Tourism villages have to be one of the most underrated tourist attractions in Bali. First-time tourists visiting the island always have temples and beaches on their bucket lists, and rightly so, but here at The Bali Sun, you’ll find us always singing the praises of the island’s tourism villages.
Perhaps the most famous tourism village in Bali is Penglipuran Village. The community shot to international fame after being voted the cleanest village in the world and winning the UN World Tourism Organisation Best Tourism Village in the World award twice.
Penglipuran Village is not the only community to have been awarded such acclaim. At the end of 2025, Pemuteran Village in North Bali won the award and is set to become a gem of the Buleleng Regency for travel over the next few years.
As a rural fishing community, Pemuteran Village has lots to offer tourists, including access to one of the island’s most abundant coral reefs. Tourists can also join early-morning sunrise dolphin-watching tours, interact with the local community, and learn about their culture firsthand.
Tourism villages are to be promoted to tourists throughout 2026, so tourists and holidaymakers planning visits to the island right now should look out for day trips and tour packages to these culturally rich destinations. A visit to a Bali tourism village is both family-friendly and an affordable day trip.
Communities have opened their doors to the public and created tourism programs that offer visitors an intimate look at day-to-day life on the island, from cooking classes and temple visits to farming demonstrations and artistic immersions.
Tourists do not even need to get that far off the beaten track to encounter the best of Bali’s tourism villages. Badung Regency, home to iconic destinations like Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, and Kuta, will be developing five new tourism villages in 2026 alone.
Speaking to reporters last month, the Head of the Tourism Destination Division of the Badung Tourism Office, I Gede Made Sukayasa, explained that development will be carried out in Kapal Tourism Village, Petang Tourism Village, Munggu Village, Bongkasa Pertiwi Village, and Pangsan Village. These five villages are among the eighteen total tourist villages in Badung Regency.
Munggu Village is one of Badung Regency’s better-known tourism villages and is now home to the new Mekotek Monument and Cultural Park, which was opened by Regent Adi Wayan Arnawa in late 2025.
He told reporters at the time, “We appreciate the community’s success in developing their village’s potential. This will be a legacy for our children and grandchildren, improving the quality of life and well-being of the community.”
Tourists who want to visit one of Bali’s tourism villages and support emerging and off-path destinations should look to attractions like Desa Batubulan in Gianyar Regency, Desa Trunyan in Bangli Regency, close to Lake Batur, or Les Village in North Bali.
As an established but little-known tourist village, Les Village offers total retreat and cultural immersion for tourists, whether they visit for the day or stay for a week.
Over the course of a visit, tourists can learn all about the traditional salt farming techniques that have been a source of income for local families for generations, alongside fishing and fruit farming.
Visitors are even invited to learn about the arak-making process. Arak is Bali’s traditional palm liquor, drunk on special occasions throughout the island.
The potent spirit plays an important role in the island’s cultural heritage and offers guests a gateway to another side of its culture.
It’s not only food and farming that tourists can experience in Les Village, but the natural wonders of the community too. The black sand beaches, lined with traditional junkung boats, are a gorgeous spot to relax and unwind, and Les Waterfall is one of the most gorgeous (and least crowded) waterfalls on the island, perfect to cool off on a hot day.
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