South Bali Travel Guide
The region known as South Bali on the Indonesian island of Bali is packed full of beaches perfect for surfing and a wide variety of hotels to suit all budgets.
Kuta Beach sits in South Bali and it is one of the most developed towns on the island. There are rolling waves, local beach boys, masseurs and numerous hotels and restaurants lining the back of the busy beach and lots of stalls selling local handicrafts and souvenirs.
Shops are in abundance in Kuta and there are always interested travelers and backpackers wandering the streets. As well as some of the larger hotels on Bali, there is also a good selection of hostels, cheap rooms and mid-range accommodation to choose from in Kuta, one of the main reasons it is so popular.
Legian is also part of what is known as South Bali and is often mistakenly thought of as part of Kuta Beach. Seminyak and Batubelig are home to white sandy stretches of beach that have strong currents so swimming is not advisable. Accommodation in the area is reasonably priced and there are many attractive holiday villas dotted around.
Sanur Beach in South Bali is where the holiday development was first centred but it has since moved to the larger towns of Denpasar and Kuta. It is now quiet and the beach is nothing special as it is often the victim of litter brought in by the tides; the beach in Kuta is much more inviting and attracts anyone from Australian surfers to Swedish backpackers.
Denpasar is the Balinese capital and home to the island’s international airport. While most tourists bypass it for the beaches, it has a few interesting sights and excellent shopping, making it a good spot to pick up batik.
Getting There & Away
The main gateway into Indonesia is the international airport in Jakarta. From the capital city there are regular flights to Bali that take a journey time of 1 hour, 20 minutes. From Bali’s international airport in Denpasar, Bali, South Bali regions are only a 10-minute drive away and there are plenty of bemos and taxi to take you around.