The Bali Experience March 2025

If you’re a regular reader of this blog you know that I’m planning on going to Bali in March of 2025 for a special experience. Nyepi, also celebrated as Balinese new year, takes place on March 29, 2025. I have been thinking about returning to Bali for Nyepi and this is the first time that my schedule lines up with the event and I’m able to go. I’m really looking forward to it. If you’re not familiar with Nyepi and haven’t clicked on the wikipedia link above, it best known as an entire day of self-reflection, a day of silence. The airport is shut down along with all businesses, with the exception of hotels. Everyone stays home and observes silence. Nobody walks the streets or drives. So if you’ve ever thought about going on a silent retreat but 10 days of no talking seemed impossible, then Nyepi is for you, as it’s only one day 🙂

I’ve been to Bail 3 times and have made friends there and fallen in love with the people, the culture and pretty much everything else (except the traffic). But, the area where I stay is not accessible by car. It’s a small village called Penestanan just next to Ubud. It’s filled with really nice small resorts, wonderful restaurants, narrow concrete walking paths through rice fields, smiling friendly people, lush vegetation and flowers and so much more.

As I mentioned in previous blog posts I plan to go, and if this kind of thing sounds interesting to you then read on. I’ve had lots of interest in the trip and tried to answer most of your questions individually and the time has come to put that info down in writing for you. Please note: I am not organizing an official guided tour or retreat. I will be there alongside you taking in the experience and will be happy to show you around and hang out.

Getting there. It takes a couple of really long plane flights to get to Bali. The best option is a flight on Qatar Airways or Emirates Airways. I’ve flown both airlines and I’m 100% happy. Their flights leave from Boston, then stop in Qatar or Dubai for a layover and to change planes onto Bali. It’s a long slog. The fastest flights take about 22 hours total. Boston to Qatar is about 12 hours, Qatar to Bali is about 9. These are estimates. You can also rent a hotel room or crash pad at those airports if you have a longer layover. I’ve done this a few times and it’s pretty cool. There are plenty of other airlines that offer similar flights. You can begin poking around on Skyscanner to get an idea of departure and arrival times. Tip: try to book your flight directly with the airlines website.

Arriving. You will need patience when you arrive in Bali to get through customs, immigration and visa approval (available upon arrival). The airport is fairly small, but can be busy because Bali is so popular. If you have Verizon as your carrier I highly recommend getting a daily or monthly international plan so your phone will work when you arrive in Bali and turn it on. It will cost you $100 for 30 days and is totally worth it even if you’re only staying for 10 days. This is super helpful in a lot of situations. If you have a different carrier check with them. Your resort can pick you up from the airport. If you decide you want a small apartment instead or a resort where you cook some of your own meals and need some more privacy I may be able to help with that and arrange for transport from the airport. The ride from the airport to Ubud is never fun, especially after you’ve just spent 20+ hours on planes. The traffic is busy and the area is like nothing you’ve ever seen unless you’ve travelled in this part of the world before. It’s a very safe place though, just a completely different culture. But, when you finally arrive in Penestanan, you and your luggage will be brought to your resort or apartment by golf cart or motorbike. Sounds like fun right?

Where to stay. I usually stay with a family and there is a nice resort next to their home called Alam Wayang. They have a pool, spa and restaurant and it’s right across the walkway from my place. Prices range from $60 per night and up, more money gets you more amenities like a private pool. There are plenty of other resorts in that area to choose from if Alam Wayang is full. Let me know and I can recommend. The location is perfect. You can walk 5-10 minutes and eat at some amazing restaurants. A one minute walk gets you to Intuitive Flow Yoga Studio, a place I’ve taken many classes at over the years. You can descend the Penestanan stairs down to the main road where you can grab a taxi to venture out and explore. There is easy hiking through the rice fields right from the resort or head out to a famous ridge trail nearby. Downtown Ubud, where all the crazy tourist stuff is, is about a 20 minute walk. Please be careful when walking as the sidewalk and road surfaces are uneven. If you have your motorcycle license and normally ride motorbikes you can rent a scooter by the day or week. Driving is on the left.

Other things to do. Plenty of restaurants so you could try a different one every day. Rice fields pepper the countryside. You can walk through the local ones starting and ending at your resort, or you can venture out into the countryside and see so many more. You can treat yourself to massages. You can take day trips with a driver to many of the famous water temples, but be aware that there may be a long queue on the weekends or holidays. Coffee, good coffee, is really popular, so there are tons of great cafes with walking distance. There’s an old volcano with a lake in the caldera where you can sit and have lunch and take in the view. There are a bunch of other tourist things but I’ve usually just created my own experiences while there.

Get in touch. There are always more questions. Feel free to reach out. Send a message through Facebook email me, david@sharingyoga.com This is a trip of a lifetime. Treat yourself!