon Queen Rangda. Barong's supporters dance trance like with their Kris or sword protecting their guardian. The music, costumes, dance and atmosphere make this a totally enthralling performance.
