What Not To Do in Bali: 15 Mistakes to Avoid

Bali, the Island of Gods is a popular place; one of those bucket list destinations, part of the vast Indonesian archipelago. I have visited twice now so I feel as though I have a good sense of what to do but more notably, I have learned what not to do in Bali.

It is a relatively safe place to visit and a paradise for tourists, backpackers and digital nomads alike. This small island is home to an incredible culture, volcanoes, rice terraces, stunning natural beauty and some of the friendliest locals you could hope to meet. 

As much as I love Bali, there are definitely things that I wish I knew before my first visit. So I am giving you the low-down on the places to avoid, making you aware of the unethical activities and introducing you to the wonderful foodie adventure that await you..

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What Not To Do in Bali As A Tourist

This post isn’t meant to discourage you in any way; visiting Bali is truly a wonderful experience. Instead, these ‘what not to do in Bali’ tips are intended to make your trip as enjoyable as possible, especially if it’s your first time traveling in Southeast Asia. So here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid for an epic trip to Bali.

1. Visit a Coffee Plantation

Bali is huge on coffee culture and one of the most popular activities to do in Ubud is to visit a coffee plantation to learn about the process of making kopi luwak; one of the world’s most expensive coffees. 

Many tourists are misinformed about this, and it is an abusive animal practice, and not an ethical activity.

For full disclosure, I did this on my first trip to Bali many years ago as I did not know any better – hindsight is a wonderful thing though. I would now not recommend taking part in any sort of animal cruelty. 

As this is such a popular destination for tourists, you will find taxi drivers all over Ubud offering to take you to a coffee plantation. Instead, I would suggest experiencing Bali’s coffee culture by spending some time in various cafes. They make for great people watching and Expat coffee – a locally produced Indonesian coffee – is incredible. It was one of my favourite coffees I have ever had abroad.

2. Drink Luwak Coffee

It goes without saying that for the same animal cruelty reasons as above, you shouldn’t drink Kopi Luwak in Bali or purchase any to bring home with you. 

Also known as civet coffee, this coffee consists of partially digested coffee cherries that have been eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet, otherwise known as Luwak.

This industry is big money in Bali, but PETA says tourists should avoid it as the civets are kept in cages and fed rotten berries which they can’t fully digest. Their faeces are then harvested to produce this coffee.

3. Stepping on or over the Offerings 

You will notice a lot of canang sari in Bali – a one of those quintessential Balinese sights that makes this island so unique. These are woven young coconut leaves filled with flowers; one of the daily offerings made by Balinese Hindu people for religious purposes. You will see them all over the streets in the middle of the pavement; outside shops, restaurants, shrines and on cars – they are hard to miss. Sometimes they have an incense stick in them too – often lit, so it’s important to not touch them either.

The locals make these offerings daily to honour God and stepping on them is highly disrespectful in Balinese culture. If you are wondering what not to do in Bali – do not touch, step on or step over these offerings.

4. Disrespecting religious sites

Temples are so much more than just buildings with stunning architecture, they have deep religious significance and are sacred places where Hindus pray to their gods. 

Bali is massively suffering from over-tourism so, when you visit holy places such as Uluwatu Temple or Besakih Temple, you have to dress appropriately, maintain your behaviour, not climb on statues and just be respectful all round.

5. Over scheduling your trip

Traffic in Bali is crazy and some of the slowest you will ever experience thanks to over tourism and a lack of public transport. There is zero public transport in Bali, only a couple of highways and the congestion everywhere will massively slow you down.

I would say to never trust Google maps in Bali, you always need to account for double the amount of time it says – particularly in the more congested areas such as Ubud, Denpasar City and all routes out of the airport.

When we stayed at Alaya Resort in the heart of Ubud, we spent just shy of 3 hours getting to Canggu when Google maps claimed it would take 40 minutes – it is exhausting and does suck the joy out of your trip somewhat. I also noticed that cars are extremely uncomfortable in Bali – there is something about the seats and so long car journeys were not a pleasant experience either. 

I would recommend spending at least 3 nights in area you want to visit and do all the local day trips around the island from there before you move elsewhere.

6. Don’t just eat açai bowls 

Bali is my favourite destination for the food scene alone; particularly for the access to healthy food and delicious coffee and as someone who eats a predominantly vegan diet, the entire island is incredibly vegan friendly. Ubud is the vegan capital of Bali and you will be spoilt for choice here. It is very tempting to order açai bowls everywhere you dine – believe me! Not only do they look stunning, they taste insanely delicious and make for a refreshing meal in the heat.

I would urge you look beyond the smoothie bowls though and experience all the culinary delights Bali has to offer. Sure, you will get all the western food you could want to eat but the Indonesian food is just as good, if not better! You can’t not try nasi goreng (vegetable fried rice with tofu/meat/egg), mie goreng (fried noodles with tofu/meat/egg), gado gado (a traditional Indonesian salad), nasi campur (a portion of rice surrounded with a variety of protein and vegetable sides), satay and more!

If you are a vegan that hates tempeh at home (this is me), I would still urge you to try tempeh in Bali. It is so different to the stuff we buy in packets at home and actually delicious!

Better still, I suggest you take a Balinese food tour or better still, a Balinese cookery class to explore all the culinary delights this wonderful island has to offer.

7. Drinking tap water

This goes for all of Asia, but in Bali specifically, do not drink tap water. While it’s impossible to completely avoid it, make sure you are using filtered water to brush your teeth and wash fruit and vegetables. You will notice all hotels and resorts will leave two bottles of water in the bathroom – this is to use for brushing your teeth with.

People say to avoid ordering salads as an extra precaution and opt for hot dishes instead – but this is entirely dependant on you. I personally eat salads all over the world as I crave them even more in the heat. I have been fortunate to not have encountered any problems (aside from once in Laos).

Many tourists experience ‘Bali belly’ and over both of my trips to Bali, I have been extremely fortunate. It is caused by consuming contaminated food or water as we are exposed to new bacteria that our bodies are not familiar with.

8. Not venturing out of the touristy parts of Bali

Tourists adore Bali and it is an increasingly popular place to visit but my advice would be to not get stuck in just one place. Bali and the surrounding islands have so so much to offer. 

The tourist hotspots in Southern Bali are overcrowded and busy and by sticking to these areas, you miss out on the real culture and some of the more untouched parts of the island.

I spent some time in East Bali on my second visit, a relatively untouched part of Bali. Here I went scuba diving in Tulamben which was one of my favourite experiences of my time there and then decided to explore more of Indonesia by taking a ferry over to Lombok, a neighbouring island.

I wouldn’t rule out visiting all the tourist favourites; the monkey forest, the waterfalls, rice terraces, volcanoes, mountains, pristine beaches and more. These places are all popular for a reason. Ubud, as popular as it is, is still one of my favourite parts of Bali for the vibe but I also love to experience the lesser known places too.

Munduk in Northern Bali is lesser visited and popular for those in the know, as well as Sidemen in East Bali. Nusa Penida has exploded on social media over the last few years and you have likely seen photos of Diamond Beach and Kelingking Beach.

9. Staying in Kuta 

I can’t stress this enough, but if you are looking at what not to do in Bali, it is to stay in Kuta! If you’re looking for some drunken debauchery and a sleazy vibe, then this is the place for you. For everyone else, just know that is is a pretty grim part of Bali with the worst of gaudy tourism.

Think Magaluf or similar; the worst of the drunken tourists at all hours of the day, noisy, trashy, western style bars and restaurants. Kuta is about as un-Balinese as it gets.

I often hear people complain after returning from Bali, wondering what all the hype was about.. to then discover they stayed in Kuta. Yep, that answers it.

10. Entering sacred places without permission

Bali is home to numerous sacred sites; some of which are open to the public but not all. Many houses lining the streets in Ubud are ornately decorated with religious statues outside them or visible through an open door in the garden, making them look like temples. These are actually people’s homes.

Traditional Balinese families live in separate homes on a large compound, with a shared garden and private temple in the middle. 

The compound includes separate buildings for private rooms, living areas, a kitchen, often a barn and a family shrine where residents can worship. Green spaces lie between the various structures and all generations of a family live here, until somebody gets married. If a female gets married, she moves in with her husband’s family and if a male gets married, his wife moves in with him.

If there is a spare room/building in this compound, these are turned into guest houses for backpackers which cost as little as £10/night to stay in. 

However, as inviting as they look, they are not open to the public to just wander in and photograph. You need to ask for permission first.

11. Have unrealistic expectations of popular sights

Everybody has a Bali bucket list when they visit and often with the same sights we all want to visit, so prepare for them to be crowded. Instagram also has a tendency to portray things incorrectly (my pet peeve) with all the filters, photoshop and heavy editing, it can be an unrealistic expectation of what you will actually see, and I have found this to be the case many, many times.

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary isn’t necessarily the idyllic experience people make it out to be. They monkeys are playful and it’s wonderful to watch them in their natural habitat, but they can be pretty aggressive. I had anxiety while I was there because the monkeys tried to steal a water bottle out of my bag, one jumped onto my husband’s shoulder to try and grab his camera – it was a pretty terrifying experience and I couldn’t wait to get out of there to be honest!

Lempuyang Temple, also known as the Gate of Heaven looks really tranquil, you will often see photos of a single person with no crowds in the background, and with a reflection too – and this is not accurate at all. The reflection is actually an illusion that a local photographer creates by using the reflection of a second phone. It is a very popular photography sight that frames Mount Agung volcano in the background and so prepare for it to be busy at all hours.

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12. Haggling too hard

Bali is not a wealthy island and many locals rely on tourism to make a living. While it is culturally acceptable to haggle (it is expected too), I would advise not to push too hard to save what would be the equivalent of a few pennies. This saving for us is so minor, but makes a big difference to them.

13. Don’t do drugs!

You should, of course, never do drugs, but especially not in Bali as drug smuggling and distribution are punishable by death – at least that’s what the billboards say. 

Mushrooms are big in Bali – and you be offered them, especially in Kuta and possibly Seminyak. However, they are illegal so assume there is a hefty fine or even prison sentence in store for those consuming them.

14. Take valuables around the monkeys

If you visit the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud or the Monkey Temple in Uluwatu, make sure to secure anything valuable in a zipped bag. The monkeys can be cheeky and are known to pickpocket visitors with loose items, so make sure to keep your belongings close at all times.

I have witnessed monkeys stealing the likes of sunglasses, flip flops and mobile phones. They might look cute, but they are clever when they set their sights on something they want. 

15. Travel without insurance

Now this is not specific to Bali – you should not travel anywhere without insurance. Accidents can happen everywhere, but in Bali I have heard many stories about accidents happening quite frequently; particularly scooter accidents followed by water sports injuries as safety standards are not the same as what we are used to in the UK.

You’d be surprised at how many scooter injuries I have witnessed and stories I have heard of tourists ending up in hospital and with casts on. This goes for all of Southeast Asia – and I would say Vietnam followed by Bali are the worst for this.

We took the Ekajaya fast boat from Bali to Lombok and back – and it was truly one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. The sea was rough and all the passengers were bouncing off their seats as we slammed into each crashing wave. Severe sea sickness aside, I was close to seeing my life flash past my eyes – and I later googled the ferry to read about other people’s experiences of it. Lo and behold, many people had similar experiences and the boat even sunk last year in extreme sea conditions!

I have heard stories in the media of a tourist that fell to his death off the infamous Tegalalang swing –  and there are plenty more horror stories too.

Safetywing is a subscription-based travel insurance made for nomads by nomads. The best part is that you can buy it when you’re already abroad, which is a game changer for long term travellers and digital nomads. As with all insurance, there are exclusions so ensure to double-check the fine print to make sure you stay safe and covered.

I hope these tips on what not to do in Bali help prepare you for your trip and make your journey as seamless as possible. For more videos and clips from my trips to Bali, check out my Instagram Story Highlights.

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