Is Bali Safe?

1. Scooter and traffic accidents. By far the number one cause of tourist injuries and deaths in Bali. Chaotic traffic, poor roads and inexperienced riders are a bad mix.
2. Bali belly. Stomach illness from food, water or ice affects a large share of visitors. Unpleasant rather than dangerous for most, but it can flatten a few days of your trip.
3. Tourist scams. Taxi meter dodges, rigged money changers, scooter-damage shakedowns and fake fines. Annoying and costly, rarely dangerous.
4. Petty theft. Bag and phone snatching by scooter-riding thieves, pickpocketing in crowded bars, occasional villa break-ins. Keep valuables close and out of sight.
5. Rip currents and rough surf. Bali's south and west coast beaches have powerful currents that pull swimmers out fast. Drowning is a significant cause of tourist deaths here.
6. Counterfeit alcohol. Rare but serious. Methanol poisoning from cheap, unbranded spirits has killed tourists. Easy to avoid once you know the signs.
7. Natural disasters. Earthquakes are common but rarely damaging, and volcanic activity mostly disrupts flights rather than threatening tourist areas.

The sections below take each of these in turn.

• Bag snatching from scooters. The classic Bali theft: a passing rider grabs a bag off your shoulder or from your scooter's hook. Wear bags across your body on the side away from the road, and never hang one on the handlebars.
• Keep your phone off the roadside. Phone snatching, on foot or from a passing scooter, is common. Don't walk along busy roads texting with your phone out, and hold it on the side away from traffic.
• Pickpockets work the crowds. Bars, clubs, markets and packed events are where wallets and phones disappear. Keep valuables in a front pocket or a zipped bag.
• Lock up at your villa. Opportunist break-ins happen at ground-floor and poorly secured villas. Use the safe, lock doors and windows, and don't leave cash or passports on show.
• Don't leave things on the beach. Bags left while you swim are easy targets. Take turns watching them, or leave anything valuable back at your accommodation.

The risk today is low, though as anywhere not zero, so check your government's Indonesia travel advisory for the current assessment.

• Always wear a helmet. Every ride, however short. Refuse rental helmets with cracked shells or broken straps, and do up the strap. Police also stop helmet-less riders for on-the-spot fines.
• Don't learn to ride here. Bali's traffic is the worst possible classroom. If you've never ridden a scooter, hire a driver or use Grab and Gojek instead.
• Photograph the scooter before you leave. Every panel, tire and the fuel gauge, so a shop can't blame you for old damage on return. Never leave your passport as a deposit.
• Never ride drunk. Late-night rides home after drinks are how a lot of the serious crashes happen. Take a car instead.
• Prefer cars for long trips. For airport runs, day trips and rainy-season downpours, a Grab car or a hired driver with the day is cheap and far safer than a loaded scooter.

• Learn the flags. Red-and-yellow means lifeguard-patrolled, swim there. Solid red means danger, stay out. Yellow means extra caution.
• Never swim alone or after drinks. Most drownings involve someone in the water by themselves, at dusk, or having been drinking.
• Don't turn your back on the ocean. Bigger sets and the occasional sneaker wave catch people off guard at the shoreline, so keep an eye on the water.
• Know how to escape a rip. If a current pulls you out, don't fight it. Stay calm, float, and swim parallel to the beach until you're clear of it, then head back to shore.
• Pick calmer beaches to swim. Sanur, Nusa Dua and Jimbaran are far gentler than Kuta, Echo Beach, Balangan or the Uluwatu surf breaks, which suit experienced surfers more than swimmers.
• Expect bigger surf in the rainy season. From roughly November to March the west-coast waves and currents run stronger, so check conditions and heed local advice.

• Be sensible with ice and raw produce. Ice at established restaurants and cafés is usually made from filtered water and fine. Be more cautious at tiny street stalls, and with salads or fruit that may have been washed in tap water.
• Eat where it's busy. High turnover means fresher food. A packed warung is often a safer bet than a quiet tourist restaurant with food sitting out.
• Pack a kit. Rehydration salts, Imodium for travel days, and something for nausea. The salts matter most: dehydration is what actually makes Bali belly miserable.
• Know when to see a doctor. If you have a high fever, blood in your stool, or it lasts beyond a couple of days, get seen. Clinics used to treating Bali belly are everywhere.

Mosquitoes are the other health note: dengue occurs year-round, so use repellent, especially around dawn and dusk. This is general information, not medical advice; check with a travel clinic before you go.

• Give street dogs space. Most are harmless, but don't pet, corner or startle them, especially around food or puppies. On a scooter, ease off near loose dogs rather than gunning past.
• Bites are more common than you'd think. Plenty of travelers get nipped by a dog in Bali, more than by monkeys, and it's one of the more frequent reasons people end up in a clinic.
• Rabies shots are available, but plan for them. Post-exposure treatment is at hospitals and clinics in the tourist areas, but stock and price vary, and you may need several doses over a couple of weeks. Travel insurance that covers it is well worth having.
• Consider a pre-exposure vaccine for long or rural trips. If you're staying a while, riding remote roads, or traveling with kids, ask a travel clinic about the rabies vaccine before you go. It doesn't remove the need for treatment after a bite, but it makes it simpler.

• Stick to sealed, branded bottles. Buy spirits and beer that arrive sealed, from reputable bars, restaurants and shops. Factory-sealed is the single best signal.
• Be wary of cheap cocktails and free pours. Suspiciously cheap buckets, unlimited deals and unlabeled "arak" (local rice or palm spirit) are where the risk concentrates.
• Trust your senses. If a drink smells or tastes strongly of solvent or nail polish, stop drinking it.
• Know the warning signs. Methanol effects can be delayed by hours: severe headache, blurred or fading vision, nausea and confusion. If you suspect it, get to a hospital immediately; it's treatable if caught early.

• Earthquakes are frequent, serious damage is rare. Most are small. In a strong one, drop, cover and hold on, then follow your hotel's staff and instructions.
• Volcanoes mostly disrupt flights. Mount Agung's eruptions have closed Denpasar airport before. If there's activity, watch your flight status and the Magma Indonesia alerts, and stay outside any official exclusion zone.
• There is a tsunami warning system. Indonesia runs coastal sirens and alerts. If you feel a strong earthquake near the coast, don't wait for a siren: move to higher ground.
• Know your exits. Note where your accommodation's emergency exits are, and follow staff instructions if something happens. For most travelers, that's all it takes.

See the strongest recent earthquakes near Bali ↑

• Don't accept drugs from strangers. Anyone offering may be setting you up, and the penalties are life-changing. It isn't worth the risk under any circumstances.
• Don't overstay your visa. Overstays are fined per day and, if they run long, can lead to detention, deportation and a re-entry ban. Track your expiry and extend early, since processing takes time.
• Respect local customs and religion. Cover up at temples, don't touch offerings on the ground, and be mindful during Nyepi (the Day of Silence), when everyone, tourists included, stays indoors.
• Vaping is legal, cannabis is not. Nicotine vapes are sold openly, so don't confuse Bali with Thailand: cannabis and other recreational drugs remain completely illegal here and are treated as seriously as any narcotic.

• Get home with Grab or Gojek. Booking a car in-app beats walking long stretches of dark, sidewalk-free road or haggling with street taxis. A few areas have a "taxi mafia" that discourages the apps, so book anyway and meet your driver a short walk away if needed.
• Mind your drink. In the Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu nightlife, drink spiking does happen. Don't leave drinks unattended and be wary of overly generous free pours.
• Kuta and Legian get rowdiest. That's where drunk driving, pickpockets and the odd scuffle concentrate. Fine to enjoy, just keep your wits and your belongings close.
• Don't walk home drunk. Intoxicated pedestrians on dark, sidewalk-free roads are in a lot of the accidents too, not just the riders. Take a Grab or Gojek.
• Travel light on a night out. Take what you need and leave the rest, passport included, in the room safe.

• Use ride apps after dark. Grab and Gojek let you avoid unlit, sidewalk-free roads and haggling with drivers late at night. The route is tracked in-app, which adds a layer of safety.
• Dress for the context. Beach and pool areas are relaxed, but cover shoulders and knees at temples and in villages. It's about respect, and it also draws less unwanted attention.
• Be firm with touts and "guides". A confident "no thank you" and walking on works. Unsolicited help at ATMs, transport hubs and temples often comes with an expected tip or a catch.
• Share your plans. If you're heading off on a day trip or a scooter ride, tell someone your route and roughly when you'll be back.

• Keep kids off scooters. You'll see whole families on one bike here, but in Bali's traffic it's the biggest risk to your children. Use cars with seatbelts. Most rental cars and drivers don't include child seats by default, so arrange one in advance if you need it.
• Watch the water. Unfenced villa and hotel pools, and strong beach currents, are the real hazards. Supervise closely and choose calmer swimming beaches like Sanur and Nusa Dua.
• Mind the monkeys. At spots like the Ubud Monkey Forest, monkeys snatch food, bags and sunglasses and can bite or scratch, which carries a rabies risk. Don't feed them, don't carry visible food, and keep small children close.
• Sun, heat and tummy bugs. Kids dehydrate faster, so stay on top of water, sunscreen and shade, and be extra strict about clean drinking water and food hygiene.

• Rainy season (roughly November to March). Heavier rain brings flash flooding in low-lying areas, slippery roads that make scooters riskier, bigger surf and stronger currents, and more mosquitoes, so more dengue risk. Mountain roads can see the occasional landslide.
• Dry season (roughly April to October). The busy, sunny stretch. The main issues are heat and dehydration, stronger sun, and bigger crowds at the popular beaches and attractions. Seas are generally calmer, though rip currents never fully switch off.

• Single emergency line112
• Police110
• Ambulance118 / 119
• Fire113
• Search & rescue (Basarnas)115

Numbers change and English-speaking operators aren't guaranteed, so having your accommodation or a local contact call on your behalf is often faster. For advisories issued at country level, see the full Indonesia advisories.