Main areas of Bali

"The Canggu Area"

As you might've been able to tell from the map, the majority of things to do are all tightly packed into a relatively small area on the south-west coast of Bali just above the airport - we call it "The Canggu Area" and it's basically the tourism and expat hub of the island.

What's confusing and important to know about this area is that it's not actually very big, Canggu itself you can drive across in a few minutes (if the traffic's good), so when people are coming to Canggu and looking for accommodation they often don't consider Berawa, Umalas, Pererenan, etc. even though they're basically all the same place, or they'll see a dinner spot in Seminyak and decide against it because they assume it's far, even though it's actually only 5 minutes away - we definitely recommend just having a look on Google Maps at the distances and journey times between locations to put it into perspective, it's a really small area! For that reason, we call everything from Seminyak to Seseh "The Canggu Area!"

• Pro Tip: Berawa is the most central part of The Canggu Area, so it's probably the best place to stay if you really want to explore all around - sometimes the traffic can get really bad, so you can save yourself a lot of time by positioning yourself in the middle.

• Pro Tip 2: It gets quieter and less populated the further North and up the coast you go, so Seseh it mostly rice fields with a few villas and cafes, whereas Seminyak is not far off a city, just without highrise buildings.

The Canggu Area is great because it's the most developed and has the best access to amenities on the island, and that's actually why we live there! If you're coming for a month or more it's definitely a good base from which you can do trips to other areas, and if you're coming short-term it's still really worth visiting.

But it's also worth noting that it's the busiest and most chaotic part of Bali, and it's not the place with the most natural beauty, so if you're coming to get away from civilisation, either stay more on the North side, or just avoid The Canggu Area entirely and head to one of the areas below.

ULUWATU

Uluwatu is a magical spot on the tip of Bali's southern Peninsula, know for its stunning sea cliffs, white sand beaches, and very popular surfing spots. It has the same beach town vibe that Canggu used to have a few years ago, except the scenery and natural beauty is 100x better.

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UBUD

Ubud is pretty much the cultural hub, as well as yoga & spirituality hub of Bali! It's the only very popular area that's actually inland and not on the coast, so it's surrounded by jungle and rice fields, which make it quite unique in comparison to the other areas.

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GILI ISLANDS

The Gili Islands are three small very small but popular islands with turquoise waters and white sandy beaches. They're actually part of Lombok, the island next to Bali, and gili means island in Sasak, the local language in Lombok.

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NUSA ISLANDS

The Nusa Islands are three small islands off the southeast coast of Bali, known for their incredible cliff views and stunning beaches (it's like Uluwatu on st*roids), as well as swimming with manta rays! They're part of Bali and are made up of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida. Nusa means island/archipelago in Indonesian. They are so much faster to get to than The Gili Islands (20-40 minutes), and in our opinion way better.

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Amed

Amed is a hidden gem! It's honestly the most underrated spot in Bali in our opinion! It's a small beach town that goes along land shaped as what we can only describe as looking like the frosting on the edge of a cake. It's beautiful. Driving up and down along those roads is mesmerising, and the views of the mountains in the distance every time you get to a high point is insane.

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KINTAMANI

Kintamani is an underrated spot! It's the ridgeline of the crater that surrounds Mount Batur, the famous volcano that people hike the most in Bali. Most people only visit to watch the sunrise over Mount Batur, Mount Abang and Mount Agung from the south-western edge of the ridgeline, and then leave a few hours later - but there's so much more to do than that!

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LOVINA

Lovina is mainly where people go to swim with dolphins! Yes, you can literally SWIM with them! It was one of the coolest experiences we've ever had. But it's also a really pretty coastal area and is very close to some amazing waterfalls and hot springs!

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Sanur

Sanur is a popular beach town vibe spot on the East side of South Bali, on the other side of Denpasar to Kuta, Seminyak, “The Canggu Area” etc. It’s much more calm than the West side, with a very long promenade and cycle bath along the beach, with cafes/restaurants, hotels and shops etc all alongside it, and a white sand beach.

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NUSA DUA

Nusa Dua is a resort area with a gated community, with so many five-star resorts, like the Hilton and St. Regis, golf resorts, and fine dining places. It's the most well kept part of Bali and is definitely what we call 'boujee'.

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We'll add more areas and more info over time!