Flying to Bali

Bali is a small tropical island and is one over twenty thousand islands that make up Indonesia. Getting there by plane is fairly easy from any country. Before making a decision to book your flight or Bali hotel, you need to find out what the status is with regards Bali visa requirements for your precise country. If you’re coming from an Indonesian country then you do not need a visa but may need to pay airport tax as you enter the country, whatever your visa is or the kind of ticket you purchased you’ll have to pay an entry and exit tax. Even if your ticket specifies that airport tax has been paid, you may still have to pay at the airport before boarding your flight and when you land, so keep some local Indonesian Rupiahs handy.

Most western nationals do not have to make an application for a visa either, but will have to pay as much as $30 for a visa when they arrive. The method is reasonably quick and there are loads of manned stations to make it go as fast as possible. For other countries a visa will have to be got before flying. Wherever you are coming from it’s a smart move to find out the latest up to date info from the local Balinese consulate.

When flying into Bali you may arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport. Sometimes you will find websites that talk about two airports, Ngurah Rai International airport and Denpasar International, but they’re one and the same. Ngurah Rai international airport is situated in the southernmost part of Bali on the west coast not very far from the bulk of the traveler areas. There are plans to build a new airport near the top of the west coast at Jembrana with 2012 being the proposed completion date. This is designed to replace Ngurah Rai as the international airport and is going to be an extremely modern, well designed airport. The official name so far is Jembrana City International airport but most people are referring to it as the New Bali International airport.

Ngurah Rai International airport is the main gateway to the remainder of Indonesia and many world destinations. There are more than twenty major airlines that fly in and out of Ngurah Rai International airport. The largest carriers of international passengers are ; Garuda Indonesia Airline, Jetstar Airline, Virgin Blue Airline, Singapore Airline, Thai Air Airline and Air Asia Airline. The other airlines will service mostly domestic and short haul flights to neighboring Indonesian countries.

There are always countless daily Bali flights from Singapore and some other Indonesian countries with the longer international hauls flying a couple of times a week. Flight times and schedules always change so just check with your travel agent when flights go to Bali from your country. The cheaper long haul flights will in all likelihood have one if not two stop over’s before landing in Bali and even some of the first class tickets will involve a stopover depending where you are traveling from.