Solo Travel in Bali: A Wellness Guide for Women Traveling Alone
Arriving alone, leaving with a tribe
There is a particular feeling when you land in Bali on your own. The warm wet air hits you at the airport doors, a hundred drivers hold up signs with other people's names, and a small voice inside asks, what on earth have I done?
I know that voice well. I have travelled to India to dive into my practice, started a whole new life in Barcelona, and lived on a little boat before Mama Bali called me in. Travelling solo has been one of my greatest teachers. It strips away the roles we play at home, the daughter, the colleague, the partner, and leaves us face to face with ourselves.
That can be a little scary. It can also be the most beautiful thing.
Over the years at Samadi and now at Ubuntu, I have welcomed so many women who arrived on their own. Some came to heal a broken heart, some to celebrate a big birthday, some because they simply felt the call and did not quite know why. Almost all of them said the same thing at the end: I came alone, but I never felt alone.
So this is my guide to solo travel in Bali for women. Not the glossy Instagram version, but the honest one: how to stay safe, where to stay, and how to find your people, on the mat and off it.
Is Bali safe for solo female travel?
In my experience, yes. Solo female travel in Bali is generally very safe, and the Balinese are some of the gentlest, kindest people I have met anywhere in the world. Violent crime against tourists is rare.
But safe does not mean switch off your brain and float. A few practical tips, from someone who has lived here for many, many years:
Respect the scooter. Most travellers who get hurt in Bali get hurt on a bike, not by a person. If you are not an experienced rider, do not learn on Canggu's shortcut. Use Grab or Gojek instead, they are cheap, easy and you can share your trip with a friend.
Keep your bag on the side away from the road. Bag snatching from passing scooters does happen, especially at night. A cross-body bag is your friend.
Drink smart. Order sealed or bottled drinks, watch your glass, and be very careful with cheap local spirits (arak) from unknown places, as fake or contaminated alcohol has made people seriously ill. And never drink tap water.
Mind the dogs and monkeys. Bali has rabies. Do not pet street dogs or feed the monkeys, and if you are bitten or scratched, go to a clinic the same day. Talk to your doctor about vaccinations before you come.
Walk the dark lanes with a torch. Many small roads have no streetlights, broken pavement and open gutters. Your phone light saves ankles.
Get travel insurance that covers scooters and medical evacuation. Hopefully you will never need it. Bali belly happens to the best of us though, so pack a little patience (and some probiotics) too.
Dress and act with respect at temples. Cover shoulders and knees, wear a sarong, and never step over offerings on the ground. A little respect opens a lot of hearts.
Trust your gut. That tingle in the belly, that pounding of the heart, is your inner compass talking. If something feels off, it probably is. Leave, say no, and do not worry about being polite.
The last one is the most important. Solo travel is a wonderful practice in listening to your body, much like the mat.
Where to stay: safe areas in Bali for women on their own
Every corner of the island has its own personality, a bit like people. Here is my little cheat sheet of safe areas in Bali for a solo woman, depending on what your heart is asking for.
Canggu (Berawa, Batu Bolong, Pererenan) is surf, rice fields, cafés and yoga on every corner. It is full of solo travellers and digital nomads, which makes meeting people easy and keeps your rhythm social but healthy.
Ubud is the jungle, the temples, the art, the spiritual heart of Bali. Perfect for quiet reflection, culture, or a spiritual retreat in Bali.
Sanur is a calm beach with a gentle pace and a walkable promenade. A soft landing for your very first trip and slower days.
Uluwatu has dramatic cliffs and world-class surf, but everything is spread out. Best for experienced riders and surfers who don't mind the distances.
Of course, I am biased. I have lived in Canggu for over a decade and I still fall in love with it every morning when the sun rises over the rice fields. It has changed a lot, yes, it is busier than the sleepy village Damien and I arrived in. But it is also the easiest place on the island to meet people, because so many of us are here for the same reasons: to practise, to surf, to eat well and to grow.
My tip: choose a place where there is a community built in, not just a pool. A hotel room can feel very lonely after day three. A shala with a family around it does not.
How to meet people in Canggu (without a single awkward bar night)
Here is a little secret: the easiest way to meet people in Canggu is to roll out a mat.
When you practise next to someone every morning, a friendship starts without any small talk about the weather. You have both seen each other sweat, wobble, fall out of a balance and laugh about it. That is a much better start than "so where are you from?"
Join a Mysore program. In Ashtanga Mysore in Canggu, the same faces show up every morning at the same time. After a week you have a little tribe, and after two you are having breakfast together. It is the most beautiful community builder I know.
Try our daily yoga classes in Canggu. If Ashtanga feels like a lot to start with, our led classes, Yin and pranayama are gentle doors in. Beginners are always welcome.
Come to the workshops. Breathwork, sound, philosophy, women's health, self-inquiry. Workshops are where the real conversations happen, the ones you might not have with friends back home.
Linger at the Ubuntu café. Food has always been our gathering point. Order a nourishing bowl, sit at the shared table and let the magic do its thing. Nobody eats alone for long here.
Say yes to the invitation. A sunset, a dinner, a ceremony. Solo travel works best with an open heart (and, of course, a working gut instinct).
The magic of a women's circle
If there is one thing I would gift every woman travelling on her own, it is a seat in a women's circle.
Women have gathered in circles since the beginning of time. Around the fire, by the river, in the kitchen. We sat together, we shared, we listened, and somehow the weight we carried became lighter because it was held by many.
Modern life took a lot of that away. We have phones full of contacts and still feel unseen. We wear the mask, we keep going, and we tell ourselves we are fine.
In our Women's Circle at Ubuntu, the mask can come off. There is no need to perform, no need to be clever or pretty or interesting. You sit, you breathe, you speak if you want to, and you are simply witnessed, just as you are. Some women cry, some laugh until their bellies hurt, many do both in the same evening.
For a solo traveller, this is gold. You walk in as a stranger and walk out with sisters. I have watched friendships born in our circle continue for years, across continents.
As women, we also get the beautiful gift of our cycles. In the circle we honour them, the moon, the seasons of our body and our life, instead of pushing through like machines.
A solo retreat in Bali: alone, but held
Some women come to Bali to explore. Others come to stop.
If you are feeling tired, stuck, heartbroken or at a crossroads, a solo retreat in Bali might be exactly what you need. Not a hotel with a spa menu, but a space where your days have a gentle rhythm and someone is there to hold it for you.
It is in the pausing, the true time out, that we finally get to look inward. At home we squeeze a yoga class between emails and school runs and zip off again. On a retreat there is nowhere to zip off to. And that is when the layers start to soften.
A solo retreat at Ubuntu can look like this:
Morning Mysore practice, at your own pace and your own breath
Nourishing plant-based food at our café
Afternoons for rest, journaling, the river, the rice fields, or a nap (yes, a nap is spiritual practice too)
Workshops, breathwork and our Women's Circle
One-to-one life coaching sessions with me if you are ready to look at a big question: a new path, an old pattern, a dream you keep putting off
You can shape it into an ashtanga intensive retreat, a coaching intensive retreat, or something softer, more like a detox retreat in Bali for body and mind. You choose. We help you listen to what you actually need.
Co-living at Ubuntu: your Bali family
One of my favourite things about Ubuntu is our little co-living community. Tucked away in a quiet back alley of Canggu, our residency lets you live right where the practice happens.
For a woman travelling alone, it is the best of both worlds. You have your own private space when you need to retreat, and a family around you when you want company. Breakfast after practice, chats in the garden, someone to ride with to the beach, someone who notices if you did not show up this morning.
That is the meaning of Ubuntu, after all: I am because we are.
Many of our residents arrived alone for two weeks and stayed for two months. Some come back every year, like migrating birds. The thread, once spun, does not break.
Come as you are
Travelling solo is a courageous act. It is a leap into the unknown, and growth only happens where we are willing to take that leap.
You do not need to be flexible. You do not need to know anyone. You do not even need to know exactly why you are coming. Just listen to the whisper inside that says go, and trust that life takes you where you need to be.
We will be here, under the bamboo, with a mat rolled out and the kettle on.
With love and light, always,
Andréa & the Ubuntu Bali family
P.S. Curious? Come and say hello at the shala, join us for a Women's Circle, or ask us about a stay in our co-living residency. The door is always open.