Bali enchanted me on my first visit in 2014, with its Jurassic jungle valleys, ornate temples perfumed with incense, and undulating rice terraces that were greener than any I’d seen before. By 2017, I decided to build a home near Uluwatu on the south-western tip of the Indonesian island which, at the time, felt like a remote surfers’ enclave.
Nine years later, much has changed. Uluwatu’s modest warungs (family-owned restaurants) have given way to fine-dining restaurants, spas, and Pilates studios, and viral videos have helped fuel a perception that Bali is overtouristed and overcrowded.
Yet, after living here full-time for four years with my family, I can say the island’s magic hasn’t disappeared—it’s simply easier to miss if you follow the same well-trodden routes. With the right timing, local insight, and a willingness to explore beyond the obvious, it’s still possible to experience the island’s culture, landscapes, and rituals in a quieter, more meaningful way.
Skip Bali’s busiest hubs
One of the simplest ways to avoid island crowds is to limit time spent in Bali’s most internationally influenced areas, such as Seminyak, Ubud, Uluwatu, and Canggu.
“We almost don’t send people to Ubud anymore because they just come back complaining,” says Lucienne Anhar. The co-owner and managing director of Tugu Hotels, a hospitality group that operates five addresses across Indonesia, spent much of her childhood in Bali.
If you’re seeking meaningful cultural engagement, invigorating nature, and more solitude than scene, add towns and villages like Munduk, Sidemen, Tejakula, Buahan, Tabanan, and Tenganan to your itinerary. The latter is known for its Indigenous Bali Aga communities and for being one of the few places endemic Endek Bali ikat fabric is still woven.
Hire a knowledgeable guide
In my experience, the lack of brochures, informative signs, interpretive panels—and really any context—at many of Bali’s cultural sites, especially its ancient Hindu temples, makes it difficult to understand what you’re visiting. Hiring a knowledgeable, English-speaking guide can make a big difference.
Ketut “Mully” Muliantara has worked as an independent guide for 25 years and aims to introduce visitors to places they might otherwise miss. For a closer look at Bali village life, he sometimes brings guests to his own village of Munduk Temu in the Pupuan district where, he says, “It’s guaranteed no tourists.” He has also taken guests to elaborate Balinese wedding ceremonies on the fly—after first having them change into proper Balinese attire.
Focus on cultural experiences
Getting off Bali’s tourist trail can mean immersing yourself in its living traditions—from dance to handcrafted textiles.
Photo by Helza Nitrisia/Shutterstock (L); photo by Road Curse/Shutterstock (R)
The instinct to hit all of Bali’s greatest hits—temples, rice terraces, beach sunsets, monkeys, surfing, fire dances, waterfalls, yoga—afflicts many tourists. To avoid the crowds, it helps to focus on one primary interest and spend time exploring it in depth.
Textile enthusiasts might schedule a multiday natural-dye and batik workshop at Threads of Life, a fair-trade social enterprise that works with more than 1,000 women weavers across Indonesia.
Those curious about Bali’s silversmithing heritage can sign up for a hands-on jewelry-making masterclass at John Hardy, which includes learning alongside artisans and sharing a family-style lunch cooked over open fire.
And travelers interested in farming and foraging should visit the 42-acre regenerative center Dukuh Asr, part of the resort Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape.
Start early and travel slowly
“Timing is everything. Early starts mean quiet roads and peaceful sites,” Muliantara says, noting that a 7:00 or 7:30 a.m. departure on a journey across the island can cut drive times in half.
He also recommends taking village roads. These back routes continue to flow even when main arteries are congested, and they wind through and around rice paddies, temples, and jungles.
Muliantara also suggests travelers vary their mode of transport to get off the roads. At the Twin Lakes in northern Bali—two ancient crater lakes revered by the Balinese as sacred, spirit-guarded waters—he sometimes leads guests on a jungle trek to the lakeside where dugout canoes await for a paddle to Pura Dalem Tamblingan temple.
Rethink Bali’s greatest hits
Visit the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces in the morning to experience them before the day’s tour buses arrive.
Photo by Breslavtsev Oleg/Shutterstock
Days into my first trip to Bali, I visited Tirta Empul, a holy spring water temple where I was the only foreigner bathing in the 11 sacred fountains alongside locals. Several years later, it seemed to cater mostly to tourists—an assessment Muliantara agrees with. Not far from Ubud, Tirta Empul has become the island’s most popular water temple, but it’s far from the only one.
Anhar prefers the 11th-century Pura Mengening. About 10 minutes’ drive from Tirta Empul, it has 10 fountains and terraced cleansing pools. Another option is Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu, about 10 minutes’ drive away, which dates from the same period.
Visiting the famous “gate of heaven” at Pura Lempuyang temple? Muliantara recommends Taman Ayun Temple in the village of Mengwi instead, which he calls “elegant, spiritual, and much quieter than the [more] famous temples.”
Rather than visiting the crowded Tegallalang Rice Terrace near Ubud, head over to the UNESCO-listed Jatiluwih terraces, too. Plan to arrive midmorning and you’ll avoid other visitors. And for waterfalls, Muliantara suggests skipping busier sites near Ubud and heading over to Buleleng Regency’s misty Banyu Wana Amertha, Cemara, Lemukih, and Munduk waterfalls in the island’s north, where the water runs clear and the surroundings are far quieter.
Choose hotels that connect you to local culture
When getting off the tourist track, one of the most important things to look for in a resort, besides location, is its programming.
At Anhar’s Hotel Tugu Bali, Thursday evenings bring traditional Balinese gamelan, an ensemble of percussion instruments, into the lobby, alongside rare Balinese dances. Staff members—including a priestess from East Bali—also alert guests to nearby ceremonies that are happening in the local area that they might want to experience, such as sacred sanghyang jaran and sanhyang dedari trance dances. Guests are sometimes invited, dressed in traditional attire, to observe ceremonies at nearby Hindu temple Pura Batu Bolong, including Melasti, a purification ritual held before March’s Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu day of silence.
Likewise, at Nirjhara resort in the island’ lush Tabanan province, I embarked upon a guided day trip that included a morning stop at the hushed Pura Batukaru temple and a waterfall swim with just a few Balinese teenagers nearby. And Capella Ubud, in the village of Keliki, offers experiences such as a painting class with local artist Wayan Gama, who specializes in the village’s distinctive art style, using Chinese ink on paper. Guests leave with a small Keliki-style painting created by one of his young local students who he teaches daily for free.
Related: A New Indonesian Island Resort That Feels Worlds Away From Bali
Eat at locally owned restaurants
Stalls dish up Balinese street foods at Gianyar Night Market.
Photo by Constantin Stanciu/Shutterstock
With everything from Greek to Georgian and French to Japanese crowding Bali’s restaurant scene, it can be surprisingly difficult to find truly local—and locally owned—restaurants.
Anhar recommends the reservation-only Dapur Bali Mula in the village of Les near Tejakula. Run by chef-priest Jero Mangku Dalem Suci Gede Yudiawan, the small restaurant serves ancestral recipes using ingredients sourced from local farmers and producers. Yudiawan’s family also run the culinary retreat Kampung Tentagga on Bali’s southern coast. Here, guests can get involved in processing freshly caught fish, harvesting salt, making arak (the local spirit), and cooking regional Balinese village specialties. For casual eats, Muliantara recommends Gianyar’s food market in southeastern Bali, half an hour’s drive from Ubud. Here, stalls serve Balinese street-food favorites such as sate lilit (chicken satay) and bowls of bakso, an Indonesian meatball soup.
