Travelling alone in Bali as a woman: where to go and how to plan it

Many women choose to travel alone in Bali, and for good reason. It is easy to find a part of the island that suits you, there is something to do every day, and company is close at hand whenever you want it: a morning yoga class, a surf lesson, a cooking workshop, a table of people you met the day before. You can spend a week entirely on your own terms and still feel part of the life around you.

The island also leaves room for time alone. Some guests come for yoga and meditation, some for a temple ceremony, some simply to sleep well and walk among the rice fields. Wherever you go, you meet the Balinese. People here are warm and courteous, and much of that comes from the island's own philosophy, Tri Hita Karana: harmony between people, between people and nature, and between people and the spiritual world.

Most of Bali needs little planning; only the harder-to-reach parts call for some preparation. Below are the four trips our guests travelling alone ask about most often, what each one involves, and where a private driver or guide makes the day simpler.

The short answer

• Is Bali a good place for a woman travelling alone? Yes, with the care you would take in any busy destination.

• Beyond the south: the north of the island over two days, for waterfalls, mountain lakes, hot springs and dolphins at sunrise.

• Volcano scenery: a sunrise at Mount Batur, by jeep or on foot to the summit.

• Photographs with you in them: a day around Ubud with a photographer.

• Beyond Bali: the night climb of Ijen on Java, only with a guide.

• Freedom without driving: a private car with a driver who knows the island.

North Bali: waterfalls, lakes and dolphins at dawn

Bali is more than beaches and the resort towns of the south. The island changes from region to region, and the north feels like another place altogether: mandarin orchards, mountain lakes, waterfalls in deep green gorges, hot springs.

It is also the hardest part of the island to manage on your own. The drive is long and tiring even for a confident driver, with steep switchbacks, mountain passes, forks in the road and stretches where map apps lose their way. So give the north time, and let someone else take the wheel.

We suggest at least two days, so that the route stays calm and the trip does not turn into a race. A typical plan takes in Ulun Danu Beratan, the temple on the shore of Lake Beratan; the Aling-Aling and Sekumpul waterfalls; the Banjar hot springs; and a night in Lovina, so that you can go out by boat at first light to see the dolphins. In high season many boats set out at once, so it is worth going with a boatman who does not chase the pod. With a private driver-guide, the long transfers, the boat and the early start are arranged for you, and someone beside you who can explain what you are seeing.

Volcanoes and highlands by jeep

A day by jeep in the mountains of Bali is hard to arrange on your own. Part of the route follows village tracks, mountain roads and volcanic ground where an ordinary car or a scooter is uncomfortable, and in places unsafe.

There are three ways to spend such a day. The first heads into the island's high interior: a temple at the foot of Mount Batukaru, the rice terraces of Jatiluwih (part of Bali's subak landscape on the UNESCO World Heritage List), coffee plantations, hot springs and a waterfall in the jungle. The second is built around Mount Batur: the sunrise over the caldera, a drive across the black lava fields, and hot springs afterwards. The third adds the climb to the summit on foot, in the dark, with a local mountain guide, to be at the top when the sun rises.

You do not have to drive the mountain roads, look for the right turn-off or improvise the day. You know the plan, and you know who to turn to.

Ubud with a photographer

Travelling alone often leaves a strange gap in the memories. The places were beautiful, yet your phone holds landscapes, a few selfies and quick shots taken on the move. In Bali you notice it more: you want the rice terraces, waterfalls and temples in the pictures, and yourself in them too.

A day, or half a day, with a photographer around Ubud solves this. You do not have to ask strangers to take your picture, explain a dozen stops to a driver, or worry about rain or a scooter helmet. You walk through Ubud's best-known places at your own pace and come home with photographs you will want to keep. On a first visit, it is also a good way to see the island's different faces in a single day.

Ijen on Java: the blue fire and a night climb

This is one of the most remarkable journeys you can make from Bali, and the one where a guide and good preparation matter most. Ijen stands at the eastern end of Java, across the strait from Bali. The trip starts the day before: you drive to the west of Bali, cross by ferry from Gilimanuk to Java, rest for a few hours and begin the climb at night.

Ijen holds the largest highly acidic crater lake in the world, with a pH below 0.3. Before dawn you can see the blue fire with your own eyes: sulphur gas burning as it escapes from the vents. The path is steep, it is climbed in the dark, and the fumes at the crater are toxic. Ijen is not a climb to attempt without a guide. The park requires a licensed guide and a health check, and a gas mask is part of the basic kit.

The crater also closes on the first Friday of every month for trail cleaning, and for longer periods after fires or when gas levels rise: in September 2026 the park was closed after a forest fire on the slopes. Your curator checks the status before fixing the dates.

Four trips at a glance

Travelling alone in Bali without driving

Travelling alone in Bali does not mean doing everything by yourself. On some days you will want to wander without a plan; on others it is simpler to have the route, the transport and the guides already arranged. When you want to build the day yourself but not drive a car or a scooter, a private car with a driver keeps the choice with you, and puts someone beside you who knows the island and drives carefully.

We design private journeys for women travelling alone: time in Ubud, a few days by the ocean, the north, the volcanoes, or a longer route across the islands, as in our Journal piece on where to go after Bali. Your curator lives in Indonesia and stays in touch throughout the trip.

Questions we are often asked

Soulscape designs private journeys in Bali and across Indonesia for travellers on their own. Tell us how you would like your days to feel, and your curator will shape the route around you. See Solo travel in Indonesia, at your own pace.