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Introduction

Bali is so pictures that you could be fooled into thinking it was a painted backdrop: rice paddies trip down hillsides like giant steps, volcanoes soar through the clouds, the forests are lush and tropical and the beaches are lapped by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

Country: Indonesia
Area: 5620 sq km
Population: 3 million
Capital City: Denpasar
People: 95% ethnic Balinese, plus Javanese minority
Religion: 95% Balinese Hindu, plus Muslim and Christian minorities
Language: Bahasa Bali, Bahasa Indonesia plus English in tourist areas

Click here for basic language introduction

Climate

Bali's average temperatures are at about 30°C all year round with high humidity. The dry season with lower humidity and cooler nights runs from April to September and wet season fro October to March. The heaviest rain fall is in February and March. It is cooler and wetter in the mountains and drier on the east coast, the far west and the Bukit Peninsula in the south.

Passport and Visa

Indonesia requires that your passport has at least six month of life left on your date of arrival. Immigration at the airport may also ask to see a ticket to a destination outside of Indonesia, or proof of sufficient funds for the duration of your stay and for onward travel, without which you may be refused entry.

Immigration regulations

in Indonesia have changed as of February 1st, 2004. Click here for Immigration information

Customs and Duty - Free

Customs allow you to bring in a maximum of 2 liters of alcoholic beverages and 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 grams of tobacco.

Bringing arms and ammunition, pornography, printed matter in Chinese characters and China medicines into the country is prohibited. Officially, cameras, computers, radios and the like should be declared upon arrival, but in effect custom officials rarely worry about how much gear a tourist brings into the country. Personal effects are not a problem.

DEATH PENALTY ON DRUG TRAFFICKING !!

Money

The Indonesian currency is the Indonesian Rupiah which hovers at around IRP 9.200 to 1 US$. There are moneychangers in many locales. They are open longer hours and change money and travelers checks much faster than the banks at competitive rates.

US$ are easily the most widely accepted currency and often have a better exchange rate as other currencies.

Make sure US$ bank notes are not torn or dirty and US$ notes should not be older than printing date 2003. For unfathomable reasons moneychanger pay lower rates for smaller than US$ 100 denominations of US$ bank notes.

The Euro is also accepted everywhere, no need to exchange into US$ first !! The Euro is traded at around IRP 12.000 to 1 Euro.

ATM's (which accept Visa, Master, Cirrus) have proliferated in Indonesia in the past view years that you can travel throughout Bali and never having to set foot in a bank or moneychanger. You need a PIN for your credit card !! It is recommended though to carry some cash or travelers checks as a back up.

Electricity and Electrical Appliances

Electricity runs generally at 220V - 240 V AC. In some rural areas the system still runs on 110 V and some remote areas do not have electricity at all. Power supply may be unstable.

You may need an plug adaptor with two pronged, parallel pins.