Bali is an island in the Indonesian archipelago that boasts every kind of natural beauty in addition to its magical temples and magnificent beaches. Its beauty is well known, however, Bali isn’t a country; it’s part of Indonesia!
Most visitors to Indonesia only visit Bali, so there is sometimes confusion about the island’s status.
Here’s a sample itinerary for Bali , with a good combination of culture, temples, beaches, greenery and beautiful landscapes:
The order indicated is important in terms of travel logistics. Upon arriving at the airport, we start by basing ourselves in the centre of Bali, in Ubud before exploring Jimbaran in the south of the island. From here, you can take a boat to the Gili Islands to the east and return via Nusa Penida to Seminyak, not too far from the airport.
My personal favourites are Ubud and Nusa Penida.
Ubud is located in the heart of Bali and will serve as a base to visit the surrounding areas.
Lempuyang Temple is best known for its “Gateway to Heaven” which is perfectly aligned with the Agung volcano in the background. The light of the rising sun on this temple makes for particularly beautiful pictures; for this I suggest you to go there very early.
Interestingly, there is no body of water in front of the temple doors creating the reflection that can sometimes be seen on social networks; the illusion is created with a mirror!
You will all need to put on a sarong to explore this sacred place, no matter what you are wearing. Shoulders should also be covered when visiting the site.
Then, Tirta Gangga a former royal palace with magnificent pools where you can see giant water lilies and huge goldfish. A little further on is Pura Tirta Empul, a water temple where you can watch the locals perform their purification rituals.
If you fancy visiting another of Bali’s impressive temples, I’d go to Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, just north of Ubud. It is picturesque and located on a lake.
On your 2nd day in Ubud, take a short hike to Mount Batur to catch the sunrise. The views from the top of this volcano are majestic when the first rays of light pierce the sky while eating some breakfast.
The climb takes about 2 hours depending on your level of physical fitness and is done in the dark of course; you should expect to leave Ubud around 2:30 am. If hiking isn’t your cup of tea, the alternative is to ride in a jeep.
In the afternoon, after a massage or a nap to recover from that early wake up call to climb Mount Batur, you don’t want to miss the rice terraces in Tegallalang to the east or Jatiluwih in the northwest. You’re free to walk around and when you gaze upon it, you’ll think “this is Bali“.
Finally, in Ubud itself, you won’t miss the opportunity to see monkeys everywhere. In fact, there’s a sacred monkey sanctuary well worth the detour (the Ubud Monkey Forest), but monkeys also roam freely in town. The sanctuary is more than just a tourist attraction: it’s also a place for wildlife research and conservation.
Be careful with your belongings, monkeys are kleptomaniacs.
For a local market experience in Bali, take a trip to the Ubud Traditional Art Market and its many small alleys; you will find more authentic pieces than in Kuta.
Before leaving Ubud, take time to enjoy a traditional Balinese dance performance or a flower bath at a spa.
The Uluwatu region is located on the Bukit Badung peninsula in the south of Bali; you can find splendid cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean and beautiful beaches.
At the western end of the peninsula lies the Pura Luhur Ulwatu temple, a superb place to watch the sunset and see the waves crashing against the walls; the building is not as impressive as its counterparts in Bali, but its location is magnificent.
Every evening, a traditional Balinese dance show takes place at the Uluwatu temple.
To relax, take a trip to Jimbaran Bay or Padang Padang beach which became very famous after the success of the movie Eat, Pray, Love.
The seafood restaurants in Jimbaran are succulent and I really enjoyed walking along the waterfront at the end of the day.
The atmosphere in Bali is more hectic, as it is very touristy: a short trip to the Gili Islands may be just the thing for a change of pace.
These islands are famous for their white sandy beaches and can be reached by speedboat, which takes around 2 hours from Bali at a cost of $20-30 per person. Public ferries are much less expensive, but also take up much more time.
There are three islands that offer different atmospheres:
If you want to enjoy the beach or yoga, you’ll find what you’re looking for on Gili Air. It’s a place that offers a little bit of everything.
Gili Trawangan or simply “Gili T” is the liveliest place to party. Gili T is also the place to see giant sea turtles while snorkeling or on the beach.
Finally, Gili Meno is the island for couples who prefer to relax in a beautiful setting and have a romantic getaway, far from all the party people. For a romantic getaway or for a wedding near Bali, my preference is Gili Meno.
What to do in Gili? Spend time in the water! The underwater life is very colorful! Near Gili Meno, there is an area with several underwater statues and lots of fish at Turtle Point.
The Nusa Islands near Bali are a good alternative to disconnect when you lack time to go to the Gili Islands. A (very long) day trip can be done independently or on an organized tour. The largest and most visited island is Nusa Penida, followed by Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan.
The scenery is breathtaking; these small islands off Bali are simply stunning, with their lush greenery and turquoise seas. Underwater, the coral reefs are teeming with life. If you’re lucky, you may even swim with manta rays and sea turtles. However, the currents can be strong in this area.
There are plenty of steep hikes in Nusa Penida, but your efforts will be rewarded with great panoramic views or crystal-clear beaches.
The most popular points of interest are:
My favorite viewpoint is the Thousand Islands Viewpoint and its T-Rex.
To round off your Bali vacation, spend a day or two in Seminyak, Legian, Canggu or Kuta; these places are very touristy, but they’re well located for a return trip home. Traffic in Bali can be quite heavy, so it’s best to not have to rush to Nusa or Gili!
There are lots of restaurants in this area, and the atmosphere is very Americanized; we only stayed for a day/evening before catching our outbound flight, and spent most of our time at the spa being pampered and massaged!
Although Bali is a budget travel destination, this is not necessarily the case for airfare.
In my experience, Bali is a place where it’s imperative to understand how the system works if you want to get by inexpensively; Bali‘s airport is relatively close to all the Asian hubs: Hong Kong, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok.
Bali airport is served by a number of Star Alliance members, including EVA Air and Singapore Airlines, and since June 1, 2023 by Emirates A380 service.
Economy-class flights are relatively easy to find on Aeroplan, but business-class availability is rarer on partner airlines from Dubai.
So if your goal is to go to Bali in business class, you’ll need to get a head start and play with tools like ExpertFlyer to find seats on the flights you want.
Aeroplan members can also combine flights with Air Canada and Emirates to reach their destination with a stopover in Dubai. They can earn Aeroplan points by flying with Emirates and redeem them for an award flight.
There are two ways to approach this itinerary with Aeroplan points:
For a beginner, picking up around 100,000 Aeroplan points can be done easily with just one card! For example, the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card or the TD® Aéroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card make it possible; even though these cards have high annual fees, think of it more as the price you pay to earn those points… thus the cost of your airfare! 599 to get to Asia and Bali is not expensive!
On top of that, you’ll enjoy a host of benefits with these high-end credit cards!
With Aeroplan’s fare structure, we have to use a tool like GCMap to design our route.
In fact, the best Aeroplan price for a trip to Bali is 60,000 points for a one-way ticket, or 120,000 points for a round trip in economy class.
If you do the YUL-EWR/JFK-SIN-DPS route, you’ll have covered 10,925 miles, just under the 11,000-mile limit.
However, we have one more layover as well as the inconvenience of having to change airports between EWR and JFK. This could be an opportunity to visit New York for a few hours!
A more direct route with only 3 flight segments is possible via Europe or Los Angeles and San Francisco. However, these routes are just over 11,000 miles (75 miles too many!). Consequently, these flights to Bali will be 15,000 points more expensive per direction.
Since you’ll have to pay to change airports in New York, it may be prefferable to pay a little more in points to reach Bali more comfortably. It’s up to you to decide what’s best for your situation.
In both cases, you can take advantage of the Aeroplan stop for an additional 5,000 points, provided it is not in North America. So head to Paris, Munich or Singapore on your way to Bali!
Another way to use Aeroplan points to get to Bali is to look for availability to a hub like Singapore. Then you can take a low-cost airline for the last leg of the jouirney to Bali. Mathematically and logistically, in my opinion, this is the better strategy.
In the previous section, we established that a round trip flight (economy class) to Bali is between 120,000 and 150,000 points per person depending on the itinerary chosen.
However, you can reach Singapore for less than 100,000 Aeroplan points without much hassle.
Then, round-trip tickets on low-cost carriers between Singapore and Bali vary around $200.
So by going to a hub and shelling out $200 for a low-cost flight, you can easily save 30,000 to 50,000 Aeroplan points. Depending on our valuation, these points represent $600 to $1,000.
Finally, another advantage of doing this is that you can make an Aeroplan stopover between Montreal and your hub. Then, spend as many days as you want in the latter before reaching Bali. In a way, you’ll have two destinations!
Since Oneworld is very dominant in Asia, using Avios can be more affordable, especially if you want to go in business class at a fixed cost, to try out several airlines or to make several stops.
You’ll see that Oneworld’s multi-partner fixed pricing is particularly interesting in this situation.
Finally, the easiest and fastest route from Canada to Bali is on Qatar Airways, with a stopover in Doha. The fixed fare is 100,000 Avios for a round trip in economy class, or 200,000 Avios in business class.
Compared to Aeroplan, we needed at least 120,000 points to reach Bali. In contrast, Aeroplan’s business class partner fare costs 230,000 points. Avios is therefore slightly more economical for these award tickets.
In Canada, Avios are easily obtained with RBC and American Express cards. The RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card earns Avios, while other cards earn points that can be transferred. See our page on the best credit card offers for Avios.
Finally, there are often transfer bonuses to Avios, so subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out!
Another program to consider for travel to Bali is Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. With this, you can reach Bali in Qsuite with just one stopover from Montreal on Qatar Airways! In business class, the round-trip fare is 180,000 Asia Miles.
As with Avios, you can use Asia Miles to build a multi-partner Oneworld itinerary. It is therefore especially interesting when you want to make a more complex trip with stops here and there.
To collect Asia Miles, you can earn them directly with the Cathay World Elite® Mastercard® provided by Neo (not available in Quebec). Otherwise, there are three transfer partners in Canada: American Express, RBC and Marriott Bonvoy.
Aeroplan, Avios or Asia Miles: what’s best for a trip to Bali? It will depend on the points you have or can accumulate, the availability of flights and the routes you want.
I’m very familiar with planning trips to Asia; from what I’ve seen, prices have really gone up since the pandemic and Revenge Travel. Of course, there are still bargains here and there that pop up, but they are very rare or involve a lot of unwanted stops.
So, to go to Bali, I now advise against the cash back and travel points strategy, but rather with Avios or Aeroplan points.
Of course, always do your research with Google Flights and your valuation calculations before making a decision; flexible currencies like American Express Membership Rewards should be favoured since they allow you to pay in cash and get reimbursed or to transfer them and pay with points.
In Bali, specifically in Kuta, you will be bombarded with vendors who will want to offer you organized tours. Although they will be less expensive than what you can find on a site like GetYourGuide, it’s best to book online as the quality standard will be more reliable.
When choosing an operator on the streets of Bali, you can either come away with a good deal or a bitter taste and regret not having paid a little more to guarantee quality.
If you love water activities, you won’t be disappointed! You could book a day exploring three snorkeling sites in Lembongan and Penida, an excursion to Gitgit Canyon with breakfast and lunch, or a sunrise hike on Mount Batur including a dip in natural hot springs.
For nature lovers, head for Ubud: let yourself be tempted by an electric bike ride through the rice paddies or a guided quad tour through magnificent landscapes.
This may seem very adventurous, but the best way to get around Bali is to do as the locals do… by motorcycle! Obviously, this is not an option with young children, but for a couple or a group of friends, it’s freedom at a low price!
You can even book online on this site and pay with your credit card without any conversion fees. I recommend this site for its reliability, good reviews and good rates.
Police officers occasionally stop tourists to ask for their driver’s license. Beware of scams by corrupt police officers.
The two main transport apps are Gojek and Grab. Uber isn’t exactly a favorite in Bali.
With Grab, you can even reserve the services of a driver for a few hours and visit the entire island of Bali!
Both are equivalent, but some will prefer the interface of one more than the other. So I suggest you download both applications and try them out. Then, if you can’t find a car on one, look on the other!
Personally, I never looked into car rental in Bali, because motorcycles are so cheap and so is renting a car with a driver for the day. It’s practical for families as you can go at your children’s pace while being guided by a local.
You will have to negotiate, but it is common to hire a driver to visit Bali at a cost of $20 – $40 for a period of 8 to 10 hours. However, most of the payment will be taken in cash.
Street cabs are also an option, but be prepared to haggle; even if you are not talented in this aspect, it’s generally not that expensive.
Keep in touch with your driver on WhatsApp; it’s a great way to call him if you ever need transportation again in Bali!
For people looking for luxury at low prices (or free with Rewards Points), Bali is the destination of choice, as it is a budget travel destination. There is surely something suiting of anyone’s budget, but staying in a 5-star hotel for the same price as a regular establishment in New York is definetly possible.
Bali is a sweetspot with Marriott Bonvoy and their properties are in prime locations in Kuta and Ubud; there are plenty of low-cost hotels in the chain.
Depending on current promotions, you can easily earn enough Marriott Bonvoy points to stay up to 18 free nights in Bali with the Marriott Bonvoy®American Express® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express® Card.
With two people, you could consider spending more than a month in this paradise for a total contribution of $540, thanks to generous welcome bonuses (2 cards with fees of $120 each and 2 cards for $150)!
Accommodation in Bali isn’t expensive, but nights in independent hotels or Marriott-caliber Airbnbs for less than $20 a night are rare. In addition, members with status can enjoy many benefits such as free (mega) breakfasts to save even more and upgrades for extra comfort.
Here are our reviews from Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Bali:
Similarly, Best Western hotels are very inexpensive in Bali. So this program is a good alternative (or complement) to Marriott Bonvoy with 5,000 point Best Western Rewards nights.
Undeniably, the region of Bali is the most developed for tourism, but if you can spare the time, the rest of Indonesia is also worth a visit.
Bali has retained its cultural charm despite the hordes of visitors and I loved it. That said, I also enjoyed the island of Java for a trip to Indonesia off the beaten track.
To follow my adventures on my Instagram account @wanderingaline, this is the way!
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aline Le (@wanderingaline)
A post shared by Aline Le (@wanderingaline)
The best time to discover the beautiful island of Bali is during the months of May, June and September; a period that skirts the high season of July and August. The rainy season is from November to March.
The weather will be ideal for exploring the island without the crowds, especially in Kuta, Canggu, Sanur and Seminyak; in the dry season. This destination is very popular with travellers from Australia; Bali is their favorite exotic place to escape the winter weather of July and August.
Canadians need a visa to enter Indonesia and Bali, this can be obtained online in advance or on arrival at certain entry points such as Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS).
You can visit the main points of interest on Bali in just one week since the island is not very big.
On the other hand, I’d suggest at least 10 days (and even 2 weeks) to have enough time to enjoy the heavenly beaches, immerse yourself in Balinese culture, contemplate the temples at sunset, relax and get an inexpensive massage, and visit the nearby islands of Gili and Nusa.
For hotels, there is no issues when you book online. So make sure you choose the right card to avoid currency conversion fees and get the best points multiplier!
Many restaurants and some businesses accept credit cards, but there is sometimes a 2-3% fee for its use. Bali is still a place where cash is king. So, I suggest you always have some cash on hand in case you want a spontaneous $8 massage or a $1 coconut while walking on the beach!
To get the best exchange rate in Bali, it is recommended to make withdrawals at an ATM.
I had several bad experiences with local currency exchange offices that tried to rip me off; the clerk would count the money in front of me, but when I took them in my hands, he would quickly (and very subtly) remove some bills.
I recounted in front of him without understanding why there was missing bills until I realized what he was doing and confronted him. Always recount the money handed to you in front of the clerk!
The budget for a trip to Bali depends on the level of comfort you desire. For an economical stay, allow around 60 CAD per day per person, covering simple accommodation, local meals and inexpensive activities. An intermediate trip costs around 200 CAD per day, with a 3-4 star hotel, varied meals and excursions. For a luxury stay, expect to pay around 600 CAD per day, with top-shelf accommodation and personalized experiences. These estimates exclude airfare.
Savings are here:
