Bali is one of those bucket list destinations everyone has to visit at least once in their lifetime. This small island is home to an incredible culture, volcanoes, rice terraces, wild beaches and some of the friendliest locals you could hope to meet.

However, Bali also has a few traps, and for first-time visitors there are definitely some mistakes you want to avoid. After several visits and a few months spent in Bali, we’ve put together the most common mistakes to avoid for an epic trip.

13 Big mistakes to avoid in Bali

These are the 13 big mistakes you want to avoid in Bali:

1 - Wearing a cross body bag

Bali may be a paradise island, but sadly it also has a high amount of opportunistic thieves. The worst of these are those who ride on motorbikes and swipe bags from tourists walking on the pavement or on a scooter themselves. Wearing a bag with a single cross strap is like a red flag to a bull as thieves see this as an easy snatch.

At best you’ll lose your bag. At worst you’ll be dragged along with it, being severly injured in the process. If you do need a bag, use a backpack and wear both straps. Avoiding the edge of the pavement may also help! This isn’t unique to Bali and you shouldn’t be afraid of travelling here but being aware will ensure it doesn’t happen to you.

2 - Having anything on show in the monkey forest

The monkeys in the Sacred Monkey Forest are brave and mischievous. Having anything on show (like an open bag or food and drink) is a target that is just too irresistible for them! We recommend not bringing a bag at all, or making sure everything is sealed shut.

Otherwise you’ll find yourself in the midst of monkey mayhem.

Mistakes to avoid in Bali - The monkey forest

3 - Trusting the weather apps

The weather in Bali is so changeable that it’s pointless trying to forecast it! We were always horrified that the Apple Weather app forecasted two weeks of thunderstorms, even when we were visiting in the middle of the dry season. This has happened to us on two of our trips and we actually didn’t get a single drop of rain.

Don’t panic if your holiday is coming up and the forecast looks dire, it is rarely as bad as it looks!

4 - Visiting popular waterfalls like Tegenungen in the middle of the day

Bali’s waterfalls are some of the best in the world. Sadly, some have been turned into some of the worst in the world.

Tegnungen is a classic example: a huge waterfall in the jungle sounds pretty spectacular right? Unfortunately not in this case, mass tourism has seen it turn into a tacky playground with boom boxes and dozens of swings.

As soon as you arrive, you’ll see the hundreds of cars parked and dozens of souvenir stalls set up. Then comes the blaring music and body to body crowds.

If you visit the moment it opens it will feel largely restored to its former glory. This goes for many of Bali’s most popular falls.

5 - Staying in Kuta

If you’re looking for a weeks drunken debauchery look no further than Kuta! But for everyone else avoid. Kuta has become a pretty nasty place and the worst of gaudy tourism.

This is party town at its worst: drunk tourists who do little else for 24 hours a day. It’s noisy, trashy and about as un-balinese as it gets, you’d avoid it if it was in your home country.

If you’re looking to see the best of Bali, this is a place to avoid.

6 - Not venturing out of the southern part of Bali

Whilst Bali is famous for its beaches, staying only in the south is missing out on some of the most incredible parts of the island. The centre of Bali is home to incredible waterfalls, rice terraces, volcanoes and a taste of rural bliss.

You’ll get the chance to sample true Balinese culture and see the natural beauty of the islands interior. Ubud is very popular (and despite the busyness we still love it), Munduk is a little quieter but if you want a taste of a largely untouched part of Bali head for Sidemen and East Bali.

7 - Thinking you can ride any scooter without a license

Here’s another thing we learnt after visiting Bali: if you don’t have a motorcycle license, you can only ride a motorbike (legally) that is under 50CC. These bikes are normally pretty wimpy and struggle with the hills in Bali, so very, very few people hire out these bikes. It’s likely that the majority of travellers on bikes are unknowingly riding a scooter illegally.

This could be a problem in terms of being stopped by the police (although it’s very unlikely you’ll be checked, we have never been stopped), but more importantly with your travel insurance. If you have an accident on a motorbike above 50CC without a motorcycle license, your travel insurance will not cover you.

We know someone who discovered this the hard way after having an accident which cost $50,000 USD in hospital bills in Bali. Check your insurance and check the scooter you hire.

This is something that we don’t really know how to get round but as we have been renting scooters in Southeast Asia for years without ever knowing this we thought it was something we should share.

8 - Not holding firm to the price you agree with a taxi

This is a rare one, but we have experienced taxi drivers settle on a price and then try to get you to pay more once you’re in the cab and driving on a highway! This is most likely to happen at the airport when you’re exhausted, jet-lagged and just want to get to your hotel.

Stick to the agreed price and hold firm, most drivers will stop trying to sneakily up the price if you calmly refuse to pay more!

9 - Riding a motorbike without a helmet

We see travellers riding around Bali and many parts of Southeast Asia without a helmet and we can never understand why. Helmets are offered free with any motorbike rental and can be the difference between life and death.

Many of Bali’s roads are surprisingly busy and accidents aren’t uncommon. Scootering around the island is one of our favourite things to do in Bali but never without a helmet.

10 - Thinking Pura Lempuyang looks like it does on Instagram

On Instagram, Pura Lempuyang looks majestic: a temple that frames Mount Agung perfectly with a reflective pool in the foreground. See below for a sample.

Well, two of these things are true, the “reflective pool” is actually a local with a mirror that he puts under everyone’s iPhone!

What the picture doesn’t show is the 1-2 hour long queue of tourists that begins over an hour before sunrise. To say we were underwhelmed is an understatement.

11 - Haggling too hard

Like we mentioned earlier, Bali is not a wealthy island and many locals rely on tourism to make a living. It’s culturally acceptable and expected to haggle, just don’t push too hard to save a dollar or two, as this will make a much bigger difference to their life than yours.

We saw people refusing to pay a local $1 for walking and taking photos on their private land (rice terraces), we understand that often in many countries you can walk on land and take photos for free - in fact you still can in Sidemen - but when this is not the case it’s time to pay up.

We also heard stories of people hiring a driver for the day and then forcing them to do extra work for free (forcing them by coming back to the car hours later than promised). Be kind, be respectful and make a positive difference for people who have welcomed you to their land.

12 - Not giving your journeys enough time

Balinese roads are some of the slowest you’ll ever see. There are only a couple of highways on the island and if the congestion doesn’t slow you down, then the windy, steep roads will.

Don’t trust google maps and expect your journey to take a lot longer than it says. Especially if you go anywhere near Ubud in the middle of the day.

13 - Touching the offerings

You’ll see beautiful offerings (known as canang sari) refreshed daily outside all homes, shops and temples and it’s one of those quintessential Balinese sights that always makes us smile. The offerings are usually right in the middle of the pavement and it’s easy to step on them by mistake. Try to pay extra attention not to as this is deeply offensive to the Balinese.

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