Currency, connectivity, and entry basics before you go.
Bali Guide › Good to Know
None of this is complicated, but all of it is easier decided before you land. Here's the practical layer of a Bali trip - money, connectivity, and entry paperwork - with the honest local notes that save first-day friction.
The Indonesian rupiah comes with a lot of zeros, and every visitor does the same double-take at their first six-figure lunch bill. You adjust in a day; until then, think in thousands - locals drop them in speech anyway ("fifty" means 50,000). Bali runs on a mix of cash and cards: hotels, restaurants, and bigger shops take cards (sometimes with a small machine surcharge), while warungs, market stalls, entrance fees, and parking run on cash. A sensible float is a few hundred thousand rupiah in small notes, topped up as you go.
Use ATMs attached to banks - they're everywhere in towns - and tell your bank you're travelling so the card isn't frozen mid-trip. With money changers, the rule is boring and reliable: authorised offices with posted rates, count the notes yourself before leaving the counter, and treat any rate that looks too generous as the warning it is. Tipping is appreciated but never demanded: restaurants often add service already, rounding up a bill is normal, and if a driver or guide made your day, a tip handed over directly at the end says it well - amount entirely yours.
An eSIM bought online before you fly means you're connected at the baggage belt - the convenient option. Physical SIM counters at the airport are quick but pricier; phone shops in town sell the same data for less if you can wait a day. Registration with your passport is a legal requirement everywhere, so it's part of any legitimate purchase. Coverage is good across the tourist island and thinner in the mountains and far east - on tour days, your driver's local knowledge outperforms your map app anyway.
Entry rules genuinely change, so this guide gives you the checklist, not the regulations. Before flying, confirm four things on official Indonesian government sites: whether your nationality gets a visa on arrival (many do, typically 30 days and extendable once) or needs one in advance; that your passport has at least six months' validity left; the electronic customs declaration, filled online before landing; and Bali's tourist levy, a small one-time fee paid through the official Love Bali channel - keep the receipt on your phone. Ten minutes of admin at home beats any queue at the airport.
For our own trips the money part is simple, and worth knowing before you budget your cash: a 10% deposit by transfer confirms any booking, and the balance is settled at the end of the day in cash or by transfer. Tours are priced per car, not per person. On the Standard version of a tour you'll want cash for entrance tickets at each gate; on Exclusive, tickets are prepaid and your wallet stays in the bag. Details are on every program page, and the transfer and charter pages show every price upfront.
