It's been flooding my Insta-feed for a while now, so yesterday I thought I would jump on the Bali Swing trend to see if it was worth the hype.
Since I was in Ubud anyway, I headed over to the Bali Swing for around 3 hours and i've got to tell you, I just had the best time. For me, YES, it's worth the hype.
Entry is $35 USD and includes a small buffet (suitable for vegetarians), unlimited soft drinks and as much time on the swings as you like. There are 4 different levels of swings. Levels in terms of fear. 2 I would say are just for photos and 2 actually for the experience.
I tried all 4 and the last one was pretty terrifying.. for me anyway. You need to wear a harness for this one, whilst the others only require a thin safety rope.
I hate that feeling of falling you get when you're on a rollercoaster, it's just not for me and I don't like voluntarily putting myself through that. This is exactly what it felt like. I have never particularly been a 'thrill seeker', but I feel I am actually getting more adventurous as I get older. A lot of screaming later and I was loving it! I wouldn't necessarily do the biggest one again mind.. The other 3 definitely!
As you can see here, I was swinging away in the rain. A little rain isn't going to hurt and it felt much more like jungle life. Also it meant less tourists so I had more time on the swings - always a bonus.
It's totally worth a trip if you're in the Ubud area. It's worth saying there are other swings you can go to, including one right next door. These are probably cheaper, but from what I've heard you can only go on for a maximum number of swings and most of them do not include food.
As far as value for money goes, I will say this is completely worth it!
Verdict: if you have 2 to 3 hours to spare then go, especially whilst it's still not over popular! It's beautiful so much fun, and totally worth the hype.
Top tips:
- Wear something brightly coloured, ideally red or orange to contrast against the green jungle!
- Go when it's a little more cloudy, or even raining like I did, there will be less people and it's just as fun. The weather changed a few times whilst we were here anyway - as you can see from the photos.
- There were a couple of people scared of heights who didn't manage to get on the swing, so perhaps not for you if fear of heights.
- Don't worry too much about getting the perfect shot, just enjoy yourself because all the photos look great anyway! These were all taken on an iPhone 7 plus and require little more than some contrast adjustment. Some with no filters at all!
Swinging out on to a green jungle is my idea of a great Sunday. How about you? Have you tried or would you like to?
Yasmine