If you’ve been on the road for more than five minutes, someone’s already mentioned Bali. It’s basically the unofficial capital of Southeast Asia travel. Every backpacker, surf rat, yoga fiend, digital nomad, and party animal finds themselves here at some point. And it lives up to the hype.

I’ve done Bali five times. Each time felt like a different trip. One time I was living on $6 dorms and warung food. Another time I ended up in a villa with a private pool for two weeks because a mate met someone on a tour. That’s the kind of island it is — you never really know how it’s gonna play out, but it always hits.

If you’re thinking about going, stop thinking. Just go. And the smartest way to do it? Jump on a group tour. Whether you’re fresh off the plane or halfway through your Southeast Asia loop, this is the move that makes Bali proper.

🌴 Why Bali Just Works for Backpackers

You can live cheap, live wild, or live your soft-life dream. There’s no rulebook here.

• Everything’s affordable — Your cash stretches way further here than in Aus or New Zealand

• The backpacker network is huge — Hostels are busy, bars are packed, and tours are full of legends

• It’s chaotic and chilled at the same time — One minute you're dodging scooters in Canggu, the next you’re swinging over a rice field with a coconut in hand

• You can do everything — Surfing, snorkelling, cooking classes, fire shows, scooter missions, cliff jumps — it’s all happening

🚌 Only Group Tours. No Maybes.

At 1 Life Travels, we don’t sell day trips. We only work with the best multi-day group tours — the ones that give you a proper taste of Bali, not just a filtered photo at a waterfall. Whether you're ballin' on a budget or going boujee for a bit, we’ve got options for you.

And if you’re building out a bigger Southeast Asia trip, we’ve got extended tours that string Bali together with Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and beyond. Bali becomes your mid-trip reset — surf, eat, relax, then fire it up again.

🏄‍♂️ Where You’ll Actually Go on Tour

Canggu

This is where it starts for most people. It’s messy in the best way. You’ll ride a scooter without knowing how, eat your bodyweight in nasi goreng, and probably end up at Old Man’s three nights in a row.

I stayed at this hostel where the pool was in the middle of the bar. First night I arrived, someone cannonballed in with a beer in hand and didn’t spill a drop. Canggu is loose.

Ubud

Jungle town. Rice fields, temples, yoga, and monkeys that will 100% try to rob you. You’ll walk the Campuhan Ridge, sip a ginger tea at some tucked-away café, and feel like you’ve unlocked your spiritual side — until someone mentions Bintang again.

One time in Ubud I accidentally got caught in a full moon ceremony. I didn’t understand a thing, but the locals handed me some rice and smiled. It was just… cool. Authentic. Not planned, not staged. Just real.

Mount Batur

If your tour includes the sunrise trek, don’t even question it — do it. You wake up at stupid-o’clock, hike in the dark, and hit the summit just as the sun punches through the clouds. Bring a jacket. It’s freezing at the top but the view? Unreal.

I remember sharing a chocolate bar with some guy from Germany at the summit. We barely spoke the same language but we both agreed the view was “next level.” That’s all you need sometimes.

Uluwatu

High cliffs, heavy surf, and some of the best sunsets on the island. Uluwatu Temple’s worth a visit, and some tours time it so you catch the fire dance during golden hour. Surreal.

I went to a bar built into a cave here. No signage. Just found it by following the sound of music down a sketchy staircase. By the end of the night, half our tour group was dancing barefoot in the sand. Peak Bali.

🛏 What You’re Sleeping In

Tours range — some nights you’ll be in a clean, social hostel where the rooftop turns into a party. Other times you’ll be in boutique villas with jungle views and cold beers in the pool.

I stayed in a room with three Aussies and two Dutch lads once — didn’t know a single one of them. By the next day we were a unit. Bali just fast-tracks friendships like that.

🛵 The Vibe on Tour

• Everyone’s in the same boat — either mid-trip and dusty or fresh off the plane and buzzing

• You’ll bond fast — it might be over a scooter crash story or a mutual love of fried bananas

• Tour guides are usually legends — local as hell, funny, and somehow know every shortcut and secret beach on the island

• It’s a mix of adventure and chill — you’ll surf in the morning and be passed out in a beanbag by 3pm

🌏 Want More Than Just Bali?

We also offer multi-country Southeast Asia tours where Bali is just one epic stop along the way. These are the big trips — think 4–8 weeks covering Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and more. It’s the best way to see the region without having to stitch together buses and borders on your own.

And yes, Bali is always a crowd favourite. Good spot to hit halfway through when you need a breather from the street food chaos and just want a smoothie bowl and a beach nap.

💸 The 1 Life Difference

Here’s the deal:

• We’re independent — we work with all the top tour suppliers in Bali. No bias, no BS.

• We’ll find what fits you — party trip, chill trip, spiritual trip — whatever your vibe, we’ve done it or sold it

• Our prices are the same or cheaper than booking direct — always

• We’re backpackers ourselves — we don’t sell anything we wouldn’t personally rate

• We’ll give you the real advice — where to eat, what not to miss, how to not get scammed

You're not just buying a tour — you’re tapping into a whole network of people who’ve actually lived it. That’s what makes 1 Life different.

⚡️ Final Thoughts

Bali isn’t just a box to tick. It’s one of those places that changes shape depending on how you travel it. You can go full chaos in Kuta, find yourself in Ubud, or chill out with surf vibes in Canggu. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure kinda place.

But doing it on a group tour? That’s the cheat code. You’ll see more, stress less, and walk away with 15 new mates and a phone full of chaotic, sandy, sweaty memories.

You only get 1 Life. Might as well make Bali part of it.The Ultimate Bali Guide for Backpackers – Group Tours, Bintangs & Big Vibes