Kuta, Bali Travel Guide

Welcome to our 2 day tour of Kuta, Bali in Indonesia. We hope you enjoy traveling with us and are inspired to take your own trip. This trip was part of our seven month journey around the world which began in Flores, Guatemala. See a summary of the destinations we traveled to over our seven months here: link.

After a long flight from Cairns, Australia to Kuta, Bali we were ready for our first taste of Asia.

Why Travel to Kuta, Bali?

Bali is a beautiful island full of stunning cliffs, coasts, and temples. Kuta is a great centralized location in the southern part of Bali that will allow you to visit nearby temples, beaches, and is also home to a large and tons of fun water park, Waterbom Bali.

How Long to Stay in Kuta, Bali in indonesia?

We were happy staying two days. We hired a driver on our first day and were able to visit Uluwatu temple and some other stops along the way. We spent another day going to the local waterpark Waterbom Bali. In between we walked the main streets, tried out the local restaurants, and of course had some great inexpensive massages. While there were some other things that interested us near Kuta, we were happy with our our two days before moving on to Ubud.

Top Things to Do in Kuta, Bali

---

1) Uluwatu Temple (4o minute drive)

The #1 thing to do when in Kuta is to visit one of its most iconic Balinese Hindu temples, Uluwatu. The temple is located on the edge of a limestone cliff and is surrounded by forest. While touring the premises you’ll walk along the gorgeous cliffs/coastline, perfect for a dramatic sunset backdrop. At the time of this post, the entrance fee was $30,000 Indonesian Rupees, or $2 USD/per person.

Right next to the temple there is an open-air amphitheater where the locals perform the Indo-Bali dance known as the Kecak, a very vocal and interesting dance.

And the temple itself has some appealing landscapes and structures.

The temple is also home to the pick-pocketing gray long-tailed macaques, a noisy and aggressive species of monkey. If there is one thing you should know about these monkeys, is that they are not your friend, they look for trouble and will steal whatever you do not have a tight grasp on.

Bali 101: To enter any Hindu temple, men and women are required to cover their legs below the knee using a sarong. If you do not have one, you'll most likely be wearing shorts (it's so hot!). Luckily, a sarong can often be rented or borrowed at the temples. 

2) Waterbom Bali (in downtown kuta)

This ones for the thrill seekers. If you’re looking for a good time and to take a break from the hot sun, then you must visit Waterbom Bali. It is home to Asia’s steepest slide, the Climax, with a near-vertical drop of 26-meters (over 85 feet) and similar extreme slides. Not to worry, the park is very family-friendly, as they also have lazy rivers and plenty of pools for children of all ages. As of the date of this post, a single day pass is 20% off online for $308,000 Indonesian Rupees or $21 USD per person.

---

3) Abian Subak Agrotourism (25 minutes – on way to ulawatu)

Did you know the World’s most expensive coffee is Kopi Luwak? Here at Abian Subak Agrotourism, they have a unique way of producing their coffee. This Indonesian coffee is made with berries that have been eaten and digested by the Luwak, a native cat-like animal that roams the forests of Bali. Said another way, they dry and grind the poop berries of the Luwak. Mhhhm, yum! Make sure to stop by and enjoy your “Kopi Luwak” (cup of Luwak). It is free to enter and you can sample up to 12 types of coffee and an assortment of tea.

---

4) Get a Massage

Literally anywhere, you will not be disappointed, especially with the prices. 1 hour massages were less than $10/per person.

5) Hire a Driver

We’d highly recommend renting a driver for the day. You can expect to pay roughly $40 USD/per for the full day.

To get here, you climb down a set of stairs through a hollow rock entrance.

There are several nice rock formations with plenty opportunities for pictures. There are warungs (small local food stands) set up on the beach that serve light meals and refreshments. Now for the bad. This beach was crowded and a bit polluted (a dirty diaper floating in the water was not uncommon). Tourism or just careless visitors have left this beach in not the best condition.

Right off the coast you can swim to a small cave.; if you are brave enough to swim past the dirty diapers and floating debris (thanks Kurt).

---

7) Tanah Lot Temple (45 minute drive)

---

Tanah Lot is a beautiful rock formation on the West Coast of Bali and is home to the ancient temple “Pura Tanah Lot”, a popular tourist spot for photography. We chose to visit this temple as a day trip from our next destination, Ubud which is an hour away from this temple. So you could easily fit this in as a day trip from Kuta or visit on your way to Ubud/our next destination.

---

8) Jalan Legian (Jalan Road)

---

Legian Road is the main street that runs north-south through Kuta. This road contains a variety of shops, bars, hotels and dance clubs.

Where  to Stay in Kuta, Bali

---

AB Hotel

---

A modern 3-Star hotel in the heart of Kuta. The Mall, Kuta Beach, and Kuta Square (a shopping district) are all within walking distance. As of the date of this post, rooms were ~$14/usd per night.

Where to Eat in Kuta, Bali

---

Crumb & Coaster

---

A locally owned and operated coffee shop that offers delicious healthy brunch and dinner. Vegan and gluten-free options available. 

---

Beach Bowl

---

Think healthy, fresh and delicious. The best smoothie bowl in all of Kuta. The have options that cater to all diets ranging from vegan to gluten free. Their menu contains a variety of tasty fare for not only breakfast but lunch as well. The atmosphere is set in an inviting hipster style cafe.

---

Cha Time

---

Boba Tea – A big Taiwanese brewed tea chain that serves tea with optional tapioca pearls.

---

Shinta Warung

---

Traditional Indonesian food serving dishes like satays paired with vegetables and rice. Well-priced and tucked away from the main street

---

Warung Tandakan

---

Another traditional Indo-thai food restaurant, however, just recently they permanently closed. You can find many more restaurants that serve similar delicious fare. 

Other Recommendations of Things to Do

These are all adventures that we unfortunately didn’t have time to do on our own but would have considered if we had more time:

• Kuta Beach – This well-known popular beach gets a lot of mixed reviews. It is known for a great surfing spot and dirty polluted water. We didn’t get a chance to go, but are interested to see the present-day conditions. 
• Seminyak – An expensive beach coast filled with luxurious resorts and the famous Seminyak Beach, located on the west coast of Bali. This is a much more expensive side of Bali.
• Visit the GWK Statue (Garuda Wisnu Kencana) – A 122-meter (400-foot) statue of a Hindu deity, Vishnu. The enormous statue is a sight to see, while we were there it was just getting built, but it has been completed.

Questions For You

• Have you had a run-in with the aggressive pick-pocketing monkeys of Bali?
• What was your favorite beach in Bali?
• Would you try the luxurious Lubak coffee?