bali-indonesia-rice-fields
Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

Who would’ve guessed that most of Asia and Europe would drop travel testing before the United States of America? Anyway, they have. Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam all recently dropped Covid-19 testing, and now Bali and Indonesia are doing the same.

Why mention both Bali and Indonesia, when Bali is part of Indonesia? Simple: Bali has enjoyed reopening plans and protocols different to other Indonesian destinations, so it’s important to clarify that on these updates, the plans are unified.

If you’re considering a trip to the Island of Gods, where heavenly rice dishes, stunning sunsets and views to die for await, here’s what you need to know about these new and exciting updates to enter Bali — and Indonesia.

bali-indonesia-rice-fields
Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

Bali And Indonesia Drop Travel Testing

Bali’s path to reopening hasn’t been brilliant, but it hasn’t been quite as nutty as Thailand. A variety of half measures lead to disappointing tourism reboots, but now Indonesia may finally crack the code.

Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia announced the measures during the week, but many things in Indonesia take time to become “officially” official.

The changes have since gone live, and any fully vaccinated visitor boarding a plane to Bali or Indonesia from the 18th of May should not be required to undergo any testing. For fully vaccinated visitors, there’s no need to take a PCR test to enter Indonesia now.

Exciting Times For Travel

Testing may have positive impacts, but it’s a real pain for travelers. The truth is, you really don’t know if your big trip is happening, until the hours or days before your flight when the negative result comes in. And of course, if the result isn’t negative, that’s a lot to process.

Dropping testing requirements for some of the world’s best destinations, like Bali, is a huge update, sure to drive travel confidence much higher.

If you’re headed to any of Indonesia’s stunning islands, you can now get there without any hurdles, as long as you’re fully vaccinated. Sumatra, Java, it’s hard to know where to start. If you end up on Bali, here’s a few tourist mistakes to avoid.

For any more personal questions related to travel restrictions, be sure to read GSTP’s “Can I Travel There?” guide, with links to ultra detailed results.

Gilbert Ott

Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...

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5 Comments

  1. Views to die for? Really? Have you seen how dirty it is there? Trash everywhere! Nothing I like to view.
    To me Bali, like the Maldives are greatly overrated. Just one man’s opinion.
    But one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure so I can’t argue your opinion. Only can give mine. That’s what the comments are for.

    1. And comments are here for replies, as well. Always happy to hear opinions, but to say “how dirty it is there”… are you describing an entire island? Sure, there are areas of Nusa Dua and other heavily mass market tourism that I don’t find inspiring, but the Western Coast, nearby islands and many of the more remote reaches are simply stunning and trash free. I think it’s just a bit over the top to critique an entire island, based perhaps on the views of a beach, or two.

    2. Ummm, no. Are there non-scenic spots? Of course. That doesn’t make the island a trash heap. Rather the opposite where the few less attractive places contrast the stunning beauty of so much of Bali. My wife and I have done a ten night circuit of the island and intend to do so again this autumn. Not the kind of thing you do with an unattractive place.

  2. No, it’s not the tourist areas that are trashed. The remote areas are. If you have ever been there in heavy rains you’ll see the trash wash down from the mountainous area where it is more remote.
    My experience differs from yours. Most of the island is a trash heap. Maybe less so in the tourist areas where most people go, but I tend to avoid those areas.
    Enjoy the pristine tourists beaches! But if you leave the confines of your hotel heaven be prepared to be approached by the many Viagra touting merchants.

  3. Good to see Bali/Indonesia dropped PCR requirements.
    But there’s no mention of needing the Peduli Lindungi Mobile App to enter public areas.

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