Ever since beautiful visuals of Bali were splashed across our TV screens as Julia Roberts took us through her life-changing journey in the famous Hollywood movie ‘Eat Pray Love’, this destination has been hot with the entire world! If you are also dreaming of travelling from India to Bali, you can glean all the important information here.Indians’ Love for Bali
Bali is very special to Indians, routinely figuring on the list of places to visit for solo trips, bachelor parties, honeymoon and even family vacation. The attractive visa rules, availability of frequent flights and the lure of an exotic location make a lot of Indians gravitate towards the idea of holidaying in Bali.
Interestingly, about 83% of the population of Bali is Hindu. There are over 20,000 temples in this Indonesian province, making a majority of Indians feel at home when it comes to faith. Besides, there are abundant restaurants that serve Indian food or cater to vegetarian palates.
Apart from the flight cost, which can vary from airline to airline, city to city, and time to time, travelling within Bali is quite cheap. Pre-booked taxis, buses and open-air minibuses (called angkot or bemo) make it very easy to get around. Even most gorgeous resorts and fancy restaurants are generally budget friendly (though the exorbitant ones exist), hitting the sweet spot of the price-conscious common man in India.Where is Bali?Where is Bali? How to travel from India to Bali (courtesy: alfianostn)
Bali is a province in the South East Asian country of Indonesia. Indonesia itself is an archipelago of over 17,000 islands. Part of the Lesser Sunda Islands, Bali is located 8 degrees below the equator, falling in the southern hemisphere.
Within the archipelago of Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands, the province of Bali sits in the westernmost part. Incidentally, Bali is both a province and an island. The province consists of the eponymous island and some more islands that are smaller in size as compared to Bali.
Popular islands in Bali such as Bali, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan lie to the west of Lombok and to east of Java. Bali follows the time zone of UTC+08 which is abbreviated as WITA (Central Indonesia Time). The country of Indonesia has a total of 3 time zones.India to Bali MapIndia to Bali Map
Both India and Bali are located on the Indian Ocean, even though Bali almost borders the Pacific Ocean. When travelling from India, one will have to journey towards the south east to arrive in Bali. This destination is spread over 5,780 square kilometres, making it clearly visible on the world map.
The province of Bali is divided into 9 administrative regions, consisting of 8 regencies and one city. The city is Denpasar – the capital of Bali. The 8 regencies include Tabanan, Badung, Klungkung, Bangli, Karangasem, Buleleng, Jembrana and Gianyar. Though smaller than India, Bali offers rich experiences in terms of culture, landscape and biodiversity.India to Bali Distance
Bali is about lima,000 kilometres from mainland India. The exact distance varies with the start and end points you choose in both the countries. While that number may seem prohibitive, flights make it very easy to travel from India to Bali and vice versa, shortening the duration to some hours.Which is Closer to India? Bali or Mauritius?
Indians love to compare their options, especially when they plan to splurge on their overseas vacation. If you are confused between Bali and Mauritius, it helps to understand which is closer to India.
However, the answer will only make it harder to take a call. Both the destinations are approximately equidistant to India, hovering around the lima,000 km mark. Some Indian cities may be closer to Mauritius than Bali, and some may be farther.
Mauritius holds an advantage over Bali in terms of flight time though. Direct flights operated by Air Mauritius and Air India can help you reach the African island nation in about 6 hours. For more details check out this detailed guide on reaching Mauritius from India. On the other hand, India has no direct flights to Bali, and the stopover increases the total journey time.
Nevertheless, when it comes to the cost, it is often cheaper to fly to Bali from India than to Mauritius. If you are a budget conscious traveller, Bali will delight you with all that it can offer at a reasonable rate – from delectable cuisine and affordable luxury accommodation to temple tours and watersports, and more.How to Reach Bali from India?
One can journey from India to Bali in multiple ways, but not all are efficient. Each mode of transportation has its own charm, and may appeal to a certain type of traveller. Choose your transportation only after you understand all the others.India to Bali by FlightFlights from India to Bali (courtesy: omerrana)
The quickest way to travel from India to Bali is by taking a flight. While all the existent flights from any Indian city to Bali have a layover, there used to be a direct route from Mumbai to Bali, operated by Indonesia’s national carrier – Garuda Indonesia. It is possible that similar direct flights will be introduced in the future.Bali Airport
There is only one airport in Bali, located 13 km south of the capital of the province – Denpasar. Often referred to as Bali Airport or Denpasar Airport, the official name of this airport is I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, shortened to Ngurah Rai International Airport.
The airport is named after Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Rai, an Indonesian freedom fighter and a national war hero. In 2016, this international airport was recognized as the 3rd best airport in the world in terms of service. Bali Airport is the hub for Garuda Indonesia, the national airline.
It is not just the city of Bali that is beautiful. Even the airport flaunts traditional Balinese architecture alongside a terbaru design. The airport itself is quite small, but well equipped to handle air traffic from different parts of the world.Flight Duration from India
Flights from India to Bali International Airport are long mainly because of the stopovers. At present (as of 2021), the shortest flight available from any city in India to Bali is 8 hours. However, the average flight time hovers around 18 hours, including the long layover. Some flights can take almost 29 hours to get you to this Indonesian city.Flight Operators from India to Bali
Several airlines operate flights from India to Denpasar International Airport. All of the airlines have a stopover at the very least. Indian air carriers operating on this route are Air India – the national airline of India, and SpiceJet.
Other airlines that flyers can choose from are Garuda Indonesia, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Lion Air, SriLankan Airlines, Indonesia AirAsia, bali777 Batik Air, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Silkair, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Biman flydubai and Malindo Air. Stopovers are generally in Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand, depending on the airline.Departing Cities from India and Average Air Ticket Price
Many cities in India are connected to Bali by air. Popular departing cities are Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and Ahmedabad. These cities have flights with only one stop in between. There are no direct flights as of now.
Many other Indian cities have flights to Bali operating on the same PNR, but with 2 or more layovers. If you are travelling from Goa, Surat, Pune or Nagpur, you should brace yourself for a long journey. For all other Indian cities with airports, one must take a flight on a separate PNR to any of the cities that have frequent flight connectivity to Bali and book the onward journey on a different PNR.
The cheapest India to Bali one-way flight can be snatched up for approximately INR 15,000 for an economy class seat on the Mumbai to Denpasar route. For return trips, about INR 28,000 is required per person. This works only when you book well in advance and pick your dates after checking the price calendar.
Flights are generally cheaper in the months of April and June when the tourist rush subsides, and the most expensive in December during the peak season. Flights can cross the INR 40,000 mark during the high season, and for circuitous routes.India to Bali by CruiseMumbai India to Bali by Sea Cruise (courtesy: vidarnm)
Going to Bali from India will be even more exciting if one takes the sea route. While there are no current cruise operators that ply on this route, plans are underway to introduce a luxury cruise from Mumbai to Bali. India’s Minister of Road Transport & Highways is in negotiation with the government of Indonesia for the rollout of this plan.
The proposed route will commence from Mumbai, halting at the ports of Goa, Kochi and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, before docking at Bali. The launch date and price of the cruise tour is yet to be announced.