Bali INTRO Travel 9- And 12-Day Tour Review

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If you’re considering booking the 9- or 12-day Bali INTRO Travel tour but aren’t sure yet if it’s worth the money, this review is for you. I’ve done this tour not once, but twice, so I can tell you my unbiased opinion and my personal experiences of this organised tour.

Whether you’re wondering about the quality of accommodation, the guides, the food, or what sort of people will be joining you, my complete review of the INTRO Travel Bali tours has all the answers you’ll need.

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Why you can trust this review of the INTRO Travel Bali tours

Hi, I’m Victoria, and I’m your go-to source for Bali and Indonesia travel information.

I’ve lived on this beautiful island for several years now and visited plenty of times before that, both as a tourist and backpacker. I know how to save money and when to splurge on things, so I’ll introduce you to the best luxury getaways for a special occasion but also the cheapest airport pickups and fun group tours you can join if you want to make friends.

Joining group tours was my favourite way to travel as a brand-new backpacker, and I’ve gotten to try many different ones over the years, especially in Bali. I even compared the best and most popular group tours for Bali and Thailand, so you know exactly what you’re getting.

When it comes to organised tours, I know exactly what separates a good tour from a fantastic one, so I can tell you my unbiased opinion on which ones are worth it.

My personal experience and review of the 9- and 12-day INTRO Travel Bali tour

I’ve actually been on three different INTRO Travel tours in Bali, including the 9-day and 12-day Intro tours. INTRO Travel actually offers six different types of Bali/Indonesia tours, and the Intro version is best for first-time visitors, in my opinion. It covers all the highlights in a short amount of time.

This tour was a bit of a surprise for me, and I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. It’s not the cheapest, and I wouldn’t recommend it if your budget is very tight, but there’s a reason why INTRO Travel is such a well-known tour company – they know what they’re doing.

The first time I went on a Bali Intro tour was in 2019, and then I did the 12-day version again years later, in 2023. My experiences for both tours were actually quite similar, so the quality seems to be consistent over the years.

Here were my favourite parts of this tour and why it stood out to me compared to others:

All You Need For Your Bali Trip

  • Affordable airport pickup – Klook
  • Insurance – Safetywing
  • Accommodation – Agoda or Booking
  • eSIM – Jetpac
  • Flights – Skyscanner
  • Private driver – Klook
  • Fastboats – 12Go Asia

1. Organisation

The level of organisation was just fantastic. Group tours can quickly get chaotic, but I’ve rarely been on one that’s as well organised as INTRO Travel’s 12-day Bali tour

2. Nightlife

This is a tour designed for young people and backpackers, so I appreciated the amount of nights out and nightlife that was included. If you’re hoping to have drinks with new friends and dance the night away, you’ll love this tour

3. Quality of activities

The types of activities were fantastic, and even though the itinerary wasn’t always jam-packed, there was a nice balance of free time and things to do. I loved that you get to see the dolphins in Lovina on this tour, which most other Bali group tours don’t do.

4. Two different durations

I liked that INTRO Travel offers two different types of tour durations, so you can decide which one is right for you. My top tip is that it’s sometimes even possible to extend your tour spontaneously if there are spots left. That way, you can stay longer if you’ve got a fun group that you don’t want to part with just yet.

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5. Reputation of operator

Finally, I recommend choosing this tour, because it’s organised by such a renowned tour operator with years of experience and a great reputation. This tour is rarely cancelled due to lack of interest or only half-booked, so you’re guaranteed to have a fun group of people ready to party and travel.

I’ve been on group tours before where we ended up only being six or seven people instead of the planned 15 to 20, which can be a bit of a disappointment if you’re hoping to meet people in Bali.

Intro Travel Bali 9- or 12-day tour pros & cons

ProsCons
-reputable tour company-expensive
-good group size-accommodation not the best at times
-a great mix of culture and parties-there could be more activities
-great mix of culture and parties-not the best if you don’t love nightlife
-fantastic itinerary
-extremely well-organised
-choose between 9 or 12 days
-great guides
-lots of free time
-amazing for young people looking to make friends

My tip: The best place to book an INTRO Travel tour

Comparing different tours can be a hassle, and to save you from having to navigate dozens of open tabs from different websites, we highly recommend Tour Radar. They’re a European company with over ten years of experience and will help you book INTRO Travel’s tours at the cheapest rates possible.

When you book through them, you can be sure you’re getting the best price, and they often even have exclusive discounts. Plus, you can read unbiased reviews of the tours you’re interested in, and their customer service adds an extra layer of safety so you can be sure nothing will go wrong on your trip.

Instead of having to dig through the info on the tour operator’s site, Tour Radar organises it all for you and even lets you download a clear and concise PDF where everything is laid out with no room for confusion. They also offer interest-free payments in instalments, making these group tours attainable for everyone.

Think of Tour Radar like the Booking.com or Agoda for organised trips. I would never consider booking with anyone else.

One of the very first times I booked an INTRO Travel tour, I ended up having to cancel it again just a few weeks before the trip. I had booked directly with INTRO Travel, and getting a refund or even postponing the trip was not possible.

That’s why I only book through Tour Radar now, and I’ve had much better experiences with their customer service and dealing with cancellations in the past.

Find out more about the 9-day Bali INTRO tour and the 12-day Bali INTRO tour here.

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Bali INTRO tour itinerary

Here is the itinerary for the 9- or 12-day Bali INTRO tours.

Day 1: Arrive in Denpasar, meet at the airport and head to Canggu hotel.
Day 2: Explore ancient temples and watch sunsets on the beach in Canggu; party at night.
Day 3: Surf in Canggu with local instructors.
Day 4: Explore temples and a waterfall before arriving in Lovina, stay in unique mountain accommodation.
Day 5: Watch wild dolphins, learn basket weaving, and relax by the luxury villa pool.
Day 6: Catch a ferry to Gili T Island and enjoy a free afternoon.
Day 7: Explore Gili T by bike and take a photo on the iconic ocean swing.
Day 8: Snorkel and explore all three Gili Islands by boat.
Day 9: Travel back to the mainland by ferry and head to Ubud.
Day 10: Visit the famous Monkey Forest in Ubud.
Day 11: Embark on a sunrise trek with a local guide to Mount Batur, and enjoy breakfast with a view, unwind with a Balinese massage.
Day 12: Depart from Bali or extend the trip with new friends.

group tours bali young people intro travels islands

Price

Intro Travel is a very popular tour company, and their prices are definitely steep. In fact, their tours are among the most expensive Bali group tours out there at $108 US or $116 US per day. Luckily, Tour Radar often runs discounts and offers, so double-check to see if you can get a better price.

That’s definitely a lot of money for Bali, and, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed by the quality of accommodation considering the high price.

You’re definitely paying for the years of expertise of this tour company and their considerable experience in Bali.

Was the Bali INTRO Travel tour worth it for the price? Yes, definitely. But is it much worse than other, more affordable tours like Wanderlands or Bali Experience? I wouldn’t say so.

I think it comes down to what type of traveller you are, and if you’re looking to meet new friends and party in Bali, this tour will be the perfect choice. I’ve never been on a bad INTRO Travel tour, so they’re definitely the safe choice when it comes to organised tours in Bali – but more on that later in the review.

In total, I spent around €400 for food, drinks and additional activities on the tour.

Summary: This tour is not the cheapest, but the price is worth it, in my opinion.

Best Hotel Deals In Bali

Here are our absolute favourite hotels in Bali – hand-picked and tested by us.

Alaya Resort Ubud

Alaya Resort Ubud

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel

What’s included in the Bali INTRO tours

Here is what’s included in the 9- or 12-day Bali INTRO Travel tours that are the subject of this review:

  • accommodation for 9 or 12 days (more on that here)
  • breakfast every day (mostly basic pancakes, toast and eggs)
  • one lunch and one dinner
  • an experienced tour guide
  • activities such as swimming with dolphins, snorkelling, the Mount Batur sunrise hike and more
  • ferry tickets to and from Gili Trawangan
  • transport with a private driver
  • airport pickup

What’s not included in the Bali INTRO tours

Don’t forget that the following things are not included in your tour

  • flights to and from Bali
  • travel insurance
  • tips and gratuities for your guides and drivers
  • all other meals (budget around €3 to €8 per meal)
  • airport drop-off on the last day
  • visas (around €40)
turtle swimming with girl on intro travel tour in gili t and bali review

Review of the Bali INTRO Travel tour activities

This tour doesn’t have a ton of activities, but the ones that are included were incredible and really high-quality. The dolphin tour, especially, really made me happy, especially because both times, INTRO Travel organised a tour guide that did not chase the dolphins and allowed us to see them away from the crowds in a quiet corner.

I’ve been on several dolphin tours in Lovina, and some definitely border on animal cruelty, so this is a big reason why my review of the Bali INTRO Travel tour is so positive.

Most other organised tours of Bali have very basic and similar activities, but INTRO stood out to me because of not only the dolphins but also the visit to a local Balinese family as well as the basket weaving workshop. These gave this tour a more cultural side, so it’s not just about partying.

In my opinion, the balance of both was done very nicely, especially if you do the 12-day tour and also hike Mount Batur at sunrise.

However, the second time I did this tour, I found myself a bit bored at times, as the itinerary included quite a lot of free time. I wish they had added maybe one or two more activities to justify the high price. On my first tour, we ended up organising a lot of things to do on our free afternoons as a group, but the second time around it was mostly hanging out at the hotel, which was fine but got a bit old after a while.

Summary: The activities included in this tour are very fun and well-chosen, but I wish there were a few more of them and not so much free time.

dolphin bali lovina ocean

Nightlife

The two INTRO Travel tours I joined were very nightlife-heavy and focused on partying. I guess that depends a lot on the people in your group, but at least in my experience, the guides were encouraging to go out quite a bit.

If that is not something you enjoy or want your Bali tour to be about, I’m not sure if I would recommend this tour to you. Of course, it’s not all about partying and drinking, but there were definitely quite a few nights out, especially in Canggu and Gili T.

Lovina was very quiet, of course, but our group ended up even going out in Ubud, which is usually a quieter destination.

I personally loved it, and it made our group a lot closer much quicker, but I can see that it’s not for everyone.

Summary: There is a good balance of culture and nightlife, but expect a lot of partying and drinking on this tour.

red nightlife in canggu on intro travel bali tour 9 or 12 days

Group

This is a tour meant for backpackers and young people, with an average age of 18 to 39. Most people in my groups were towards the younger end, mostly ranging from 18 to 23.

Many came in pairs, but there were also quite a few solo travellers, so don’t worry if you’re booking it alone. You’ll find new best friends on your first day. In fact, I still keep in touch with many people from our tours, and some even came to visit me in Bali again years later.

This tour is meant to forge and encourage friendships, so if you don’t want to travel alone, it’s perfect.

Summary: There are mostly young people on this tour, and it’s easy to make friends.

group tours bali intro travel intro group waterfall selfie islands young people

Guides

I’ve never had a bad INTRO Travel guide, they’ve always been incredible fun, open and outgoing. You’ll have a mixture of foreign and local guides, with at least one person to accompany you for the entire duration of the tour.

These guides are more than just babysitters, though. They are young and truly part of the group and become very close to the travellers. I felt like they were having fun and not just doing their job.

Having been a part of dozens of these group tours, I’ve noticed that a lot of guides get burnt out quickly, which can impact the quality of the experience and vibe of the whole group. But with INTRO Travel, the guides were exceptional and always up for a night out or activities outside of the planned Bali itinerary, which impacted my review a lot.

They were also very experienced and could help solve all types of problems. I felt like they truly knew and appreciated Bali and could teach the group a lot, as well as answer any questions.

Summary: Fantastic guides who were young, fun and very knowledgeable.

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  • Make your own silver jewellery
  • Balinese cooking class
  • Day trip to Nusa Penida
  • ATV & rafting tour
  • Kecak Fire Dance
  • Sunrise at Mount Batur
  • Swim with manta rays

Flexibility, pace and free time

This tour is either 9 or 12 days long, covering Canggu, Lovina, Gili T, and Ubud with Mount Batur (if you book the longer version). I was pretty happy with the pace, although, as I mentioned, there was a bit too much free time for my personal preference.

But this tour is definitely not as rushed as some others I’ve experienced, where you feel as though you spend half your time in buses, boats or planes.

Again, I would have appreciated maybe one or two more activities, but other than that, I thought the itinerary and pace were pretty perfect. You also have to remember that you’ll be going out a lot in the evening, so some of the free time is needed to recover from late nights.

Some people on our tour who weren’t drinking very much were a bit bored at times for this reason.

Summary: Fantastic itinerary, but a bit too much free time.

sacred Monkey forest in Ubud, bali. Monkey walking along a rope. Monkey sitting and eating sweet potato

Accommodation

The hotels chosen by Intro Travel aren’t always the same and tend to change from trip to trip. However, they frequently include multi-share rooms, which will be far less comfortable than the twin rooms that most other tours offer.

It’s difficult to upgrade the accommodation to private and in most cases not possible. Considering the high price of this tour, the hotels were definitely not the best.

I felt like the quality somewhat declined throughout the trip, which was a bit disappointing.

Generally, the hotels weren’t terrible, but for the price, I was expecting something slightly nicer, especially because I’ve stayed in much better accommodations in Ubud or Gili T with cheaper tours in the past.

Definitely adjust your expectations.

Summary: Accommodation was not the best considering the price of the tour.

Bali guide your travel blog

Food

Generally, most places you’ll eat on this tour will be preplanned, and there won’t be a ton of freedom when it comes to choosing restaurants. Luckily, INTRO Travel did a very good job in choosing the places we ate at, and I was pretty happy overall.

I’m a vegetarian, and the tour leaders did a great job in helping communicate this when we had pre-ordered food and I never felt like I was stuck eating sides.

On free days, we usually got to choose where we ate, and most of our group stuck together, which was nice. The price per meal was usually approximately IDR 30,000 to IDR 80,000, not including drinks.

Summary: Great food options and restaurants, even as a vegetarian.

indonesian food in bali nasi campur

INTRO Travel as a company

Another reason why I personally like to support INTRO Travel as a company is because of their sustainability practices as a company. They commit to planting ten trees for every booking, which is a fantastic start.

They also advertise their tours as being 100% carbon-neutral, which I love. They work closely with local communities and operators around the world, and it’s easy to see that they at least try to do some good.

It’s not always straightforward to consider sustainability and the impact on local communities when it comes to travel companies, but INTRO Travel is one of the better choices out there.

Who would love INTRO Travel’s Bali tours

This review of the Bali INTRO Travel tours is written by someone who has been on dozens of organised group tours, especially in Bali and South East Asia in general. But my opinions and travel style could be very different from yours.

I think that someone who hasn’t been to Bali before and hasn’t travelled a lot in South East Asia would love this tour. More experienced travellers might be better off organising their own trip and saving some money.

I would recommend this tour to those who don’t want to travel alone and want travel buddies and new friends for their entire trip. I would recommend it to travellers who like a night out but also want to get to know some of Bali’s culture and stunning landscapes.

Should you choose the 9- or 12-day INTRO Travel Bali tour?

While I usually recommend the longer tour option, in the case of Intro Travels, the 9-day tour is enough, in my opinion, if you’re looking to save some money. You’ll miss out on Ubud and Mount Batur but can still enjoy plenty of things to do before that.

If the budget is not a big concern, definitely extend to 12 days, but don’t think that the 9-day tour is any less fun.

Incoming Call Beer Sign Gili Trawangan beach red umbrella tree

INTRO Travel Bali tour review FAQ

How old do you have to be to go to INTRO Travel?

You have to be at least 18 years old to join an INTRO Travel tour

Are there a lot of young people on the INTRO Travel Bali tours?

INTRO Travel’s tours are made for young people, so most participants are between the ages of 18 and 25.

Is the INTRO Travel Bali tour expensive?

INTRO Travel’s tours are definitely among the more expensive options, but there is a lot of value for money provided.

What’s the best organised group tour of Bali?

In addition to INTRO Travel, Bali One Life Adventures is also a fantastic tour that is highly recommended.

Before you go…

If you liked this review of the INTRO Travel Bali tour, you might enjoy some of our Bali survival guides, like how to handle the tap water, how much a beer really is, where to find a private driver, how to get the cheapest airport pickup, and how walkable Bali really is.

Don’t forget to check out our Ubud and Uluwatu day trip itinerary and this list of fun things to do on your birthday in Bali.

If you’re ready to explore some more, check out this Nusa Penida itinerary, things to do in Padang Bai, where to plant coral in Bali and our favourite things to do in Kuta, Lombok.

Did I miss anything?
If you have any questions or feel like something is missing from this post, please leave a comment below or contact me.

My Most Important Travel Resources

  • Insurance – Safetywing
  • Hotels – Agoda or Booking
  • Hostels – Hostelworld
  • eSIM – Jetpac
  • Flights – Skyscanner
  • Tours & Experiences – Viator & Get Your Guide
  • Transport in Asia – 12Go Asia
  • Rental Cars – Discover Cars
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Victoria Heinz

Victoria is the founder of Guide Your Travel and has been a travel writer for ten years. She has a Master of Arts in International Relations and Politics and is a managing partner at a marketing agency in Indonesia, giving her unique insight into local culture and customs. Originally from Germany, Victoria has been living abroad for eight years in countries such as Australia, the UK, Spain, Malaysia and Indonesia. Today, she calls Bali her permanent home and helps over 200,000 people plan their trips around the world every month.

Welcome to Guide your Travel!

Hi! I’m Victoria, a travel blogger from Germany and the author of Guide your Travel. I write about my favourite destinations in Europe, South East Asia and digital nomad life in Bali.

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Hi, I'm Victoria

Welcome to Guide your Travel – a blog about South East Asia and how to travel on a budget.

I’m a blogger, writer and photographer and love to introduce my favourite destinations to others and encourage them to see the world.

I’m originally from Germany but spent four years living in the UK, quite a bit of time in Spain and Malaysia, and am now travelling full time with a home base in Bali, Indonesia.

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