Bali, twenty years in: the island that keeps re-introducing itself

It’s 5:48 a.m. in Sidemen, on the eastern flank of Mount Agung, and the rice terraces are coming out of the dawn fog one tier at a time. A farmer in a sarong is already up to his ankles in mud, planting. A flock of ducks is being herded through the irrigated channels — eating insects and fertilising as they go, the way Balinese farmers have run this system for a thousand years. I’m on the porch of a small guesthouse with a coffee. There is no one else awake. This is the Bali that justifies the flight.

Why I keep coming back

My first Bali trip was 2008, when the south coast had been touristed for forty years but Ubud was still a small temple town and the east coast was virtually unvisited. The island has changed dramatically since — Ubud is now a yoga-and-cafe town that is overrun in high season; the south coast has expanded into a continuous beach-and-bar strip from Seminyak to Uluwatu; the digital-nomad influx of 2018–2024 reshaped Canggu entirely.

And yet. The Bali that drew the first foreign artists to Ubud in the 1920s — the rice-terraced river-valley landscape, the daily temple offerings (canang sari) on every doorstep, the Hindu-Balinese cosmology that pervades the visual culture — is still there if you go to the right part of the island. The Balinese themselves continue to live their ceremonial life with extraordinary commitment.

Where to base yourself

Ubud for the temples, the rice fields, and a slower pace. Avoid the central few blocks; choose accommodation a 5–10 minute drive out (Penestanan, Nyuh Kuning, Sayan).

Sidemen, Amed, or Munduk if you want the genuine quiet rural Bali — the eastern terraces, the diving coast, the northern lake region.

Canggu for the surf-and-cafe contemporary scene, if that’s what you’re here for. Crowded.

Uluwatu for the cliff hotels and the surf breaks of the Bukit peninsula.

Avoid Kuta and Legian unless you specifically want the noisy backpacker strip.

What to actually do

Walk the rice fields at dawn. The Tegalalang terraces north of Ubud are the famous and now somewhat over-photographed ones; the Jatiluwih terraces further west are larger and quieter. The fields around Sidemen and Sebatu are emptier still.

Visit a temple ceremony. Almost every day, somewhere in Bali, a temple ceremony is happening. Ask your guesthouse — they will know what’s local and what’s appropriate for visitors. Sarong required (often loaned at the temple); shoulders covered; do not enter the inner courtyard unless invited.

Surf or dive. The Bukit peninsula has world-class surf (Uluwatu, Padang Padang); the east coast at Amed and the small island of Nusa Penida have excellent diving. Tulamben, on the north-east coast, has the wreck of the USS Liberty in shallow water — a beginner-friendly dive.

Climb Mount Batur for sunrise. Two-hour pre-dawn hike up a still-active volcano in central Bali, returning by mid-morning. ฿250,000–500,000 with a guide (required by local ordinance). The view from the summit is the postcard view.

Take a cooking class. Balinese food is distinct from Indonesian generally — heavier on shrimp paste, lemongrass, kemiri (candlenut), and the bumbu base spice paste. Paon Bali in Ubud is the long-running classic; full-day with market visit around ฿400,000.

Where to eat

Local Balinese cooking is best in the small warungs (family-run shops). Avoid the resort restaurants for the most part.

Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka (Ubud) — Balinese spit-roasted suckling pig; specifically the lunchtime sitting. Locavore (Ubud) — Modern Indonesian, ingredient-driven tasting menu; the closer Bali gets to fine dining. Warung Pulau Kelapa (Ubud) — Traditional rijsttafel-style sharing menu of Indonesian regional dishes. Sate Plecing Arjuna (Denpasar) — A working-class joint with grilled satay and the famous plecing kangkung (water spinach with chilli-tomato sauce). Sea Circus (Seminyak) — Casual Australian-Balinese fusion, good when you need a break from rice. Hujan Locale (Ubud) — The chef Will Meyrick’s modern Indonesian; reservations advised.

When to come

May, June, September — the shoulders of the dry season. Pleasant temperatures, fewer crowds.

April and October are the rainy-to-dry transitions; less reliable but usually fine.

July, August, and Christmas/New Year are full high season with significantly elevated prices and crowds.

The Nyepi (Balinese Day of Silence) in March (date varies with the Saka calendar) is the island’s most extraordinary day — total silence, no lights, no movement, even the airport closes. If you can plan a visit to overlap, it is unforgettable.

Practical notes

• Visa: Visa-on-arrival for most Western passports, 30 days (extendable). Apply for the e-VOA online to avoid airport queues.
• Money: Indonesian rupiah. ATMs are reliable; cash for warungs, card increasingly in restaurants.
• Transport: Renting a scooter is the freedom move but the roads are dangerous (driving is on the left, traffic is unpredictable, and helmets are sometimes lacking). Grab and Gojek (ride-hail apps) are the practical alternative. Drivers for the day are around ฿650,000.
• Health: Bali belly (food/water-borne stomach issues) is common; stick to bottled water, peel fruits, watch the ice in cheap drinks. Dengue is present, particularly in the rainy season.
• Temple etiquette: Sarong, sash, shoulders covered. Women should not enter temples during menstruation (a local convention). Don’t step on the small offering baskets on the ground.

A final thought

Bali is one of the over-discovered destinations of the modern era and remains, despite the saturation, an island of extraordinary beauty. The Balinese themselves continue to live a culture that is genuinely distinct from anywhere else in Southeast Asia — the daily offerings, the temple festivals, the cremation ceremonies, the gamelan music in the evening. The infrastructure of tourism has layered over but not replaced this. You can walk five minutes from a yoga-studio strip in Ubud and find yourself in a working temple courtyard during a ceremony, with the gamelan in the corner and the air thick with incense.

The choice of where to base yourself is the most consequential decision of the trip. The south coast and central Ubud are an essentially Westernised experience. Sidemen, Amed, Munduk, the small villages of the east and north — these are still the Bali of 1980, materially poorer, occasionally inconvenient, and the version of the island most likely to leave you changed.

Stay two weeks. Spend three nights on the south coast and the rest in Ubud or further east. Hire a driver for a day. Watch a temple ceremony. Get up before dawn at least once. The island earns the affection it provokes.