Good news upfront: there is no chance of meeting a dangerous poisonous spider while travelling to Bali.
However, these multi-legged arachnids can still be terrifying and you may want to know exactly what to expect from your opponent in the corner.
Here is our complete beginner spider guide in Bali, with pictures and important things to know for every tourist.
What Spiders Are Found In Bali?
There are more than 60 spider species around Bali, but most of them are far from humans, in a more remote place surrounded by nature, somewhere in the North and around Kintamani. Chilling in a pool bar at FINNS you will see no spiders, maybe only on Halloween decorations.
Spiders are poisonous by nature – as they use that toxin to kill their prey, but Bali spiders do not harm humans and the toxin will not be enough to hurt or kill you.
A handful of those you may be lucky to spot, we will cover in this guide.
A quick tip before we continue: if you’re not sure what spider you’re looking at, take a picture from a safe distance, and upload it to the Internet (use Google Lens) to find out the species and all the details.
Jumping Spiders
You’ve probably seen them many times – super tiny house spiders…that jump! They are shy but brave, so often jump on humans, and some people even have them as pets because they are super cute.
There are actually quite a few small spiders that look alike, including different species of jumping spiders, housefly spiders, Telamonia spiders, and others with more or less hairs, stripes, and dots.
Some of the jumping spiders are not brown and hairy tough, they can be smooth and bright green (rare), light brown (almost orange), or even have stunning metallic colours.
Huntsman Spider aka Rain Spiders
These spiders are probably the most terrifying because of their size – can easily spread out to cover the whole palm, but they are just as mortified seeing you as you’re seeing them.
They are brown, have long hairy legs, and quite large and scary, easy-to-spot, fangs. As with many species in the animal world, the females are actually larger than males. But they are not poisonous or dangerous to humans.
They are actually the only spiders that can’t make an orb, that’s why they find your accommodation, especially the bathroom or by the water dispenser, so comfortable.
They like humid, but not wet, so they seek refuge and some food (tiny bugs, butterflies, and moths) in the dryer and darker areas. Hence, the name people gave it – rain spider, as it often shows itself when it is raining.
Golden Orb weavers
These are big spiders, with narrow black bodies with long yellow stripes. The legs are what make these Golden Orb Weavers scary – they are black, skinny, long, and have orange marks. Females can reach 50 mm in length!
But, long doesn’t mean dangerous for humans. They live in trees and weave webs to catch all sorts of insects, that they paralyze with toxin.
They are the ones causing havoc on social media, you may have seen a video or two with spiders covering power lines and houses, but it is truly a very rare sight and it doesn’t happen in touristy areas.
Cross Spiders
Multi-coloured St Andrew’s Cross Spiders are some of the most commonly found spiders in Bali gardens and forests.
They are easy to spot: black long legs with light brown marks, belly with some white, black, and yellow to attract prey, and massive orbs around. They are harmless to humans but are great hunters, they are just interested only in bugs and flies, and such.
These orb weavers come in different sizes and grow pretty quickly, so if you don’t bother it, you can observe it growing bigger day by day.
They do look a lot like Grass Cross Spider and Garden Orb Weavers, but the Grass Cross spiders have a narrower body, while St Andrews Multi-Colored Cross has a more triangular-shaped body. The Garden Orb Weaver looks smaller than St Andrew’s and has whiteish marks on the legs.
Abandoned-Web Orb Weaver
A rare sight – an oddly-shaped spider that camouflages with the tree bark and is active only at night hunting for small insects. During the day you won’t even know it is a spider, it hides all its legs and only shows the part that looks like a piece of bark or dead leaf.
Completely non-aggressive towards humans, but if you threaten these creatures they can bite. It won’t hurt like hell, but can be uncomfortable.
FAQs
Does Bali Have Spider Problems?
Bali doesn’t have a spider problem or infestation. Only abandoned houses and derelict buildings may have webs spanned across the whole building, but other than that you will see the normal amount of harmless spiders, small and medium, in Bali.
Do You See Many Spiders In Bali?
Travellers visiting Bali and staying in the south don’t usually see a lot of spiders, insects, or wild animals. Your trip won’t turn into a nightmare, but travelling to a remote village, hiking Mount Batur or Agung, and trekking to waterfalls, make sure to watch the trees, and the bushes, and wear appropriate clothes and shoes.
Are Indonesian Spiders Dangerous?
Indonesian wild rainforest does have dangerous spiders like tarantula, just like Australia. However, Bali knew so much development, that there are no harmful spiders for any person. It doesn’t mean though that you should provoke the spiders. Spider bites can still cause little pain, and the worst thing that can happen is some swelling or itching.
Final Thoughts On Spiders Bali
It is normal to feel absolutely terrified by a surprise spider in your bedroom, but this scene will require no medical attention. Gently push the spider away with a broom, or leave it be. They don’t seek your company and are trying to co-exist with humans in areas that once were their own.
Do not let social media users make you scared about your future trip. Bali is one of the safest and most beautiful places on Earth and no spiders will be stopping you from crossing it out of your bucket list.
Also read:
Animals In Bali: Your Guide To All The Animals And Their Natural Environments On The Island
Scorpions In Bali: Are You In Danger? What To Do In The Case Of A Sting
Turtles In Bali: Where To Release Baby Sea Turtles And Learn About Turtle Conservation
