Bali’s happening gay scene is centred around the area of Seminyak and while it is no Bangkok, gay visitors to Bali will find a number of great bars and even a couple of discos along the club street of Jalan Dyana Puna. Most nights out start with sunset drinks on the beach and the bars and clubs have two peak periods – before dinner and after, where the fun goes on way into the night.

Kudeta and La Luciola are two of the beachfront gay bars in Seminyak and most guys end their day with a couple of beers or cocktails here. Within walking distance are some of Bali’s top gay-friendly restaurants such as the superb, upscale Kafe Warisan and the gay and budget friendly Rumours.

Bali’s gay central is QBar, on Jalan Dyana Puna. There are nightly drag shows here and late at night the dancefloor is packed. There’s a good mix of local guys and tourists here and the atmosphere is frantic but friendly. Across the road is Kudos which is more beer-themed and has a breezy outdoor terrace.

Further along the road are Mixwell club and the Kween which also do good business, especially on the weekends. These two clubs are more popular with local gay guys but anyone and everyone is welcome. Club 66 and the adjacent Papparazzi Club are mixed venues but both very gay-friendly.

Bali doesn’t have a dedicated gay beach and no nude beaches, but most gay tourists settle at Petitenget Beach, also known as Ganesh Beach, at Seminyak. All the clubs and restaurants listed above are within a sandy stroll from Ganesh Beach, hence its popularity.

Hindu Bali doesn’t really stigmatise gay and lesbian people but as with most of Southeast Asia, excessive displays of public affection between people of any gender is frowned on. Also like elsewhere in Asia, two men holding hands should not be misinterpreted as homosexuality, as it very often isn’t.

Work opportunities for anyone in Bali are extremely limited. Since the tourist downturn that resulted from the terrorist attacks in Bali in 2002 and 2005, even locals who work as hawkers and beach vendors struggle to make ends meet. With tourism and agriculture the two top industries, tertiary business and other work opportunities are very thin on the ground.

Nevertheless, Bali is a magnet for expats who operate some of the art galleries and resorts in Ubud as well as in tourism, where employment in the top resorts in Nusa Dua as well as other parts of Bali are relatively abundant. Competition for expat jobs in Bali is fierce. Some travellers find employment in SCUBA diving or learn to surf courses if they have relevant qualifications and experience.

Beyond these areas however there are very few employment opportunities in Bali. If you do decide to give it a go, this is the visa and work permit information you may need:

RPTKA (Expatriate Placement Plan) – Any Indoensian business or company that intends to employ a foreigner needs to apply for an Expatriate Placement Plan, RPTKA. Regardless of the skills and qualifications of the foreigner, this permit is never guaranteed in the tight economic situation of present day Indonesia.If they are granted, the business or company pays US$100 per month per foreign employee to offset the training costs for locals.

If they have been issued a TA01 permit by the Indonesian government, visitors can enter Bali with a KITAS card which allows limited employment opportunities that are legitimate.

Fees
Visas
- Visa Kunjungan (60 day business visa): US$45
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Sharks | Catfishes | Eels | Skates and Rays | Exotic Fish | Fish to Eat

Though there are no man eating sharks in the waters off Bali, there are plenty of inquisitive reef sharks that will interact with you, but probably never harm you. These include the Blacktip Reef Shark, and its cousin the Whitetip Reef Shark. Plenty of other similar shark species are in the water.

The Spotted Eagle Ray and the Bluespotted Stingray are just some of the species of skates and rays that swim in the waters off Bali. In fact, many swimmers have reported seeing giant manta rays. As always, exercise caution with all wild creatures but look out for the beautiful Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray especially if you have an underwater camera.

Snowflake Moray eels slither around in the waters off Bali as do the timid but pretty Zebra Moray family and the Giant Moray which really does have very sharp teeth. Less dangerous and certainly never aggressive is the Spotted Garden Eel and the Banded Snake Eel. The Many-eyed Snake Eel is just that.

Striped eel catfish share the waters off Bali with other members of the catfish family which includes the Crocodile Longtom, Houndfish, Needlefish and the Soldierfish. The Chinese Trumpetfish is never too far away just like its partner in crime the Cornetfish.

Coral Razorfish and Radial Firefish dive in the corals and weeds and reefs off the shores of Bali along with glorious Tassled Scorpionfish and the ever-hungry Redmouth Grouper and its cousin the Blacktip Grouper. Honeycomb Groupers are rarer and as always, keep a respectful distance from tropical fish and remember that most species are endangered.

Mangrove Red Snapper, Blacktail Snapper, Midnight Snapper and many species of bream mean that most of the fresh fish you eat while in Bali is super fresh, having come from the local waters that very day.

Lots of our Australian visitors come at this time to escape their winter, but it’s less appealing to the Europeans who have their own summer to enjoy. There’s still the odd bit of rain but mostly it’s great weather. It seldom gets hotter than 30, but being coastal it will always appear humid to those not familiar with the tropics. Sea breezes manage to dispel this, and you can always escape to Ubud or other inland places where it cools dramatically on the higher places of the island. 

If you hate the crowds or prefer bargains it’s best to come at the fringes of the season such as April May, or Sept and October when hotel prices are sometimes more reasonable.