Are you having trouble finding group tours in Bali?
I’ve been in your flip-flops.
I’ve traveled the globe, mostly alone, and have rarely encountered issues joining a group tour or hopping on public transportation to arrive at the destination I wanted to visit. Needless to say, I was taken aback by how challenging it is to join full or half-day group tours in Bali as a single traveler.
Ready for the good news?
It’s not impossible. I’ll show you three methods and share some group tours in Bali you can join, including those I booked.
Accessibility Note: If you’re a wheelchair user, check out our guide on accessibility in Bali.
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An Overview of Group Tours in Bali
Whether you’re in the midst of planning your Southeast Asia trip or you’re already in Bali, below is an overview of the types of group tours you can embark on.
| Tour Name | Places Visited |
|---|---|
| Instagram Highlights | Lempuyang Temple, Tirta Gangga, Tukad Cepung Waterfall, Jungle swing, Tegallalang Rice Terraces |
| UNESCO World Heritage Sites | Pura Taman Ayun, Lake Bratan and Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Tanah Lot Temple |
| Best of Ubud | Ubud Monkey Forest, Tegallalang rice terraces, Tirta Empul, Tegenungan Waterfall |
| Village & Temple Tour | Penglipuran Traditional Village, Besakih Temple, Goa Lawah Temple, and several other lesser-known temples |
| Nusa Penida | Broken Beach, Kelingking Beach, Crystal Bay Beach |
Methods for Booking Group Bali Tours
Now that you have a feel for some of the types of Bali group tours for solo travelers you can take, below are the three methods you can use to make your reservation.
Psst! If you’re traveling alone in Bali, don’t miss my guide on Is Bali Safe?
Method #1: Talk With Street Vendors
Arranging a tour with street vendors in person used to be my go-to method when traveling. Bali changed that, but I didn’t know that would be the case upon my arrival.
So, I spent my first day in Ubud gawking at Hindu temples while speaking with agencies selling tours at their streetside stands. Based on that experience, here are my biggest takeaways for people seeking Bali group trips as a single traveler:
- A group of two must already book a tour before it can become available as a group tour for a single traveler.
- The later in the day that you ask about tours for the following day (or that same evening, in the case of Tanah Lot), the easier it is to find a group tour.
Being the early bird that I am and on cloud nine as a first-timer in Bali, I hit the streets early in search of a tour. I had visions of plentiful group tours that I could schedule throughout my one-month stay.
Not so.
After speaking with a fifth or sixth Bali tour agency representative, reality struck: The chances were low of securing a group tour any day before noon for a tour taking place the following day.
Most sales representatives told me to contact them after 4:00 pm.
In some cases, they jotted down my number and said they’d contact me if a group tour became available. In all cases, they gave me their card so I could reach out to them at the end of the day.
Mind you, I wasn’t picky about the group tours in Bali I wanted to take. I had a full month in Bali and was interested in seeing as many sites as possible on and off the beaten tourist path.
As I got to know the island better, it also became evident that you can expect to encounter similar availability issues whether you’re staying in Ubud, Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, or any other popular tourist spot.
The Caveat
There’s one situation where I’m fairly confident telling solo travelers that they can easily find a group tour in Bali—that’s the Tanah Lot tour.
Not only is Tanah Lot one of the most popular places to visit in Bali, but it’s a great option for solo travelers who want to book a Bali tour on the same day.
Most of the tour agencies I spoke with seemed confident I’d be able to join a group Tanah Lot tour on the same day. And they ended up being right, as many contacted me to confirm so by the early afternoon.
Method #2: Go At It on Your Own
I’ve spent much of my adult life traveling around Latin America and Europe. It’s easy to hop on a bus or train in those regions to get to a destination, bypassing the need for a tour guide until I arrive at the site.
Unfortunately, Bali’s lack of well-connected public transportation makes it challenging to travel around the island.
Nevertheless, you can take Bembos (public buses). I never took a Bembo myself, so I can’t comment from experience. However, I recommend asking a local about the route and cost before boarding; as with taxi drivers, Bembo drivers in Bali are known to charge tourists a higher price.
You can also use Gojek or Grab to get around, which was my method of choice for exploring the beaches in Uluwatu and the Uluwatu Temple.
Grabs and Gojeks are cheap and abundant in most parts of Bali (though if you go off the beaten path to places like Sideman Valley, as I did, you might have to find a local to drive you back to your accommodation).
There are also plenty of scooter rental facilities in Bali.
So, you can rent a scooter to arrive at the destinations you want to visit. From there, it’s common to encounter tour guides for hire standing outside of popular tourist stops.
Just hone your bargaining skills before arriving; your guide-to-be will give you a high price, expecting you to counteroffer.
Method #3: Book Group Tours Online
It may sound silly, but it didn’t occur to me until about a week into my trip to look online to find a group tour in Bali. However, after the disappointing group tour that I managed to land with a street vendor in Bali, I knew I needed to test other waters.
I’m so glad I did.
While there are more options online for private tours than group tours in Bali, I felt like I struck gold when I landed on GetYourGuide. They listed several group tours, complete with a calendar of availability.
Most encouraging of all, there’s no minimum to form a group tour in Bali with GetYourGuide.
Case in point: I ended up being the only person who signed up for a Jathiluwih rice terraces tour for the date I picked. But GetYourGuide still honored the tour, giving me the full-day tour in private for the price of a group tour.
I was sold.
I spent the remainder of my time in Bali taking a combination of group tours with GetYourGuide and exploring nature-based sites on my own with Gojek and Grab since I didn’t feel like I needed a guided tour in those situations.
Types of Single-Day Group Tours in Bali
Below are some group tours in Bali you can book. I’ve indicated the tours that I took myself, and I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about them in the comments.
1. Full-Day Instagram Highlights Group Bali Tour
If you’re short on time, GetYourGuide’s Instagram Highlights is one of their most popular offerings. The tour currently has a 4.9 out of 5.0 rating with over 3,100 reviews.
You’ll make the following five stops during this group tour in Bali:
- Lempuyang Temple
- Tirta Gangga
- Tukad Cepung Waterfall
- Jungle swing
- Tegallalang rice terraces
Make sure to have your camera charged, for you’ll need it with all the stunning places you’ll see.
You can book the group tour here and check availability below:
2. UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tour
When I was initially researching Bali group trips, visiting the Jatiluwih rice terraces was at the top of my list, as I had heard they were less crowded than the Tegallalang rice fields but beautiful in their own right (check out my guide on Jatiluwih vs Tegallalang for details).
So, I was thrilled to stumble upon GetYourGuide’s UNESCO sites small group tour. This was the group tour that became a private one since no one else signed up for my travel date.
My guide took me to the following sites on the UNESCO World Heritage tour:
- Pura Taman Ayun
- Lake Bratan and Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
- Jatiluwih rice terraces
- Tanah Lot Temple
This is a full-day tour, and your guide will arrange it so you arrive at Tanah Lot Temple in time to explore it before watching the sunset.
You can book the group tour here and check availability below:
3. Best of Ubud
Ubud is lovingly called the cultural capital of Bali. So, if you’re not staying there, it should be a must-see destination as you search for Bali group trips.
During this Best of Ubud tour, you’ll see the following sites:
- Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest
- Tegallalang rice terraces (the Ceking portion)
- Tirta Empul
- Tegenungan Waterfall
You have the option to include lunch with your ticket. But if you’re on a budget, I recommend forgoing the lunch add-on and packing some snacks to tide you over for the duration of your tour.
You can book the group tour here and check availability below:
4. Village & Temple Tour Including Besakih
Besakih is one of the most famous temples in Bali. But aside from Besakih Temple, this Bali group tour will take you to several other lesser-known temples that are stunning in their own right.
My favorite temple stop was at Goa Lawah, partly because there weren’t any other tourists at the time we went but also because it’s home to a cave with hundreds of bats.
Our guide informed us we could only observe the bats from outside the cave. But no one in my group was disappointed; the bats were surprisingly active for it being daytime, and the smell of their droppings radiated from the cave.
The tour ended with a visit to Penglipuran Traditional Village, which was so much more beautiful than I expected. It was fun seeing and learning how the locals use bamboo to build their homes, and our guide walked us through a family’s property.
You can book the group tour here and check availability below:
5. Nusa Penida Tour by Speed Boat
If you’re looking for a group tour to Nusa Penida, you’re in luck. There’s a full-day small group tour where you can make memories and friends.
After hopping on a speed boat to Nusa Penida Island, your guide will take you to the following sites:
- Broken Beach
- Kelingking Beach
- Crystal Bay Beach
Crystal Bay is a favorite diving spot. So, if you wish, you’ll have free time to snorkel beside an array of fish, manta rays, sea turtles, and more.
You can book the group tour here and check availability below:
A Note on Tour Pickup Locations
The group tours you book in Bali may or may not offer pickup and drop-offs, depending on whether you stay within their driving zone. If you book a tour with GetYourGuide, it doesn’t matter if you’re staying at a hotel or a private residence like Airbnb; as long as your address falls within the pickup zone, your driver will be there to meet you.
If your address falls outside of the pickup zone, you’ll need to choose a meeting point.
Since my Airbnb was located outside downtown Ubud, I always had to meet my guide. However, I was impressed each time with the coordination. My guides always sent me a Whatsapp message the evening before my tours started to recommend the most convenient place to meet them.
And sometimes, they even stretched the standard pickup zone to make it easier for me.
Multi-Day Bali Group Tour Packages
Several companies offer all-inclusive packages if you’re looking for multi-day Bali tours for solo travelers. Many of these Bali group tour packages include a pickup from the Denpasar Airport.
From there, you and your new travel mates will have your hands held from start to finish, whether it be taking a relaxing Bali tour where you’ll watch sunsets on the beach or rising early for a hike up Mount Batur to catch the sunrise.
Furthermore, many Bali group tour packages include Bali as one of many stops in an itinerary. So, you might get to go to other islands in Indonesia or visit other countries in Southeast Asia alongside your group.
If you’re looking for something that falls between one of these all-inclusive group Bali tours and a day tour, consider a 2-day tour to the Gili Islands.
You’ll get to hang out at a resort with lots of time for walks along the beach and snorkeling. The tour also includes a 2.5-hour boat ride around the three islands.
Benefits of Taking Group Tours in Bali
Some of the biggest benefits of joining a Bali group tour include:
- Lower price than a private tour
- Chance to make friends
- More environmentally friendly
The mode of transportation for all the group tours I took—both the disappointing one I booked on the street and my tours with GetYourGuide—was an SUV.
That made for a much more comfortable—and air-conditioned—experience than hopping on the back of a Gojeck scooter (though you lose a bit of fun in the adventure by taking an SUV).
Disadvantages of Bali Group Tours
No tour is perfect. Below are some things to consider before booking a group tour in Bali.
- Your driver may serve as your guide
- The guides don’t always have good English
- Little control over the schedule and other travelers’ punctuality
My guide doubled as the driver during all my tours, both those I booked on the street and online. That didn’t bother me. But it’s important to consider in case you expect that your guide will be able to give you their undivided attention when driving between sites.
My fellow group companions from the Ubud street booking and I were severely disappointed by the way our tour was marketed to us. Upon sharing our experience, we learned that we had all been under the impression that we would have a formal tour with an English-speaking guide.
Instead, we got a driver.
So, what seemed to be a killer deal when I booked the trip ended up being a really expensive driver. He spoke a little English, but he couldn’t answer a single question any of us had about the sites we were visiting.
Had I known I was booking just a driver to take me around the sites with a group, it would have been fine (and cued me to barter down the price). But since that’s not the information conveyed, it made me turn to online tour bookings where I could read reviews about the tour experience and the guides’ level of English.
Ready to Tour Bali?
I know the struggle of finding Bali tours for solo travelers. But luckily, group tours exist once you wade through all of the private tour options.
Since private transportation and guides can quickly become cheap in Bali if there are two or three passengers, another option is to try to make some friends upon your arrival. Hostels are a great way to do this.
That way, you can bypass booking group tours in Bali as a single traveler and book them as private tours with your new travel companions.
Do you have questions about taking group tours in Bali? Leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to help.
P.S.—To prevent traveler’s stomach from ruining your group tour plans, read my guide on the oh-so-notorious Bali Belly.
