Bali with Kids

One thing I can say about Bali is the people there are so welcoming and helpful, especially with kids. On one of our private tours the guide was telling me how much children are loved and appreciated, and it showed in all of the places we went. Laila was treated like a super star the entire trip.

I originally didn’t plan on going to Bali. I found a flight deal to Australia from the US and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go to Bali for a few days of my trip to the other side of the world for such a cheap price. Once you’re there you everything is priced really great and the airport even has a different line for families with small kids at customs, so you don’t have to wait in a long line after your flight. We went on a few excursions set up by our hotel and spent one day in the hotel completely due to a 24-hr food bug Laila got. 

Sacred Monkey Forest

We were able to go on a tour of the Scared Monkey Forest in the village of Padangtegal within Ubud. Laila was not eager to have a bunch of wild monkeys freely walking around her. The guide we had was great at convincing Laila that the monkeys wouldn’t bother her unless she had food. She eventually became comfortable and we walked around the forest looking at all of the beautiful trees and temples. It was so different being around these monkeys in their natural habitat going about their everyday life. This is a nice place to have a leisurely walk and enjoy time with your little ones. I didn’t come across anyone having any issues with the monkeys, but I should mention that these monkeys are wild and it’s important to not invade their space because they can become aggressive if they feel they are in danger.

Royal Palace

We continued our excursion in Ubud with a tour of the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace is a big tourist stop when in Ubud. During the day you can freely walk around the palace and take pictures, at night they hold traditional Balinese shows. Next to the Royal Palace is a busy market filled with local vendors providing goods for the tourist who visit. Me and Laila took a walk through the market and found two beautiful Rattan bags that we absolutely loved at a great price along with a few other souvenirs. The vendors are more than happy to haggle with you, don’t take the first price they offer, but remember to be fair.

Tegenungan Waterfall

Tegenungan Waterfall is named after the village it is located in. Our tour guide suggested this stop as an easy stop to see a beautiful waterfall with a kid because the other waterfall we had scheduled in our tour required a steep hike to get there. I really appreciated the thought that went into the suggestion for Laila. This was a tourist stop that wasn’t too busy, possibly because this was our first stop of the tour day. Before the entrance you have the opportunity to shop for clothes or souvenirs with other local vendors, but we opted of this since we shopped the day before.  

Jatiluwah Rice Fields

Everything doesn’t always go as planned, this was my first big lesson in this on an excursion. While walking through these beautiful rice fields for a while we had to cross a man-made wooden bridge over a creek and after the tour guide and Laila crossed the bridge I went and heard a crackling sound under my feet. The bridge collapsed under my weight and I fell about 5 feet into the creek below. By God’s grace I wasn’t hurt other than a few scratches. This of course startled Laila, but I was quickly able to get up and calm her down by letting her know I was just fine. This was a huge reminder to me that everything won’t always go as planned and I should continue to be cautious (not scared) about our activities. This incident didn’t take away from the beauty of what we saw that day, but I opted to return to the hotel because I was covered in water and mud. We hung out by the pool and ate for the rest of the day lol.

Speaking of things not always going as planned, Laila somehow got a 24-hour bug that night where she was consistently throwing up. I always bring medicine and things for an upset stomach when we travel as a precaution. This was something she just had to sleep off and get through, but it required us just laying around and rest until she felt better. Moral of the story, life happens whether you’re at home or abroad, so bring a plan B and learn to be okay with changing plans.

Overall, we really enjoyed our time in Bali, Indonesia. I actually wished we would have had more time to spend here and experience a few more things. This is a destination I would recommend for a mom to come solo with kids, I never felt unsafe by ourselves as far as the local people.