Bali is trying to regain control of its tourists by closing mountains and banning ‘bonking’
It seems that hardly a day goes by without reports of another tourist offending local customs on Bali. There are bikini-clad yoginis doing ‘downward dog’ poses in temple gateways and half-naked hooligans arguing with traffic police over their lack of a crash-helmet. While the world asks what’s caused this sudden rush of inappropriate behaviour, travellers who know the island well are wondering why it’s taken so long for Balinese to stand up and say, “enough is enough!”
In 1972 the iconic surf-movie Morning of the Earth showed a naked hippy teaching elderly Balinese fishermen how to smoke cannabis. Four centuries after deserters from a Dutch ship called The Amsterdam became what might be referred to as the island’s first sex-tourist expats, the alleyways around Kuta Beach were a favoured hangout for gangs of drunken louts, prowling for magic mushrooms and young Indonesian prostitutes.
Long-term expats say that it’s amazing that tempers hadn’t already frayed decades ago but the predominantly Hindu population of this island (lying at the heart of the world’s largest Muslim country) are among the most welcoming and easy-going people on the planet. Finally, with patience apparently stretched to a breaking point, rules have been put in place to curb bad behaviour on the Island of the Gods.
In May The Jakarta Post reported that 101 foreigners were deported in the first four months of this year – including 27 Russians, eight British and seven Americans – and Bali’s Governor I Wayan Koster issued a list of rules for tourists to abide by. Foremost on the list are reminders to dress and behave modestly at religious sites and traffic rules (especially concerning rented motorcycles and the use of helmets) are to be more strictly enforced.
Discussions are also underway concerning the implementation of a ‘tourist tax’ (perhaps as much as £80), which Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana, chairman of the Bali Tourism Board, claims “would help fund a range of measures and prevent Bali from becoming known only as a cheap destination.”
It’s not the first time that laws have been put in place to try to reverse the international perception of Bali as a ‘party island’. In 2015 there was a short-lived prohibition on the sale of alcohol outside of major tourist establishments and in 2018 the banning of bikinis on the tropical island made international headlines for a few days…and was just as quickly forgotten.
More controversial still was what the Australian press called the ‘Bali bonk ban’ – a blanket ban on cohabiting – which was ratified in December last year. A spate of cancelled holidays led to the governor quickly issuing reassurance that the new law would not apply to tourists.
In the wake of the pandemic Bali became a chosen haven for ‘digital nomads’ and, more recently, tens of thousands of Russians flocked to the island. Economic strain has led to growing resentment from the islanders when it was perceived that these new arrivals were poaching local jobs.
Videos of foreign motorbike riders arguing with local police over their lack of a helmet (a law on the island) went viral and there was even a road-rage punch-up during a tailback caused by a religious procession. Meanwhile, a group of foreigners made official complaints about the crowing of cockerels (an unavoidable part of many Hindu ceremonies) in a local neighbourhood. Fortunately, it was the foreigners (not the cockerels) who were invited to leave.
“We need to remember that those misbehaving tourists are a very tiny minority,” Lucienne Anhar, Indonesian owner of Hotel Tugu Bali in Canggu, points out. “Most of them are from a younger crowd who are unaware of the authentic culture of Bali…except for the superficial one-second shots for their Instagram feeds.”
Within the last year the surf-town of Canggu and the yoga-heartland of Ubud have seen unfortunate incidents involving ‘social-media influencers’ or ‘life-coaches’. There have been several instances of Instagram influencers posing naked next to sacred trees, apparently unaware of the spiritual importance of what they considered to be sexy backdrops for their feeds…or of the fact that the resulting images could be defined as pornography under Indonesian law. Such thoughtlessly disrespectful behaviour is not a new phenomenon but when the incriminating images are instantly visible to many thousands of followers the fallout can be serious.
Deportation is only part of the punishment that offenders face. Indonesia has extremely strict anti-pornography rules and some well-documented cases of foreigners exposing themselves on camera have been met with threats of up to 10 years imprisonment. Balinese Hindus were horrified when the summits of Agung and Batur (two of the island’s most sacred volcanoes) were used as backdrops for selfies by naked foreigners. CNN subsequently reported that, at the end of May, Bali’s governor formally announced a ban on all recreational activities on all its 22 mountains.
Inexplicably, two weeks after the ban was officially implemented –– ‘with immediate effect’ and ‘in effect forever’, according to the governor – it was business as usual on Mount Batur.
“This morning there were 200-250 people on Batur mountain,” said mountain guide Agung on 14 June. Agung (who, like many Indonesians, goes by only one name) has been leading groups up Batur for more than a decade and he confidently expects a rush of business in the July-August high season.
Rather than being culturally-motivated, many in the tourism industry believe the climbing ban (along with tightened restrictions on motorcycle rentals) is simply a way to limit Bali’s appeal for lower-income travellers: the theory being, perhaps, that high-end tourists are less likely to climb volcanoes or hire scooters.
“To be fair, I don’t think we had done a great job of stipulating how tourists should behave,” says hotelier Lucienne Anhar. “It is a very positive thing for the government to address this matter now because communication is key. I think all these issues can be avoided in the future with clear communication and regulations. And fines and penalties if necessary.”
Most of Bali’s inhabitants (whether islander’s, expats or tourists) agree that the Island of the Gods would be a better place if the minority of disrespectful visitors could be deported overnight. Fortunately, that tiny unruly minority tends to congregate in relatively small clusters and they are very easy to avoid if you’re planning a stress-free holiday in what remains one of the world’s most appealing island retreats.
A French hotelier who had spent almost 30 years on the island but asked to remain anonymous described the recent scandals and the resulting clampdowns as “une tempête dans un verre d’eau.” Another, an Australian who’s worked for two decades in the tourism industry on a remote part of the island, echoed his sentiments: “A storm in a teacup!” he said. “It will all blow over and Bali will return to being the wonderful place it has always been…but hopefully minus a few culturally insensitive tourists who, in an ideal world, should never have been allowed in in the first place.”
The best of Bali
You don’t have to get far off the beaten track before you realise that Bali is far from spoiled and the Balinese people are as welcoming and friendly as they ever were.
See it all
Intrepid Travel’s nine-day Beautiful Bali trip takes in some of the island’s highlights, including snorkelling on the tranquil north coast, hiking among the highland lakes and waterfalls and visits to the eastern villages of Sidemen and Sibetan.
Book: Nine days from £748pp
Natural beauty
For unexpected natural riches head to The Menjangan in West Bali National Resort where herds of wild deer still forage on empty beaches and endangered Bali starlings (among the world’s rarest birds) flutter through the canopy. On nearby Menjangan Island you can snorkel (or dive) among turtles, barracudas and reef sharks.
Book: Double rooms from £114
Culture vulture
For culture, base yourself at Puri Dajuma, located on 14km of virtually deserted volcanic sand beach on the remote West Bali coast. Despite a wealth of cultural sights (and empty surfing waves) the Pekutatan area remains almost unknown to foreigners.
Book: Double rooms from £76
Time for two
For an idyllic five-star romantic hideaway – in the heart of the bustling Canggu beachfront – Hotel Tugu Bali is unbeatable. Each suite and antique villa has been individually curated by the Indonesian art-collector owner to create a property unlike anything else on the island.
Book: Double rooms from £322
Beach break
For an accessible resort-style beach holiday you can’t beat Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay. While it has access to all of South Bali’s main sights, this resort (just 9km from the airport) has a variety of facilities and a choice of restaurants and bars – more than enough to keep you entertained for a week.
Book: Double rooms from £522
Wellness journey
For wellness and yoga head to Fivelements Retreat. This beautifully designed property, amid topical gardens on the banks of the sacred Ayung River, has become a major positive force in the booming wellness industry in Ubud area. As with the other recommended resorts above, Fivelements works hard to empower the Balinese community.
Book: Double rooms from £226
