Bali Travel Tips for Indians: Packing, Money, SIM Cards, Safety and Etiquette

The difference between a good Bali trip and a great one is rarely the hotel. It is the fifty small things: which ATM you use, whether your phone works when the driver calls, what you packed for the temple, how you handle the monkey eyeing your sunglasses. This is the pre-departure briefing, everything practical in one place.

Packing: what actually matters

Bali is 26 to 32 degrees and humid all year, so think light cotton and linen, swimwear (two sets, nothing dries fast in humidity), comfortable sandals plus one pair of walking shoes for waterfalls and treks, and sunglasses and a hat.

The specific items people forget: a modest outfit covering shoulders and knees for temples, a light rain jacket or foldable poncho if travelling November to March, water shoes for the waterfall circuit, a dry bag for boat days, reef-safe sunscreen (imported brands cost double in Bali), mosquito repellent with DEET, motion-sickness tablets for the Nusa Penida boat, a universal adapter (Bali uses the European two-round-pin type C and F plugs, 230V, same voltage as India but different pins), a power bank, and a small daypack.

A warm layer if you plan the Mount Batur sunrise: it is genuinely cold at 4 am at 1,700 metres. Basic medicines: paracetamol, ORS, an antidiarrhoeal, band-aids. Pharmacies (apotek) are everywhere, but your own kit saves a midnight hunt.

Leave the drone at home unless you have checked the rules; several temples and Nusa Penida viewpoints restrict them.

Money: rupiah without the traps

Indonesia uses the rupiah (IDR), and the zeros take a day to get used to: IDR 100,000 is roughly Rs 530. A useful mental shortcut: knock off three zeros and halve, so IDR 50,000 is about Rs 265.

The best setup is layered. Carry an international debit or credit card with zero or low forex markup as your primary. Withdraw cash from ATMs attached to bank branches (BCA, Mandiri, BNI); skip standalone machines in minimarts, which have higher skimming risk. Withdraw larger amounts fewer times; ATM limits per transaction are commonly IDR 2,500,000 to 3,000,000.

Cash still rules at warungs, markets, small drivers and temple entries, so keep IDR 500,000 to 1,000,000 on you day to day. Cards work at hotels, bigger restaurants and beach clubs. If you carry currency to exchange, USD gets better treatment than INR; exchange only at authorised money changers displaying rates without asterisks, count the notes yourself before leaving the counter, and treat any rate that looks too good as the scam it is.

Tipping is not mandatory but appreciated: round up bills, IDR 20,000 to 50,000 for drivers and guides on good days, 5 to 10 percent at restaurants when no service charge is added.

Staying connected

Buy a local SIM at the airport or, cheaper, at an official operator store in town. Telkomsel has the widest coverage including Nusa Penida and the highlands; XL and Indosat are fine in the south. Tourist packs with 25 GB or more cost Rs 500 to 900. Registration requires your passport; buy from official counters so the SIM is properly registered.

If your phone supports eSIM, buying one online before you fly is the smoothest option of all: you land connected, which matters because your driver will message you on WhatsApp. Gojek and Grab apps are essential; download and set them up with your card before the trip.

Getting around safely

Ride-hailing (Gojek, Grab) is cheap, metered and honest; use it for everything short. For sightseeing days, a private car with driver at Rs 2,500 to 3,500 for the day beats self-driving in every way that matters.

About scooters, the honest version: they are the island's bloodstream and also its casualty ward. Rent one only if you already ride two-wheelers confidently in Indian traffic, and even then: an International Driving Permit is legally required (get it from your RTO or online before travel), helmets always, no exceptions, and check that your travel insurance covers two-wheeler riding, because without the IDP most policies will refuse a claim. Police checks of tourists on scooters are routine, and fines are a cottage industry.

Traffic drives on the left, as in India, but lanes are narrower, and Google Maps time estimates in south Bali deserve a 30 percent surcharge.

Health and safety

Drink only bottled or filtered water, and be sensible with ice outside proper establishments; the infamous Bali belly is usually a hygiene lottery, so eat at busy places with turnover. Dengue exists year-round; repellent at dawn and dusk is your friend.

The sea deserves respect: swim between flags, and treat Canggu and Uluwatu currents as stronger than they look. On beaches and clifftops, keep phones and sunglasses away from monkeys, who run an organised barter economy: they take an item and traders exchange it back for fruit. It is funnier when it happens to someone else.

Methanol poisoning from counterfeit spirits is a real, documented danger across Indonesia. Drink beer, wine or cocktails at reputable venues; never buy cheap arak or spirits from unlabelled bottles.

Bali is generally very safe for tourists, including solo women travellers by regional standards. The main crimes are opportunistic: bag snatching from scooters (wear daypacks on the front when riding), pickpockets in Kuta nightlife, and card skimming at sketchy ATMs. Emergency number 112; tourist police operate in the main areas. Keep digital and physical copies of your passport, visa and insurance separately from the originals.

Culture and etiquette

Bali is Hindu, and the religion is lived daily rather than displayed for tourists. You will step around canang sari, the small palm-leaf offerings with flowers and incense, on every pavement; never step on them deliberately, and apologise with a smile if you do by accident.

Temple etiquette: sarong and sash (provided or rented at gates), shoulders covered, never climb on structures, never sit higher than a priest or shrine, do not use flash during ceremonies, and ask before photographing people praying. The left hand is not used for giving or receiving; the head is sacred, so never touch anyone's, including a child's.

Bargaining at markets is expected and friendly: open at half the quoted price, settle around 60 to 70 percent, and keep it light; the difference you are fighting over is often Rs 40. In warungs and fixed-price shops, prices are prices.

If your trip overlaps Nyepi, the Day of Silence in March, plan for it: 24 hours where the airport closes, streets empty, lights stay off and everyone, tourists included, remains inside their hotel. Hotels run quiet buffets and the stargazing is unmatched, but flights and transfers must be planned around it.

Learn three phrases and use them everywhere: terima kasih (thank you), selamat pagi (good morning), and tidak, terima kasih (no, thank you), the polite tout-repellent. The Balinese respond to warmth with more warmth; it is the best exchange rate on the island.