We can agree together that Bali island is one of the best things in Indonesia. This island is also one of the provinces in the country with its capital, Denpasar. The island itself located on the area of Nusa Tenggara islands. The island of Bali also included inside a group of islands named Sunda Kecil or Lesser Sunda Islands with three difference provinces such as Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara right on the Northeast of Australia.
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Aside from the whole island of Bali, the other smaller islands located around it are also notable like Nusa Ceningan island, Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, Serangan, and Menjangan island that also considered to be great places for vacation. Bali island has about nine different areas, one city and eight districts with the famous one, which is the capital, Denpasar city. Each city has their own unique attraction for the tourists. To grasp the information about the must visit cities in Bali, you can see the explanation right on below :
1. Denpasar
The city of Denpasar is the center of tourism on this island, having the highest per capita Income and growth. Let’s talk about the history of this city first. The name Denpasar came from the word “Den” which means North and “Pasar”, which means a Park. So Denpasar altogether means a Park on the North side. But, it’s not just an ordinary park.
It was the favorite of Badung King, Kyai Jambe Ksatriya. Back in the 19th century, the Denpasar area was part of Badung Kingdom, which fallen shortly after Netherlands arrival on the island. Now, Denpasar city is visited by approximately more than a million people each year. There’s a lot of attractions here, such as Sanur Beach, Bali Museum, Sindu Beach, Sakenan Temple, and many others.
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2. Klungkung
Klungkung is one of those eight districts in Bali. This one is actually the smallest of all, with its capital, Semarapura. Klungkung has some borders, like with Bangli on the North, Karangasem on the East, and Gianyar right on the West. On the south side, there’s Hindian Ocean. Near from that very ocean, you can find some beach attractions.
In the Kingdom Era, Klungkung was a center to reigns of the kings of Bali. The founder of this Kingdom was none other than Ida I Dewa Agung Jambe, which is the successor of Gelgel Dynasty. Long after histories started to pass, Klungkung now became a tourist area with its attractions like Puputan Monument, which is the most respectable monument on the island, and also the tourism village of Kamasan.
3, Tabanan
Another district is Tabanan. It’s located about 35km from Denpasar city. Like all the districts on this island, Tabanan also has administrative borders. The borders are Buleleng on the North, Badung on the East side, and Jembrana on the Westside. The area is known for its touching motto, “Sadhu Mawang Anuraga”, which means faithful and wise to carry out the Dharma for Love and the People.
On the logo of Tabanan district, you can see some meaningful aspects. There are three important ones, like The Mount Botukaru in the background, a temple (Pahlawan Margarana Temple), and also Rice and Cotton, which symbolizing the people’s daily needs. About the tourism, this area has about twenty different attractions, starting from Tanah Lot Temple to Angseri Hot Springs.
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4. Karangasem
The next must visit cities in Bali is Karangasem. The capital of Karangasem is Amlapura. This area has two main ports, the Padang Bai and Tanah Ampo. Like you may know already, on Bali island there’s a lot of temple can be found in each corner. And the biggest one is located in this very area, the Besakih Temple. Let’s talk about the history of this area first.
Karangasem came from the words Karang Semadi. There are references about the origin of this area, like the explanation contained within Sading C Inscription which can be found in Geria Mandara of Badung area. You can visit this area as an alternative or your main destination because in here, there’s like a lot of natural attractions such as Jambul Hill, Bias Tugel Beach, and also Perasi Beach.
5. Buleleng
Do you know an area named Singaraja? That very area that is known for having entertainment is right in a district named Buleleng. Singaraja is the capital city of this area. On the North Side of this district, there’s the Java sea. Meanwhile, this area is also “guarded” with Bali strait on the West, Karangasem district on the East, and also some districts like Jimbaran, Bangil, Badung, and Tabanan on the Southside.
Besides known for having the largest agriculture and the producer of two popular fruits in Bali named Salak Bali and Keprok Orange, Buleleng is also popular with its unique and wonderful attractions. Aside from the Singaraja city, you can find something else like Pulaki Temple, Air Sanih, and the famous Lovina Beach.
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6. Badung
The next one is Badung. The area of Badung is like almost as popular as Denpasar. In Badung, there’s a popular attraction named Nusa Dua Bali, which is the location for doing any forms of watersport. The capital of this district is Mengwi. But, the capital city of Badung was actually Denpasar, which is now becoming a single independent city.
The borders of Badung area are Buleleng district on the North Side, Tabanan district on the West, and also three different areas of Denpasar, Bangli, and Gianyar on the East. The area has its own interesting history of Badung Kingdom, the strong one in the land of Bali. About the tourism, this area has approximately 49 different attractions that you can pick.
7. Bangli
After talking about Badung, now we’re going to Eastside to a district named Bangli. For your information, Bangli is the only district that surrounded by lands. Well, the others have sea or even ocean as their border. About the borders, the North side of Bangli is Buleleng, Eastside is Karangasem and Klungkung districts, Badung and Gianyar on the West, and finally Gianyar on the Southside.
The Bangli area has about 520 thousand square kilometers wide and inhabited by 197 thousand people. The capital of this district is Bangli, very similar. About the attractions, there are few of them that worth mentioning like the famous haunting island of Terunyan, Kehen Temple, Dalem Jawa Temple, and also the popular Lake Batur.
8. Gianyar
The next one in the must visit cities in Bali is the center of handicrafts in Bali. The name of the area is Gianyar. Gianyar has some interesting histories, starting from its origin back in 1771 when this place was picked by Ida Dewa Manggis Sakti as the name for The King’s Palace. After going to different eras, Gianyar now becoming a popular spot, one of the famous ones on this island.
The area of Gianyar has about nine different subdistricts. Included in them area Ubud and Sukawati. In this location, you can spot so many famous attractions that very loved by tourists like Bali Bird Park, Bali Safari and Marine Park, and Sukawati Market. Aside from those, there’s the Monkey Forest where you can interact with the monkeys that inhabit the place since a long time ago.
9. Jembrana
The location of Jembrana districts is on the most west spot of Bali island. Interestingly enough, the name of its capital is Negara, which in Indonesian means a country. In that capital alone, there are two main attractions named Baluk Rening Beach that famous for its black sand and Mekepung, a Balinese tradition that held in every year.
Back to Jembrana, the borders of this area are Tabanan districts on the East, Buleleng right on the North, and the Hindian Ocean on the South side of Jembrana. Based on the archeologic proves, Jembrana area was firstly inhabited 6 thousand years ago. Now, in Jembrana there’s a lot of temples can be found such as Rambut Siwi temple, Jati Temple, and Majapahit Temple.
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So those are the nine must visit cities in Bali that filled with some spectacular attractions that you should visit when vacationing in Bali island. On below, we want to give you the best beaches you can visit on the island starting from Pandawa Beach.
- Pandawa Beach
- Kuta Beach
- Padang-padang Beach
- Sanur Beach
- Jimbaran Beach
- Santrian Beach
Finally, we covered the must visit cities in Bali for today. As you can see, there’s a lot of locations that need to be visited. With that, you can understand that this island is actually really big, even though it’s small island if you look it on the map. To fully explore the Bali island, there are nine cities, each with their own specialties. May you have a wonderful journey.
