Fugly Bali
Which are the worst / riskiest areas in Bali?
Bali's tourist areas have so much to offer, but not always what you would prefer.
Kuta, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Legian - Which is the worst / most dangerous area?

You can find out specifics of Bali's problems such as pollution, disease / health risks, crime, terrorism, extortion, etc. on the pages listed in the right hand navigation column. Here we summarize for you the risks for particular areas.

Nusa Dua
Most of the hotels in Nusa Dua are built on "stolen" land (land bought at low prices under Suharto's compulsory purchase program and then either used by his family and / or sold to foreign hotel chains at great profit). Nusa Dua also seems to suffer the worst from illegal garbage (including effluence) dumping, plus basically deprives the balinese of their legal right to use the beaches if they so wish. Given the number of large western branded hotels here and the proximity to the airport / flight paths, the hotels here are certainly a likely preferred target of the Al Qaeda terrorist network.

Jimbaran Bay
So close to the airport and flight paths, and perhaps with less security than Nusa Dua, Jimbaran's larger hotels would make an obvious terrorist target. In one of the large housing estates above Jimbaran, sewerage coming out of the sewers was once a major problem. And many of the fish restaurants here have a terrible reputation for selling seafood not fit for consumption by any animal (they often contain lead and are far from fresh)

Tanjung Benoa
Less of a terrorist risk, maybe, than neighboring Nusa Dua. But it certainly suffers from major beach erosion (the Indonesians destroyed the protecting coral reef to make building concrete), to the extent that some hotels are in jeopardy of losing their star ratings. Also, the pollution problem certainly affects Tanjung Benoa.

Sanur
A highly likely terrorist target given its association with the western expat community, and some very large brand name hotels with relatively easy street access and also on the airport's flight path. Most of the beach is patrolled by aggressive hawkers (salespeople who often wait just outside the hotel's boundary ready to pounce), drug dealers and even pimps / prostitutes (particularly just south of the Sanur Beach Hotel). Like other coastal areas, Sanur's coral is long dead and the beach consequently suffers from erosion. Sanur also suffers a lot from the illegal waste dumping around Benoa, and has waters reckoned to be extremely dangerous health wise. Sanur's dishonest money changers, etc. are reckoned to be the worst in Bali, second only to those on Jalan Legian in Kuta.

Kuta / Legian / Seminyak
The target of the last terrorist bombing, and a likely candidate for future attacks given the fact the main road goes directly through the shopping and entertainment area, where many young tourists go. In Kuta and parts of Legian you can find the most dishonest retailers, money changers, etc. Kuta and Legian have such horrendous garbage abuse problems, they often resemble dumping grounds. Kuta and Legian are renowned for their prostitution problem, and for gay friendly areas (but be warned, homosexuality is a serious crime in Indonesia).

Denpasar Area (also includes Sanur, Kuta and Legian).
Denpasar is so filthy it is malarial, for sure, confirmed. It also is the home of drive by shootings, kidnappings, and the corrupt Mafia police of Bali. Unfortunately, Denpasar borders many tourist areas. Denpasar airport (which is actually between Tuban-Kuta and Jimbaran) has a large marshland area at the Eastern end of the runway which would provide excellent cover for any terrorist with a shoulder fired surface to air missile (the type which came out of Afghanistan and has been used in Kenya by Al Qaeda terrorists), yet which has not been sealed of by the police.

Candi Dasa / Padang Bai
"Has anyone seen my beach?" is the old joke about Candi Dasa, as the locals used the coral reef to make cement to build the large oil terminal just down the road. Which meant the beach was literally just washed away. Actually, not far from one of the cleanest towns in Bali, so refuse is not such an issue here. But certainly the oil and ferry terminal make for obvious terrorist targets, and most hotels have easy direct road access (although tend to be smaller, so less of a terrorism risk).

Lovina / Singaraja
Singaraja has definitely had reports of malaria infection and chicken flu in the past. There are some busy tourist street areas which pose an obvious security risk. Plus the most aggressive hawkers in Bali frequent the often dirty beaches in Lovina.

Ubud
Quite a clean area and less dishonest / corner cutting. But the Monkey Forest Road and Ubud Market areas are very accessible by road, heavily frequented by young western tourists, and therefore has to be considered a possible terrorist target.

Please do not become a victim or part of the problem. Read:
Bali Tourism (Should I go, where, and how do I avoid adding to the problem / putting myself / my family at risk in Bali?).


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