Off Path Tourist Villages Increasingly Popular With Bali Holidaymakers 

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Anyone planning a vacation to Bali only has to open their ‘For You’ feed to find a whole stream of reels and videos suggesting all the best things to do in Bali.

Here at The Bali Sun, we are, of course, watching the latest in local news, but we are also keeping a close eye on travel trends and like to think we know what’s hot and what’s not for travel must-visit destinations in 2026. One kind of day trip we see missing from the Bali travel trending reels is tourism villages. 

Tourists searching for a genuinely authentic look at life in Bali need to add at least one…maybe even three… tourist villages to their itinerary. These wonderful community-managed tourism initiatives are the perfect gateway to connect to island life in a meaningful and culturally respectful way.

We are all for kicking back and spending all day at a beach club buuuuut….it’s also amazing to be able to learn more about this island’s incredible heritage, meet new people, and have some travel experiences that could change your whole outlook on life.

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Visits to tourism villages have been increasing over the years, but are still not quite as mainstream as they could be. These culturally immersive visits are super educational but also seriously good fun. Tourism villages offer more than slow-paced sunrise rice paddy walks, you know.

Bali’s tourism villages offer everything from cooking classes to adventures off the beaten path, ATV riding, to waterfall hopping, and much, much more. 

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Bali’s Badung Regency is home to the island’s most popular tourism resort areas. We’re talking Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, Jimbaran, Uluwatu, and Nusa Dua.

These tourism resorts offer holidaymakers everything they could need and more, which is why so many people choose to spend the duration of their getaway in these areas. But step just outside the streets of the resorts, and we mean really only a matter of meters in some cases, and tourists will soon discover more tourism villages than they could dream of. 

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Bali’s most popular tourism villages include Penglipuran Village in Bangli Regency, near Kintamani, and Desa Taro, which is just outside of Ubud.

Badung Regency leaders are now working to establish and upgrade the tourism villages in the region to offer holidaymakers staying in resorts like Canggu and Seminyak even more opportunities to connect with Balinese culture in an engaging and accessible way. 

The Acting Head of the Badung Tourism Office, Ni Kadek Ari Armaeni, told reporters that teams are working to establish 18 sustainable tourism villages in the coming year or so.

She explained, “The designation is a strategic step by the Badung Regency Government to strengthen the village-based tourism sector while simultaneously promoting economic sustainability for the community in North Badung.”

Tourists planning a visit to Bali in the coming months should look out for the promotion of the following tourism villages to add to their itineraries: Bongkasa, Sangeh, Abiansemal, Duah Yeh Cani, Pangsan, Penang, Pelaga, Belok, Sulungai, Carangsari, Mengwi, Munggu, Sobangan, Cemagi, Penarungan, and Kuwun.

Now, for those who have already been flicking around Google Maps and the For You feed, you may recognise a couple of these villages. Sangeh is home to Sangeh Monkey Forest, which is one of Bali’s secret monkey forest sanctuaries and is well worth a visit. The other standout name is Cemagi, which has started to appear on the tourist radar now that neighbouring Seseh has started to receive more attention and investment.

Armeni told reporters, “We will also continue to provide support, from improving ham resource capacity, promoting tourism, to strengthening village tourism institutions so they can compete amidst the dynamics of the tourism industry.”

She concluded, “Tourism has been concentrated in South Badung. With the presence of this tourist village, it can stimulate tourism in North Badung as well. All 18 of the tourist villages are located in North Badung.”