I’m going to start this post extremely honestly. Visiting Bali has never been on our bucket list for travel with the kids. We gravitate towards the road less travelled and know that Bali with kids is a very popular mainstream travel destination.
But when the opportunity arose to make a stopover for one week in Bali on our way towards South Asia (to Bangladesh; by contrast) we thought we would grab it.
So here is a little bit of planning info about our week in Bali and some of the highlights from our time on the beautiful island.
We knew we only had one week in Bali and so choose carefully with some of the highlights we really wanted to see during our time on the island.
We came up with a unanimous vote to find some monkeys, visit Uluwatu Temple and see a Balinese performance, check out the rice terraces and see a waterfall.
Plus the first mission we all had on our minds was to get to the beach and try a fresh drinking coconut.
Challenge accepted.
Visas for Bali
Visa on arrival services in Bali restarted on March 22, 2022.
Passengers from 42 nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival in Bali, which is valid for 30 days and can be extended once. Thus after 60 days, the traveller must leave the country.
- Tip: This service is only available in Bali. Travellers entering Indonesia in Jakarta have different visa requirements on arrival.
Always check for up to date notifications on the Indonesian and Bali visa sites as travel regulations for 2024 continue changing very rapidly!
The cost of an Indonesian Bali Visa on Arrival is IDR 500,000 or approximately USD $35.
A first good morning from Bali, Indonesia…
I updated my first post from Bali with kids, Indonesia this year to say good morning; but wait – not just from anywhere in Bali…
It’s like we’d done it again! We arrived at MIDNIGHT after our 4:00am start from New Zealand (that meant it was already 4:00am again in NZ) to find our hotel room in Bali had already been on-sold…
Our friendly taxi driver and hotel staff rebooked us and redirected us about a kilometre down the road.
It was a second nice hotel; and hats off to the boys walking in literally asleep on their feet.
But I’m pretty sure we spent night number one of our GREAT BIG ADVENTURE starting out this year in the red light district (once again!).
But ahhh… The sights, sounds, smells and chaos of Asia to wake up to in the morning make even the balcony view of the pumping night club (the morning after) feel pretty darn great!
[Adventure it is!].
Alright Bali; you have our attention.
I’m going to go as far as to say that the dramas of the first night of adventures melted away with a sip of fresh and delicious drinking coconut. (4x island-kids were right back in their happy place!).
We dropped our bags at a new hotel and spent the best part of afternoon number one at a still-fairly-empty post-pandemic Kuta and Legian Beach.
It felt great to sit back, take a breath and soak it all up – in a literal and figurative sense…
And so Bali; we reckon you rocked your Day One second chance!
Finding our feet in Kuta Beach (mainstream Bali with kids)
After our slightly hiccup start we had three days to explore the main area of Bali before we wanted to see Ubud. We quickly found a routine that included a local street food breakfast and then a lot of the day spent subsequently at the beach.
Nasi Jinggo (Jinggo Rice) became a favourite find for all of us and at only 10,000INR it is the equivalent of NZD $1.10 per serving.
It comes wrapped in a leaf which caught our attention. Inside is a bowl portion of white rice with side dishes of tempeh fried chilli sauce, shredded egg, green beans and fried noodles. And a complimentary packet of rice crackers to boot!
Breakfast aside we found afternoons still blissfully quiet (sans post-pandemic tourists really) at Kuta Beach and Legian Beach in Bali.
Visiting Uluwatu Temple
Uluwatu Temple is one of Bali’s six key temples known locally as Pura Luhur Uluwatu (with Luhur meaning ‘something of divine origin’).
Uluwatu is renowned for its magnificent location perched atop a steep cliff 70 metres above the crashing ocean below.
It makes for the most beautiful backdrop at sunset and thus the extra basis of its appeal for the Kecak Dance show (see below) performed right overlooking the ocean.
Kecak Dance Performance (at Uluwatu)
I truly hadn’t done much research on things to do in Bali as for us it was a stopover and the start of our FOURTH time leaving New Zealand since fulltime travelling…
But one thing I had read about and wanted to try and include was the experience of a Balinese cultural show.
Kecak Dance is a type of traditional dance performed regularly in many places all over Bali Island. However, we were recommended that the best place to watch this spectacular show is at the Pura Uluwatu, where the dance is performed daily on top of the clifftop with the ocean and setting sun as a dramatically beautiful background.
The Uluwatu Temple and fire show is exactly that and to boot is at a truly stunning location on the clifftops of Uluwatu!
We got our same friendly taxi driver who had helped us shift hotels to take us to Uluwatu – about an hour away. We couldn’t find much information about the show beforehand (or even if it was still on). But at the time we visited, due to Eid celebrations, Bali was extra-busy with domestic holiday makers and the temple was abuzz!
The traditional Balinese dance and fire is great experience for the kids (and for us!) with the highlight a cheeky White Ape character that leapt and danced right up into the audience.
And I’ve got to say the (real) monkeys were another highlight… Or definitely kept us on our toes. We watched them steal someone’s sunglasses right off their head – and snap them in half!
I highly recommend Uluwatu if you are coming to Bali with kids.
Tegenungan Waterfall
Tegenungan Waterfall is a beautiful waterfall in Bali, Indonesia. It is located at the village of Tegenungan Kemenuh north from the capital of Denpasar and close to the popular village destination of Ubud.
For us making a roadtrip from Denpasar to Ubud it made perfect sense to stop and see the waterfall as it isn’t far off the main road at all.
The waterfall is absolutely stunning on a great day and its easy to see why it’s a popular stop on the way to Ubud. It is also a fairly typically touristy Bali stop but it’s a social place and very family friendly.
The walk down from the carpark to the waterfall is well maintained and the pathway is safe. There’s a part on the track where you can play around with the funny signs and create photos with the waterfall in the backdrop.
There are plenty of small food stalls and cafes on the way out making the perfect excuse for a cool ice cream to complete a great Bali itinerary tick!
Tegalalang Rice Terraces
Alright. The rice terraces of Tegalalang are extremely beautiful. There likely isn’t a traveller in sight that has not seen images of the beautiful vibrant green terraces. And it really does look like that when you see them in person!
The only downside of this area of Bali is that it is super touristy. (To be frank it doesn’t even look in parts like it is farmed as rice terraces anymore). Rather it is set up with the iconic Instagram-swings and little nest frames to take photos overlooking the green stepped hills.
But regardless, the terraces are (undeniably) wonderfully green and are an essential inclusion on any Bali itinerary.
The rice terraces at their greenest to visit in March, April, September or October as this is when the rice is ready and about to be harvested.
After walking through the rice terraces and (if you beat the crowds) taking in the beautifully vibrant green landscape you can pick a café or restaurant overlooking the rice fields.
There are a number of options up the top of the terraces with balcony seating so you can enjoy Tegalalang from a different perspective! The restaurants here are more expensive than elsewhere in Bali but the view is pretty incredible.
The roadtrip from Bali to Ubud (and a roadside stop of the best kind!)
We took a road trip to Ubud to check out a different side of Bali. It’s beautiful out of the city – and we did stop at one of the iconic waterfalls (above). But the highlight of this day’s drive was stopping for lunch with our fab taxi driver, Dana.
He showed us his favourite Balinese Warung (a traditional roadside restaurant) where we ate grilled chicken, urab (vegetable salad) and Sambal matah (a delicious hot sauce).
The entire meal for 5 of us cost 120,000 IDR ($12.50 NZD)!
Simple but tasty food and a cool local experience to share. (Our favourite kind!).
So what did we do in Bali and how much did it cost?
We had an awesome almost-week in Bali with kids.
We found it a fairly economical place to explore food-wise and accommodation options.
Below are the expenses for the activities we chose. (And each of which we would highly recommend for your itinerary in Bali with kids!).
TEGENUNGAN WATERFALL
A refreshing stop off at beautiful Tegenungan Waterfall en route to Ubud. The waterfall is about 2 hours north of Denpasar. Traffic is insane from the capital to the village of Tegenungan Kemenuh.
- Cost to enter: 20,000IDR per adult ($1.40 USD).
- Opening times: 6:30am – 6:30pm
Down at the falls there are lockers available for 10,000 Rupiah and toilets for 3,000 Rupiah.
TEGALLALANG RICE TERRACES
Checking out the vibrant green rice terraces of Tegallalang, Ubud. (And yes this IS a tourist attraction and does now cost to enter and view/wander the main terraces).
And do note it also costs 100,000 IDR for a few minutes on one of the famous swings.
- Cost to enter: 10,000 IDR per adult
ULUWATU TEMPLE
- Cost: IDR 30,000 per adult and IDR 15,000 for children.
- Opening hours: 09:00am – 07:00pm daily (open 24 hours for worship).
There are public facilities like toilets, food stall and souvenir shop available. But these are not in the temple area. Rather they are located in the parking area in front of the main gate of the temple.
And as with other temples in Bali, it is required to dress respectfully. Both men and women should wear a sarong, scarf or sash tied around the waist.
A sarong and sash is provided at Uluwatu Temple to use for free and is available by the ticket entrance.
KECIAK DANCE SHOW AT ULUWATU TEMPLE
The Kecak Fire Dance is one of Bali’s most iconic performances which takes place in the clifftop amphitheatre beside Uluwatu Temple. It is a great activity to do in Bali with kids (and one I highly recommend to add to your Bali itinerary).
The Kecak Fire Dance show starts at sunset, so around 6pm.
- Cost: 100,000 IDR per adult.
So would we recommend a stopover in Bali with kids?
To be honest; in our opinion as an adventure family travel destination I would say no.
But as a holiday destination for a week to explore, soak up some sun, drink coconuts and experience a different culture (and food!) – why not! 🙂
More useful links for your travels in Indonesia and beyond…
These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). Even planning one week in Bali, make sure you have travel insurance before traveling to Bali with kids!