Safety in Indonesia

Traffic: Scooters are the main source of injury, since the rules are loosely observed. Never ride without experience and a helmet, and keep bags tucked in so they cannot be snatched by passing riders.

The ocean: Strong rip currents can pull even a confident swimmer out, particularly on Bali's southern beaches. Swim only where there are lifeguards and pay attention to the warning flags.

Theft: Petty stealing of phones and wallets from bike baskets is common in tourist areas. Temple monkeys are accomplished robbers too, lifting sunglasses, jewellery and food from your hands.

Nature: Indonesia sits in a seismically active zone and earthquakes do happen. At the first tremors move into open space and follow the official alerts.

Healthcare: Insurance is not a formality but a hard necessity, since private clinics are expensive. After any bike accident see a doctor immediately to avoid tropical infection.

Touts: Fake guides and "helpers" operate at ports, pushing services at inflated prices. Decline politely and go to the official ticket windows, or order a car through an app.

Indonesia is broadly welcoming, but years of tourism have given Bali a denser set of schemes than the rest of the country.

Scooter rental and the "scratch". Bali's most common story. On return, the owner finds damage you did not cause and demands a sum close to the bike's value. The only defence is filming the bike from every angle before you ride off — underside and exhaust included — and never leaving your passport as a deposit, only a copy.

Money changers. A rate noticeably better than the market means the difference will be recovered in the count, with notes slid deftly under a palm. Change money only in bank branches or large chains with cameras, and avoid the "0% commission" boards.

ATMs. Card skimming remains a live problem on Bali. Use machines inside bank branches and malls rather than free-standing booths on the street.

Mushrooms and "magic" tea are offered openly in Kuta and on the Gilis. This is not a soft local tradition but a criminal offence, and the seller often works with a police contact.

Taxis. Imitations of Blue Bird with a near-identical logo wait outside the airport and clubs. Order the real thing through the app; its meter works.

Drugs mean the death penalty. Indonesia executes drug traffickers, and this reaches foreigners directly — everyone here remembers the Bali Nine. Possession of even small amounts brings years in prison, with no bail.

The new Criminal Code. Since January 2026 a new code has been in force under which sex outside marriage carries up to a year in prison and cohabitation up to six months. The effect on tourists is far smaller than the press suggested: a case can only be opened on a complaint by a spouse, parent or child. Neighbours, hotel staff and strangers cannot file one, hotels are not required to check marriage certificates, and the law provides for no room raids.

Temples. Entry requires a sarong, and local rules bar menstruating women. Climbing sacred trees or posing on altars is a fast route to deportation — there are well-known cases.

Tourist levy. Bali has charged a one-off 150,000 rupiah levy since 2024, payable online before arrival or at the airport.

Visas. Overstaying costs 1 million rupiah per day, and a long overstay means deportation and a re-entry ban.

Vaccinations. None mandatory. Doctors advise hepatitis A and typhoid, and for Bali specifically it is worth considering rabies: the island is endemic and outbreaks among dogs recur.

Monkeys. The Monkey Forest in Ubud and Uluwatu temple are where tourists most often get bitten and scratched. The monkeys take glasses and phones professionally, and a bite means a vaccine the same day. Do not feed them and do not meet their eyes.

Dengue. Present year-round, peaking in the November-to-March rains. The mosquito bites by day, so repellent is a daytime necessity, not just an evening one.

Bali belly. Ordinary traveller's diarrhoea, usually caused not by the food but by ice and water in small warungs. Drink bottled water only — including for brushing your teeth.

The sea. Rip currents off the south-western beaches of Kuta, Legian and Seminyak carry swimmers out regularly and are the leading cause of tourist deaths on the island. Swim between the red and yellow flags where lifeguards are posted.

Healthcare. Bali has decent international clinics, but anything serious means evacuation to Singapore at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars. Insurance covering evacuation is not a formality here.

Indonesia sits in the lower half of the Corruption Perceptions Index, and petty extortion is common.

Traffic police on Bali. Foreigners on scooters are stopped constantly, especially on the roads out of Kuta and Canggu. The pretexts are no helmet, no International Driving Permit, no registration document. A real fine comes with a written report and is paid at a bank; everything else is an arrangement made on the spot. Decide in advance how you will handle it, and keep small notes separate from your main wallet.

Licences. A national licence is not valid in Indonesia. You need an International Driving Permit with category A. Without one, any accident is entirely your financial problem — insurance will not respond.

Police reports. Your insurer will need a station report. In Bali's tourist areas these are issued fairly quickly; elsewhere, bring patience and a translator.

Set-ups. On the Gilis and in Kuta a known scheme has the drug seller hand the buyer to a police contact, after which the negotiation is about the amount. The only defence is to buy nothing at all.

Emergency number is 112. Bali also has a tourist police unit with English-speaking officers.