Bali – the place thats probably popped up on your instagram with images of beautiful waterfalls, open beaches and beautiful culture. If you’re wondering if it’s worth visiting, i’m going to cut to the chase and tell you straight – no. Would I go back? Depends. Confused? Let me explain.
Bali had been on my list for a few years, even pre-covid I’d saved a post from 2019 by @world_nate (below) who had recommended Canggu as a great place for those who work remotely. However unfortunately Instagram and the promise of a ‘cheap’ holiday has caused an unbearable influx of tourism to Bali, meaning the Bali infrastructure just can’t keep up with the demand.
I think the saddest thing to see was these tour guide adverts that promised to get you to the most Instagrammed spots, for the perfect Instagram shot – is that what it’s actually all about?
It seems like we’re all so desperate to get these perfect shots as if it’s some sort of secret competition and yet completely forgetting that it’s actually about the experience, not the photograph (and thats coming from a photographer).
Have we actually forgotten what travelling is all about?
I have a feeling that even if you had been to Bali only a couple of years ago, it’s changed drastically already. It was so so busy, but not in a bustling way, more in a stressful, claustrophobic way. It’s no longer cheap either – you will pay around the same price for brunch & coffee as you would in NZ. Some things are cheap, we managed to get a back massage for $30NZD but these are few and far between now.
On the main island of Bali we visited Canggu, Ubud and Uluwatu, we didn’t make it to the north of Bali so I can’t comment on that part of the island but I hear it’s a lot less travelled and therefore probably a good part to explore.
Canggu in summary – had the coolest brunch spots & healthy food options which I absolutely loved. However, there were no footpaths so you can’t easily walk around and it was chaotically busy. Crossing the road just wasn’t an option, so if you wanted to see a shop on the other side of the road, you were out of luck.
Ubud – known for its jungle vibes & rice fields, we looked forward to the most but in all honesty we couldn’t wait to get out of there. At the ‘art markets’ we expected to be lots of stalls with different trinkets/handmade items etc, but instead they all sold the same circular straw handbags, fridge magnets, or tote bags with Prada badly printed on them.. the worst part being that if you laid your eyes on anything, the stall owners would be straight to you trying to barter with you to get you to buy it. I even had a stall owner continue to follow me down the path when I’d already said I wasn’t interested/had no cash.
We did however do quad biking there which I absolutely LOVED and would recommend to anyone who enjoys getting muddy & adventuring.
Uluwatu was probably where we should have started, to ease into the Bali way of life. I think out of everywhere in the ‘popular’ spots, it’s the one place thats not reached the chaotic state (yet). I know it won’t be long though. It was a lot easier to get around Uluwatu and as it’s known as the best surfing spot, unsurprisingly it had a more laid back, surfer vibe. If I was to go back to Bali, I would head back here. What’s funny though is that no one tells you how hard it is to get to the surfing spots. One of them (the main Uluwatu beach/Blue Point beach) you had to walk through the restaurants and down the cliff steps with your surfboard. The beach was busy too so if you’re knackered from a surf, I can imagine it being a struggle to get back up the cliffside. All part of the experience of course, and i’m sure there are better surf spots but just a good reminder that it’s not a perfect as it’s depicted.
However, there was a part I absolutely loved.
Part way through our trip we took an hours flight from Bali over to Labuan Bajo (on the island of Flores). This was known as the gateway to the Komodo National Park, the only place left in the world that you could spot wild Komodo dragons. Understandably we had to stick with a guide, who took us around in the hope of spotting one, and we were lucky enough to see about 5 in total. It was such an unreal experience.
This day trip also included boat rides out to different islands in the area, such as Padar Island and Taka Makassar Island. Both were such incredible spots, perfect for snorkelling and an experience I will never forget. For that, I would absolutely go back there.
I hate to go against the grain, but I absolutely wouldn’t go back to Bali in a hurry, I feel guilty to have been part of tourist influx ruining the beauty of the place that once peacefully existed. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to go explore the rest of Indonesia (respectfully – i.e. not adding to the plastic or trying to change it). I can imagine island hopping your way around would be an absolutely incredible experience.
This all sounds very negative but I found a real lack of honest reviews on Bali so I wanted to create a realistic picture so you can consider whether you genuinely want to go there. I did have some amazing experiences and there are lots of activities and places I would recommend, so to avoid making this post a 20 minute read, i’ll put those recommendations into a different post.
Have you been to Bali? What was your experience like?