BALI

The trip
of a lifetime

Known
as the
‘Island of
the Gods’

Bali is the Hindu island of Indonesia, with reef and beach breaks along the Bukit Peninsula in the south, temples on the cliffs and rice terraces inland. Students stay at a private surf resort in Uluwatu, ten minutes from the beaches, and the week combines warm-water surf lessons with yoga, a snorkelling day on Nusa Lembongan and Balinese culture, from a blessing ceremony on the first evening to the Kecak fire dance at Uluwatu Temple.

WHY CHOOSE BALI

Private surf resort
in Uluwatu

One instructor
to three students

Snorkelling day
on Nusa Lembongan

Temples, rice
terraces and Ubud

Surf all
year round

The Bukit Peninsula

The south of Bali narrows into the Bukit Peninsula, a limestone headland with cliffs above the Indian Ocean and some of the best-known surf breaks in the world beneath them: Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Balangan and Dreamland. The resort sits in the gardens behind those cliffs, and Uluwatu Temple stands on the edge of a 70-metre drop at the tip of the peninsula.

A private surf resort

Students stay at a private resort in Uluwatu built in the Balinese style, with gardens, four swimming pools, a covered yoga shala, a games room and a restaurant on site. Rooms are air-conditioned twins and triples with their own bathrooms, a reception and security team is on duty around the clock, and shuttles run to the beach, ten minutes away.

Surf, culture and adventure

Mornings are surf lessons. Afternoons are yoga, surf theory, beach games and the excursions, which take students to Nusa Lembongan for a day, to Uluwatu Temple at sunset and to Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali. Students come home having learnt to surf in warm water, swum over a coral reef and watched the Kecak fire dance on a cliff above the ocean.

surfing in bali

Waves for all abilities

Beginners learn on sandy beach breaks such as Jimbaran, and students who already surf move on to the gentler reef breaks around the Bukit, Balangan, Dreamland and Baby Padang among them, with a guide for anyone ready for Uluwatu itself. The surf runs all year. From April to October the swell lines up on the Bukit, and from November to March the breaks on the east coast take over.

Local knowledge

Lessons are half-day sessions of around four hours, with one instructor for every three students. Each morning the instructors read the forecast and choose the break that suits the group, and a private shuttle takes everyone there. Students learn how a reef break works, where the channel is and how to read the sets, and that knowledge goes with them to every beach after Bali.

Quality equipment

Lessons include a soft-top board matched to each student’s height and ability, a leash and a rash vest; the water is warm all year, so students surf in rash vests rather than wetsuits. Each student keeps a Schools Go Surfing rash vest and water bottle from the trip. Students who already surf can bring a shortboard and be guided on the reefs.

Uluwatu

S-Resorts Hidden Valley

The resort sits in tropical gardens on the Bukit Peninsula, a ten-minute drive from the surf at Padang Padang, Dreamland and Uluwatu. Rooms are air-conditioned twins and triples with their own bathrooms, and the resort has four swimming pools, a covered yoga shala, a games room, a spa, a gym and a restaurant, with free shuttles to the beach and a reception and security team on duty around the clock. Groups of 18 to 32 students fit comfortably.

The best tour company for school
trips I have used in organising over 25 overseas residential trips. Well organised but it’s the personal touch and involvement that sets them apart. Would highly recommend.

CROSFIELDS SCHOOL

WHAT TO EXPECT

SAFE AND SETTLED

The resort has a reception and security team on duty around the clock, and our Trip Leader stays with the group throughout. Every surf session has one instructor to three students, every transfer is private, and the resort is covered by our health and safety audit, so supervision is straightforward from the first evening.

EDUCATIONAL EXCURSIONS

A day on Nusa Lembongan, by fast boat from Sanur, with snorkelling at three spots including Manta Bay and a boat tour of the mangroves that protect the island’s coast. Uluwatu Temple at sunset, with the Kecak fire dance, a story chanted by a circle of men with no instruments at all. And in Ubud, the Sacred Monkey Forest, the spring-water temple at Tirta Empul and the Tegallalang rice terraces, farmed through the subak irrigation system that UNESCO lists as a World Heritage Site. White-water rafting on the Ayung River can be added.

BEYOND THE SURF

Between surf sessions there are beach volleyball and games on the sand, a surf theory session, a Balinese cooking class and a handmade jewellery workshop, and the group is welcomed on the first evening with a traditional Balinese blessing. Evenings are games and competitions at the resort, sunsets from the cliff tops watching the surfers at Uluwatu, and dinners at three local restaurants.

FOOD & DRINK

Breakfast is at the resort each morning with tea, coffee and juices, lunch is at a beach warung or back at the resort, and dinner is two courses at the resort or out in Uluwatu, Balinese dishes such as nasi goreng and satay alongside Western ones. Soft drinks with meals are included, and dietary requirements are catered for once the school has sent them to us.

YOGA CLASSES

Three yoga classes are included, held in the resort’s covered shala or on the grass in the gardens. They are built around surfing, flexibility, balance and recovery, with a short mindfulness session in each, and suit students new to yoga as well as those who already practise.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

The price covers the flights, private transport throughout and everything from the moment the group lands: the resort, all meals with soft drinks, the surf course and equipment, yoga, the excursions and the evenings. Free staff places at one to eight, a dedicated Trip Leader, full financial protection and travel insurance are included as standard.

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health and safety

We write a risk assessment for every destination and a health and safety audit for everywhere we stay. Before the trip the organiser receives a travel pack with both, so the school’s own paperwork, and the questions from parents, are covered.

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REQUEST A QUOTE

Tell us the dates, year group and what the school would like the trip to include, and we will send a proposal for the trip.

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The trip of a lifetime