Turtle Island

Very close to the shore, south of Sanur and close to the mouth of Benoa Harbour, is Pulau Serangan (Turtle Island). At low tide you can actually walk across to the island. Here turtles are captured and fattened in pens before being sold for village feasts. Turtles are now being protected on the west coast of Bali due to dwindling numbers and tourists are advised to refrain from eating any turtle meat or buying products made from turtles.

Jimbaran Bay

Jimbaran is a small upmarket resort area, home to The Four Seasons and InterContinental Hotels. Located just beyond the airport, south of Kuta, Jimbaran Bay is a crescent of white sand beach and blue sea and is famous for it's many fish restaurants situated on the beach offering the freshest fish brought in by local fishermen each day.

Benoa

Benoa Harbour is the major port for the south of Bali and a haven for visiting yachts. Benoa village has become the centre for all sorts of watersport activities including scuba diving, windsurfing and para-sailing.

Kapal

Kapal is the garden gnome and temple complex centre of Bali and is located in south west Bali.

Tabanan Area

Tabanan is in the heart of the rice belt of southern Bali and also a great centre for dancing and gamelan playing. Nearby a road turns down to the coast through Kerambitan, a village noted for it's beautiful old buildings including two 17th-century palaces. There is some beautiful scenery on the way to Negara, the capital of the Jembrana District, but far less tourist development. The road continues to Gilimanuk, the terminals for ferries which shuttle back and forth across the narrow strait to Java.

Gianyar

Gianyar is the administrative centre of the Gianyar District, which also includes Ubud. In the centre of town, across from the large open space known as the Alun Alun, the old palace is little changed from the time the Dutch arrived in the south and the old Kingdoms lost their power. The Gianyar royal family saved their palace by capitulating to the Dutch rather than making a heroic last stand like the other Balinese kingdoms. Despite its relatively original appearance, the palace, dating from 1771, was destroyed in a conflict with the neighbouring kingdom of Klungkung in the mid-1880's and was rebuilt, only to be severely damaged again in the 1917 earthquake. Nevertheless, it's a fine example of traditional palace architecture, surrounded by high brick walls. The royal family still live in the palace, so without formal invitation you can do not more than look in through the gates. Gianyar's warungs are noted for their fine roast piglet known as 'babi guling'. It is advisable to eat early though, as the warungs often have no food left by the afternoon.

Celuk

Travelling from Batubulan to Celuk, both of which are en-route to Ubud from Sanur, you move from stone figures to filigree. Celuk is the silversmithing centre of Bali and features a wide variety of jewellery on sale or you can order your own design.

Mas

Interestingly, Mas means gold but this town is actually well known for it's woodcarving, especially mask carving. The road through Mas is lined with craft shops and visitors are welcome to drop in and browse through the myriad of items for sale and see the carvers at work.

Jatiluwih

Perched on the slopes of Gunung Batukaru (Batukaru mountain), but closer to Bedugul is the small village of Jatiluwih, whose name means 'truly marvellous'. The view truly is - and takes in a scenic panorama of southern Bali.

South - North Route Through Pupuan

Two most popular routes from south to north are through Kintamani or Bedugul, but the road from Pulukan which branches north from the Denpasar to Gilimanuk road, is an interesting and less used road. This route offers views of the ocean and spice-growing country, runs through an enormous Banyan tree and then spirals down to Pupuan through some of Bali's most beautiful rice-terraces and ends at Seririt situated west of Lovina on the north coast.

Amed

Situated on the east coast of Bali lies the town of Amed which has become a popular diving and snorkelling destination over the last ten years. This part of Bali is relatively dry and barren but it is equally stunning as it is the stretch of coast where Bali's mightiest mountain Gunung Agung descends to meet the sea.

Singaraja

Located on the north coast of Bali, Singaraja used to be the centre of Dutch power in Bali and remained the administrative centre until 1953. It is one of the few places in Bali where there are still visible reminders of this Dutch period. Featuring tree lined streets and Dutch colonial houses there are also Chinese and Moslem influnces from Singaraja's time as a centre of administration and trade. For many years the port of Singaraja was the usual arrival point for visitors to Bali but is hardly used now due to it's lack of protection from bad weather. It remains a major educational and cultural centre and apart from two university campuses there is the Gedung Kirtya Historical Library with a magnificent collection of around 3000 old Balinese manuscripts inscribed on lontar (palm).

Bali Barat National Park

This national park covers nearly 20,000 hectares of the western tip of Bali. In addition 50,000 hectares are protected as the National Park extension as well as nearly 7,000 hectares of coral reef and coastal waters. On an island as small as Bali, this represents a major commitment to nature conservation. It is advisable to use the local guides to take you for walks through the park.

Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida, an administrative region within the Klungkung district comprises three islands - Nusa Penida with it's towering cliffs, the smaller Nusa Lembongan to the north-west and tiny Nusa Ceningan between them. Economic resources are limited on Nusa Penida as it has been a poor region for many years and there are few facilities for tourists. The cultivation of seaweed is a recent development but now quite well established and is exported to Japan and Europe.

Nusa Lembongan

Most visitors come to this tranquil island for the surf that breaks on the coral reef offshore. This reef is also noted for great snorkelling and diving and protects the beach which is a perfect crescent of white sand with clear blue water and superb views across the strait to Gunung Agung volcano on mainland Bali.

Taman Buaya & Reptile Park

This park houses not only four of the famous Komodo Dragons but also a large collection of crocodiles, lizards and snakes within large tropical gardens. "Feeding Time", a snake and magic show and even crocodile wrestling go to make this an interesting family experience.

Whitewater Rafting

The Ayung River is Bali's most spectacular and provides 27 sets of challenging and fun- filled rapids set to a backdrop of wild unspoiled rainforest, towering gorges and magnificent rice paddy terraces.

Blahmantung Waterfall

Located near Pupuan, in West Bali, this spectacular waterfall drops over 100m - especially in the rainy season. Be prepared for a bit of a trek up a steep and at times rough track to get there.