Bali & the Gili’s: Guide to travel with baby
Bali with baby: Tropical jungle, volcanoes, beaches, rise fields and save travels with your baby. Find it all in Bali and the Gili islands!
You will enjoy the whole beauty of Indonesia’s rich islands if you follow one important rule: stay away from tourist centers! Bali changes very quickly and became a great tourist hub within just a few years. The good thing is, that it is now cheap to fly to Bali but for the cost of crowded places. Fortunately, there is still lots of space and a lot unspoiled pretty spots left – if you know where to go.
For beach bums
You will find the best beaches on Gili Air and Gili Meno. Gili Air has the perfect balance between being a remote island without proper streets and cars and offering convenient infrastructure like low-key restaurants, trip agencies and horse-drawn carriage at the same time. You can walk around Gili Air within 1 hour. This will definitely make you feel being on an island! The beaches on the whole island have bright white sand and turquoise clear water. On the west side you have a bit more waves and there are also some great snorkeling spots where you can spot turtles. The east side has shallow water making it appear almost unnaturally beautiful. This side is also a bit more convenient for baby swimming. Throughout the whole island you will find restaurants with covered beach beds which makes your beach day with baby just perfect!
Gilt Meno is similar to Gili Air with less restaurant and hotel selection. But it is just a few minutes boat ride from Gili Air. So just visit the island for a day.
Gli Trawangan is known as the Party Island. It is much more crowded than the other islands and therefore less suited for baby travelers.
The Gili’s are just 1 hour fast boat ride away from Bali. The boats are safe to travel with your baby. Their prices vary due to different level of service and organization. The more expensive, the better the organization – it’s actually worth to pay a little extra.
Bali has a lot of black sand beaches which may look dirty sometimes, especially when crowded. However, Bingin beach in Uluwatu is quite nice with white / yellow sand and a few low-key hotels and restaurants, as well as relaxed surfer vibes. Bingin is surrounded by stunning rocks with amazing view from the top. Be prepared to climb a few stairs.
If you prefer a resort, the Candi Beach Resort & Spa is perfect for families. It is located at a beautiful clean small beach in Candidasa with a big lawn surrounded by palm trees, as well as two pools.
For hippies or low-key lovers
Amed is a cute little town offering some Yoga classes and hippie vibes. You don’t have any traffic or crowds around here. It is surrounded by beautiful jungle and a clean black sand beach with a few easy going restaurants and a reggae bar – Sun is Shining 😉
As written above Bingin Beach is a great spot for low-key hotels, restaurants and surfer vibes. It all goes perfectly well with traveling with baby.
Ubud is listed everywhere as THE hippie town but instead it became a tourist trap unfortunately. However, the jungle and rice fields around Ubud are still very beautiful. There are also a lot of great accommodation options around if you fancy staying around.
For happy hipsters
Canggu (pronounced as „Changgu) is the Mecca for hipsters! There are so many funky and unique shops, cafes and restaurants, which are also very baby friendly. It is simply impossible to visit them all. There is also a hipster-surfer-beach which is not the prettiest but has a nice atmosphere. Moreover, it is a great place to rent a private villa with your own pool.
For entertainment addicts
There are a lot of trips that you do with baby easily. There are three volcanoes in Bali and the Agung is the highest of all. You will enjoy beautiful views hiking around it. There is a great hike on a mountain at the opposite of the Agung. It is actually a trail leading through different temples (Pura Lempuyang) with incredible views on the volcano.
There are also many more temples around Bali. The Balinese temples are not just made of stones – they are made of some kind of magic. If you are lucky and there is an evening celebration, you may just visit it wearing a sarong. Witnessing the Balinese dance throughout a real celebration, rather than some tourist show, is truly special. If you bring your kids along, you will be even more welcomed.
Bali also offers a whole range of stunning waterfalls. Moreover, they are accessible with baby. The Git Git Waterfall in north Bali is a short and very easy 15 minute walk from the parking place with a paved road. Surprisingly, it is still rarely crowded. The Sekumpul Waterfall is great for views from above. Just leave out the last part which leads through a river and not necessary to walk as you already saw the greatest part from above.
Bali has so many picturesque green rice fields and rice terraces, even above waterfalls. It is possible just to stroll around them taking the little paths in between the fields.
Safe travels with baby?
Quite a few tropical destinations are Malaria or Yellow Fever risk areas. You want to avoid Malaria destinations with kids of any age and Yellow fever with babies due to minimum age of vaccination. Although Bali is a tropical destination, you don’t need to fear Malaria or Yellow Fever on Bali and on the Gili Islands. Unfortunately, there is still a risk of Dengue. It is higher in rain season but still below the risk of having a car accident. Moreover, in case you need medical treatment, there are several good rated hospitals in Bali. Most Balinese speak good English, so that shouldn’t be a barrier in your treatment. Finally, that means safe travel with your baby!
Baby Food, Milk and Diapers/Nappies
Baby food is not available in the supermarkets. However, you can feed your baby with Avocados, Bananas and other fruits or order some cooked mashed vegetables etc. in the restaurant.
Formula milk is widely available. We use S-26 which is tolerated well by our peanut. This is a photo of the typical brands:
Diapers or Nappies are also everywhere available. Some supermarkets also have Pampers.
Not-To-Do List
You should avoid some parts of Bali, such as:
- Kuta – overcrowded
- Lovina – disappointing beach, annoying sellers at the beach
- Ubut – crowded, very touristy
- Gili Trawangan – much more crowded than the other Gili Islands
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