Bali Volunteer Programs from $26/day | Most Affordable & Trusted

My name is Eva, I'm 18 years old and I just finished my 3 months volunteering at the Turtle conservation on Nusa Penida Island. I can honestly say it's been the best three months if my life. From the introduction week in Ubud to the daily volunteering on Nusa I can only say all the staff members I met were absolutely incredible. From the coordinators to the kitchen staff everybody greets you with a smile. ivhq's support was really good, they answered to my Emails super quickly and always encouraged me to ask more questions if I was unsure about something. The only thing I feel could use improvement is the support in getting a visa extension but that really only matters if you plan on staying longer than 60 days and isn't that big of a deal. All in all, I had the most amazing time, I made friends for life with other volunteers and the coordinators there. I am beyond grateful for the experience I've had.

IVHQ was above and beyond what I had expected! The hospitality, the people, and volunteers were all amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better experience than what I was given the last 4 weeks. Orientation week was spectacular! The program really had us submerge into the culture, and really prepared us for the weeks to come in our volunteer program. The program staff were very helpful for all my questions, and if they didn't have an answer they were very eager to find one. Weekends away from volunteering was an amazing way to go out and explore all the island had to offer with my new volunteer friends! I met the most amazing people in a short amount of time, who will become long time friends. I can't wait to sign up for my next big volunteer adventure through IVHQ!

I had the opportunity to meet life long friends, volunteer on a project I am super passionate about, and have new experiences. I had a hard time leaving and considered staying longer! Nusa Penida was a great place to call home for a while.
I took this trip as part of a gap year between high school and college and had the best time. I know I want to do something with marine conservation so seeing that there was a turtle program drew me in! This trip really instilled my passions even further and I cant wait to go on another trip like it!

I was in Ubud, Bali for 16 weeks in the Summer of 2018 working in the construction program. The actual volunteer organization is Green Lion Bali, which I believe currently runs all of the programs in Bali that IVHQ advertises; IVHQ matches volunteers and programs, but is normally uninvolved once the volunteers are on the ground.

I'll start with the positives:

• The volunteer accommodations were above my expectations. The rooms were cleaned daily, the food was tasty (though after 16 weeks I am ready to not eat rice for a few years), and there was a bar/restaurant right across the street. Safety was largely not a problem, but a few volunteers did have their items stolen (mainly phones and cash). To Green Lion's credit, in at least one case they were able to get the item back. Please note that there are several volunteer houses in the Ubud area (as well as Lovina), and I am not sure how the others compare. Also, while I did not personally experience the accommodations at Nusa Penida, I heard from many volunteers that there were issues with bed bugs, hot water availability, and food quality. Many of the volunteers in the turtle conservation program cut their time short to return to mainland Bali due to the accommodations and lack of work.

• The program coordinators were nice, helpful, and present. All of the staff were Balinese (with a few interns from other Green Lion affiliates in Southeast Asia). The local village drivers were fun and personable, and I made friends with lots of them, as did many other volunteers.

• The construction projects on which I worked were 'real'. We were laying brick walls, mixing and pouring concrete, demolishing old walls, plastering, etc. During my time, we helped build 2 separate schools to expand classroom capacity and give free Kindergarten to local families that could not afford it.

• Bali is beautiful and safe, and there are dozens of places to visit on the weekend breaks. At my facility, there were normally 80+ volunteers, most of whom were interested in exploring Bali.

Unfortunately, there are core problems with the programs that make it very difficult for me to recommend Green Lion/IVHQ to other volunteers. In short, Green Lion has a big, and still growing, voluntourism problem:

• Most programs only work a few hours a day. In construction, it was typically a 3-4 hour day, with additional time for the commute to and from the site. The teachers worked less than that. During the prime of Summer, when there were hundreds of volunteers, the turtle conservation volunteers worked an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. I heard that the programs used to have longer working days, but Green Lion shortened it due to volunteer feedback. This leads into my second point.

• Many, if not most, of the volunteers were more interested in partying than volunteering. It was normal for significant numbers of volunteers to miss work because they were hungover from going out the previous night. Many skipped Monday or Friday to extend their weekend travel. On at least half a dozen occasions over my 16 weeks, volunteers came back at 3-5 AM and woke the sleeping volunteers up by jumping into the pool from the second story, playing music on speakers, and just generally being loud drunks. During orientation week, all volunteers are required to sign a code of conduct that threatens removal from the program if it is violated. However, I never saw a volunteer get kicked out or meaningfully reprimanded during my stay.

• Most of the volunteers (maybe 75%) were 18-20 years old. This is not an intrinsically bad thing. However, older volunteers may struggle to share living space with people who are just out of high school. I had roommates vomit in our shower, 'adopt' stray dogs (resulting in puddles of urine in the bedroom), and leave half-eaten snacks on the floor (exacerbating insect problems). I know of one volunteer that was so drunk that she wet her bed, and one of her roommates had to clean it up. For context, I'm in my late 20s. Don't get me wrong, there were many volunteers that were older, and many great volunteers among the younger group. I was also in Bali during the American/European summer, so it may be a different age make-up at other times of the year. However, if the above sounds awful to you, I would look into the private room housing options.

• I have concerns about how the volunteers' program fees are being spent. To be fair, I never asked Green Lion for a detailed accounting of the cost breakdown (though I would love to see one even now). The coordinators seemed to be underpaid, the volunteering accommodations were packed (i.e. lots of program fees flowing in), and the supplies for the various programs/projects were okay at best. Construction volunteers must pay an additional 50 USD/week, which meant there should have been anywhere from $400-800 more for supplies, but we didn't see that money manifest in better building supplies or tools. I did hear that Green Lion was building several new facilities in the next few years, leading me to worry that much more money is getting poured back into the organization instead of into the communities that are being served.

I loved so much of my experience in Bali, but I can't bring myself to recommend it to volunteers that are looking to maximize their impact and work alongside like-minded people. I would love to see Green Lion and IVHQ make some improvements to remedy this. If, however, you are looking for a vacation with some volunteering, this may be a good fit for you.

Hi everyone! I am Michela, I am 20 years old and I live in Italy. I study management engineering in Milan and my dream job is to become the Italian minister of education. I have always dreamt of volunteering abroad, but every time I tried to apply the prices were very high and I couldn’t afford it. I found IVHQ right before giving up my dream, and they helped me realizing it. They supported me in every step of the project: from the application process to the end of my amazing two weeks. I choose to Volunteer in Bali as an English teacher. Why Bali? I don’t know. They had so many different destinations and choosing one was very difficult, so I just followed my instinct and picked Bali and, believe me, it was the perfect place. I am one of those people who get bored very easily, but Bali always offers so many different activities and experiences that you could stay here for a year and still have new things to try. Their culture is inspiring, the people are as nice and happy to help as you can’t even imagine. Why did I choose to be an English teacher? To answer this question, I have to tell you a little bit about myself. My life changed completely when I was given a scholarship by one of the most prestigious schools of Milan. While I was growing I realized that the difference between my friends who lived in Pero (the small town I live in) and me was that I was actually learning what there was outside the box. I started middle school without knowing a word of English and I finished high school considering myself almost a mother tongue. I've made friends all over the world, I traveled, I studied, I learnt how to interact with cultures that were completely different from mine. And none of this would have been possible if I hadn't been taught English. This language represents a chance for everyone to be understood and considered in a world governed by people who have no interest in growing critical thinking in poor and non-developed populations. I believe in the power of instruction more than in anything else. I am firmly convinced that the only way humanity is going to improve and empower itself is by extending education in the entire planet. By teaching kids English we can not only give them the possibility to interact with the rest of the world population, but we can also give them a chance to think critically and become citizens of our world. My first day teaching I was amazed by the curiosity of my kids (yes, I consider them a little bit mine too). They had so many questions, if they finished an exercise they wanted another one immediately, if I taught them how to introduce themselves on Monday, on Tuesday they would come to me the moment I walked into class to let me see that they remembered everything. On my last day I wanted to try something different: I wanted to teach the verb “to be”. Everybody told me that would have been too hard for them, but I thought they were worth a shot. So, I asked if a member of IVHQ could help me translating what I was saying in Indonesian. After one hour my kids were screaming the verb “to be” as loud as they could. They were happy, they knew they had learnt something new, and they were proud of themselves. And I was proud of them too. My last day was also the day before Independence Day, a very important holiday here in Bali. I could hear other children playing outside our class, so I asked my students if they wanted to end the class earlier and go play with their friends. What they answered made me cry of joy and think a lot: “No miss, we’d rather stay here and learn with you”. We went on learning that day, and as soon as the class was over, we ate chocolate laughing for another hour. When I got home I thought about the difference between us, citizens of developed countries with very good education systems and them. And the more I thought about it the more it was clear: we study because our parents, the society, the job market, want us to study. They study because they are passionate, because they are willing to communicate with the world, because they know how important it is. They don’t have marks. They don’t want to copy. They want to learn. I came here thinking I would have taught something, but at the end I was the who learnt the most.

Thank you IVHQ for giving me the opportunity to grow and for giving them opportunity to learn and have a voice in this world.

I was a part of the Bali Sea Turtle program with IVHQ. I could not recommend it more highly. I learned a lot about marine life, experienced snorkeling and hiking and holy water temples and hidden beaches. I made friends I know will last for years and memories that will last forever. The staff was incredibly helpful and the accommodations were lovely, much nicer than I would have expected because of the low price! I will 100% be traveling with IVHQ again.

I'd never payed to volunteer abroad somewhere before so was quite unsure about the whole thing and I had no idea what I was getting myself into... but the application process of IVHQ was so easy and the abundance of information provided/ support offered made me more at ease.
I initially wanted to volunteer to help with the turtle conservation however due to the locations I ended up volunteering to teach English to kids in Ubud, Bali. Teaching English to kids who don't speak a word of your language doesn't sound easy... and it wasn't... especially as the kids were just crazy. But despite the language barrier, I really loved spending time with the kids who were surprisingly really eager to learn and they are always so happy to see you. I would highly recommend that if you are staying in Indonesia before hand then learning a bit of Bahasa Indonesian would be very useful.
In addition, the accommodation was far nicer than I was expecting (there's a pool!) and I had the most amazing experience getting to know so many young travellers from all over, with all sorts of great personalities. Initially, I was not keen on the idea of a whole week of orientation, but it was so fun and full of laughs, and its not often you get such a good chance to get to know other people in a fun, relaxed environment.
Ubud is such a beautiful area and the people there are all so kind and friendly. I have so much admiration for the Balinese culture. Bali also has so much to explore, and other than the hours you have off volunteering everyday, the weekends are the time that EVERYONE leaves the campus for a trip elsewhere.
In a nutshell, I had one of the best experiences in my life.
(This is a legitimate review :)) )

Getting out of your comfort zone always seem like a scary idea, however volunteering with IVHQ turned out to be the best experience I have gone through during the 30 years I have lived. I went through the volunteering experience as part of my career shift plan, a break to consider this turning point in my life, I was lost, overwhelmed with the fast track lifestyle we get engaged in. An in this socio cultural experience I have found what I have been missing for a while: peace, happiness, and my self.
IVHQ Volunteering has provided me with all necessities to complete this experience and end up giving and getting in return at once.
To start with, the accommodation was very clean and comfortable, and the local cooks fed us with healthy and variable food on daily basis.

The local coordinators provided us with support at all time and were friendly and cooperative. The orientation they have provided gave us an insight to the local environment and connected us with the surrounding culture. They also were of great support while carrying out the volunteering duty.

The online community assisted in all questions and concerns I had before, during, and after the trip.

International Volunteer HQ, was recommended to me by many of the previous volunteers, and after my trip I definitely recommend them for any person looking to pursue such a mind and social broadening trip.