Bali: Parasailing, Jet Ski & Banana Boat Day Trip with Pickup

4.85

(134 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect to laugh so much before 11am, but there we were—standing on the sand at Tanjung Benoa, still a bit sleepy from the ride (our driver was right on time), squinting at the sunlight off the water. The air smelled like sunscreen and salt. Our guide Wayan handed me a harness for the parasailing adventure and grinned like he knew something I didn’t. He probably did. When you’re up there—100 meters above the beach—the world goes quiet except for your own heartbeat. I could see Nusa Dua curving away in the haze, tiny boats darting around below. Five minutes felt longer up in that sky.

Back on solid ground, I tried to shake off the jelly-legs feeling but then it was straight onto the banana boat. We clambered on with two other travelers—one of them kept shouting “faster!” and honestly, I regretted sitting at the front. Salt spray everywhere, hair sticking to my face, everyone laughing so hard we nearly tipped over (the guide said that happens sometimes). The jet ski part was next; I’d never driven one before but Nyoman, our instructor, just nodded and said “slow first.” That lasted about thirty seconds before we were skimming across the waves—my arms sore from gripping too tight but not wanting it to end.

The donut boat was last—honestly I thought it sounded silly but it’s way more fun than it looks. Four of us squeezed into this inflatable ring thing while a speedboat yanked us in circles. There’s this moment where you’re half-expecting to fly off but somehow you hang on, water splashing up into your nose (not glamorous). Afterward we rinsed off in the showers—bring extra clothes or you’ll regret it—and sat for a minute just catching our breath. My skin still felt prickly from all that sun and sea.