On my trips to Bali I've never heard of either rabies or malaria being an issue. Malaria mosquitos are night time feeders and air conditioned rooms are not an attractive environment for them, if there are any at all. I wouldn't worry about it.

I did take a walk through the Monkey Forest once and it was quite an unpleasant experience. The little monsters are annoying if not downright scary and I don't recommend it. It was a shortcut for me on a longer circuit but if I'd known how aggressive they were I'd have gone the long way around. I think the possibilty of losing belongings to them is greater than contacting rabies.

Otherwise, Ubud is a great place to spend some time. You might even think about skipping the Denpasar area altogether, if that's where you're planning to be.

I've had some long waits for a VOA there so it sounds as if you might do well to look into a visa in advance. I love any place that offers the VOA as there's enough to do getting ready for a trip but it would depend on your patience with the process, standing in a long line in a crowded arrivals space. I wouldn't say it was pleasant with even just 1 large flight arriving. Check with the Indonesia consulate for the time you'd need to allow for one in advance.

i see no reason for those meds.. i would stay away from all monkeys!!

yes get a visa ahead of time and you will be the smartest persons on the plane..

I agree it makes sense to get your visa ahead of time. Do it now and you'll have time.

There is a rabies outbreak in Bali. You should stay away from moneys and dogs. Should you get the rabies pre-exposure vaccine? Up to you. Do know that if you get bitten or even scratched by a dog or monkey, you'll need the post-exposure treatment. Part of the post exposure treatment includes human gamma globulin. This is not possible to get on Bali, so you'd need to fly to Singapore to get it. If you have the pre-exposire vaccine, it gives you longer to get treatment and it means you don't need the gamma globulin, so you would be able to get post-exposure treatment on Bali. You should read all about the rabies vaccine at www.cdc.gov as the rabies vaccine is quite different from other vaccines.

Anti-malarial meds are not generally recommended for Bali. Do use an effective mosquito repellant. While the type of mosquito that carries malaria is most active at dawn and dusk, the type of mosquito that carries dengue is active during the day. So you should take mosquito precautions all day as well as at dawn and dusk. Sleeping in air-conditioned rooms does lower your risk.

Update on the rabies issue: First, both the post-bite and the pre-bite vaccinations ARE available in Bali at the international health clinics and at the local clinics. For foreigners the the post-exposure treatment is wildly expensive, around $US2000, though often covered by insurance.

As a tourist the chance of being bitten is very, very low. If you don't want to take any chance, get the pre-vaccine. The cost is about $US200 more or less.

There has been a massive anti-rabies campaign in Bali in the past two years and the situation has greatly improved; however rabies still exists and dogs are still left to wander freely.

The problem is that if you're bitten by an aggressive animal you really have no way to know for sure if it's been reliably vaccinated. The standard practice of capturing and observing the animal is fairly unknown in Bali, plus who wants to worry on vacation?

Add cats and bats to the animals at risk, and definitely stay away from monkeys. I agree: The monkey forest is an appalling place!

I wouldn't worry about malaria. As Kathie says dengue is more of a concern but there's not much you can do about it except try to avoid mosquitos.

You should also make sure that your hepatitis, polio and tentanus coverage is up to date. You should also have medical evacuation insurance. This sounds a little alarmist, but aside from the rabies issue, I'd recommend the same for travel to any underdeveloped country anywhere.

Getting a visa before you leave your home country is a little more expensive but will save you some time on arrival. It's difficult to predict the wait as flights are often delayed.

Generally securing a visa takes about a week, maybe two, dpending on the accessibility of an Indonesian Embassy or Consulate. In the US you can get the visa by mail.

Marmot, I know the the rabies vaccines are available on Bali, but last I heard, the human immune globulin was not available. Has that changed?

The issue is that if you are bitten and haven't had the pre-exposure vaccine, you need the immune globulin to be most effective. There was a recent (in the last year or two) post from someone either here or on Thorntree who was bitten on Bali and needed the immune globulin as well as the post-exposure treatment and had to be flown to Singapore to get it. If the immune globulin is now readily available on Bali, that would be a very good thing.

The visa process by mail is fairly easy, but you do have to fill in a bunch of forms and send them express envelopes to send back, plus a postal money order, as they don't accept checks. Otherwise it's an easy process. Do check the embassy website though. Last year as I was renewing my annual visa the DC Embassy said applications are taking about ten days because they are backlogged from all the applications that are being sent to DC instead of the consular offices in specific regions.

The odds of you being exposed to a rabid dog are very very slim, now that the government has been working on extensive educational, culling and animal vaccination programs. There is a lot of update information available on the free Bali Discovery website which has a very imformative weekly newsletter on all things related to tourism. An aside, It's edited by an American.

The monkey forest is ok but I don't like Monkeys per se and you can see them even without going into the Monkey Forests. Rabies has not been found in any monkeys yet. If you do want to go into the Monkey Forest, go in the afternoon when they are full of bananas and peanuts and less agressive.

And DO make sure your medical insurance has evacuation covered, just in case. Accidents do happen and most people get evacuated to Darwin or Singapore.

Have fun!

Kathie, Yes, both the human rabies immunoglobulin (post-exposure) and rabies vaccine (pre-exposure) are available in Bali, definitely at the International SOS clinic and I believe at other locations.

Unfortunately, I've recently had personal experience with both.

marmot, I'm sorry to hear that you have had recent experience with the rabies vaccines, but I'm glad to hear that the immune globulin is now available.

Thanks, all, for your responses. Very helpful. I think we'll steer clear of the monkey forest - I was bitten by a monkey in Gibraltar and I don't think I need any more "monkey experiences!!!"

I think we will also apply for visas before leaving; after flying so many hours, we will want to get through the lines as quickly as possible.

I may have more questions, and thanks again for all the detailed answers!

There is a monkey forest within Ubud where the monkeys seem very well behaved (or at least they were when I was there last month) and there are caretakers always present. It is very orderly. There were a number of families with small children going through. The newborn monkeys are just wonderful to watch and the moms with the babies. Plus it is a beautiful setting.

I found this website for visa application: http://www.embassyofindonesia.org/consular/visitvisa.htm. Does anyone have experience using this method? I want to make sure I didn't land on some counterfeit webpage!!!

Yes, you've found the right webpage.

Thanks, one more... on that webpage, for a tourist visa, they're requiring me to send a bank statement and a copy of employment letter??? Why would I need to furnish that for a tourist visa?

I don't see that. I was looking at the application for the standard visitation visa...
www.embassyofindonesia.org/consular/pdf/visa20form.pdf

I did find that app and printed it out, but the same link I posted above says this under "General requirements for Visit Visa:"
•Based on you purpose of visit (Tourist, Business or Social Visit), please provide the additional requirements, as follows:
1.Tourist Visa Applicant
Please provide the following additional requirements:
■Roundtrip Itinerary (original/copy) or a letter from travel agents, airline, steamship company, confirming the purchase of tickets into Indonesia (Note the officer may ask the copy of the original airplane ticket).
■Letter of Employment, indicating the employment status of the applicant. For retiree, please submit proof of the retirement fund.
■For students please provide letter of intent from the school stating that the student still enrolled at the school.
■For Non-US citizen: Please provide Copy of US Permanent Residence/Visa/Valid I-20 from schools/ universities. Please be advised that applicant with a B1/B2 visa would not be processed. Such applicant suggested for obtaining Indonesian visa from country of origin/ country of residency.
■Copy of bank statement, indicate the current applicant's fund at least two weeks prior to the date of obtaining visa, or a letter from the bank stating that the applicant has a sufficient fund.
■Visa fee is US $45.00 and may be paid by cash, money order or company check payable to Embassy of Indonesia. Cash may be used only if the applicant applies in person at the Embassy. No personal check.

It then goes on to list requirements for business and social visits, so these appear to be the requirements for visit visa.

Indonesia bureaucracy often prompts "but why?". There is simply no logic to a lot of it. They are supreme paper shufflers to no obvious end other than providing employ for the paper shuffler.

Now I know why so many people put up with the long line for VOA. Looks like it may be the less bothersome option.

MmePerdu, that's what I am thinking! I'm not very comfortable with providing a bank statement, and, although I am employed, what if one of us were not? Twenty extra dollars and lots of paperwork vs. a potential wait in line? I think we may do VOA.

Just in case anyone is following this thread with similar questions, I called the Indonesian Embassy in DC yesterday afternoon and left a message. They called me back this morning and left a message (I missed the call) directing me to the Houston Embassy. (Incidentally, I do live in Texas, but I did not indicate that in my message - maybe they decided this using my area code???). I went to the Houston website, and the same list of requirements was posted. So I will be calling the Houston Embassy this afternoon to find out if those are all necessary items. I'll let you know what I find!

I think calling is a good idea. Hopefully, you'll get someone who can tell you want really is/isn't necessary.

I got visa in advance (because we needed multiple entry) at the Indonesian consulate in SF. Both of us are self employed so I was worried about the requirements for employment letter, etc. We each submitted a bank or brokerage statement with the account numbers redacted and a copy of our flight itineraries along with the application. No employment letters, proof of retirement, etc. The consular representatives said they just wanted to make sure you had arrangements to leave and some level of funds.

The other alternative is to use a service on arrival. I am pretty sure they "cut to the front" of the line and handle it for you. One of my colleagues did it and said it was painless and she was glad to have done so as the line was quite long. If you google something like VIP immigration service Bali you should find info. My friend had her hotel arrange it. There is a fee, but probably worth it.

Don't over think the logic of the procedure. I'd send them the forms (bare minimum). You can black out your bank account number and write the employment letter yourself.

They won't examine or question the content. They will just check them off the list and file them.

Official Indonesians want to be helpful, but they are burdened with byzantine bureaucracy. They have to follow the rules but sometimes the only way to do that is to interpret the rules loosely.

Since applying for a visa befire you travel seems to be problematic, I would suggest you ask your hotel to provide a VIP pick-up for you. This means you will be received at the gate by an agent who will fast-track everything for you.

Okay, update and another question. I tried calling the Houston embassy a few times but could not get through to speak with anyone... So, my aunt and I decided to just deal with the VOA when we get there. I hope we're not making a mistake, but I guess it's just time spent standing in line!

Another question - for those of you that have used Putu (mybalifriend) as a driver - we have booked him for a full day and half day tour. He described what his rates include - should we tip him in addition to paying that rate?

Thanks, everyone!

Rabies is still major issue in Bali. But you dont get infected if you dont get bitten. So try to avoid places like monkey forrest, Ubud. The monkeys there are rought n crazy! Theres alternative place to see wild monkey, like Tanahabang at Tabanan or at the top of Bedugul hill, they are 'soft' n natural.
Unfortunately you come in very peak season in Bali, it would be little rush hour at VOA n immigration desk. But they are usually already prepared n presence much more desk on board. Just reminding to bring your itinerary list, return ticket, and hotel booked confirm, passport in one file.Also 250 US$ or 250 K rupiahs for visas cost. No other currency please! ( they always dont have return!). That is all to speed up the process otherwise at least take 1 hr to clear up the process.
Its good to know that smbody pick you up at the airport coz due to big renovation at ngurah rai airport it is so difficult to find a cab. About tips, is common in Bali, they will glad to receive 50 K rupiahs a day.
Hav a nice holiday bro/sist..

Most people here do tip in addition to his daily cahrge, but it is up to you.

Note the typo above - the visa cost is US$25, not US 250. His advice to have correct change for your visa is good.

You were right Kathy about visa cost.. Sorry