Bali

The island is approx. 153 km wide (east to west) and approx. 112 km from north to the south. Bali’s central mountains contains several peaks of more than 3,000 metres of which the highest is Mount Agung at 3,031 metres, known as the “mother mountain” and an active volcano.

The largest city is Denpasar, near the southern coast, followed by Singaraja located on the north coast.

The main tourist locations are Kuta (with its beach) and its nearby suburbs of Legian and Seminyak, the east coast town of Sanur and Ubud in the centre of the island (the cultural centre of Bali) and the newer development of Nusa Dua, where many of the five stars resorts are situated.

More than three quarters of the population practise Balinese Hinduism, a combination of local beliefs and Hindu influences. The Balinese Hinduism is a composite belief system that embraces theology, philosophy, mythology, ancestor worship, animism and magic and pervades every aspect of the Balineses’ traditional lives.

Balinese Hinduism has roots in Indian Hinduism and Buddhism and these influences strengthen the beliefs that god and goddesses are present in all things. Art and rituals are a notable feature of religious expression of the Balinese.