After travelling South East Asia earlier this year, Bali was the least favourite place I visited. After speaking to other travellers, this island really does have a marmite reputation with some nomads loving it and spending months or years there while others completely avoid it. On reflection, I made some pretty big errors and I wouldn’t rule out visiting again but would do things very differently.
So here are the 5 reasons I would not visit Bali if you’re backing Asia as well as tips to enjoy it if you’re already planning to go:
Bali Belly
“Bali Belly” is just a cute name for food poisoning which can actually be very serious. Stomach cramps and needing to go to the toilet a lot for a few days isn’t so bad. Not being able to hold down water or walk more than 100 metres for 24 hours is bad especially if you’re travelling on your own. Despite having 5 star resorts and an increasing amount of tourism, local infrastructure in Bali just isn’t there especially compared to Thailand. You can’t use tap water to brush your teeth or even really wash your hands (you should carry hand sanitiser on you). There is no Food Hygiene agency who monitor restaurants like in other asian countries like Vietnam. In my experience, food was never hot so hard to tell if any bacteria could be killed off the food even at McDonalds.
To avoid food poisoning my tips are:
- take probiotics the week before and first week of your visit
- use hand sanitiser before eating
- eat local dishes rather than western
If you do get sick, my guide to Bali includes details on private mobile doctors who will visit you at your hotel or hostel and administer an IV drip.
Not walkable
There are little to no sidewalks or pavements in Ubud, Canggu and Seminyak meaning leaving your hotel and going for dinner just down the road becomes an obstacle course with mopeds zooming left right and centre. This means you’re reliant on hiring a moped or paying for taxis everywhere so it’s difficult to get your steps in.
One of the mistakes I made was spending too much time in Canggu and Seminyak which were unbelievably busy. I was meant to go Nusa Penida but couldn’t due to getting food poisoning. If going again I would visit Ubud, Nusa Penida and Ulluwatu which I’ve heard very good things about.
Queues for photos
Bali is very instagram vs reality. For every beautiful photo you see, there is a queue of tourists behind waiting or their photo like they’re waiting for Mickey Mouse at Disney. This includes, waterfalls, temples etc. Forget having a swim at a waterfalls when tourists are moaning you’re in the way of their photo opportunity.
Lonely for solo travellers
I found Bali very lonely as the places I wanted to visit were only available as private tours. This meant I spent the whole day just me and a driver. If you’re travelling more slowly, I’d recommend making friends at your hostel and booking a driver together. Also, read the reviews for your hostel literally the day before you arrive. I booked the number 1 party hostel in Seminyak only to arrive and be the only guest. It turns out a guest had died 2 weeks before and the latest reviews were urging people not to visit.
So many better options in Indonesia and Asia
I understand not everybody wants to go off the beaten path especially if it’s their first visit to a new continent. But I would totally recommend Thailand over Bali as a tourist destination.
There are slo beautiful islands to see in Indonesia including the Gili Islands (which many visit from Bali via ferry for a few days) as well as the Komodo Islands in Flores.