Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Hallo World!!

Guideline to Bali±

Bali is a small mountainous island located in the South Western part of Indonesia and covers 5810 square kilometers with about 2.9 million residents. Tourism is a major part of the local economy with approximately 1.4 million visitors per year. Therefore these are tourist guideline services to help you get to, from and around Bali.

Passport
You will require a passport and it will need to be valid for a minimum of 6 months prior to entry and you must hold a valid ticket out of Indonesia. Please make sure you have at least 4 (four) spare pages in your passport.

Visas
Recently significant changes have been implemented to Indonesia’s Visa laws. Citizens of certain countries are eligible for a Visa on Arrival, at cost of US $25 for a 30 day visa and US $10 for a 7 day visa (these rate are the rate at the time printing).
Those not falling into these categories will require applying for a visa before entry into Indonesia. Some countries are applicable for a free visa such as Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. Examples of countries that are eligible for the 7 day or 30 day Visa On Arrival include Australia, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and USA.
Prior to departure it is very important to check with your travel agent or contact nearest Indonesia Consulate General Office to confirm Visa arrangements relevant to your country.

Luggage
When packing your bags, be aware of your airline’s weight restrictions (most airlines have a 20kg limit), excess baggage can be expensive. Don’t forget to allow some extra space for all those shopping bargains that you will pick up while in Bali.

Airport
The main airport in Bali is Ngurah Rai International Airport (Denpasar).

Climate
Bali has a year round tropical climate with temperatures ranging from 290 to 320 Celsius. While the dry season is from April to October, Bali is a great place to visit all year round.

Transfers
Most of Bali Resort & Hotel packages include airport transfers. This is a cost effective, stress free way of getting to the resort and is worthwhile organizing with your travel agent if it’s not included in your package. If you haven’t arranged a transfer then taxis are available from the airport, if you do this then make sure you ask the driver to use his meter or get pre-paid voucher at the airport.

Duty Free
It can be very tempting to load up with duty free shopping prior to arriving in Bali. Just remember that Bali is extremely competitive when it comes to beer, spirits and fragrances.
However, wine can be quite expensive in Bali so a bottle of good quality duty free wine could save you some Rupiah.

Custom Regulations
You will need to complete the custom questionnaire prior to entering Indonesia; these will be distributed on your flight. There are strict limits to what you can bring into Indonesia. ie. you cannot bring in more than 200 cigarettes, more than 1 liter alcohol; Animals, fish and plants including their products; Narcotics drugs, psychotropic substances, fire arms, weapons, ammunition, explosive; pornography; more than 50 million Rupiah in bank notes. We recommend you are honest with Customs. IMPORTANT: Drug convictions can be punishable by death!

Arrival into Denpasar Airport
Once you have disembarked the aircraft, if you are not a current Indonesian visa holder, you will need to go to the Visa On Arrival payment counter. The Visa On Arrival fee is charged in US Dollars, though they will give you change in Rupiah. Most currencies can be exchanged at the airport but the rates may not be the best. Once you have a receipt, proceed to the Visa on Arrival counter where they will check your passport and issue you with a Visa On Arrival. They will also give you a departure card which you should keep. Then you will pass through a security check to the luggage area. Once you have obtained your luggage, you will need to proceed through customs with your declaration card, be aware that a number of porters will try and help you with your bags but they will expect a service fee. They could also try and lead you to a money changer but generally you will get a better exchange rate outside the airport.

Departing the Resort
You will need to leave the resort approximately 2,5 hours prior to your flight leaving. A departure tax of Rp.150.000 is required to exit the country so it is best to keep these Rupiah up your sleeve. You will need to check in with the airlines 2 hours prior to the departure of your flight. Then proceed to the immigration payment counter where you will need to pay the Rp.100.000 fee. Make sure you have retained your departure card and present this to immigration with your passport.

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