This page is about the experiences themselves, not the towns. If you're still deciding between Canggu, Ubud, Uluwatu and the islands, our where to go in Bali guide covers that. Here we go through the nine things most solo travellers plan their Bali trip around, with what each one involves, where to do it, roughly what it costs, and how long to set aside.
The nine experiences worth planning around
1. Watch sunrise from the top of Mount Batur
What it is: a torchlit night climb up an active volcano in the Kintamani highlands, finishing with a simple breakfast cooked on the mountain's own steam vents while the sun comes up over the caldera.
Why: it's the one genuinely early, physical thing on this list, and the view over Lake Batur, with Mount Agung on the horizon on a clear morning, is worth the 1:30am pickup.
Where: Toya Bungkah, on the lake shore, about 1 hour 15 minutes from Ubud by road. Local trekking associations run the guides at the trailhead, and most tours bundle one in.
Cost and time: a shared sunrise tour with guide, transport and breakfast runs roughly IDR 500,000 to 800,000 per person, depending on the operator. Foreign visitors also pay a Kintamani area fee of IDR 50,000, so ask whether your tour includes it. The climb itself takes one and a half to two hours up and about an hour back down. Our full Mount Batur guide covers the route, the cost breakdown and what to bring.
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2. Walk the Tegallalang rice terraces
What it is: the stepped green hillside that shows up in most people's Bali photos, cut into paths and viewpoints north of Ubud.
Why: it earns the visit despite the crowds, especially if you go early enough to catch the light before the tour buses arrive.
Where: Tegallalang, about 20 minutes north of central Ubud.
Cost and time: there's no single ticket. Each entrance and viewpoint runs its own entry or donation booth, roughly IDR 15,000 to 50,000 depending on where you go in, with rope swings and photo platforms extra. Aim to arrive by 8am and give it an hour or two. Our Ubud guide has the full rice terrace and temple route.
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3. Bathe at a Balinese water temple
What it is: Tirta Empul, Bali's best-known water temple, where Balinese Hindus and visitors bathe under a row of stone spouts as a purification ritual.
Why: it's an active place of worship rather than a photo stop, and joining the bathing queue is one of the more direct ways to take part in something rather than just watch it.
Where: near Tampaksiring, a short drive from Ubud, often paired with a Batur day trip. Bring a separate change of clothes; bare shoulders and swimwear without a covering aren't allowed.
Cost and time: entry is about IDR 75,000 on one 2026 listing (another source lists IDR 50,000), including the sarong and sash you'll need, open 08:00 to 18:00, cash only. An hour is enough unless you're joining the bathing ritual, which takes longer with a queue.
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4. Take a surf lesson
What it is: a group lesson on a soft-top board, usually starting in the whitewash at a beach break.
Why: Bali is one of the easiest places in Asia to learn, and it's a good icebreaker if you're travelling solo and want to meet people fast.
Where: Batu Bolong or Berawa in Canggu for beginners. Once you can catch a wave on your own, the Bukit Peninsula around Uluwatu has faster, more advanced reef breaks. Our Bali surfing guide breaks down every spot by level.
Cost and time: a 2-hour group lesson in Canggu costs about IDR 300,000 to 500,000 with the board included; the same lesson on the Bukit runs about IDR 500,000 to 700,000. Most people take a lesson every day or two over several days rather than a one-off.
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5. Snorkel with manta rays, or dive Bali's east coast
What it is: reef manta rays gather at cleaning stations off Nusa Penida through the year, close enough to reach on a shared snorkel boat. Divers who'd rather stay closer to Bali itself can shore dive the USAT Liberty wreck at Tulamben or the calm bays at Amed instead.
Why: it's the most reliable wildlife encounter in the region, no dive certification needed for the snorkel, and Amed and Tulamben are two of the easiest places anywhere to learn to dive if you'd rather add a PADI course.
Where: Nusa Penida (Manta Bay and Manta Point) for the snorkel, reached by fast boat from Sanur; Tulamben and Amed on Bali's own east coast for diving.
Cost and time: a shared manta snorkel trip booked on Nusa Penida costs about IDR 250,000 to 350,000, plus a marine protected area fee of IDR 100,000 per person per day. Sightings are common but never guaranteed since mantas are wild, so book an operator that provides life jackets and a guide in the water, and skip it if the crew say the swell's too big. Give it half a day. Our diving and snorkelling at Nusa Penida guide and Bali diving guide cover currents, prices and safety in full.
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6. Watch the Kecak fire dance at Uluwatu Temple
What it is: a Balinese chant and dance performance built around a circle of bare-chested men who provide the entire soundtrack through rhythmic "cak" chanting, ending in a fire trance sequence, staged daily at sunset in Uluwatu Temple's clifftop amphitheatre.
Why: unlike a lot of tourist-facing culture in Bali, this one holds up. The temple's cliff-edge setting and the timing against the sunset make it worth the queue.
Where: Uluwatu Temple (Pura Luhur Uluwatu), on the Bukit Peninsula.
Cost and time: temple entry is about IDR 60,000 for adults, per the temple's own site (other listings differ), with the Kecak performance ticketed separately at IDR 150,000 for adults and 75,000 for children. Two troupes alternate through the week, so check the day's schedule when you arrive, and turn up with time to buy tickets and find a seat before sunset. Our Uluwatu guide has the rest of the peninsula, including the beaches either side of it.
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7. Take a Balinese cooking class
What it is: a half-day class, usually starting with a morning market visit, that walks you through a handful of Balinese staples such as lawar (a mixed vegetable, coconut and minced meat dish) and a Balinese-style nasi campur.
Why: it's a slower, sociable day that fills a gap between the bigger sights, and a decent icebreaker if you're travelling alone.
Where: Ubud has the most established schools, usually with an 8:30am market start. See our Ubud guide for what to eat around town beyond the class itself, and our Balinese food guide for the wider dishes to look out for.
Cost and time: about four hours including the market visit. Prices vary enough between operators that it's worth checking what's included (the market visit, the number of dishes, take-home recipes) before you book.
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8. Time a visit around Nyepi or Galungan
What it is: two very different Balinese Hindu occasions. Nyepi, the Day of Silence, shuts the whole island down for 24 hours: the airport closes, nobody goes outside, and the night before brings huge ogoh-ogoh monster parades through the streets. Galungan and Kuningan, ten days apart, are livelier and don't involve any shutdown. Streets and temples fill with tall bamboo penjor poles, and families dress up to visit temples.
Why: Nyepi is worth building an entire trip around if the idea of a genuinely silent island appeals, though it also means a day where you can't do anything else. Galungan and Kuningan are worth timing a visit around if you want to see Bali's temples and streets at their most decorated, without losing a travel day.
Where: island-wide for both. Nyepi's ogoh-ogoh parades are biggest in Denpasar and the larger towns.
Cost and time: Nyepi 2027 falls on Monday 8 March, with the island stopped from 6am that day to 6am the next; expect busy flights and roads in the week either side. Galungan and Kuningan in 2027 fall twice, on 13 and 23 January and again on 11 and 21 August. Our Nyepi guide and Galungan and Kuningan guide have the full detail and how to plan around each one.
9. Day trip (or overnight) to Nusa Penida and the Gili Islands
What it is: two island add-ons that most first-time itineraries build in alongside the mainland. Nusa Penida, 30 to 45 minutes by fast boat from Sanur, has the cliff viewpoints at Kelingking and Broken Beach plus the manta snorkel above. The Gili Islands, off Lombok and roughly 1.5 to 2.5 hours by boat from Bali, are three small, car-free islands known for turtles and easy snorkelling straight off the beach.
Why: Nusa Penida's cliffs and Kelingking's T-rex-shaped headland don't look like anywhere else on Bali, and the Gilis are the easiest slice of island life without traffic if you have the extra days to reach them.
Where: Nusa Penida from Sanur harbour; the Gilis from Padang Bai or Serangan, or on a direct boat of about 1 hour 45 to 2 hours 30 from Nusa Penida itself.
Cost and time: a Nusa Penida day trip covers one loop, west (Kelingking, Broken Beach, Angel's Billabong, Crystal Bay) or east (Diamond Beach, Atuh), since the boats and rough roads eat most of a day; staying one or two nights lets you do both loops plus the manta snorkel. Nusa Penida charges an IDR 25,000 arrival fee, and since 1 September 2026 also IDR 25,000 at each of six main sights, on top of Bali's own tourist levy. The Gilis charge their own levy of IDR 20,000 and are usually a 2 to 3 night add-on rather than a day trip, given the longer crossing. Our Nusa Penida day trip guide, Nusa Penida guide and Gili Islands guide cover the boats, loops and costs in full.
All nine experiences at a glance
| Experience | Where | Roughly how much | Time needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Batur sunrise trek | Toya Bungkah, Kintamani | Roughly IDR 500,000 to 800,000 (shared tour) | Half a day, very early start |
| Tegallalang rice terraces | North of Ubud | Roughly IDR 15,000 to 50,000 per entrance, per 2026 listings | 1 to 2 hours |
| Tirta Empul water temple | Near Tampaksiring | About IDR 50,000 to 75,000, per 2026 listings | About 1 hour |
| Surf lesson | Canggu (beginners), Uluwatu (advanced) | IDR 300,000 to 700,000 for 2 hours | 2 hours, ideally several sessions |
| Manta snorkel or east-coast diving | Nusa Penida, Tulamben, Amed | IDR 250,000 to 350,000 plus a IDR 100,000 marine fee | Half a day |
| Kecak fire dance | Uluwatu Temple | Temple entry about IDR 60,000 plus a ticket of IDR 150,000 for adults (per the temple's site) | Early evening, around sunset |
| Balinese cooking class | Ubud | Varies by school | About 4 hours |
| Nyepi or Galungan visit | Island-wide | Free to watch | Nyepi: 1 day shutdown. Galungan: no shutdown |
| Nusa Penida or Gili day trip | Off Bali's coast | Boat about IDR 150,000 to 250,000 each way; organised day tours roughly IDR 900,000 to 1.7 million | 1 day (Nusa Penida) to 2 to 3 nights (the Gilis) |
Practical notes for planning around these
Most of these sit in different corners of the island, so pick a base or two rather than trying to fit everything from one town. Ubud covers the Batur trek, the rice terraces and Tirta Empul. Canggu and the Bukit Peninsula cover surfing and the Kecak dance. Nusa Penida and the Gilis are separate boat trips. There's very little public transport between any of these, so budget for a car with a driver, a scooter if you're confident riding one and hold the right licence and International Driving Permit (see our visa guide), or a private transfer for each leg. Remember the IDR 150,000 Bali tourist levy is a one-off for the whole island, paid online before you arrive, not a per-activity fee. Our Bali cost guide and Bali visa guide cover the rest of what a trip costs and requires.
None of these need you to ride an elephant or watch a captive dolphin show to enjoy Bali's wildlife. The manta snorkel and the Gilis' beach-side turtles are the wild, free-swimming alternative, and they're better experiences for it.
Prefer to travel with a group?
If sorting the guides, boats and permits for even half this list feels like a lot to arrange solo, see our Bali and Indonesia group trips.
Keep planning
For where to base yourself while you tick these off, see our where to go in Bali guide and the Canggu vs Ubud vs Uluwatu comparison. For a full day-by-day plan, start with our Bali itinerary hub, and for the food to go with all of this, see our Indonesian food guide.
