Best Ways to Stay Connected While Travelling in Bali

Famed for its mesmerising temples, mist-shrouded volcanoes, and picturesque palm-fringed beaches, Bali is the quintessential Southeast Asian destination for holidaymaking Aussies.

But navigating its narrow, traffic-choked streets is no easy feat, especially when you don’t have a decent internet connection. 

That’s why we’re covering the best ways to stay connected while gallivanting around Bali.

WHY YOU NEED AN INTERNET CONNECTION IN BALI

At about one-twelfth the size of Tasmania, Bali is a tiny Indonesian island that should be pretty easy to get around.

In reality, its underdeveloped infrastructure, haphazard urban planning, and swarms of clumsy scooter-swerving tourists (mostly fellow Aussies) make navigating Bali a nightmare. 

Many repeat visitors will tell you the best way to get around is to summon a Bluebird or a Grab/GoJek through your mobile – and they’re right. 

Transport aside, mobile internet lets you find a braid-spinning beauty salon, a non-dodgy money changer, or an Insta-famous brunch spot flogging photogenic eggs bennies. You could also book tomorrow’s rice paddy tour or get a stupidly cheap nasi goreng delivered directly to your villa at 3 am.  

Bali is your oyster when you’ve got internet at your fingertips. But it’s a bit of a hassle when you don’t. 

HOW TO STAY CONNECTED WHILE TRAVELLING IN BALI

We know getting online in Bali is essential. The next question is how. 

GETTING AN ESIM FOR TRAVELLING IN BALI (BEST OPTION)

For most Aussies visiting Bali, the best way to stay connected is the travel eSIM. 

eSIMs are convenient – no juggling tiny plastic trays or haggling with commission-hungry retailers. Consumers can take their time comparing the best travel eSIMs in Bali online. Upon choosing a provider, you scan a QR code, enter details, and follow the prompts. The whole process takes under 5 minutes and doesn’t require any tech skills. 

Once you land at Ngurah Rai International Airport, your eSIM will activate automatically. After clearing immigration, you can dodge the persistent taxi touts and book a fairly priced GoJek to your hotel. 

Depending on which provider you choose, eSIMs are also incredibly affordable. As one of the cheapest travel eSIMs in Bali, ZenSim has 30-day plans from just A$21. 

• 30-day, 5GB A$21 ($14 USD)
• 30-day, 10GB, A$35 ($23 USD)
• 30-day, 20GB, A$45 ($29 USD)
• 30-day, Unlimited, A$79 ($51 USD)

Our rates work out much cheaper than global roaming and are comparable to some local SIM plans. 

When you go with ZenSim, you get responsive customer service from an Australia-based support team and a user-friendly mobile app for instant top-ups – add extra days, data, or countries with a couple of taps. ZenSim offers unlimited hotspotting for multi-device users and speedy connections through our quality Indonesian partner networks, Indosat and Three. 

GETTING A LOCAL SIM CARD FOR TRAVELLING IN BALI (THE INCONVENIENT OPTION)

A local SIM is better than nothing. But the old-school approach isn’t ideal. I’ve purchased plastic SIMs in Bali back before I had an eSIM-compatible phone, and it’s a bit of a hassle. 

Many travellers purchase a data plan upon arrival at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport. Upon stepping into the baggage claim hall, you’ll see vendors touting tourist SIMs to bleary-eyed recent arrivals, plus plenty more scattered throughout the airport. Prices drop as you get closer to the exit. 

Don’t expect any bargains, however, as the Bali airport “tourist SIM” is priced for tourists. Most airport plans I looked at cost about the same or more than an equivalent ZenSim Bali eSIM. Plus, messing around with tiny SIM cards isn’t fun when you’re jetlagged.

A cheaper, albeit inconvenient alternative is to buy a SIM from a retailer near your hotel. Local data plans cost less than those at the airport, but you’ll waste time finding and activating one. 

With all local Indonesian SIMs, you’ll have to disclose sensitive personal info (passport) and wait for your plan to activate. In my experience, new registrations aren’t always instant, so you might be twiddling your thumbs for a while. 

Although affordable, local SIMs have their drawbacks. 

Many only work in Bali, meaning you’ll lose data on a Gilli Island (Lombok) side trip. Also, watch out for misleading marketing stunts, such as 30GB of data sneakily split into 10GB for browsing, 10GB for YouTube, and 10GB for Socials. Finally, monitoring or topping up a local plan can require patience, perseverance, and sometimes a basic working knowledge of Bahasa Indonesia. 

USING DATA ROAMING WHILE TRAVELLING IN BALI (THE EXPENSIVE OPTION)

Roaming is the easiest way for Aussies to get connected in Bali. Just toggle it on for an active connection the second you hit the tarmac. 

But this convenience comes at a cost. Most Aussie telcos charge astronomical rates for global roaming, potentially leaving you with a nasty dose of post-holiday bill shock. There are a couple of reasonable, keep-your-own-number roaming plans to consider. 

• Eligible Vodafone customers can use their existing data in Bali for an additional A$5 per day.
• Optus has a Daily Roaming deal costing $5 per day for 5GB that works in Bali. 
• Telstra does a Zone 2 (includes Bali) Roaming Day Pass for $10 per day. 

However, even these “cheap” roaming plans work out pretty expensive when compared to a Bali eSIM, which only takes a few minutes to set up. While roaming might make sense for a quick trip, most travellers exploring Bali for a week or more find eSIMs offer better value. 

ONLY USING WIFI WHEN TRAVELLING AROUND BALI (NOT IDEAL)

Although not recommended, it is possible to survive an entire holiday relying solely on local WiFi networks. 

The travel “hack” works by finding a select few restaurants and bars with a passable connection, then rotating between them. WiFi calling makes things a wee bit easier when you need to take a call from home. Throw in the hotel connection, a few random coffee shops, and offline maps, and you can just about make it through a holiday. 

Some frugal WiFi surfers hotspot from a better-organised, eSIM-packing companion, leeching their data, draining their battery, and stretching the friendship thin (I may be speaking from experience here). 

Going dataless could also mean negotiating with the Bali taxi mafia or getting lost after a few too many at Old Man’s.

All this to save 20 bucks? It’s not ideal. 

RENTING MOBILE POCKET WIFI IN BALI (ONLY FOR GROUPS)

A lesser-known alternative is to rent a small mobile router from an online travel agency like Expedia or Klook. Most let you pick up and drop off the device at the airport, or have it delivered/collected from your hotel for an extra fee. 

I checked out a couple of options online, and the prices I saw looked pretty similar to roaming. You pay A$5-10 per day for the rental and 1-2GB per day or an unlimited plan, subject to a Fair Use Policy. 

Pick-ups and drop-offs are only available during opening hours, and late-night arrivals count as a full day. The local telcos collect a deposit and deduct funds for any damages. 

While the networks claim a battery life of up to 12 hours, experience with a similar device tells me 5–8 hours is more realistic. Pocket WiFi makes financial sense for travelling groups sharing a connection. But with a 30-day ZenSim travel eSIM starting from just A$21, you might as well get your own. 

STAYING CONNECTED IN BALI WITH ZENSIM

Give high-priced roaming and the hassle of local SIMs a miss. 

Whether you’re on a Bintang-fuelled bar crawl or pulling yoga poses in Ubud, an eSIM is the best way to stay connected in Bali. We offer a range of affordable data plans with varying limits, available for 10 or 30 days.

Grab a well-priced Bali travel eSIM from ZenSim instead.