Although Bali is a spectacular and beautiful island with plenty to do, it costs money all the time. Rightly so, if you want to get around town in a lazy way or go up country, get into entertainment places or shop-till-you-drop, or even prop up a bar filling your belly with cold  beer on a hot day.

If you use your initiative there is plenty that you can do and activities where you can enjoy yourself, be amazed and get fit at the same time. If you are traveling on a budget as a lot of travelers to Bali are, then you will find this list of things to do quite useful.

 

 

 

 

ENJOY BALI’S FABULOUS BEACHES

Bali has so many stunning beaches where you can suntan, swim, body surf, build a sand castle, read, listen to music, watch sunrises and sunsets, watch people, watch surfers, chat with locals or other travelers, walk, jog, run, meditate, practice yoga, stretch, skip to the loo… If you’re traveling with snorkelling gear, a Frisbee or hacky sack, then add those activities to the long list of great free ways to enjoy Earth’s natural beach paradise.

 

 

TAKE A WALK

Go explore, go discover and the wonders you will find. A motto I have always travelled by. It’s easy. Walk out the entrance of where you are staying and start walking and I don’t mean just down the main street. Walk down the gangs (alleyways) and see where they go to. If this is not your cup-of-tea then go down to the beach, pick a direction and walk. Best time for this is early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

WATCH ARTISANS AT WORK

Balinese are incredibly talents artists in a variety of mediums. Along the roads between Sanur and Ubud are a series of villages each specializing in a particular art or handicraft. Starting at the southernmost village of Batuan and heading north for 20 km ( 12 miles) you can visit small factories and workshops to watch the artists at work. Unless you want to walk, your only expense will be transportation. It’s cheapest and easiest to rent a motorbike. You could also hitch hike quite easily and safely from point to point.

 

VISIT MARKETS

Probably one of the favorite free activity and one that mostly enjoyed immensely. Walking around any traditional market will yield a host of colorful surprises and aromas, especially the food section. Not only that, it is a colourful experience! If you can catch a ride to Denpasar then I would recommend Pasar Badung and the clothes market, Pasar Kumbusari. If you can’t get into the big city then walk down to Kuta Market in Tuban, always interesting any time of the day. Even closer to home is the morning market on Jalan Buni Sari opposite Bemo Corner. As with any visit to the market getting there early in the morning is best.

 

TAKE PLEASURE IN VIEWING THE SUNSET

Without a doubt, the most popular free activity for all tourists to the island. Although a tad polluted now compared to it once was a decade ago, the renowned Kuta sunset still draws hundreds of tourists every evening come cloud or rain to witness the golden orb being swallowed up by the inky-blue ocean. Of course getting there about a half hour before the event is recommended as it can be very busy and especially on a day when there are no clouds. My favourite place to witness this wonder of nature is along the beach between the Centro discovery Mall and the airport in Tuban. It’s less crowded and if the tide is low, then the photographic opportunities will amaze you.

 

GO FOR WINDOW SHOPPING

Visiting anyone of the major department store complexes located in the tourist strip and just window shopping, people-watching or meeting new friends or old ones is an enjoyable experience. The two major complexes in the Kuta area excellent for the aforementioned are the Centro Discovery Mall located on Jalan Kartika Plaza in Tuban and the Matahari Mall in Kuta, each interesting in their own right.

 

JOIN AN EXCITING BALINESE HINDU FESTIVAL

Several days per week there’s one ceremony or other in Bali. Throughout the year larger annual festivals take place. Occasional mass cremations are held. On such important occasions, hundreds of locals, dressed in ceremonial clothing, march through the streets to a temple or beach, where they complete the festivities. These mass human parades block traffic. Funeral ceremonies are often held at beaches, where the ashes and offerings are released into the sea. In Sanur, beach funeral ceremonies are held at the far south end, at the central beach just north of the Grand Hyatt, at Sanur’s far north end, and at the beach just north of Sanur. At the Kuta / Legion / Seminyak / Cangu coast, funeral ceremonies are also held at designated spots along the beach.

 

ADMIRE BALI’S VIBRANT PAINTINGS

Among international art circles, Balinese paintings are deservedly famous. Many paintings fetch huge prices at international art auctions around the world. Bali’s center for painting is Ubud. There are several large museums and dozens of small galleries. While a few of the most famous museums have entry fees, many are actually free. The galleries are all free as well. Ubud has so many free galleries and museums that you could literally exhaust yourself gazing at paintings for several days. If you’re interested, you can learn the fascinating history and development of Balinese art and be able to distinguish the many different painting styles simply by wandering more slowly through Ubud’s galleries and museums. All for free!

 

WATCH BALINESE DANCE PERFORMANCES

Bali’s gamelan music, dance and drama performances are still an integral part of daily Balinese life, mainly because of the plethora of Hindu ceremonies and festivals. Gamelan troupes are employed for weddings, funerals, teeth filings, baby ceremonies and all temple ceremonies. Dance and drama are performed at larger temple festivals. Performances of gamelan, dance and drama are also held weekly, if not daily, at hotels, resorts, and restaurants around the island, specifically to entertain tourists. Those performances are often held in conjunction with dinners and buffets.

WATCH THE BUNGY JUMP

Not everybody’s idea of fun but, if you enjoy watching people jumping off a tower into thin air with only a long piece of rubber tied to their feet screaming in fear and or pleasure then head on down to the beach end of Jalan Double Six in Seminyak. The tall AJ. Hackett Tower can be seen for miles wherever you are along the beach and close up it is even more ominous. Probably the best time to watch these adventurers plunge into the abyss is around sunset.

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