1. Besakih Temple

The main sanctuary of Bali. A very ancient and beautiful temple with a thousand-year history. You will be especially lucky if you arrive here on a festive day – then you can see religious ceremonies, dances, prayers, and even offerings to the local gods. Besakih Temple stands high in the mountains, so after lunch it is often wrapped in clouds. The view is stunning, and the feeling is impossible to describe.

2. Taman Ayun Temple

“Taman” means “garden,” so it is easy to guess that the temple stands in a beautiful garden. More precisely, it is not even a single temple but a whole complex of pagodas, each dedicated to a particular deity. They are all built in a specific order and together symbolize Mount Mahameru, sacred to the Balinese, where according to legend the supreme God and the souls of the dead reside.

3. Ulun Danu Temple

This is probably the most beautiful water temple in Bali. It stands on Lake Bratan in the mountains and is dedicated to Dewi Danu, the goddess of fertility. Local residents pray to her for a good harvest. It is believed that every Balinese person should undergo a cleansing ritual in the waters of this sacred lake at least once a year. Tourists, by the way, are welcome to do the same.

4. Pura Tanah Lot

Only Pura Tanah Lot can rival Ulun Danu for the title of Bali’s most beautiful water temple. This active Hindu temple is literally carved into a rock in the middle of crashing waves. It is connected to the shore by a thin strip of land, but at high tide it is completely flooded, making the temple much harder to reach. A spring bubbles out of the rocky island and is believed to have healing powers. Legend says that divine light once shone from it and led the Brahmin Nirartha to this place. He was the one who built this remarkable temple here in the 15th century.

5. Elephant Cave

A very ancient temple carved into the rock by local monks more than a thousand years ago. Remarkably, it was discovered only recently – in 1923. Before that it remained in nature’s embrace, probably damaged by a powerful earthquake. Do not let the name mislead you into thinking elephants once lived on the island. The temple is dedicated to Ganesha – the Hindu deity with an elephant’s head. At least, that is whose image archaeologists found on the altar.

6. Mount Batur Volcano

This huge active volcano in northeastern Bali is not only a local attraction but also a sleeping threat. It last showed activity not so long ago – in 2000, when it sent columns of ash 300 meters into the air. Even so, tourists eagerly book climbing tours and conquer it again and again. The ascent takes about an hour and a half, so by lunchtime most “mountaineers” are already back on the beaches, excitedly sharing their impressions.

7. Eka Karya Botanical Garden

This garden is set high in the mountains on the shore of the famous Lake Bratan. A unique climate forms here, so rain can start unexpectedly even when the sun is shining all around. The garden is vast – about 150 hectares – and home to nearly 1,200 plant species. Among them are rare, incredibly beautiful, endangered, and even narcotic species.

8. Garuda Wisnu Kencana Park

This park may soon enter the Guinness Book of Records as the home of the tallest statue in the world. The monument to the god Vishnu, who will sit on his faithful companion Garuda, will reach 150 meters once completed. For comparison, the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro is only 38 meters tall even with its pedestal! For now, all around the park you can see only fragments of the future giant: Vishnu’s head and torso, his hands, and Garuda’s head.

9. Bird Park

This park is home to nearly 1,000 birds from different parts of Indonesia, Africa, and South America. Most of them can move freely around the grounds and even stroll along the paths with you. Besides birds, the park also has all kinds of reptiles: snakes, lizards, monitor lizards, crocodiles, iguanas, turtles, and other cold-blooded creatures.

10. Safari Park

If you do not like zoos because the animals are kept in cages, head to the safari park. The enclosures here are so vast that you have to travel through them by bus. Tigers, elephants, lions, giraffes, monkeys, crocodiles, and many other animals live side by side here, much as they would in the jungle. The park even has a restaurant located right inside the lions’ enclosure. Its walls are completely transparent, making it feel as if you are dining in truly royal company.