Bali

The most famous island in the archipelago is small — you can drive across it in two hours — but the cultural density is the appeal. Ubud is the inland cultural capital, surrounded by the rice terraces of Tegallalang and the monkey forest in the centre of town; Seminyak and Canggu are the surf-and-cafe coastal stretch; Uluwatu is the cliff-temple peninsula in the south with the famous kecak dance at sunset. Eat babi guling (suckling pig) at Ibu Oka, drink Balinese coffee at any roadside warung, and accept that the island runs on a daily calendar of small ceremonies that make traffic unpredictable in a charming way.

Tanah Lot sea temple silhouetted on its rocky outcrop in Bali at sunset, crashing turquoise waves around the base, golden orange sky reflecting on the wet sand
Tanah Lot temple at sunset.
Uluwatu temple perched on a sheer limestone cliff above the Indian Ocean in Bali, deep blue waves breaking far below, warm late-afternoon light
Uluwatu temple on the cliffs.
Layered emerald-green rice paddies cascading down a steep valley at Tegalalang in Ubud at golden hour, palm trees on the ridges, a farmer in a conical hat walking a narrow path
Tegalalang rice terraces, Ubud.

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