Bali Just Made It (So) Much Easier To Visit Again

While not quite as bad as Thailand’s road to reopening, Bali’s plans to reopen travel have been one unmitigated disappointment after another. Sorry, but it’s true.

It was so bad at one point, that even when the island was theoretically “open”, airlines chose not to restart any flights, due to the incomprehensibly strange policies and lack of demand as a result.

On March 9th, 2022 though, Bali announced new plans with new hope. Unfortunately, they too were still too ripe for ruined vacations. A post arrival testing requirement was still part of the “new” plan and awful quarantine conditions mixed with wide reports of reused swabs in Indonesia weren’t adding confidence.

That’s finally changing and accordingly, it may finally be time to visit Bali again.

Indonesian officials have confirmed new travel entry protocols which remove both post arrival testing and the greedy money grab requiring all visitors be funneled into specific hotels for a night. They’re already live, so here’s what’s changed.

Bali Simplifies Travel Restrictions

From visa-free countries, travel to Bali now just involves proof of vaccination and a negative test before you leave. Arrival testing and quarantine hotel stays have all been dropped for vaccinated visitors.

No tests are be preferable, but Indonesia’s entry policy now virtually matches that of the United States. So, is your passport eligible to enter without arranging a visa before you jet off?

Visa free countries allowing for easy arrival into Indonesia currently include 43 nations, with more on the way. The initial list allows…

1. Australia
2. Argentina
3. Belgia
4. Brazil
5. Brunei Darussalam
6. Cambodia
7. Canada
8. China
9. Denmark
10. Finland
11. France
12. Germany
13. Hungary
14. India
15. Italy
16. Japan
17. Laos
18. Malaysia
19. Mexico
20. Myanmar
21. Netherlands
22. New Zealand
23. Norwegia
24. Poland
25. Qatar
26. Saudi Arabia
27. Seychelles
28. Singapore
29. South Africa
30. South Korea
31. Spain
32. Sweden
33. Switzerland
34. Taiwan
35. Thailand
36. The Philippines
37. Tunis
38. Turkey
39. UAE
40. UK
41. USA
42. Vietnam

Crucially, there are no more tests after arrival into Indonesia.

If you have a negative test and can board a flight with your proof of vaccination, you can sit back, relax and enjoy the trip. Visitors are also no longer being required to book specific hotels for their first night.

It’s not just Bali now, either. Indonesia is now allowing quarantine free arrivals into seven international gateways, including Jakarta. All passengers are still required to take a Covid-19 RT-PCR test prior to departure. Only fully-vaccinated visitors are able to skip out on arrival testing and quarantine.

Easier To Get To Bali Now

With Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam quickly reopening quarantine free travel, it’s much easier to reach Bali now. Airlines are resuming flights within the region and the return of Australian travel marks significant demand.

As flights resume and airline competition along with them, you can expect prices to drop accordingly.

A Beautiful Destination With Rare Value

Sure, there are hotels where you can pay New York prices, in Bali. But most of the island is not that, yet it manages to offer incredibly luxurious and stunning hotels and accommodations.

From the cliffside jungle paradises of Ubud to the stunning beaches of the West Coast and nearby islands like Nusa Lembongan, there’s value everywhere here. Local dishes are shockingly cheap to most visitors and even more delicious.

In many ways, Bali’s jumbling of its travel reopening is visitors gain. Demand isn’t near where the island would like it and that means an already value driven paradise has a bit more to offer.

As long as you don’t mind a pre-departure test, it might be time to go. Here’s a bunch of tourist mistakes to avoid, if you do. And a pretty cool way to get above the clouds.