Bali is a safe place to travel and the things visitors worry about are mostly not the things that happen. Violent crime against tourists is rare. What is common is a specific and predictable set of problems: scooter accidents, opportunistic theft, a few long-running commercial scams and the ordinary hazards of a tropical island. All of them respond to knowing about them in advance, which is what this page is for, and none of them is a reason to be anxious.
The one that matters
Scooters. This is the risk. Foreign visitors on rented bikes, frequently without ever having ridden one, on roads with different rules and different traffic, sometimes without a helmet and usually without the licence their insurance requires, account for the overwhelming majority of serious incidents involving tourists here.
Wear a helmet, always, including for the two-minute ride to dinner.
Cover your skin. The graze that ends a holiday happens at fifteen kilometres an hour in shorts and flip-flops.
Do not ride after drinking, at all.
Check what licence your insurance requires before you rent, since most policies exclude motorbike injuries without the correct category.
Traffic is on the left, which catches out visitors from right-driving countries at every junction.
Theft
Bag snatching from scooters is the most reported form: a bag on a shoulder or in a front basket taken by a passing bike. Wear bags across the body on the far side from the road and do not put them in the basket.
Phones on cafe tables and beside pool loungers.
Hotel safes for passports and spare cards, which every reasonable property has.
Beach belongings while you are in the water, which is what a dry bag or a friend is for.
None of this is aggressive, and all of it is opportunistic.
The commercial scams
Unauthorised money changers offering rates that are too good, with practised sleight of hand during the counting. Use authorised offices or ATMs, count yourself, and do not hand the notes back.
ATM tampering at isolated machines, which is why machines inside banks and busy shops are the better choice. Our guide to money and ATMs in Bali covers the details.
Rental damage disputes, which the passport rule and a walkaround video solve.
Overcharged transport, solved by ride-hailing apps and agreed prices.
Aggressive selling at some temple car parks and beaches, which is a nuisance rather than a danger.
Health and animals
Monkeys at the forest and temple sites will take bags, sunglasses, food and phones, and they bite. Carry nothing loose, do not make eye contact and do not try to retrieve something from one.
Dogs are everywhere and mostly fine, and rabies exists on the island. Any bite or scratch from a monkey or a dog needs immediate medical attention, not a wait-and-see.
Stomach upsets from ice, tap water and unwashed produce rather than from cooked food.
Sun and dehydration, which affect more visitors than anything on this page.
Methanol poisoning from illegally produced spirits has been documented over the years. Drink at licensed venues, prefer beer, wine and sealed bottles, and treat unusually cheap spirits with caution.
The sensible baseline
Helmet on the bike, bag across the body, phone off the table.
Passport in the hotel safe, never with a rental shop.
Cash from ATMs inside banks, counted before you leave.
Licensed venues for spirits.
Medical attention immediately for any animal bite.
Insurance that covers what you will actually do, which for most people here means riding.
For the entry requirements and paperwork before any of this becomes relevant, our Bali visa and entry guide covers the current arrangements.
And for the policy wording that decides whether an accident is an inconvenience or a catastrophe, our guide to travel insurance for Bali covers the clauses to check.
The short version
The real risk in Bali is a rented scooter, so wear a helmet, cover your skin, never ride after a drink, and check what licence your insurance requires before renting. Never leave your passport as a deposit; offer a copy or cash instead, and video the bike before riding away. Wear bags across your body away from the road, use ATMs inside banks and count your money at authorised changers. Keep nothing loose near the monkeys and see a doctor immediately for any bite. Drink at licensed venues. Everything else here is a very safe island.
