Bali Tourists Must Be Careful Walking In This Popular Cultural Hotspot

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Tourists in Bali’s Ubud are being warned to watch their steps as they walk around the island’s arts and culture capital.

A huge section of the sidewalk on the popular street of Jalan Raya Kedewatan has crumbled, making it impossible to walk through safely. 

The section of sidewalk in question can be found by the busy Pepito Kedeawatan Supermarket. The damage was noted on 12th March 2025 and leaders are aware of the issue.

The sidewalk has been cordoned off, but pedestrians who wish to walk down Jalan Raya Kedewatan must now be extremely cautious of the traffic on the road. 

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Local politician Made Rai Warsa told reporters “As a member of the Bali DPRD, I have communicated directly with the Head of Bali PUPR. Hopefully it will be done quickly.” He added that he wants to see the issue resolves quickly both for local communities and tourists, explaining “Do not let this happen for a long time, so as not to have a negative impact on tourism.” 

He added, “Currently we can only urge the public to be careful when passing through the area, and the government is expected to immediately repair the sidewalk damage to maintain the safety and comfort of tourists.”

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However, the broken sidewalk on Jalan Raya Kedewatan is not the only stretch of walkway in Ubud that is damaged, all over the town from Jalan Raya Ubud through to Jalan Hanouman and Jalan Monkey Forest and beyond, sections of the sidewalk are either broken or non-existent.

Tourists exploring Ubud on foot have to be super aware of their surroundings and be extra cautious of their footing. It is not uncommon to hear reports of tourists tripping, stumbling, and falling on the roads around Ubud, especially when it is busy. No one wants a twisted ankle on vacation.

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To make matters worse, in many of the areas where sidewalks are intact, motorcyclists are prone to parking illegally; both local drivers and tourists. However, this is an issue that leaders in Bali have been taking seriously over the last few years.

There are only a few specific areas where it is possible to park in Ubud. Parking at Monkey Forest, or Lapangan Astina Ubud is highly recommended since these have big parking areas and for those driving cars, Pura Dalem Puri Central Parking is also a good option. 

Tourists exploring Ubud on foot should also be mindful that motorcyclists will often mount the pavement to navigate around traffic. While this is illegal, tourists would be smart to hop out of the way rather than try and stand their ground! 

Data shows that Indonesian people are amongst the least active walkers in the world. According to a study from Standford University, Indonesian people only walk on average 3,512 steps a day.

Comparatively, Hong Kong was found to be the most active, with 6,880 steps on average every day. Walking isn’t a ‘thing’ in Indonesia, in the same way it is for most Australians, Europeans and North Americans who are amongst Bali’s top international visitors. Of course, there are so many exceptions to these findings!

Walking in Bali, especially in areas where there are no sidewalks, has proven to be dangerous to tourists in the past.

In October 2025 a Swiss national was killed on the Kintamani-Singaraja Highway in Bantang Village while he had stopped to admire the highlands view. The man was hit by an oncoming truck that was reported to have experienced brake failure. 

In popular resort areas like Uluwatu and Canggu, areas that have undergone a rapid tourism boom, sidewalks and pavements are near non-existent. Tourists considering walking on roadsides should be extremely mindful of their surroundings and not rely on trusting drivers to be obeying the laws of the road in order to feel safe.