Planning a Bali Indonesia Package? Get ready to discover fun facts about Bali that will show you why millions of travellers fall in love with this magical Indonesian paradise every year.
Bali isn’t just another tropical destination, it’s a place where monkeys are considered sacred, babies can’t touch the ground for 105 days, and people make the world’s most expensive coffee using animal poop!
This small Hindu island floating in a Muslim sea has over 20,000 temples, its own secret language, and ceremonies happening almost every single day. From black sand beaches created by dangerous volcanoes to ancient water systems recognized by UNESCO, Bali is packed with surprises. Are you ready to get surprised?
1. The World’s Most Expensive Coffee Comes From Animal Poop
Kopi Luwak is a special coffee made in Bali that has a very strange story. To make this coffee, small cat-like animals called civets eat coffee berries. After the berries go through the civet’s stomach, farmers collect them and clean them really well to make coffee.
This might sound gross, but Kopi Luwak is actually the most expensive coffee in the world! The coffee tastes smooth and earthy, which is different from regular coffee.
Won’t you agree that this is definitely one of the most interesting facts about Bali?
2. Bali Stands Apart in Muslim-Majority Indonesia
Here’s one of the most amazing facts about Bali. It’s completely different from the rest of Indonesia when it comes to religion.
Most of Indonesia (87%) is Muslim, but Bali is mostly Hindu (83%). Since Bali is just a small island, Hindu people there make up less than 2% of all people in Indonesia.
This makes Bali very special and unique compared to other Indonesian islands.
Your Baby’s First Party The Balinese Style
Here are some fascinating cultural facts about Bali that show how special babies are treated there:
- Babies Can’t Touch the Ground for 105 Days
One of the most interesting facts about Bali is that newborn babies aren’t allowed to touch the ground for their first 105 days of life!
This ceremony is called the Grounding Ceremony. Balinese people believe babies are still connected to heaven and aren’t fully part of the human world yet.
- Special Baby Ceremonies in the First Year
Burying the Placenta: The placenta gets a special burial near the family home. Balinese people think it protects the baby for their whole life.
Getting a Name After 42 Days: One of the fun facts about Bali is that babies get their names in a special ceremony after 42 days. The names follow a simple pattern:
- First Child: Wayan or Putu
- Second Child: Made or Kadek
- Third Child: Nyoman or Komang
- Fourth Child: Ketut
- Spirit Protectors: Balinese families believe special spirits watch over babies. They do ceremonies with offerings to ask these spirits to keep their baby safe.
- The Big 105-Day Party: After 105 days, there’s a huge celebration! The baby finally gets to touch the ground and meet all their relatives and neighbours. This is how the baby officially becomes part of the community.
4. The Ancient Irrigation System that Made UNESCO’s List
Here’s one of the most amazing facts about Bali: It has only one UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s not a temple or palace. It’s actually a water system!
The Subak Irrigation System is an ancient water system that has one of the longest UNESCO names ever: “Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy.”
The Subak system is how Balinese farmers have shared water for their rice fields for hundreds of years. It’s a community-based system where everyone works together to make sure all the rice terraces get enough water.
UNESCO recognized this system in 2012 because it shows how people can work together to manage water in a smart, sustainable way. The farmers don’t need modern technology – they use ancient knowledge passed down through generations.
5. Living in the Shadow of Indonesia’s Most Dangerous Volcanoes
One of the cool facts about Bali is that those famous black sand beaches tourists love. They come from the volcanoes in Bali! When volcanoes erupt, they create this special black sand that makes Bali’s beaches look different from other tropical islands.
Mount Agung is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Bali. The last big eruption happened in 1963 and was terrible – it lasted 11 months and killed over 1,000 people. Even though it’s so dangerous, Balinese people still think it’s sacred and have built many temples around it.
Mount Batur is another famous volcano that just won’t quit. It has erupted more than 20 times! But at the top of Mount Batur, there’s a huge lake called Lake Batur. This lake is situated inside the giant crater left behind from an old eruption.
So while volcanoes in Bali can be dangerous, they’ve also created some of the island’s most beautiful and unique features that people come from around the world to see.
6. The Hypnotic Dance Where 50 Men Become a Human Orchestra
It is the Kecak Dance! It has no instruments or pre-recorded sounds. Everything you hear comes from the dancers’ throats. This incredible performance features a chorus of 50 people who vocally depict the story of the Ramayana epic.
The dance has an incredible backstory – it’s inspired by the Sanghyang tradition, where dancers are possessed by spirits who interact with ancestors or gods.
So when you watch the Kecak dance with the Bali Holiday Package, you will see 50 people create an entire musical soundtrack using only their voices while telling an ancient Hindu story – no instruments needed!
7. One Small Island Attracts Nearly Half of Indonesia’s Tourists
Every single month, 40% of all tourists visiting Indonesia choose to go to Bali. That’s almost half of all visitors to the entire country going to just one small island!
Think about this – Indonesia has almost 18,000 islands, and Bali is just one of them. Bali only has 1.7% of Indonesia’s total population, making it a tiny part of the country. But before the pandemic, 6 million international tourists visited Bali every year!
One of the most interesting cool facts about Bali is that it wasn’t always packed with tourists. The island has completely transformed over the last 100 years from a quiet, unknown place to one of the world’s most famous vacation spots.
8. Monkeys Rule the Streets of Bali
One of the interesting facts about Bali is that monkeys are treated like royalty there. In Bali, monkeys (especially macaques) are considered holy because of Balinese Hinduism.
They’re connected to Hanuman, a famous monkey god from Hindu stories. Hanuman was a hero who saved Rama’s wife from an evil demon king named Ravana. Because of this story, Balinese people believe monkeys are Hanuman’s helpers and protect their temples.
The Ubud Monkey Forest is home to over 700 macaques that are well taken care of. When you visit the forest, these monkeys love to grab sunglasses, hats, and anything shiny from visitors. If a monkey steals your sunglasses, you might have to pay money to get them back. So hold onto your belongings tight!
9. The Secret Language Only Balinese People Speak
Even though Bali is just a small part of Indonesia, it has its own special language called Balinese or “Basa Bali.” This happened because Bali is mostly Hindu and has been separated from other Indonesian islands for a long time. This separation helped them create and keep their own language alive.
One of the cool facts about Bali is that most Balinese people are bilingual. They can speak both their native Balinese language and Bahasa Indonesia (the country’s main language). This means they can talk to other Indonesians and also keep their own culture alive through their special language.
10. The Island With More Temples Than Days in the Year
Bali has more than 20,000 temples! That’s so many that people call it the “Island of Gods.” These aren’t all huge temples; they include tiny family shrines in people’s homes and big public temples where everyone goes to pray.
One of the most interesting facts about Bali is that every single village must have three special temples called “Kahyangan Tiga.” No matter how small the village is, these three temples are required.
Fun facts about Bali – To help you understand how many 20,000 temples really are, think about this: there are more temples in Bali than there are McDonald’s restaurants in all of New York City!
11. Balinese People Celebrate Everything
Here are some amazing cultural facts about Bali that show why there’s always something happening on this island.
Each of Bali’s 20,000 temples has its own “birthday” called Odalan, which happens every 210 days according to the Balinese calendar. And each one celebrates on different days, you can see why there are so many ceremonies, and the daily offerings called Canang Sari.
These are small woven baskets filled with flowers and food for the gods. You’ll see them every morning in front of homes, shops, and temples all over the island.
Some Major Celebrations You Might Experience:
- Nyepi (Day of Silence) – The whole island shuts down completely! Everyone stays inside for a day of quiet reflection.
- Ogoh-Ogoh Parade – Giant statues get paraded through the streets and then burned to chase away evil spirits.
- Galungan and Kuningan – Celebrating good beating evil, with beautifully decorated bamboo poles everywhere.
- Melasti – Sacred temple items get taken to the ocean for a spiritual cleaning.
