RTW TP Run in Jan 2026: Day 10 – Evening in Denpasar, Bali

By Nige on January 27, 2026 at 8:16 pm
Type: Post
Story: Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026 Category: Travel
Tags: Denpasar | DPS | Hilton

Having arrived into Gate 3, it was door 1L which opened first. That seemed to be the standard practice on this trip around Asia, specifically for Cathay Pacific.

I guess that would make sense for any airline, assuming their premium passengers are seated at the front of the aircraft.

Consequently, there was a bit of a delay before I was off the aircraft. I was at the back of the large business class cabin and most of the passengers ahead of me simply had no sense of urgency.

Thinking back to my walk to the Immigration Hall, it does seem a bit of a blur, but the airport wasn’t that big, so no doubt there were some corridors involved. I can’t remember any escalators, lifts or trains!

The airport was officially named I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, but was commonly known as Bali Airport or Denpasar International Airport, the main gateway serving the Indonesian island of Bali. In IATA codes, that equates to DPS.

Eventually, all passengers end up in the Immigration Hall, and this is where I needed to have my wits about me. I had already secured a multi-entry D1 Tourist Visa. The alternative was that I could have joined a queue to request a visa-on-arrival, which costs about £35 and can take up to an hour at peak times.

So I followed the signs for eVisas and then used an automated kiosk to ready my passport and then scan my face. That bit didn’t take very long.

I then had to complete a Customs form, but they don’t provide paper copies any more. You have to scan a QR code and fill it in online.

Unfortunately, when I scanned the QR code, the webpage that I attempted to show on my Android device responded with a 403 error, which effectively says I am not authorised to visit this page.

I checked with another couple and on IOS it was fine. I wondered whether it might be because I was still logged in when I applied for my D1 visa?

Anyway, I went up to the Customs Agent and asked what I was supposed to do. When I told him it was only me with no bags, he asked for my passport and let me through.

Then, I had to walk through a corridor with ATMs and currency services and eSim card providers. At least you could be confident about not being scammed in this area.

Finally into Bali and I knew what was likely to come my way. Lots of touts looking for unsuspecting tourists for them to con into expensive rides to places they didn’t ask to go!

The focus was on being confident about my direction, never look like you need help, and even if I was wrong in my direction, to just keep going and ignore all of them. Eventually, they lost interest in little old me and looked for the next punter.

I had a clear route to walk to the Hilton Garden Inn. I tried to follow it, but initially I ended up walking the wrong way. Eventually, I followed some of the locals and just walked on the side of the road.

It didn’t feel desperately hot, but it was mighty humid. So it wasn’t long before I was sweating profusely.

Luckily, it didn’t take long before I was on the right road and I was close to the hotel. Security on the gate of the hotel let me in and I saw that beautiful sight of the Hilton Garden Inn red sign. I could now start to relax.

The check in agent welcomed me and thanked me for my loyalty. She was happy to confirm an upgrade into a one-bed suite.

She may not have done that if I hadn’t advised that the Vickster was joining me later. I went for the free breakfast on this occasion rather than take the extra points.

Into my room (2001) and the aircon was on high and it felt such a relief. I wasn’t planning on leaving my room until the morning!

Next up: A gallery of photos from Day 10 of my RTW trip of a lifetime.

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Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026