Bali's touring works differently from most places. The standard product is not a packaged tour but a driver for the day at a fixed rate, and it is what residents and long-stay visitors use.
Hiring a driver
Roughly 600,000–900,000 rupiah for eight to ten hours including fuel — for the whole car, not per person.
Split between two people that is €20 each; between four it is €10. It costs less than almost any packaged tour and you set the itinerary, stop where you like, and leave when you want.
Drivers are booked through your accommodation, through WhatsApp contacts passed between travellers, or simply by arrangement with the man who drove you from the airport. Agree the route and price before setting off.
Most speak good English and will suggest a sensible route if you tell them what you are interested in. This is the single best piece of practical advice for Bali.
Where to go with the driver
Sidemen and the east. Terraced valleys in the shadow of Mount Agung with a fraction of Ubud's visitors, plus the Tirta Gangga water palace.
Munduk and the highlands. Waterfalls, coffee and clove plantations, the twin lakes, and cool air after the lowland heat. The lake temple at Ulun Danu Beratan is on the way.
The east coast to Amed, for black-sand beaches and the Tulamben wreck dive.
Ubud's surroundings — the Tegallalang terraces early, the Campuhan ridge walk, and the monkey forest.
Note that Lempuyang's much-photographed gate now involves a long queue for the photograph, and the famous mirror effect is a piece of glass held under a phone. Worth knowing before making the drive.
The Batur sunrise trek
Honestly assessed: it is popular and crowded. A 2am start, a two-hour climb in the dark, and frequently several hundred people at the summit.
The views are genuine when the weather cooperates, which is not guaranteed — cloud is common and there is no refund for it.
Anyone wanting a quieter mountain sunrise is better served by the lower routes on Mount Agung, or by staying in Munduk where the highland sunrises need no 2am start at all.
Temple etiquette
A sarong and sash are required and are provided or rented at most temple entrances. Shoulders covered.
Menstruating women are traditionally asked not to enter temple grounds, posted at entrances.
Do not climb on shrines, do not stand higher than a priest, and step around the offerings — the small palm-leaf canang sari placed on pavements everywhere — rather than over them.
Worth booking as a proper tour
Diving and snorkelling at Amed, Tulamben or Menjangan, where you need the equipment and the boat.
Cooking classes, which typically include a market visit and cost 350,000–600,000 rupiah.
Nusa Penida, where the boat crossing and the island's rough roads make an organised trip reasonable — though the famous Kelingking viewpoint is now extremely busy.
Practical
Scooters are what everyone rents and the accident rate among visitors is high. Most travel insurance excludes motorbike accidents without a licence valid for the engine size. In the south's traffic this matters.
Nyepi, the day of silence in March, closes the entire island including the airport for 24 hours. Check the date before booking.
April to October is the dry season and the right window.