Whilst we want to the boys to experience culture and nature on our family gap year, we also like to take the opportunity to try out some of the less educational (but very fun!) attractions in the places we visit. As we were based in Bali for several weeks, we wanted to make sure we included some of the things the kids really wanted to do during our stay. Bali is a great destination to visit with kids for so many reasons!
As a treat for finishing their spell in international school (read all about this adventure here!) we jumped at the idea of Waterbom Bali. It had been recommended by lots of the parents we had met in Ubud as a fab family day out.
Read on for our thoughts on our day at Waterbom and all the info you need for a visit.
Waterbom has a whole heap of reviews on TripAdvisor here if you want to check them out before you go.
Where is Waterbom Bali?
Waterbom Bali is based in Kuta, one of the main tourist destinations in Bali. Kuta is located in the South of the island, close to the airport. It’s long stretch of beach has made it Bali’s biggest tourist hotspot, with loads of accommodation options, eateries and fun-filled attractions.
If you’re based in Kuta or the South of the island you’ll find that Waterbom is an easy Grab/Gojek ride away (the local versions of Uber).
From further afield in Ubud (where we were based) or Sanur on the East Coast it’s a longer trip. It took us around 1hr 15mins from Ubud (and much longer on the way back due to the terrible Bali traffic!).
How much are tickets for Waterbom?
You can book tickets in advance on the Waterbom website or via GetYourGuide if you like to book via a third party. Generally online tickets come in with a discount compared to buying tickets on the gate.
At the time of writing, tickets are priced at:
- Children (2-11 years old): IDR365,500 (c.US$23)
- Adults: IDR493,000 (c.US$30.50)
- Family (2 adults and 2 children): IDR1,581,000 (c.US$98)
Tickets only include entry; expect to pay extra for lockers and rental towels if you need them. You can also rent private gazebos for the day at an extra cost (which looked lovely!).
Bags are checked (quite thoroughly) on arrival and no food or drink (except bottled water) are allowed. This does mean that you will need to budget for lunch/snacks at the park in addition to the entry fees.
We spent a total of US$60 on lunch for five people (in the food court area, which was the cheapest option) plus drinks and one scoop of ice-cream each.
What are Waterbom Bali’s opening times?
Waterbom is open from 9am until 6pm, every day of the year (except Nyepi, the Day of Silence in Bali). As with any big attraction, it’s a good idea to get here at opening time to take advantage of the shorter queues for lockers etc and the rides at the start of the day.
We definitely found that the first hour or so was quiet – when we arrived there were plenty of sun loungers available all around the park. There were also very minimal (if any) queues for the water slides, so we used this time to get on several of them.
The final hour or so of the day was also quieter so if you’re like us and like to squeeze every bit of value out of more expensive days out then staying to end of the day is a good idea!
What are the rides like at Waterbom?
There was a great range of flumes and water slides for all of us (including Granny!). They have the terrifying floor-drop style chutes that drop you vertically at high speed – so fab for adrenalin junkies. Then they also have the mat racer slides which the boys and Steve love. Plus there are a number of inflatable ring slides that vary in speed and fear levels! We all really enjoyed these – there are ones that go through pitch black sections of tunnel, some with disco lighting, a boomerang style flume that shoots you up and back down at speed, and several with stomach-churning drops.
If the adrenaline stuff isn’t for you then there is a really great lazy river that we all loved. Lazy enough for the grown-ups to chill out but fun enough (with various fountains and waterfalls) for the boys to enjoy too. The lazy river snakes through some lush greenery and they’ve taken care to make the waterfalls look natural, which makes floating along it a really lovely experience. I do love a good lazy river!
There are several pools, including a large lagoon with a swim-up bar and a big water playground for younger kids.
All in all there’s a great selection of rides and also lots of space around the park to chill out or have a gentle swim when the rides get a bit much!
Other things we loved about Waterbom Bali
The whole park feels very well-run – there are plenty of (very helpful) staff and a feeling of space that a lot of waterparks lack. We visited in the school Easter holidays and while there were plenty of people, it was easy to get a row of sun loungers together and the pools always had plenty of space to swim around in.
Most of the day we queued for no more than a few minutes for the flumes. The longest we queued was around 20minutes, which was at the peak of the day.
The food – whilst not cheap – is fantastic (rare for a waterpark in our experience!). The food court has loads of options – Indonesian, Thai, pizza, a burger bar, salads, tacos and more. Portions were a decent size and the quality was excellent. So much so that we didn’t actually feel too bad about spending our cash (something which we would normally try to avoid on days out that already come with a hefty price tag).
The verdict
If you’ve got children that love being in the water then Waterbom should definitely be on your list for a trip to Bali with kids. It’s a well-run, beautifully kept waterpark. At various points in the day the staff even came around with watering cans to ‘water’ the concrete paths to try to stop them from becoming too hot for little feet! it’s this kind of attention to detail that makes it such a fab day out.
If you’re visiting Bali with kids then make sure you check it out!
Top tips for a visit to Waterbom Bali with kids
- Get there as early as possible to beat the queues
- Accept beforehand that you will need to buy food and snacks so factor this in to your budget
- Waterbom is a cashless park – you’ll need to load up credit on your wristband at the start of the day.
- If you’re taking a GoPro make sure you don’t have a float/stick attachment as these are not allowed on the rides
Planning a trip to Bali with kids?
For more inspiration on family days out in Bali and around the world with kids, check out our other posts here:
