A blend of history, culture, and tourism, South Bali offers many contrasts. Budget travellers have flocked to the beaches here since surfers first arrived decades ago; at the other extreme, lavish hotels and resorts have created a more glamorous and exotic version of Bali. Meanwhile, despite modern development, temples and village communities still maintain their cultural and artistic traditions.
At the heart of South Bali is Denpasar, the island’s provincial capital since 1958 and today a busy, modernizing city, Bali’s administrative and commercial hub. Denpasar used to be a royal capital – the kingdom of Badung dominated the southern part of Bali from the late 18th to the beginning of the 20th century, and its heritage is to be seen in several of its older buildings. Two important cultural centers are here: the Bali Museum and Taman Werdhi Budaya (Bali Arts Centre). The city lies within Bali’s most important tourist area, a triangle formed by the beach resorts of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Canggu on the west coast, Sanur on the east coast, and Nusa Dua to the south.
Kuta is Bali’s leading tourist centre. The beaches are famous. There are hotels of every standard, exciting restaurants and clubs, water sports, pulsating night life and shops to suit every budget. Sanur has many of the attractions of Kuta, but in a gentler, less raucous style. Nusa Dua, a development planned specially for visitors, offers the manicured gardens of a 5-star resort-hotel complex complete with an 18-hole golf course. The highland peninsula of Bukit in the far south is arid and stands in stark contrast to the verdant gardens and rice terraces that enriched the rajas of old. One of Bali’s holiest temples, Pura Luhur Uluwatu, is set high on a cliff at the Bukit’s southwest extremity, with a spectacular view of the ocean.
The sea is never far away in South Bali. Surfers come for the waves, divers and snorkelers for the reefs and underwater life. Everyone comes for the beach life, which has few rivals in Asia or further afield.