Useful Infos
Here you find some useful informations to Bali and Indonesia:
Good to know:
Traveling to Bali:
International points of entry into Bali, Indonesia, are the Ngurah Rai Airport Denpasar (DPS) and the sea ports at Padang Bai, Benoa and Gilimanuk.
Before making your travel plans to any worldwide destination, we strongly recommend you authenticate important details regarding all applicable health, passport and visa requirements.
Visa on Arrival for Bali, Indonesia:
Indonesian Minister for Economic Affairs, Sofyan Djalil, announced an economic policy package that is to be implement to boost the Indonesian economy, particularly in a move to improve the country’s current account balance, which is the broadest measurement of foreign exchange flows, including trade, services, interest payments and remittances. One new policy change involves visa-free travel into Indonesia. Starting from April 2015, Indonesia will allow foreigners from an additional 30 countries to enter Indonesia without a visa.
Currently, Indonesia already exempts 15 countries from visa requirements for short visits. These are: Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore , Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Chile, Hong Kong , Macau, Morocco, Peru and Ecuador.
The 30 additional countries that will not need to obtain a visa for short visits (starting from April) are China, Japan, South Korea, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Russia, England, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UEA), Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and South Africa.
Additionally, visitors to Indonesia will no longer be required to present arrival and departure cards.
If implemented it will cut down the amount of time required to go through immigration.
At the moment there is no cost for the visa on arrival. You only get a stamp in the pasport.
Visitor passports must have at least six months before the expiry date and one empty page.
Be aware that Immigration officials calculate the 30-day period as follows: your arrival day is counted as your first day, and you must leave on the 30th day, or extend your visa
Arriving at Bali Airport, international
Once you landed at the international terminal, listed below is the recommended procedure:
- Move to the Visa on Arrival counters
- If you have already obtained a visa abroad you can skip this step
- Next go to the immigration counters and queue according to the appropriate signs.
- When you have passed through immigration go towards the conveyer belt indicated on monitors according to your flight number
- Grab a trolley and collect your luggage. If you need assistance there are porters around that you can hire. They will get your luggage, escort you to your car, taxi or pick up service and help you load the vehicle
- Go through customs towards the ‘exit’ sign and give them the tax card. You will only need ONE for PER family. Make sure you do not bring more then $10,000 CASH and of course…no drugs. You could end up enjoying an all-inclusive holiday in Bali’s prison for a very long time
- Then you enter the arrival area. There’s a money changer (rates are OK, but in the tourist areas more better) on the right just when you get out, and there are MANY MANY people holding up name signs as they wait and page for the guests who booked a airport pick-up to be dropped to numerous hotels and villas. If you have arranged a pick up and you can’t find your name, don’t give up. The driver might just be sitting on the floor checking his sms
- If you have not yet arranged a pick-up, no problems, walk towards the blue TAXI SERVICE counter. They work with a fixed price list and the price depends on the area you want to go to. You can’t get a metered taxi at the airport – there is no real easy alternative. The prices are not too bad. Expect to pay around US$ 8-10 per taxi for the main tourist areas in the south. E.g. Umalas, Kerobokan is currently 120.000Rp. Remote areas can cost you up to $30. Tell the assistant your destination or hotel name. Arguing the price they quote is of no use if you feel that the price is too expensive or if you think your hotel is not in Seminyak, but in Legian.
- You need to pay CASH to the driver after he dropped you. So if you plan to get a taxi, remember to change some money at the counter just outside. Tipping is common but not a must.
Money:
The Indonesian Rupiah is the local currency, normally abbreviated to Rp followed by the value. Denominations of Rp.100 and 100 are in the form of coins, 500 and 1,000 are in either coins or bills, and Rp.5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 are only available in bills.
In Bali, carry a handful of Rp.10,000 to Rp.100,000 notes for your daily expenses. Backing this up with a credit card for major purchases is a good idea. Take note though, most mid-range hotels, all top-end hotels and some tourist attractions, car rental agencies and tour companies list their prices in US dollar. The Rupiah is still acceptable in these establishments but the exchange rate is usually more advantageous to the vendor than the tourist.
Plastic Money – Many shops accept credit cards and charge cards but often add 2-3 percent to your bill. Visa and Mastercard are accepted by most – American Express and JCB is getting much less accepted. The amount signed for and charged is in Rupiah and the bill is then converted by the clearing banks to your domestic currency.
ATM – Automatic Teller Machines are mushrooming all over the island, especially at shopping centers and bank branches. Most of them are connected to international banking networks thus making it possible to look for machines that are affiliated with your own ATM network. You can draw usually between 1.2mio and 2.5mio in one go. So if you need more money you will have to pull several times adding to the bank charges, as each transaction counts!
Banks – Most major banks have branches in the main tourist centers and provincial capitals. Banking hours are generally from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday and until 11 a.m. on Saturdays.
IDR Indonesian Rupiah Exchange Rate for today:
Changing Money:
Foreign currency, whether in banknotes or traveler’s checks, should be exchanged at major banks or authorized money changers (PT. Central Kuta is highly recommended). Bewhare of changing tricks !
The US dollar and nowadays the EURO are the preferred foreign currency in Bali; bring always new, clean US$ bank notes which are not damaged in any way. If for instance a corner is missing or someone scribbled something on an otherwise perfect bill, hardly anybody will accept it at full value – or at all. Forget about dollar bills older than 2007.
Exchange rates offered by money changers are generally better than by the banks, they stay open longer and transactions are faster. Sometime for US$100 notes better exchange rates are offered than for US$10 or US$20 bills.
The authorised money changer at the airport may offer lower rates than in the more popular tourist areas, so be sure to have a small note (no larger than about $10 or $20) ready to cash there, and move on to Kuta or an alternative location to cash larger amounts.
Most Money changer’s will give a slightly better rate for larger currency notes such as US Hundred dollar bills as opposed to $10’s, $20’s or $50’s
Weather:
Bali has a tropical climate with hot, humid conditions. Temperatures are mostly between 30 and 32 °C during the day and nights are still well above 20 °C. The mountains in the interior are cooler and see more clouds as well. The April-October period is the dry season and November-March is the rainy season, though showers are still possible during the dry season and periods of dry weather occur during the monsoon season.
Weather forcast for Bali (Denpasar)
Climate:
Annual rainfall is about 70 inches in the south central plains with an average of two hundred days of rain per year. East Bali and the north coast may get only 2-3 inches. Temperatures range from 60o F to 85o F, depending on season and altitude. Bring a light jacket if you plan to go to into the mountains. Daylight is from about 6 AM to 6 PM year-round with slight variations between June and December.
Shopping:
There are are thousands of giftshops in Bali. Everywhere you go, from Denpasar to Ubud, you’ll find many things you’d like to bring back home. Try clicking the “Find a Shop” button on the bottom right if you need some pointers.
Electricity:
Generally 220-240V, 50 cycles AC. Some villages may have 110V, 50 cycles AC. Power is in greater demand than supply, and shortages are common. Some outlying areas do not yet have any electricity. Outlets are the European standard CEE-7/7 “Schukostecker” or “Schuko” or the compatible, but non-grounded, CEE-7/16 “Europlug” types. American and Canadian travellers should pack a voltage-changing adapter for these outlets if they plan to use North American electrical equipment (although a lot of electronics with power adapters will work on 220 volts, check your equipment first).
It’s a good idea to carry a small flashlight with a spare bulb and batteries.Most large hotels provide hairdryers and electric adapters.
Time:
The Indonesian archipelago is spread over three time zones. Western Indonesia Standard Time, which covers the islands of Sumatra, Java & Madura, West and Central Kalimantan is 7 hours ahead of GMT; Central Indonesia Standard Time covers East and South Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, is 8 hours ahead of GMT; finally Eastern Indonesia Standard Time, which covers Maluku, and Irian Jaya is 9 hours ahead of GMT
Clothing:
Dress is normally informal in Indonesia due to the warm, humid climate and clothing of light-weight fabrics are recommended. Highland areas are noticeably cooler, however, and carrying a light sweater is suggested. Acceptable attire for men is a shirt and long pants. A jacket and tie are required for offlcial calls or for more formal occasions. Long-sleeved batik shirts are acceptable for evening functions. For ladies, dresses, blouses, and long pants are appropriate. Shorts, halter tops or tank tops should only be used at sports facilities or on the beach. Temple visits require long pants or long skirts.
Language:
Balinese and Indonesian are the most widely spoken languages in Bali, and the vast majority of Balinese people are bilingual or trilingual. The most common spoken language around the tourist areas is Indonesian, as many people in the tourist sector are not solely Balinese, but migrants from Java, Lombok, Sumatra, and other parts of Indonesia. There are several indigenous Balinese languages, but most Balinese can also use the most widely spoken option: modern common Balinese. The usage of different Balinese languages was traditionally determined by the Balinese caste system and by clan membership, but this tradition is diminishing. Kawi and Sanskrit are also commonly used by some Hindu priests in Bali, for Hinduism literature was mostly written in Sanskrit.
English is a common third language (and the primary foreign language) of many Balinese, owing to the requirements of the tourism industry. Other foreign languages, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French or German are often used in multilingual signs for foreign tourists.