Bali today, with its pictorial beaches and idyllic nature, is among the most beautiful isles of the world. Because of its wide variety of cultures and historic monuments, it is not only a wonderful place to relax, but also for adventurer and explorers.

Bali is one of the two Sunda-Isles in the Indian Ocean, between Java and Lombok and is a part of the republic of Indonesia since 1949. Here you can find three time zones. Bali itself lies in the central Indonesian time zone, so it’s GMT+7 (in Winter GMT+6) hours. The Balinese capital city is Denpasar which is placed in the south of the island. The people mostly speak Balinese dialects; in touristic areas English is popular, too. The common currency is Indonesian Rupiah, but more and more often it is possible to pay per credit card. Even cyber cafes you can find on Bali already.

With its 5.600 square kilometers, Bali is a small island, but it offers its visitors a huge variety of fauna and flora. You can find six vegetation zones on Bali. Over the half of the area is covered with mountains of volcanic origin. The biggest vulcan on the island, with over 3.000 attitude difference, is the „Gunung Agung“, which means “Huge Mountain”. Its last breakout took place in 1963. The climate is affected by the monsoon rain, which falls mostly from November to March and the dry season from April to October, in which the temperature lies between 77 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 25 to 30 degrees Celcius).

The fauna of the island offers a huge variety of apes, snakes and saurian. Characteristic for the island are the Bali Stars – a bird species, which you can only find in the Balinese National Park.

Not only afloat, but also underwater there is a lot to discover. Bali is famous for its wonderful Diving Sites.

The Diving Centers are represented here with 4 Diving Centers. The Pondok Sari Resort, as well as the Matahari Beach Resorts and Spa are located on the touristic few developed North-West-Shore of Bali, directly at the fine sandy lava beach of Permuteran. On the North-East shore of Bali, behind coconut and orange plantations, you can find the Alam Anda Dive and Spa Resort. The youngest of the four hotels, the Siddhartha Dive and Spa Resort, is also located on the North-East shore of Bali, exactly speaking in the little village Kubu.

No matter if beginner or professional, everybody benefits here. Breathtaking coral reefs in Menjangan will amaze you. While diving at the steep face in Nusa Penida you can meet ocean sunfishes and sharks. In the east of Bali you should try the wreck diving in Tulamben. A special highlight is the Secret Bay in the West of Bali. Here you can try the so-called mud diving.

The population of approximately 3 million mostly consists of Balinese, who typically practice the Hinduism. Religion is an important element in the life of the people. Every Hindu community has 3 temples. Every home and cohabitation has its own temple. That’s why Bali is often called: “The isle of the thousand temples”. When visiting complexes of temples you should adapt the local conditions. That means for example to wear a sarong, which is a kind of wrap-skirt. Visiting Bali, you should not miss the typical Balinese dances. Mostly they tell a little story to the audience and are danced by women.

The basic food on Bali is rice. Beside there are served little portions of pork, fish, goat meat or even snakes. On holidays or as sacrificial  offering duck is essential. The traditional Balinese Food is often intensively flavored and very hot.

Furthermore Bali is known for its handcrafts. The Balinese are experts in basketry and the creation of silver trinkets, but also in painting and drawing. Tourists should visit one of the numerous Balinese galleries, in which you can find and buy a lot of different pictures and drawings.