Arriving as a volunteer in Bali, your bucket list will be full of ‘must do’ activities for your volunteer abroad program and your #IVHQweekends! To kick start your list, here are the 15 things we think every international volunteer should do in Bali…
1. Get up at the crack of dawn
Take an early morning stroll around the volunteer house in Ubud and experience the world peacefully waking up around you.
2. Run rings around the children
As a Teaching volunteer in Bali, you’re encouraged to bring ideas of games and activities to play with the local children you’re working with. And trust us, Balinese kids are sure to keep you on your toes!
3. Seriously, they’ll keep you on your toes!
4. Laze on a Bali Beach
No trip to Bali is complete without a visit to a Balinese beach during your time off. Even consider becoming a IVHQ volunteer on Bali’s Turtle Conservation project, where the volunteer house is located across the street from Nusa Penida beach!
5. Bathe in Holy Water
We receive dozens of #IVHQ Instagrams each week from volunteers in Bali, bathing in the stunning Tampak Siring Temple in Ubud. This unique experience is included in the IVHQ Bali Orientation Week.
6. Learn the art of Batik
While on Orientation Week in Bali, volunteers are also treated to a lesson in the ancient Indonesian art form of Batik painting.
7. Flowers with finesse
After you’ve mastered Batik painting, next learn how to create beautiful Balinese Flower offerings, which you’ll find covering the pavements of Ubud.
8. Get down and dirty!
A great way to help around the community is by becoming a volunteer on IVHQ’s Construction and Renovation project. Here you’ll assist a local team in the construction of community initiatives around Ubud!
9. Meet the monkeys
Only 20 minutes away from the volunteer house in Ubud, you’ll find the popular Monkey Forest, where you’ll wander the cobblestones with hundreds of monkeys!
10. Listen to locals
Despite the language barrier, communicate as much as possible with the locals. You’ll be surprised with the stories you’ll discover. On the IVHQ Healthcare Education project, we met an amazing man who even at the age of 85, continues to work on the rice fields to provide for his family.
11. Fill up on Rice!
On one of your #IVHQweekends, hire a bike and take a day trip around the stunning rice fields of Ubud. Your camera will thank you for it!
12. Spend time with Turtles
Witnessing a turtle being released into the wild on the IVHQ Turtle Conservation project in Bali is an amazing experience, and one that we caught on camera on the IVHQ Video Tour in Bali!
13. Relax!
The local staff at the Bali volunteer houses are amazing, and available to help with any problems and challenges you may encounter while volunteering. Just relax, they’ll take great care of you!
14. Inspire and educate
Using your new-found knowledge of the local customs and Balinese phrases that you picked up during orientation, and adding your own talents and experiences from home, you’ll become an inspirational influence to the young children on the IVHQ Bali Childcare project.
15. Get fired up!
Witness the power and beauty of a Kecak Fire Dance Show - a must do experience for any volunteer in Bali!
