Eco Friendly Activities In Bali

Bali has been on my list of places to visit for a long time. With it’s beautiful beaches, stunning nature and unique culture it really is a destination that has it all. Recently Bali has introduced a plastic ban, undoing some of the damage it’s popularity has caused. Holidaying isn’t the most eco friendly thing to do so as tourists we should have a responsibility to care for the places we visit and make our travel more sustainable. There are many varying ways in which to travel more sustainably and plenty of eco friendly activities in Bali.

Choose to stay in one of Bali’s amazing eco villas, beautifully built with local materials such as teak wood, bamboo, rattan and natural stone. The eco villas have solar panels, solar water heaters and smart water management systems such as rainwater harvesting. Some villas even have their own organic gardens. 

You can also help by;

• Saving power turn off the air conditioning and lights when you are out.
• Use less water turn off the tap whilst brushing your teeth and have quicker showers.
• Reusing your towels and ask for less bedding changes.

Eco-friendly Activities in Bali

Whilst visiting Bali there are plenty of eco-friendly activities you can do:

1. Cycle through Bali’s rural landscape with Bali Eco Tours who offer amazing cycling tours through the unblemished countryside of Bali. Cycling is the best and most eco-friendly way to explore the landscape and villages of Bali. The trail is mostly down-hill making it also suitable for families with kids.

2. Visit the Turtle Conservation & Education Centre an ethical turtle sanctuary located just south of Sanur on Serangan Island you can learn about the conservation process of rescued and or injured sea turtles and see where they also hatch turtles. The Centre provides education for local school children about turtle conservation as well as training for locals on how to create turtle ornaments and souvenirs from coconut shells as opposed to turtle shells (the turtles Bali is particularly trying to protect due to poachers are the Green Sea Turtle for meat and the Hawksbill Turtle for its shell). 

3. Do some traditional Balinise cooking at the Paon Cooking School, a family-run business located in a little Balinese village just outside of Ubud. Give something back to the community and learn ancient family recipes and traditional cooking methods. You will also meet the local farmers. 

4. Spend some time at the Side by Side Organic Farm. This farm in East Bali is dedicated to improving the life of local Balinese woman, their kids and the local community. The side by side farm offers a range of opportunities for volunteers, and tasks can involve anything from picking fruit in the farm’s orchards and planting rice, to feeding the cows and pigs. 

5. If you’re traveling as a family group, check out Bali’s Green Camp, a fantastic destination for younger travellers, providing opportunities for them to enhance their knowledge of nature and sustainability in a vibrant, fun setting. It’s a great chance to explore Bali’s spectacular rice paddies and even make organic chocolate using cacao harvested from the camp’s very own trees. There are day and overnight camp programmes available for just the kids,  in addition to three and five-day family camps for adults that want to get in on the action, too.

6. Get pampered at Cantika Spa near Ubud. Established by Ketut Jasi in 1997, the spa grows and produces 100% of its own products. The ingredients are then handmade into blissful beauty products by Jasi using traditional Balinese techniques. In addition to the wealth of traditional treatments you can indulge in at Cantika, there’s also the chance to take part in a workshop where you get the chance to create your own set of fragrant lotions and potions. There’s also the chance to go on a tour of Cantika’s organic garden.

1. Don’t miss the island’s spectacular national parks. The Taman Nasional Bali Barat (West Bali National Park) covers an area of 190km2, with a further 580km2 of protected reserve and contains many different landscapes, from primary monsoon forests to mangroves. The park also covers protected marine areas, too. Only a small area of the park is open to visitors, and you can hire a guide to take you on one of the hiking trails. The Tehal Bunder trail is popular with keen bird watchers, and takes approximately two hours. The Gunung Klatakan trail is more physically challenging, and takes around eight hours. Look out for wild boars, monkeys, and Menjangan deer.

8. Shop Local at the Ubud Market With a wealth of independent clothes, handicraft, and antique boutiques to be discovered throughout Bali, it’s easy to shop locally whilst on vacation. Of course, shopping locally could mean anything from buying fresh groceries at the local market to purchasing souvenirs crafted by local artisans.  Ultimately, shopping locally assists the long-term sustainability of the local economy. The Ubud Art Market is a fantastic place to shop for souvenirs. The majority of the goods for sale here are produced by artisan and craftsmen from neighboring villages.

9. Volunteer at a charity Giving a little something back to the local community is also a great way to boost your holiday’s sustainability credentials. There are plenty of local charities based in Bali, ranging from animal shelters to education programmes like the Bali Children’s Project. The scheme is dedicated to helping children in Bali escape poverty, sickness and hardship via education.

While the benefit of short-term voluntary positions with children is debatable, there’s a host of other opportunities to contribute to the good work this charity does. Some visitors choose to make one-off donations to buy school supplies or even mattresses for children, while others choose to sponsor a child to enable them to continue their education. Either way, you’re having a direct impact by helping Bali’s poorer families.