Bali 1st time in September

[Meggie]

Hello from Montana,

I stumbled upon this great scuba forum and decided to reach out to everyone. Husband and I are going diving Bali for the 1st time (still deciding between Sept, Oct, Nov; but will probably end up going last couple of weeks of Sept). We have about 30 dives each. Recently became advance open water in Sept 2016 in Roatan.
Based upon reviews online I am thinking we should book and dive with Adventure Divers Bali in Amed. I read it's famous for the great diving sites. At least is what the internet says lol. We just care to see as much marine life as we can. We have mostly dived the Caribbean. Bali obviously supposed to be way more diverse when it comes to marine life.
We are going to be there for about 9-10 days. We are thinking to do like 6 days of diving (possibly Amed a few days and another diving spot for a few more) and another few days experiencing other sides of Bali - like elephant bathing, monkey forest, temples just any other cultural experiences. Where do you think we should stay on the island. Will have to stay in Amed at first and then we are wondering what part of Bali we should head to. Any input would be greatly appreciated! P.S. We are all about good food, art, history, nature, animals and marine life.
Thank you,
Meglena

 

[tursiops]

Go to Ubud for a few days.

 

[Adelaar Cruises]

@tursiops is correct, Ubud has a good central location to most temples, waterfalls, rice terraces, cultural dances and has great restaurants and accommodations. Make sure you stop over at the Tirta Gangga Water Palace on your return from Amed, you'll drive right by it on your way south.

We've recently written two blogs regarding Bali, here is the first one - Is Bali Worth a Stopover During Your Indonesian Dive Holiday. In it, you will find information on temples, waterfalls and excursions...etc.

Have a wonderful time in Bali! Get ready to be amazed.

 

[Luko]

We are all about good food, art, history, nature, animals and marine life.

Good food : Hujan Locale restaurant in Ubud, moderately expensive price (40USD/pax) book beforehand. Locavore : book weeks ahead, quite expensive though (starting from 60USD/pax).
Art : ok, everywhere in Ubud, great painting museums. Love the Puri Lukisan and the ARMA, less the Bianco museum. Dances nightly around royal palace in Ubud.
History and culture ; lots of temples around, just have a walk in the small streets of Ubud, otherwise big temples like Gunung Kawi, the key to the big temples is go early morning. i woudl not recommend Pura Basakih, lots of unpleasant people.
Nature : Jati Luwih rice terraces a bit far from Ubud though (3h ride) but you can stop at Waterfalls, or the SouthEastern Sidemen area, of course the Gunung Batur volcano.
Animals : I don't really like the Monkey forest unless you want to give your sunglasses to the monkeys. Skip Kopi Luwak tourist scams showing Civet cats.
Marine life : that's what you're here for. There are two main dive areas I would recommand for a first timer in Bali, Tulamben for the wreck and macro, and Nusa Lembongan/Nusa Penida for manta rays and great corals. Staying in Amed won't allow you to access to Nusa Penida easily, Personally, I don't think the diving in Amed is worth (IMO after 7 stays in Bali, but maybe first timers or advertizing will tell you the contrary)) perhaps you could reconsider your dive stay and spend 3 days either in Lembongan or in Padang Bai to get better access to Nusa Penida diving.

 

[billt4sf]

Good food : Hujan Locale restaurant in Ubud, moderately expensive price (40USD/pax) book beforehand. Locavore : book weeks ahead, quite expensive though (starting from 60USD/pax).
Art : ok, everywhere in Ubud, great painting museums. Love the Puri Lukisan and the ARMA, less the Bianco museum. Dances nightly around royal palace in Ubud.
History and culture ; lots of temples around, just have a walk in the small streets of Ubud, otherwise big temples like Gunung Kawi, the key to the big temples is go early morning. i woudl not recommend Pura Basakih, lots of unpleasant people.
Nature : Jati Luwih rice terraces a bit far from Ubud though (3h ride) but you can stop at Waterfalls, or the SouthEastern Sidemen area, of course the Gunung Batur volcano.
Animals : I don't really like the Monkey forest unless you want to give your sunglasses to the monkeys. Skip Kopi Luwak tourist scams showing Civet cats.
Marine life : that's what you're here for. There are two main dive areas I would recommand for a first timer in Bali, Tulamben for the wreck and macro, and Nusa Lembongan/Nusa Penida for manta rays and great corals. Staying in Amed won't allow you to access to Nusa Penida easily, Personally, I don't think the diving in Amed is worth (IMO after 7 stays in Bali, but maybe first timers or advertizing will tell you the contrary)) perhaps you could reconsider your dive stay and spend 3 days either in Lembongan or in Padang Bai to get better access to Nusa Penida diving.

We now have our plan for things to see in Bali. Thanks Luko! (Now please give us your best suggestions for Singapore ).

I certainly agree about the monkey forest. I love wild animals -- but the type that have been habituated in that way towards bipeds.

I think Amed is a great place for a while - a few days. Very relaxing lifestyle and very relaxing diving without the current, boat rides, and chop you'll get in some dives from Padang Bai. We found it very helpful to get some relaxing diving in, get our weighting down and all before we dealt with Indo currents. But we are slow learners.

- Bill

 

[peeweediver]

Four quick Ubud suggestions. 1. Do both of the rice paddy walks that begin in Ubud (see pic below) . Two hours tops for each and they are easy and beautiful. 2. Go to Sacred Monkey Forest right at 8:30 am when it opens. It's not yet overrun by tour buses and the monkeys have not gone crazy yet. We were done by 10:30 and left as crowds were massing. 3. Try Bridges Restaurant in Ubud. Go while it's still light out for an amazing jungle view during dinner and it only costs our group of eight $30 per person for food and wine (which is always the most expensive part of a meal in Indonesia). 4. See a dance at night. We were skeptical, but really enjoyed it. Have fun and enjoy the diving. We stayed 5 days in Ubud before heading out to Wakatobi.

Rob

 

[Meggie]

Thank you ALL so much for all your comments and feedback!! Super helpful will definitely take into consideration!!

 

[Meggie]

I guess if we decide to try to go to Nusa Penida for a few dives how easy is it to get there? How long does it take?

 

[Luko]

I guess if we decide to try to go to Nusa Penida for a few dives how easy is it to get there? How long does it take?

Nusa Penida is an island South off Bali isalnd, it takes 40 minutes speedboat ride. Normally the dive centres propose daytrips to Nusa Penida Manta bay or Manta point. I don't recommand using the dive centres from the east of Bali since they're not familiar with Nusa Penida which can be quite current prone at some times.
It would be difficult to get there from Amed since Amed is located on the Eastern side of Bali : it will take a car ride to Padang Bai (1 hour) then a ride to Nusa Penida... tedious, plus you get dive guides who are not specially aware of Nusa Penida conditions.
Best option to get there from Nusa Lembongan (another island South off Bali where you can stay and lodge) or from Padang Bai, a small village on Bali where you can lodge and where there are very god dive centres (like Geko dive for instance). These places accomodate the dive centres that are famliiar with diving Nusa Penida, know the best times and conditions..

 

[Bali1]

Be aware that driving around Bali tales a lot of time. There is a lot to see on land and in the water. There is great diving but it is spread around and you do need to plan well to maximize your time. I have been visiting since 1986 and this is one of my favorite destinations both for culture and diving.

I typically stay in Ubud or Sanur so it it reasonable to get to most dive sites with the exception of Menjangen. You are also closer to the usual sights on land. I would stay on the north shore if I was just diving and did not care about sightseeing; otherwise you will be on the road a ton.

You might consider contacting an operator for a dive safari where they will design an itinerary for you which may make sense. I dove with Aquamarine last July and they were terrific. I just arranged day trips but they can arrange dives and accommodations all over the island as a package. There are a number of really good dive operations and I certainly don't know most of them but some have been mentioned on these forums.There are also some sketchy ones so word of mouth can be useful. Find one you like and work with them closely to design a trip which suits your needs.

You are newer divers so diving Nusa Penida or the big dives off Padang Bai may be very challenging. Roatan is really calm in comparison. However you will be there in the height of Mola season. The Manta dives near NP are incredible too but the conditions are really dicey day to day. If you do base in Amed or Tulamben diving the Liberty and Menjangan are pretty easy dives and both spots are incredible. If you can arrange it dive the Liberty at night, on the full moon is best.

Good luck. Bali is magical.