So, you want to come to Canngu, Bali (that’s a great decision, by the way) but you’re keen on enjoying the magic of this corner of the island without doing any harm? Well, you’re in the right place.
Firstly, Canggu is a wonderful place to take a holiday. It’s got the laid-back surfer-cum-hipster vibe that nearly everyone feels comfortable with. It’s a beautiful place of rice fields, beaches, and the world’s best sunsets.
However, Bali’s in a boom period and that means a lot of tourists are arriving. This is great news for the local economy and for the buzz that top tourist destinations here on the island provide their visitors.
But, it’s putting some strain on the local environment and the local culture. Sustainable travel is the right way to do things – it means you enjoy everything that Canggu has to offer, but you keep it nice for the next people to come along as well as for those who live here all year round.
How do you go about sustainable travel? Well, you minimize your footprint while you’re here and getting here – you reduce the waste that you produce, you put less strain on local resources and show respect for the island life. All while having an epic time of things.
That means soaking in the sun, splashing in the surf, sipping smoothies at sunset, and sauntering through the fields without leaving a trail of plastic waste or bad vibes behind you.
So, let’s take a look at how you can make your next trip to Canggu a sustainable one.
Offsetting Your Travel To Canggu: The Reality Of Flying
Sustainability starts before you travel to Canggu. The big headache is that to travel to Bali, you must fly and flying is not good for the environment at all.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come, you’re going to have to fly to most places you want to travel to unless you have unlimited time and money to travel by boat or rail – but you can ease the impact of your flight on the environment.
Big airlines like KLM or Qantas offer you the chance to offset your environmental impact when you buy your tickets. You can chip in a few bucks towards a tree planting exercise or to fund renewable energy projects. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s the best available at the moment.
And when you land in Bali, you’ll find that, instead of hiring a car, using Grab or Gojek to get a ride home is the most environmentally sound option. If there’s only one of you and you don’t have any luggage, you might even jump on the back of a scooter from the ride-sharing apps.
Sustainable Places To Lay Your Head In Canggu
Of course, once you’re here, the biggest question is where do you stay to keep your environmental impact to a minimum? There are no shortage of awesome places to stay in Canggu but they’re not all created equally.
FINNS Bali Resort will be awesome when it opens, but for now, at least, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
We’d suggest picking places with a good reputation for their eco-friendliness. The Slow and Serenity Eco Guesthouse are both local legends for their environmental efforts.
These places use solar power, they recycle their water and try to source furniture from local artisans that use sustainable materials.
The Slow has fully implemented its “zero waste” policies in its kitchen, now, so you know that whatever you order food-wise, you won’t be generating stuff to cram in a landfill when you’re done.
Overall, there are plenty of places here with eco-certifications or green credibility. No, we don’t think there’s any perfectly sustainable resort on the island, yet, but great strides are being made and things like composting waste and plastic-free toiletry kits are becoming much more common.
You might also give some thought to staying somewhere locally owned, that way your cash is sure to go back into the local community.
And even budget places can offer some eco-friendliness in Canggu, now. Both Tribal Bali and The Farm Hostel have sustainability policies and you’ll see bamboo straws, refillable water stations, bicycle rentals and more.
We’d also recommend that you nudge any place that you stay at to do more – ask if they recycle and if not, why not, that kind of thing.
Eat And Drink Like A Local (Or Go Vegan)
We love going out for food in Canggu, the area has some of the best restaurants on the island and while nobody has a Michelin-star (this is because the Michelin Guide doesn’t operate in Indonesia, not because nobody deserves one) you can find amazing menus in Canggu.
Eating sustainably is easier than you’d think too. One simple tip is to eat and drink like a local most of the time. Places like Warung Bu Mi and Nalu Bowls are well known for using local ingredients (which means fewer food miles – the hidden damage done by the amount of travel food needs to do to get to your table).
Plates that include mangoes, papayas, jackfruit, etc. are all Bali staples and they tend to be super fresh and tasty. They’re ideal for recharging after a day’s surfing on Canggu’s glorious beaches.
Skipping things like imported beef and salmon, on the other hand, is common sense. You know they’ve run up a lot of food miles.
Canggu is Bali’s vegan capital too and that means you can cut down on greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding animal-based food and keeping it plant-based.
Check out I Am Vegan Babe or Shady Shack for some absolutely delightful vegan menus without a single animal product in sight.
If you do want to go with meat, opt for locally raised chickens or pork served at a local warung from a local farm, rather than an expensive imported steak.
Also, it’s a good idea to take a reusable straw with you and a reusable water bottle too. The fewer straws you use, the fewer end up dumped in landfills and you can find free water refills all over the island.
Getting Around Canggu Without Destroying The Planet
You definitely won’t need to rent or buy a car in Canggu. The traffic’s no fun and the roads are worse, if you want to get around long distances, use Grab or Gojek and ride-share. It’s cheap, it’s convenient and while it’s not perfectly eco-friendly, it’s much better than hogging a vehicle all to yourself.
You could also rent a bicycle or e-scooter to get around the beach areas. We don’t recommend going too far on these forms of transportation as the roads are still full of traffic and poorly maintained, we emphasize safety as well as caring for the planet.
Don’t forget that walking is often an option for short trips too, sure at rush hour, the sidewalks are often full of scooters trying to get a short cut in, but otherwise, you can walk here – you just need to be very mindful of the surfaces and the things around you.
In the rice fields, you don’t need to worry so much about that but you should keep an eye out for the occasional snake (they’re more scared of us than we are of them, but they do get upset if you stand on them).
We’d also encourage you to ask around in your accommodation to see if anybody wants to share a ride – after all if you visit Tanah Lot or Ubud, you can make the car travel more eco-friendly by making sure the car is full.
Surfing And Beach Friendliness
Canggu is a surfing paradise and the waves on Berawa Beach and Batu Bolong Beach are perfect for beginners and intermediates to learn their craft.
Sustainable surfing means renting your boards from local shops (Bali Eco Surf is awesome for their use of local and/or recycled materials) and getting your lessons from locals too.
We’d also again stress the need to avoid coral bleaching suncreams – avoid anything with oxybenzone or octinoxate.
Better still, buy something that explicitly states that it’s “reef safe” such as Raw Elements or SunButter. Reef safe products tend to be fully biodegradable too, so you know you’re not damaging the ocean when you use them.
You could also get involved with a beach clean up, you see a lot of Bali’s eco woes aren’t wholly generated here in Bali and a lot of things people throw in the ocean very far from here, wash up on Balinese shores.
Beach cleanups help to minimize the impacts of this and they’re a great way to meet new people, enjoy cleaner sand and maybe even chill with a Bintang or two once you’re done.
We also recommend that you turn your nice new Bali sarong into a multi-purpose item and use it as a beach towel or blanket, which saves you spending more money and prevents you from adding to the piles of trash here.
Also FINNS Beach Club is helping to lead the charge for beach club sustainability and the club is already dramatically reducing waste, promoting plastic-free options and has invested in a robot to help clean Berawa Beach!
Shopping & Souvenirs (Sustainable Treats)
The markets and boutiques in the Canggu area are awesome for eco-friendly shopping. You can find handmade dresses and jewelry using locally sourced sustainable materials. There’s plenty of funky art from local talents too.
The Love Anchor Market and Samadi Markets are great for upcycled products and for vintage stuff that is all about getting re-loved by excited shoppers. The coconut shell bowls are awesome too.
Respecting Balinese Culture (The Human Side Of The Equation)
Saving the planet is a good thing, but you have to keep in mind that people matter too and the locals are also in need of some TLC from the tourists passing through.
While the local culture may not be as evident in Canggu as it is in Ubud, you can see temples and ceremonies all over the area. If you do go into a temple, make sure to be dressed respectfully – that means cover your shoulders and knees and ideally, wear the sarong and shawl combination that the locals wear.
Don’t treat ceremonies like they’re there for the benefit of your Instagram feed, either. It’s fine to take photos, but don’t get in the way of things.
Learn some small phrases in the local language, “termia kasih” (thank you) or “selamat pagi” (good morning) – it can go a long way to make Balinese people feel valued.
Support Some Local Initiatives
There are also plenty of local sustainable initiatives that you can get involved with. Green School Bali, Sungai Watch, etc.
You can volunteer, donate money or even just help to spread the word about these places to other visitors.
Even things like visiting Expat. Roasters in Canggu can help as this is a place that goes out of its way to train local baristas for the growing coffee shop industry in Canggu and beyond.
Every time you contribute, you’re doing Canggu a solid and helping to ensure that your impact in Bali is a positive one.
Why Does Sustainability Matter On Your Bali Holiday?
The island of Bali is getting close to a topping point – the rice fields are shrinking, there’s a war to keep the beaches free of trash and the local authorities are desperately trying to balance the perks and pitfalls of tourism here.
Sustainable tourism isn’t about being more virtuous than others or being the perfect visitor, it’s about making sensible choices that allow Canggu (and Bali) to retain its identity and soul, the special qualities that brought you to the island.
You can still eat, drink, explore and surf without impacting the next guy (or girl) who wants to visit and it feels good when your trip’s not just about taking, it’s also about giving.
FAQs
What Organization Promotes Sustainable Travel In Bali?
The Bali Tourism Board (BTB) was established in 2002 as a consortium by nine of the Balinese tourism associations. It aims to help cultivate a sustainable tourism industry here in Bali.
In 2021, their support led to the formation of Eco Tourism Bali (ETB) which seeks to make Bali a sustainable global destination by 2030.
ETB is a social enterprise that works with stakeholders across all sectors and levels of Bali to broaden support and eco-friendly efforts.
It is working on a plan to develop eco-certifications that are in line with global best practices and they have launched the “Regenerative Bali” program to help promote interest in this certification.
ETB is led by Suzy Hutomo who founded The Body Shop in Indonesia. Suzy has been a dedicated environmental activist here iin Bali since 2011, she has worked with the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation, serves on the board of Greenpeace for Southeast Asia and the Board of the Kopernik Foundation.
Rahmi Fajar Harini is Suzy’s partner in ETB and she is one of the chapter leaders of the SunX Climate Travel Friendly movement here in Bali.
What Are The 7 Forms Of Sustainable Tourism?
There are officially 7 alternative types of tourism that exist in contrast to “mass tourism”. They are all considered to be sustainable tourism to some degree:
- Ecotourism (ecological tourism) – some experts insist that this should only apply to tourism in natural reservations or national parks, whereas others take a wider viewpoint
- Green tourism – a form of tourism where the environment is a primary concern during travel
- Soft rural tourism and agrotourism – tourism that is focused on participating in the farming life of a place
- Community tourism – tourism where the benefits to the local community are clear and well-established prior to travel
- Solidarity and responsible tourism – a form of tourism that is designed to promote dialogue between tourists and their hosts to form long-lasting mutually beneficial relationships
- Equitable tourism – a kind of tourism that places the principles of “equity” as the primary motive for travel
What Are Some Sustainable Activities In Bali?
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to spend your time in Bali (and Canggu) where you can be eco-friendly:
- Beach Activities – as long as you never leave anything behind that you brought with you to the beach, swimming, surfing, kite boarding, etc. are very kind to the environment.
- Snorkeling & Diving – these are great ways to see the local eco-system without causing harm. Please make sure you use coral-friendly suncream if you spend much time in the water though. Bali’s oceans are home to some of the best reefs on Earth and it would be great if they could stay that way.
- Hiking – there’s no better activity than hiking to be kind to the planet, in Canggu you might wander through a rice field or two, or you could take a day trip and climb one of the amazing mountains here in Bali
- Cycling – we don’t recommend cycling on the roads of Canggu proper, there’s too much traffic, the traffic doesn’t adhere to the rules of the road and the roads aren’t in great shape. But there are some awesome places to cycle on the island, why not join a tour cycling through Ubud or up Mount Agung?
- Lifestyle & Yoga Retreats – it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that health & wellness related activities tend to focus on sustainability. After all, pretty much everyone agrees that natural goodness is best for you. Canggu is home to many excellent yoga studios and there’s a wide variety of other wellness activities to choose from too.
What Is The Most Sustainable Form Of Travel?
According to the UK’s GreenMatch, an environmental NGO, train travel is the most eco-friendly form of travel (aside from walking or cycling, both of which are emission-free).
It uses 66-75% less carbon per passenger than any other form of transport including electric vehicles!
Unfortunately, while Indonesia has an extensive and excellent rail network, as yet, it’s not available in Bali.
There are plans afoot to build a Metro system here in Bali with several serious investors involved in the project, but even if that goes ahead it will be a decade (or more) before it’s ready to be used by the public.
Here in Canggu, the most sustainable transportation is to use ride-share vehicles which maximize their use and thus, minimize their impact on the planet.
What Is The Biggest Problem Associated With Tourism In Bali?
According to the website Responsible Travel, Bali’s biggest challenge regarding tourism activities is water scarcity.
Nearly half of the island’s groundwater supply is required to keep the tourism industry running and that means when there’s a year without much rain, some parts of the island are left without enough water.
If this problem is not solved in the coming years, water shortage issues could start to have a severe impact on the quality of a Balinese holiday.
You can help conserve water by taking short showers, not changing your towels every time that you use them and using reusable water bottles (this also means free water) to stock up at drinking water stations.
What Is Bali’s Main Industry?
It’s important to recognize that while the quest for sustainability is important, Bali’s number one industry is tourism.
Tourism-related businesses account for 80% of the local economy and without tourism, hundreds of thousands of Balinese people would be unable to feed themselves or their families.
During the pandemic years, tourism to the island was shut down for a period, and in that time, crime rates were soaring and many people were left without enough food.
Building a better Bali for tomorrow, requires that we keep in mind the human cost of making massive changes, today.
Final Thoughts On A Sustainable Canggu Holiday
It’s not impossible to come to Canggu and enjoy a sustainable holiday, it just requires a little work and a little sacrifice (yes, we know plastic straws work better than bamboo straws, but bamboo won’t kill the planet, so it’s worth it).
You can offset your flights, stay somewhere sustainable, eat local and enjoy plenty of eco-friendly activities here on the island.
You could also contribute to the island’s sustainability in future, by expressing your preference for better eco-practices wherever you go.