June 5, 2017June 4, 2017

Canyoning in Bali

We visited Bali almost a year back and trying out Canyoning was one of the best decisions we ever made while out there. We almost didn’t go because it seemed like too much work and, like most people who visit Bali, we were mostly just interested in eating local food, baking in the sun on the beach and partying in the night. But I’m so happy that we did! If you would also like to experience Bali in a new way, Canyoning should definitely be on top of your must-do list.

While planning out our one month stay all over Bali, we decided to head to Seminyak first. All our accommodation was booked by us through Airbnb because it is so convenient and gives you a much more local experience of a place rather than a touristy one. And it was our Airbnb host in Seminyak who introduced us to an adventure activity called ‘Canyoning’ in Bali that we must try. After doing a bit of research online we found a just a couple of good/reliable references and booked our experience without thinking about it too much. You can even get instant savings upto ₹ 5,000 on Airbnb with Citi Cards which is such a cool deal! It’s valid from June 1st to June 30th on all listings outside India. Do check them out HERE when you are booking your next stay.

If you have never heard of the term ‘Canyoning’ before – it is a an outdoor, adventure & sport activity and is essentially a combination of all the activities it takes to descend from the top of a series of canyons to the bottom in one piece. It’s a fun (and slightly, sometimes very scary) mix of slipping, jumping, scrambling, climbing and rappelling (abseiling), often ungracefully, as you follow the water downstream. And the most beautiful part is that canyoning allows you to access waterfalls, pools, rapids and gorges largely unvisited (and thus unspoiled) by people.

You slip down natural water slides, walk in streams in lush green Bali forests, rappel down stunning waterfalls (you are given a training at the beginning so you don’t need any prior knowledge. I was a first timer too), free-jump into rock pools below (this was the scariest bit for me and I’m pretty sure I pee’d myself a little while I jumped, luckily we were all in wet suits and landing in water so it was all good) and even taking breaks in natural hot water springs. It was a magnificent experience!

We booked our canyoning experience with Adventure & Spirit which seems to be a really popular place to do your canyoning from. And we picked out the longest most extensive ‘Kerenkali Canyon’ experience because I truly believe that if you are experiencing something for the first time, you should make the most of it! This package is for USD 195 per person and it includes you being picked up from your Airbnb/hotel in Bali (which was very early in the morning for us), heading to their camp, getting trained and even being fed THE most delicious and authentic Balinese cuisine you can hope to find.

Since it’s a lot of water and rocks you can’t carry any sort of equipment on you but they do have their own gopro which is extensively used and you get all the pics from it at the end. I hope my little Canyoning post will inspire you to try it out when you visit Bali next. You really cannot miss it. Now for some pics – #WhatsNewThisVacation