Staying Healthy in Bali with Kids: Hospitals, Rabies and Real Wellness (2026)

Why We Researched Bali’s Health Side First

Growing up in Queensland, Bali was always a short flight away. It’s the holiday half of Australia seems to have taken. I’ve still never been.

When we looked at Bali seriously for our time in Southeast Asia, health was one of the things we researched hardest. With Louie now 9 and Leo just 2, I wanted the basics sorted first. Where’s the nearest good hospital? What happens if someone gets bitten? Can we drink the water?

In the end we chose Chiang Mai, mostly because of Leo’s pram. That story is in our Chiang Mai vs Bali guide. Bali is still on our list, though, and this research is what we’d want sorted before we go.

Our own idea of wellness is pretty simple. Bikes, a market basket and a vegetarian dinner we’ve cooked together. The yoga, spa and wellness scene in Bali is a different world, and honestly, we’d be keen to try a bit of everything. 🌴

We haven’t been to Bali, so this guide is built on official health advice, current news and what families in our groups share.

The Short Answer

• Everyday care is easy to find in the south and in Ubud, through private clinics, hospitals and pharmacies.
• Serious care is more limited. Critical cases can mean evacuation, so get insurance that covers it.
• Rabies is the big one right now. Bite numbers are high, so plan for it before you book.
• Check your medication. Some ADHD medicines are illegal in Indonesia.
• Traffic and the ocean are bigger everyday risks than most illnesses.

🐕 Rabies in Bali

Rabies is the health risk we’d take most seriously in Bali right now. In September 2026, Indonesian lawmakers described the island’s situation as a rabies emergency.

Bali’s provincial health office recorded 45,365 animal bites and seven rabies deaths between January and August 2026. In 2025, 16 people died. Dogs roam freely across Bali, and monkeys live around temples and the forest in Ubud.

Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms start. It spreads through bites, scratches and licks on broken skin, mostly from dogs, but also from cats and monkeys. Treatment can be hard to find, too. Smartraveller warns that the rabies vaccine isn’t available everywhere in Indonesia, and some travellers have to leave the country for treatment.

What We’d Do

• Teach the kids not to touch any animal, even a friendly-looking dog.
• Keep food out of sight around monkeys, and hold little hands tight.
• If anyone is bitten or scratched, wash the wound with soap and running water for 15 minutes, then get to a clinic the same day.
• Save the address of a hospital that stocks rabies treatment in your phone.

We chose not to have the rabies vaccine before Vietnam. For Bali, we’d talk to our clinic about it again before we go. Pre-travel doses don’t replace treatment after a bite, but they make that treatment simpler.

Our travel vaccinations guide explains how we make these decisions, and our wildlife travel guide covers how we handle animal encounters with the boys.

💉 Vaccinations and Mosquitoes

Book a travel clinic appointment six to eight weeks before you go. Some courses, like rabies and Japanese encephalitis, take several weeks to complete.

Vaccines often discussed for Bali:

• Routine vaccines, including measles and tetanus
• Hepatitis A, and often typhoid (both spread through food and water)
• Rabies (see above)
• Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-borne virus. Smartraveller notes cases in travellers returning from Bali.

Every family’s needs are different, so get advice based on your plans, your length of stay and your children’s ages.

Dengue

Dengue is a mosquito-borne virus found in Bali all year, and it’s more common in the wet season (roughly November to March, sometimes longer). There’s no simple vaccine answer for kids, so bite prevention matters most.

• Use repellent, especially at dawn and dusk.
• Sleep under nets or behind screened windows.
• Tip out standing water around your villa.

Planning around the weather? Our month-by-month travel guide helps with timing.

⚠️ Everyday Risks for Families

The things most likely to hurt a family in Bali aren’t exotic diseases. They’re roads, waves and heat.

• Traffic: scooter crashes injure and kill visitors every year. Riding without the right licence can also void your insurance. We’d use a driver or ride-hailing car, especially with Leo.
• The ocean: strong rips run along many beaches, and Australians have drowned in Bali. Swim at patrolled beaches, between the flags where there are any. Sanur’s reef-protected water is calmer for little ones.
• Heat and sun: it’s hot and humid all year. Plan outings for the morning, keep water close and use sun shirts.
• Bali belly: stomach bugs are common in the first weeks. Pack oral rehydration salts and ease into street food.
• Drinks for parents: methanol poisoning has killed travellers in Bali, including from arak (a local rice spirit). Smartraveller advises sticking to branded, sealed drinks at licensed venues.
• Mould: in the wet season, damp villas can affect kids with asthma or allergies.

Our 7 downsides of living in Bali with kids covers mould and the other trade-offs. For villa safety checks, like pool fences and stair railings, see our guide to family accommodation in Bali.

💊 Bringing Medication to Bali

This one matters most for families with additional needs.

Some ADHD medications are illegal in Indonesia, even with a prescription from home. CBD and cannabis-based products are illegal too, including for medical use.

Before You Go

• Check every medicine with the Indonesian embassy in your country, well ahead of time.
• Bring only enough for your stay, in the original packaging.
• Carry the prescription and a doctor’s letter listing each medicine, the dose and that it’s for personal use.
• Expect that you may need to complete a medication form on arrival.

If a medicine isn’t allowed, talk to your doctor about alternatives early. It may decide whether Bali works for your family at all. Smartraveller’s Indonesia page has the latest advice.

🤒 When Someone Gets Sick

For everyday problems, a private clinic is usually the quickest option. Many have English-speaking doctors, and some offer home or villa visits.

Indonesia’s Halodoc app offers video consultations with registered doctors. Your insurer may have its own telehealth line too, so try that first.

Emergency Numbers in Indonesia

• 119: medical emergencies
• 118: ambulance
• 110 or 112: police
• 113: fire

Ambulances can be slow in traffic, so for anything urgent many families drive straight to the nearest private hospital. Know which one that is before you need it.

Tip: keep a basic first-aid kit in your villa and daypack. Our health guide for nomad families covers what’s in ours and how we find doctors abroad.

🧘 Wellness for the Whole Family

Bali is famous for wellness, and it’s easy to see why families get drawn in. Yoga, massage, sound healing and plant-based cafés are everywhere in Ubud and Canggu.

For us, the appeal is less about retreats and more about rhythm. A morning ride, a market, a cooking afternoon. Bali has all of that too, along with a yoga class or massage we’d happily squeeze in. 🚲

Some of the scene is very spiritual, and some of it sells health claims. We’d treat sound baths, detoxes and herbal workshops as experiences, not medical care. See a doctor for anything that needs treatment.

Wellness for Kids in Bali

For kids, the best wellness in Bali is mostly free. Rice field walks, river play, swimming and time outside do more than any spa menu.

• Rice field walks: early mornings are cooler and quieter. Watch for dogs along the paths.
• Swimming: pools and calm beaches, with an adult always within reach.
• Kids’ yoga: some studios and schools run classes, so ask locally for what’s on now.
• Cooking: a family cooking class is a lovely way to learn about Balinese food together.

Families staying longer often find their routine through school or community. See our guides to schools and childcare in Bali and family life in Ubud.

🧠 Mental Health Support

Moving abroad with kids is intense. Add remote work and Bali’s relaxed image, and it can be harder to admit you’re struggling.

Professional support is thinner than the wellness scene suggests. Smartraveller says psychological and psychiatric services in Indonesia are limited. That doesn’t mean there’s no help, but it’s worth setting up before you need it.

• Online therapy: keep seeing a therapist from home, or try a platform like BetterHelp. Check it serves clients in Indonesia before you sign up.
• Your insurer: many international policies include mental health cover or a helpline.
• Local practitioners: ask in family and expat groups for current recommendations, and check qualifications.
• Community: parents’ meetups and regular classes help with loneliness. See our guide to community in Bali.

🍉 Eating Well in Bali

Bali is one of the easier places in Asia to eat vegetarian, which matters to us. Fresh fruit, tempeh and tofu dishes, and plenty of plant-based cafés make family meals simple.

Allergies take more care. Peanuts turn up in many sauces, and kitchens are often small. A villa with a kitchen gives you a safe fallback, and it’s where we’d cook most nights anyway.

Spots to Try

• The Shady Shack, Canggu: a vegetarian café with plenty of vegan options.
• Sayuri Healing Food, Ubud: a raw and plant-based café that also runs workshops.
• Earth Café, Seminyak: plant-based meals. The Ubud café has closed.
• Bali Buda, several locations including Ubud and Canggu: bakery, café and wholefoods store.

Markets

Samadi’s Sunday farmers market in Canggu and the Saturday organic market in Pengosekan, Ubud, are good for fresh produce. Days and times change, so check current details before you go.

More ideas in our guide to vegetarian travel with kids.

💧 Water and Hygiene

Don’t drink the tap water in Bali. Most villas use large refillable water bottles (called galon), so ask whether delivery is arranged. Use filtered water for brushing teeth, especially with toddlers.

• Wash fruit and vegetables in filtered water.
• Carry hand sanitiser and wipes.
• Choose busy warungs (small local eateries) where food is cooked fresh.
• Use reef-safe sunscreen.

✅ Bali Health Checklist for Families

✔ Insurance that includes medical evacuation
✔ A clinic chat about rabies, hepatitis A, typhoid and Japanese encephalitis
✔ Medication checked with the Indonesian embassy
✔ Prescriptions, doctor’s letters and vaccine records
✔ 119, 118 and your nearest private hospital saved in your phone
✔ Repellent, oral rehydration salts and sun protection
✔ A villa with screens, a fenced pool and no sign of damp

Still deciding on Bali? Start with our Bali visa guide, the Bali cost of living guide and our pick of the best places to live in Bali.

❓ FAQs

Do we need a rabies vaccine for Bali?

It isn’t required, but it’s worth discussing with your clinic given the current case numbers. Pre-travel doses make treatment after a bite simpler, and treatment can be hard to find in Indonesia.

How good are the hospitals in Bali?

Private hospitals handle everyday and many urgent problems well. Critical care is more limited than in Australia, and serious cases may need evacuation to Singapore or Australia.

What are the emergency numbers in Bali?

Call 119 for medical emergencies, 118 for an ambulance and 110 or 112 for police. Also save your nearest private hospital and your insurer’s emergency line.

Can we bring ADHD medication to Bali?

Some ADHD medications are illegal in Indonesia, even with a prescription. Check with the Indonesian embassy well before you travel, and carry a doctor’s letter.

Is the tap water safe to drink in Bali?

No. Use bottled or filtered water, including for brushing teeth.

What is Bali belly?

It’s the local name for traveller’s diarrhoea. Freshly cooked food, clean water and good handwashing help, and oral rehydration salts are the first line of treatment.

Is Bali good for vegetarian families?

Yes, it’s one of the easier places in Asia to eat vegetarian. Allergies need more care, because peanuts appear in many sauces.

Is dengue a risk in Bali?

Yes, all year and more so in the wet season. Repellent, screens and nets are the main protection.

🌿 Our Takeaways

Bali’s wellness image is real, but it’s only half the picture. The other half is rabies, scooters, rips and a healthcare system that works well until something serious happens.

None of that makes Bali a bad choice for families. It just means doing the boring homework first. Talk to your clinic, check your medication, read your insurance and know where the hospital is.

Then go and enjoy the good bits. For us, that would be bikes through the rice fields, a market morning, a big vegetarian dinner and maybe, finally, a yoga class. 🌿

For the full picture, head back to our Bali guide for nomad families.