Denpasar is a bustling, multi-cultural city and although it can seem a little intimidating the first time you visit, just do not believe those travel guides which say it has nothing to offer.Denpasar is bristling with temples, palaces and museums and its occupants are outstandingly friendly. You will be off the beaten tourist track here, so bring lots of time for a chat with the locals and a decent map of town. You can see many of the main sights comfortably on foot.This is also a notable shopping city with options to please even the most jaded of world shoppers.Denpasar is centrally located and easily reached by car or taxi from the main tourist regions of south Bali.

Bedugul is the name used to cover a large area of the central highlands of Bali around the villages of Bedugul itself, Candikuning, Pancasari, Pacungand Wanagiri (amongst others). This is an area of great natural beauty. The focus point of the area centres on the three crater lakes of Bratan(Beratan), Buyan and Tamblingan, and the nearby botanical gardens. The whole area is at an altitude of 700 metres or more, with the tallest mountain peaks above 2,000 metres, and it can be distinctly chilly here.Bedugul is located about 50 km north of Denpasar on a main route from South Bali to North Bali.If you are staying in Bedugul, hiring a motorcycle is a good idea as some of the distances between areas of interest are quite long.

While Ubud seems to outsiders like one small town, it is in fact fourteen villages, each run by its own banjar (village committee). Ubud has grown rapidly, and some central parts are creaking under the strain of coping with the number of visitors. That said, most development is sympathetic to the zeitgeist, if not designed specifically in the local style. Growth continues apace, but there are still terraced rice fields along the rivers, and away from the town centre, regular, quiet village life carries on relatively undisturbed. Central Ubud is heavily commercialized and teems with tourists.Ubud is pronounced ‘oobood’ as in the same way as the ‘oo’ sounds in ‘good’.