Bali travel essentials: your first hours sorted

Ngurah Rai / Denpasar airport (DPS) is small and easy, but the arrivals taxi area is the one pinch point: the official airport taxi counter charges a fixed, heavily marked-up fare, and the ride-hailing apps (Grab/Gojek) are restricted from picking up right at the terminal, so drivers may meet you at a designated point a short walk away.

For a first arrival — especially landing tired or after dark, or heading the 1.5–2 hours up to Ubud — many travellers find a pre-booked transfer the calmest option: a fixed price agreed in advance and a driver waiting with your name, no negotiation at the kerb.

A travel eSIM installed before you fly is the simplest way to land connected — useful immediately for finding your driver, messaging your villa and opening Grab/Gojek. Skip the airport SIM kiosks; an eSIM is usually cheaper and you’re online the moment you switch your phone off airplane mode.

Connectivity across the south and Ubud is good; it gets patchier in the north, the mountains and on the smaller islands, so download offline maps for any day trips.

Bali runs much more on cash than Dubai or Europe — warungs (local eateries), markets, smaller drivers and many villas are cash-first, though cafés and bigger restaurants increasingly take cards. Withdraw rupiah in reasonable amounts so you’re not hunting for an ATM constantly.

Card skimming at standalone ATMs has been an ongoing issue in tourist areas. Many travellers stick to machines attached to a bank branch or inside a supermarket, cover the keypad, and use authorised money changers (count your cash before leaving) rather than street booths advertising suspiciously good rates.

Getting around Bali means scooters, ride-hailing or a private driver. Grab and Gojek (cars and bikes, price shown up front) are cheap and widely used, though some areas restrict app pickups under pressure from local taxi co-ops — your driver may meet you around the corner. For day trips, hiring a private driver for the day is inexpensive and popular with solo and 50+ travellers.

On scooters, here’s the straight talk: they’re the cheapest freedom, but road accidents are the single biggest cause of traveller injuries in Bali. If you’ve never ridden, Bali’s chaotic traffic is not the place to learn; if you do ride, wear the helmet, carry the correct licence (an International Driving Permit with the motorcycle category — police checks happen), and check your travel insurance actually covers you.

Bali is the most relaxed part of Indonesia for LGBTQ+ visitors — Seminyak in particular has an established, welcoming scene, and same-sex couples travel here comfortably with ordinary discretion. Indonesia as a whole is more conservative and the legal picture is mixed, so we keep the honest, up-to-date detail on the dedicated guide.

Bali’s best days out — sunrise Mount Batur treks, the rice-terrace and waterfall loops, a Nusa Penida day trip, a Ubud cooking class — are worth booking through a reputable operator with recent reviews rather than the first sign on the street, both for safety (especially boats and treks) and to avoid being herded through commission stops.

Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence (in March), is unlike anything else: for 24 hours the entire island shuts down — no flights in or out, the airport closed, no going outside, lights kept low, even for visitors. It’s a remarkable thing to witness from your accommodation, but only if you’ve planned around it. Check the exact date against your travel plans.