Where are the best photo spots in Bali?

Bali is one of the most photographed places on earth, and a fair proportion of the images that draw people here involve a queue, a fee and a technique nobody mentions.

The famous ones, explained

Lempuyang, the "gates of heaven". The reflection is produced by a man holding a mirror under a phone lens. There is no lake. The queue for the spot can run to two hours in high season, tickets are timed, and the temple complex behind it is genuinely beautiful and almost empty.

Tegalalang swings and nests. Separately priced, from around 200,000 to 500,000 rupiah, with a queue by mid-morning. Arrive at 6.30am and the valley is empty and free of props.

Kelingking, Nusa Penida. Entirely real, and the viewpoint is a short walk from the car park. The photograph is from the top; the beach below is a 45-minute cliff scramble.

Tukad Cepung waterfall. The light beam through the cave roof appears roughly between 10am and noon on sunny days, and there is usually a queue for the spot with a guide managing turns.

Handara Gate. A golf course entrance with a fee and a queue, and no temple behind it.

The floating breakfast. A tray in a pool, offered by most villas, and exactly as good as it looks and no better.

The shots that are better and less photographed

Jatiluwih at 7am, with mist over the terraces and nobody in them.

Sidemen, where the terraces climb toward Agung and there is no gate, no fee and no queue.

Melasti and the Bukit cliff roads cut through white limestone, best in the first hour of light.

Amed at dawn, with the outrigger fishing boats on black sand and Rinjani across the water.

Munduk in mist, which is most mornings.

A village odalan ceremony, which is the best photography in Bali and which no guide can schedule for you. Ask your driver what is happening this week.

Canggu and Seminyak at sunset, from the water rather than the beach.

The Ubud valleys from the Campuhan ridge at first light.

Practical notes

Light. Eight degrees south of the equator, the sun is brutal from 9am to 4pm and the good light is short. Sunrise is roughly 6 to 6.30am and sunset 6 to 6.45pm, all year, with about 25 minutes of usable twilight.

Crowds. Every famous site is transformed by arriving at opening time. This is the single most useful photography tip for Bali.

Fees. Entry, parking, prop fees and small collections along paths, all in cash, in small notes.

Drones. Restricted near the airport, banned over ceremonies and at many temples and managed sites. See drone rules.

Humidity and salt. Lenses fog moving from air conditioning into the heat; let gear acclimatise before shooting. Salt air is hard on everything near the coast.

Rain. Wet season gives the most dramatic skies in Bali and the greenest landscapes. The hour after a storm is the best light of the day.

Photographing people

Ask. Most Balinese will say yes and many will be pleased. At ceremonies, stay behind and below those praying, do not use flash, and do not climb on anything for a better angle. A camera does not entitle you to a position.

Paying a small amount for a portrait is normal in some contexts and insulting in others; follow a local guide's lead.