Bali has been the Best Island in the World for at least the last 6 years running. But, says the world’s largest travel magazine, the number one has slipped to the second rung.
However, the new heir to the throne is the Galapagos Islands, which is costly to get to with limited accommodation options and as such, says Travel & Leisure, Bali is still the best island destination in terms of popularity, value and accessibility.
In the Best Island in Asia category Bali remained undisputed at number one and beat Phuket and Penang, sitting at number two and number three respectively.
Bali as a tourist island has come a long way since tourism was first established in the 1930’s when artists, musicians and anthropologists started to paint Bali as a paradise of peace. By the end of the 60’s growth in tourism started to raise the living standards of the Balinese, and Bali became a major foreign currency earner for Indonesia and its biggest tourist attraction.
Today the island of Bali is once again flourishing and with surfing, nature and culture exploration being as popular as ever, Bali once again draws a new generation of tourists. More and more, Bali is also gaining reputation as a diving destination of choice with unexpectedly pristine waters.
Diving in Bali offers something for everybody, from conditions ideal for beginner divers at Tulamben to dive sites for those with more experience, such as wrecks and excellent muck diving.
Highlights include the USS Liberty Wreck, which has a final resting place just 30m from the Tulamben shore. Covered in healthy coral, the WWII cargo ship is frequently visited by sunfish, great barracuda, Napoleon fish and scribbled filefish. It hosts particularly memorable night-dives too, being so close to shore, with the colourful underwater world coming to life.
The nearby Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Perdina is another must see with regular sighting of the large and curious mola-mola, or oceanic sunfish, especially during mola-mola season from July to September. Manta rays are also frequent visitors to cleaning stations in the area and is a sight to behold.
With dive sites like these, the friendliness of the Balinese people, fantastic weather and the beautiful white sandy beaches, it’s little wonder that more divers from across the world are looking to Bali as not just the best island destination in the world, but a top class dive destination too.
If you’re looking for more info on a diving holiday in Bali, contact Dive The World on +66 (0)94 582 7973 / (0)83 505 7794, or you could send us an email.
External References:
PADI IDC Bali