Several tourist spots in Bali island, By File: Amed banner sunset.jpg: Wikipedia

Top 10 Free Things to do in Bali


 

Bali’s affordability is one of the factors that make it a favorite holidaying destination. Getting around might require you to shed just a bit of your travel money, but trips spanning popular beaches to scenic hills and valleys provide great value for budget travelers, as the discoveries on each journey end don’t cost you any extra. This article details the top 10 free things to do in Bali, they include;

1. Walk to the wildest beach

Walking westwards along Yeh Leh beach in West Bali, you’ll be greeted by breathtaking views of five of Java’s spectacular volcanoes.  You’re unlikely to see many people on the stretch between the surf spot known as “Truck Stop” and Pekutatan, though young men race their mopeds on the beach near Pekutatan on Sunday afternoons.

To hike the whole strip, you’ll have to cross two rivers, but they are less than knee-deep at low tide. If the tide is high or the rivers are in flood, just turn inland at Pekutatan and walk the last 3km via the Pulukan rice paddies.

2. Visit the unique terracotta village

The terracotta village is just 5km (3 miles) from the famous Pura Tanah Lot temple but it’s almost unknown to outsiders. These are family-run businesses, and multiple generations chip in to collect the clay from a nearby riverbed, press it by hand, and fire it in venerable old kilns that are heated with mountains of coconut husks. 

There is no charge for visiting, and there are no official guides in the village, but hospitable villagers – the “terracotta warriors” who produce up to 1000 handmade tiles in a morning’s work – are often happy to show visitors the production line for a cottage industry that goes back generations.

3. Visit Pura Taman Saraswati  Temple

Pura Taman Saraswati (2022),By Luke Triton – Wikipedia

Pura Taman Saraswati temple is located behind Café Lotus in central Ubud, this picturesque water temple was built in traditional Balinese style in 1952.

It can be accessed via a stone walkway decorated with Hindu sculptures.  Inside the inner sanctum, look out for sandstone bas reliefs of Saraswati, which is the Hindu goddess of learning, literature, and art, the temple’s patron deity. 

4. Watch a religious ceremony

The Balinese Pawukon calendar is divided into six months, but it lasts 210 days when measured using the Western calendar. As a result, every Hindu temple in Bali from the hundreds of major temples to the many thousands of small family temples celebrates its odalan (birthday) twice a year.

Your trip might coincide with several of these temple celebrations and there’s rarely an entry fee to observe, except at Bali’s top tier of temples. With Bali’s famous hospitality, if you simply ask around and express an interest, an invitation is likely to be forthcoming.

The major festivals of Galungan and Kuningan  are often described as Balinese Christmas also fall twice in the same year, and never-ending archways of penjors (decorated bamboo poles) make the world’s most beautiful island even more stunning.  It’s a unique privilege to enjoy the raucous ceremony on the eve of Nyepi, as well as the restful day of quiet that follows.

5. Explore Tegallalang’s rice terraces

The valley of Tegallalang is home to some of the island’s most picturesque rice terraces. Here you can see Bali’s ancient, UNESCO-listed subak irrigation system in action, with small streams and gullies running to the terraces from pretty puras (temples), showcasing the strong connection between religion, community, and nature on the island.

Take in the spectacular scenery from one of the roadside warungs (small restaurants) or spend an hour or so exploring this unique landscape on foot. 

6. See the island’s artisans at work

Wood carving, By Sean Hamlin – Wikipedia

Bali is well known for its skilled craftspeople, who work their magic in studios or small family workshops, producing everything from wooden deity sculptures and masks to batiks.

With different villages specializing in a particular craft, it’s just a matter of deciding what art form piques your interest.

Head to Celuk to see silversmiths cut and file intricate pieces of jewelry, or visit Mas to be wowed by enormous and ornate wood carvings and colorful stacks of decorative masks.

7. Meet Barack Obama’s puppet version

Barack Obama’s puppet version is housed in a series of pretty Balinese and Javanese wooden buildings in Mas, on the outskirts of Ubud.

The Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets showcases around 7000 masks and puppets from Indonesia, China, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. There’s no entry fee, but a donation is welcomed.

Highlights of the collection include several beautiful wayang kulit Indonesian shadow puppets and some intricately detailed Sicilian stick puppets that date back to the 16th century. Don’t leave without checking out the impressively lifelike puppet of Barack Obama.

8. Take a walk to the Campuhan Ridge

 Campuhan Ridge stands a world apart from the restaurants and boutiques of nearby Monkey Forest Road. Running for around 6km (3.7 miles), this walking track starts as a narrow trail by the Pura Gunung Lebah temple before widening to reveal a breathtaking valley. It’s just a five-minute drive from the center of Ubud.

9. Drive the Ogoh-ogoh Monster Highway

Every year, usually in March, Bali closes down for Nyepi, the famous “day of silence” when all transportation and most activities on the island cease for 24 hours. But the night before Nyepi is one of Bali’s greatest free spectacles.

Wire, bamboo, and paper models of monsters known as ogoh-ogoh are paraded around the island to summon demons, who will afterward be thwarted by the silence of an island that appears to be uninhabited. Often known as Bali’s “Monster Highway”, the route makes for a startling drive and a wonderful photo opportunity.

10. Chill out on some spectacular beaches

Kuta Beach, Location: Bali,  Indonesia, By Unknown author- Wikipedia

One of the best free experiences in Bali is basking in the sun on one of Bali’s dreamy beaches. The powdery white sands of Kuta and Seminyak are the heart of the island’s tourist scene, complete with luxury resorts, restaurants, and beach clubs mere feet from the shore.

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