Where to See and Swim with Dolphins in Bali (Indonesia): Lovina Beach
When I learned that you could not only see dolphins but also swim with them, I could barely contain my excitement. We quickly packed our bags and hired a private car to take us to Bukti, near Lovina, in northern Bali. Along the way, we stopped to visit (see our travel diary here). Having a private driver is reassuring because he keeps our bags during our visits, and we can plan as many stops as we want.
Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips
Part 1: Travel Journal
Since we work, we decide to stay in a small hotel in a small village called Bukti, 30 minutes from Lovina. But if you’re coming to Bali for a holiday, book a hotel in Lovina itself because you’ll need to get up quite early to see the dolphins.
To go see the dolphins, since we’re far away, we not only have to get up early, but the boat owner also had to book us a taxi for the round trip to Lovina. But you’ll see, it’s totally worth it.
We have an appointment before dawn. While the owner prepares the boat, we watch his kittens with amusement. The boat is private because the price difference isn’t that big (between private and shared boat), and it’s with indescribable euphoria that we float on this water as calm as a lake, searching for dolphins. Our guide explains that when you leave at dawn, you’re the first to go, and you have to look for the dolphins—they’re very close, and there are three places where they’re likely to be. Whereas if you leave around 10 a.m., the boats have already spotted the dolphins, but they’ll be much farther away.
After 15 minutes, not a single dolphin in sight. I’m getting impatient and wonder if we’ll go home empty-handed like in Portugal. Suddenly, we see a kind of shadow, like a weird wave on the smooth surface of the water: flying fish arrive, and with them, the dolphins too. These flying fish are so numerous that some land in our boat. It reminds us too much of the flying fish that “attacked” us in the Amazon 😀
The first fins can be spotted. I’m so, so happy. The light of the sunrise adds magic to this experience. Our guide is right, few people are able to get up: we’re only four boats surrounding about ten dolphins. They’re bigger than I thought.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are the best images of this beautiful day.
After about 1 hour and 30 minutes, we see another group of boats arriving, and startled, we head back ASAP. The guide drops us off at a small coral barrier for JB to go snorkeling. Unfortunately, the visibility isn’t great, and the fish are less varied than what we were used to seeing at Koh Phangan, so we head back pretty quickly. We’re served a simple but delicious breakfast, and we take the taxi back home.
Here’s the type of boat we take:
I loved this experience so much that the following week, we went back, but this time leaving at 8 a.m.
This time, there are about twenty boats already there—it’s clearly mass tourism. We stay a bit on the sidelines, stressed by all this frenzy around the dolphins. Fortunately, they’re boats that have been there for a while, ready to head back. After 15 minutes, only five boats remain. This time, there are many more dolphins. The guide suggests JB go into the water. He can hold onto a sort of wooden stick attached to the boat. Since dolphins move fast, the boat can’t stay still; otherwise, we wouldn’t see anything. With quite a few dolphins today, JB’s chances of seeing one while in the water and attached to the boat are higher. Unfortunately, the water is still murky today, and despite the blazing sun, it’s so deep that JB occasionally perceives some shapes, while from the boat, I see tons of dolphins speeding toward him.
Needless to say, you shouldn’t wear sunscreen because dolphin skin is very sensitive. That’s why JB has his UV-protective top that he’s been carrying around since he got a bad sunburn in Thailand 😀
Suddenly, a miracle happens: about forty dolphins follow each other and head out to sea. I have to congratulate our guide because he has good intuition—he sped up at the right moment, and we ended up ahead of all the other boats and parallel to the dolphins: we have front-row seats.
At first, the dolphins just come to the surface to breathe (forty dolphins is already a spectacle), then they start jumping, ALL of them! I struggle to contain my excitement and tears at such a sight. I have never, ever seen anything like this! It’s exactly what I hoped to see in South Africa, having seen a similar photo on NatGeo, but in the end, we didn’t see any dolphins there. That’s how it is when you plan too much—Nature doesn’t give you what you want, but when you come with the idea of taking everything she has to offer, she gives you much more than that.
The dolphins jump in unison, and then, nothing. They disappear. We stand there with our mouths open, still in disbelief at the spectacle before us. Apparently, it’s not that common because even the guide filmed it and shared the video below with us:
We’re already very, very far from the coast, and after such a spectacle, what more could we ask for? Everyone is thrilled and heads back. I’m sharing the best moments of that day in a video: one of the best of my life. Don’t miss this experience when you come to Bali.
Part 2: Practical Tips
Here’s the agency we went with: https://dolphinlovinatour.com/price-list/ There’s no middleman; our guide also owns the boat, which is why the rates are so affordable. You can reach him by sending a WhatsApp to +6281246782401.
I really appreciate him because he’s not in a hurry, and you can ask him to follow this or that group of dolphins, take photos/videos, etc. Truly adorable. Plus, he has good intuition and always knows when the best time to leave is. He’s very respectful of the dolphins; I’ve seen other boats charge right into the middle of a dolphin pod, but he never does. Don’t hesitate to tip him generously because when the dolphins stray too far, he ends up spending more on fuel than expected.
We paid 600,000 IDR (boat + snorkeling + swimming with dolphins) plus the round-trip taxi, but do check current prices as inflation is high right now.
There are advantages to leaving (1) at dawn: fewer boats, but also (2) to leaving after everyone else, very late: you already know where the dolphins are.
