The best secret Bali adventures for families.

The thrill of a 4×4 Lava field tour

I reckon if you ask my volcano loving four-year-old, he’d say this is one of the coolest things we’ve done on this sweet island cause it has all of the mountain fountain adventure with none of the effort. It’s one of the best things to do in Bali with kids, and all the family will love it.

An open top jeep takes you off-roading through the rugged landscape of black lava at the foot of Mount Batur before they punt you out in the lava field for a little explore.

Check out balivolcanojeep on Facebook to arrange a tour. They’re an awesome group of drivers, knowledgeable and great with kids. They also do sunrise tours which are spectacular too.

Trek to Bali’s tallest waterfall: Sekumpul

If you only see one waterfall in Bali, make it this one! Falling 80m straight down in the middle of the jungle, it’s like something straight out of Jurassic World.

There are a couple of options here, depending on the age of your children and the amount of energy you have.

The long trek takes you into the valley to the base of the falls and it’s a very energetic hike! Kids would need to be at least six years and up to manage it, and if you’re backpacking small kids up and down like we did it’s a workout – but it’s such a rewarding hike. If you take this trek you’ll see the three waterfalls in this valley: Sekumpul, Fiji and Hidden Waterfalls. It’s an effort, but it’s well worth it.

If you’re not up for the long trek, you can simply walk as far as the viewpoint to look over at Sekumpul on the other side of the valley. You’ll be able to spot Fiji waterfall from here, but not Hidden.

Please use a local guide here. At 200k IDR per adult for the hike (less than $20AUD)  they more than pay for themselves in ensuring you don’t get lost and teaching your kids really cool things. Like did you know you can eat the sweet juicy white flesh on the outside of a cocoa bean? Nope? I rest my case. 🙂

You can arrange a guide easily at the trail head office in Sekumpul village. Google maps will take you right to it.

Explore Bali’s only National Park – Taman Nasional Bali Barat

Where is it and what is it?

Visit the ranger station at the park entrance (again, google maps will lead you right here – its the dropped pin for West Bali National Park) and they will hook you up with any number of awesome ways to explore the park which include but aren’t restricted to guided hikes and safari tours.

If you’re quiet you can hope to see the rare Bali starling, monkeys (grey macaques and black monkeys both live in the park), snakes, kingfishers, wild boar and the famous Menjangan Deer. Of course if you’re travelling with very loud tiny people who don’t quite understand the concept of “being quiet as mice” then the best you’ll do is a deer for 3 seconds from 600m, tracks of a wild boar and a monkey stealing your croissant. True story. But actually we still saw plenty of monkeys every day we were there, one kingfisher and one little snake which the kids went wild for.

Snorkeling at Menjangan

Menjangan is the jewel in the crown of West Bali, and is the wild Bali of your dreams. Its a short boat ride from the mainland and has some of the best snorkelling spots with kids we’ve found on the island.

So many beautiful tropical fish exist here the likes of which I’ve only ever seen in a tank in the dentist waiting room. You can also get another chance to see the deer. On the beach. If you’re quiet. Again, we saw none cause we’re not quiet. I say we. I mean the kids. But the island is INSANELY beautiful and the snorkelling is outstanding. Great for serious divers too!

We stayed at Nusa Bay Menjangan, the only resort in Taman National Park (click here for all the resorts/accom in the area)and one of the super cool things about it is you can only access it by boat. Its a short trip from the mainland and only a few minutes to Menjangan by boat and they can also arrange day trips to Menjangan as well as little day hikes into the park, leaving from your front door. Its a small, rustic charming little resort with only 14 little villas but its a slice of paradise and the best and ONLY place to stay when you’re there.

Hike a volcano at sunrise: Mt Batur

This is one for the really adventurous, and is especially great for families with older kids.

Mt Batur is definitely an experience of a lifetime, but you do need to take it slow and know your family’s limits.

We went with Bagus Bali Sunrise. The price includes pick up and return trip to your accomodation, guided hike, trekking poles, head lamps and breakfast at the summit while watching the sunrise.

To get up there we took a round trip trail that takes in the crater rim but while we explored the crater rim with the kids, we hiked up and down the same “easier” trail of switchbacks and would definitely recommend that for anyone with small kids as the hike down the other side is much more sketchy.

Kids of all ages will love it cause you can actually SEE steam escaping the crater at the top! Its so hot its like opening a dishwasher in your face, mid cycle so take care.

For families with older kids, check out Abang at sunrise. Its Bali’s second biggest volcano, opposite Batur and the summit trail has incredible views and takes you up through cloud forest – its all very Avatar. We didn’t do this one with the kids buts the trail is just too dodgy and steep in places for little people but we hiked with a friend and her 11 year old and she managed it fine! Not one for the rainy season, just FYI. Definitely too sketchy when wet!

Chill out on a secret beach

Ok truth be told there aren’t many truly secret beaches left in Bali. BUT there are several not so well known beaches dotted around the island that are stunning and free from big resorts! Case in point, Bias Tugel. This little cove is situated right next to Padang Bai but instead of turning left into the port, you turn right up the hill. You have to pay the locals for access but its pennies (about 10k IDR per person) and its so worth it. You walk down some steps and a little forest trail and it brings you out in this little corner of pristine white sand beach and turquoise water. Local warungs line the sand between the beach and palm tree groves so getting lunch, a fresh coconut or a cold bintang (and the loo!) isn’t a problem. There are tons of little rock pools either side of the beach for exploring with small kids. Its only an hour from Sanur and one we go back to over and over again, you will love it!

Tip: wear mosquito repellent for the walk down through the forest

Further up the coast past Candidasa there are two more “virgin beaches”. They’re well sign posted and actually called “Virgin Beach” and are sort of like a bigger version of Bias Tugel and also totally worth checking out if you’re in the area!

Bali is an adventure lovers paradise. Enjoy it! Love it hard! Use a local guide where ever possible, try not to use single use plastic and take a reusable water bottle instead, keep to the trails and respect the people and their beliefs and hopefully we’ll see you out here soon!

Kirsty 😉