Relax in Paradise – Bali Island of the Gods with Rev Stephen Rambo

Relax. Restore. Reimagine.
Embark on a sacred pilgrimage in Bali March 19 – 30, 2025 with Rev. Stephen Rambo and Center for Spiritual Living Simi Valley community members on the magical island of Bali. Savor the Balinese way of life while immersing yourself in Balinese spirituality.

Bali is commonly known as the Island of the Gods because of the devout spiritual practices of the Balinese people. On this sacred journey, you’ll visit Sanur Beach, Candi Dasa Beach, and Ubud (Bali’s cultural center). Experience a wonderful Kecak performance on Candi Dasa’s gorgeous oceanfront. Enjoy a beautiful rice-field sunrise walk, and snorkeling in a blue lagoon. You’ll participate in a special Balinese ceremony every morning, chant the Gayatri Mantra with complementary Bali Mala Beads, and experience inner peace.

Spirit Tours has a history of over 20 years in Bali. Thanks to this unique connection, our sacred journey provides special access to sites and temples that few tourists can experience. Open your soul to the deep spirituality that prevails throughout the island. Join Rev. Stephen for an in-depth experience that touches the heart of Bali and transforms your heart forever.

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SUMMARY OF ITINERARY

Day 1, Wed, March 19: Arrive in Bali and relax in Candi Dasa
Upon arrival, we travel to Candi Dasa, a secluded and peaceful seaside area in Eastern Bali. Our home in Candi Dasa is a gorgeous beachfront hotel, the Ramayana Candidasa Ocean View. All rooms are decorated with Balinese harmony in mind. This will be home base for our Bali retreat for the first five days. Feel free to rest from your travels and take a dip in the beautiful pool overlooking the ocean. The evening is for dining on your own at the hotel’s peaceful oceanfront dining room.

Day 2, Thurs, March 20: Opening Circle / Massage / Slow Bali Pace
After a delicious breakfast buffet, we’ll have our opening circle to get to know one another and set your intentions for time in Bali. You’ll receive a complimentary welcome massage at some point today. Begin to appreciate the simple Balinese way of life where every moment is a gift of harmony and balance. We intentionally slow down to a quieter pace and spend a day of peace and rejuvenation. The day ends with a blessing at the hotel temple and a Welcome Dinner at our oceanfront restaurant.

Every morning before starting our sacred time, we practice a smudging ceremony with incense, blessing ourselves with water and receiving a flower. The Hindu Trinity: Brahma the Creator, represented by fire; Vishnu the Preserver, represented by water; and Shiva (Siwa) the renewer, represented by flower are all honored and invited into our practice and our day. On Bali, there are two ways to pray: ‘mbakti’ and ‘muspa’. The first is worship through devotion, the second shows respect with flowers. Sarong and Sashes will be handed out following the morning chanting and meditation.

Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 3, Fri, March 21: Pura Goa Lawah Temple

Following our morning chanting, meditation, and breakfast we travel back along the coast to visit the Pura Goa Lawah and receive an in-depth offering from a Balinese priest.

Pura Goa Lawah is one of Bali’s holiest temples. It is this temple where the Balinese pray and say goodbye to loved ones they have lost. This will be our opportunity to pray and reflect on those we have lost – our loved ones who have passed. There will also be an opportunity to release unwanted fears, sadness, or to say goodbye to any darkness you wish to leave behind.

In the afternoon, we learn about the beautiful Balinese ritual of flower offerings and flower mandalas. Dinner is on our own at the Hotel nearby recommended restaurant.

Meal Included: Breakfast

Day 4, Sat, March 22: Snorkeling / Beach Relaxing / Balinese Feast Kecak Dance Performance
After breakfast, you may enjoy an optional snorkel trip to nearby Blue Lagoon with its excellent corals (this extra option also includes lunch). This a very popular site for taking underwater photos. You can opt to take a cooking class if you don’t want to go snorkeling.

Upon returning to the hotel, you’ll have time to visit the spa, Zen Garden, or pool. We’ll also have our sacred time, followed by a special Kecak dance performance by local villagers. Then we’ll enjoy a Balinese feast!

Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 5, Sun, March 23: Water Palace of Tirtagangga
We begin the day with sacred time and breakfast. Then we drive to the water palace of Tirtaangga, stopping for lunch along the way. Tirtagangga means water from the Ganges and it is a site of reverence for the Hindu Balinese. It is also a perfect place to celebrate the summer solstice as you immerse yourself in the clear waters and renew your body and soul. The healing waters flow from an underground spring beneath a giant Banyan Tree and is considered holy. The Balinese use the water for temple ceremonies.
The centerpiece of the palace is an eleven-tiered fountain and there are many beautiful carvings and statues adorning the gardens. as well as an amazing stone labyrinth to walk upon the water. The upper pool is for bathing so bring your swimsuit. Just outside the palace grounds, the views of the lush rice paddies of northeastern Bali are stunning.

Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6, Mon, March 24: Ubud
After our morning sacred time and breakfast, we head to the village of Ubud, the artistic and cultural center of Bali, where we spend 3 days and two nights.
In Ubud, we stay at the luxurious Komaneka Rasa Sayang Resort located off of Monkey Forest Road, in the center of Ubud’s bustling activity. Ubud is the home to Bali’s famous art museums and is a shopper’s paradise. The Ubud market has an exotic and vast array of locally produced handicrafts. You have the afternoon to explore Ubud on your own.
Tonight, we have dinner together at the nearby Café Wayan.

Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 7, Tues, March 25: Sunrise Walk / Balinese Massage / Gunung Kawi Sebatu Temple
This morning you may enjoy an optional sunrise guided walk through the rice fields. After our morning of chanting, meditation, and breakfast, you have time to enjoy Ubud. We can make appointments for those who wish to receive a Balinese massage at Ubud’s old style family run Nur Salon with its Mandi Lulur or flower bath massage treatment (definitely one of the most popular optional experiences on our tours).

Later in the afternoon, we visit Gunung Kawi Sebatu Temple. It is one of the least visited temple complexes on the island of Bali yet is one of the most beautiful and tranquil. It features verdant gardens around ponds filled with carp and blooming lotuses, and ancient shrines surrounded by crystal clear pools fed by natural springs. The temple is dedicated to the God Vishnu (rules over water); enjoy this sacred temple and collect holy water from Bali.
We return to Ubud for dinner on your own.

Meal Included: Breakfast

Day 8, Wed, March 26: Ubud Shopping / Sanur Beach
The morning begins with sacred time and breakfast. You have time to do last minute shopping before we transfer to the Puri Santrian Beach Resort & Spa in Sanur Beach. This beachfront hotel is a short ride from Bali’s international airport. Puri Santrian is a modern Balinese resort strategically positioned on the beach at the tranquil southern end of Sanur.  We have the afternoon and evening free to relax at their pools or go for an evening swim in the Indian Ocean. Dinner is on your own.

Meal Included: Breakfast

Day 9, Thurs, March 27: Tanah Lot Temple
Following breakfast and sacred time, we take a pilgrimage to the west coast of Bali, to visit the famous seaside temple, Tanah Lot (Land in the Sea). This temple was founded by a Brahman priest from Java, named Nirartha. He is believed to have been seen meditating on this rock in the 16th Century. The local villagers saw a light shining down where he was meditating and built a temple there in his honor. The temple sits on a large offshore rock, which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. At the base of the rock is a holy freshwater spring; we

receive blessings before our prayer service and then have exclusive access inside the holy temple where tourists are not allowed.

Afterwards, there’s an option to experience the Bali Swing. Swing over rice terraces and have pictures taken.

Meal Included: Breakfast

Day 10, Fri, March 28: Free Day – Waterfalls / Beach Time / Shop / Ogoh-Ogoh Celebration
Today you have the entire day free to explore, shop, go to the beach, hike a waterfall, or spend time at the spa.

You are so blessed to be in Bali during the Balinese New Year. One of the most striking events is the Ogoh-Ogoh celebration, which is an integral part of the Balinese New Year, known as Nyepi.

Ogoh-Ogoh are giant statues made from materials such as bamboo, wood, and paper, often adorned with colorful and intricate details. The tradition of Ogoh-Ogoh originates from Hindu beliefs in Bali and stems from ancient mythological stories. According to legend, Ogoh-Ogoh are used to drive away evil spirits, especially the Bhuta Kala spirits, believed to roam on the night before Nyepi to cleanse the universe.

Ogoh-Ogoh are not just giant statues displayed in parades; they also carry deep meaning and symbolism. Each element of Ogoh-Ogoh holds its own significance, such as facial expressions, body posture, and the accessories used. Through Ogoh-Ogoh, the Balinese convey messages about the battle between good and evil, and the importance of maintaining the balance of the universe.

The Ogoh-Ogoh celebration usually takes place on the night before Nyepi, known as New Year’s Eve. On this night, the Balinese gather to witness the spectacular Ogoh-Ogoh parade, filled with music, dance, and joy. Our group gets to experience the parade in Sanur Beach – taking place very close to our resort.

After the parade, the Ogoh-Ogoh are burned in a ceremony called “ngebakar Ogoh-Ogoh,” symbolizing the destruction of evil and the purification of the soul.

Meal Included: Breakfast

Day 11, Sat, Marh 29: Nyepi Day / Day of Rest
This is the most important and sacred Hindu holiday in Bali, Nyepi Day. It is also a general public holiday throughout the rest of Indonesia. Nyepi Day is often referred to as Silence Day. The name Nyepi means “to keep silence”, and even Ngurah Rai, the international airport of Bali, closes for a whole 24 hours.

The Balinese spend a long day in complete silence to connect more deeply with God, through prayer, self-reflection, fasting, and meditation. On this day people shall not work, not eat and not play. Anything that could disturb the connection with God is prohibited. The complete silence is based on the four general rules of Catur Brata: no fire or light, no form of physical working, no movement or traveling, fasting and no entertainment.

But there’s also another story to this unique Day of Silence in Bali. After all the exuberant celebrations of the first two days of Balinese New Year, the island has to go in hiding to protect itself from evil spirits. By observing complete silence and darkness, evil spirits will pass over and either not notice that there’s an island beneath them or believing that it’s a deserted island; either way, they will continue their journey to another place.

So today is spent at our resort. The restaurant will be open and tonight we will have our Celebration Dinner. Celebrating our sacred journey together.

Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 11, Tues, Sept 30: Closing Circle / Travel Home
Following breakfast, we depart for the airport for our flights home taking transformation, spiritual insights, priceless memories, and new spiritual practices with us.

Meal Included: Breakfast

PRICING FOR 12-DAYS and 11-NIGHTS LAND PACKAGE:
Per person Double Occupancy: $3,957
Single Supplement for entire tour is an additional $1,450
There is a $800 nonrefundable deposit required to reserve your spot as tours are limited to small groups.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE AND CANCELLATION POLICY:
There is a $800 nonrefundable deposit required to reserve your spot as tours are limited to small groups.
Second installment of $800 due by Sept 1, 2024
Third installment of $900 due by Nov 15, 2024
Remaining balance of total tour costs due by Jan 1, 2025
NOTE: For those people signing up after August 12, 2024 a revised payment schedule will be worked out for you.

If cancelled outside of 90 days of tour date – full refund of total tour cost minus $800 nonrefundable deposit
If cancelled between 89 and 61 days – 50% of total tour cost is refundable minus $800 nonrefundable deposit
If cancelled within 60 days – No Refund

Trip Insurance (Cancellation/Interruption/Medical) highly recommended and medical insurance required for all international tours. Assistance with insurance and airfare are available through Spirit Tours. To travel into Bali, Indonesia your passport must not expire for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date. See full details HERE.

Each traveler is responsible to adhere to local Pandemic Protocols, ie: wearing masks and social distancing where advised. It is the Traveler’s responsibility to have all the necessary documents, tests, and vaccinations completed prior to departure. Improper required travel documentation is typically not covered by travel insurance. Spirit Tours/Agency/Agent not liable for errors and omissions of approved/paid itinerary, and held harmless for unforeseen travel complications as of result of Pandemics and Quarantines. Tour Details are subject to change.