Tourist detained for stripping naked by sacred tree in Bali

‘Go back to your country if you can’t respect our tradition and culture,’ says Indonesian local

One of Bali’s Banyan trees (Flickr/Joachim)

A woman has reportedly been detained by police in Bali after posing naked by a sacred tree.

A local activist shared the photos of the woman baring all next to the sacred Kayu Putih tree, also known as the Bayan Ancient Tree, on social media.

Calling out the woman’s behaviour, Instagram user Ni Luh Djelantik posted the tourist’s picture, writing: “All foreigners who disrespect our land, Bali is our home, not yours!”

They added: “Do you think you’ll look cool taking naked picture on our holy trees? Go back to your country if you can’t respect our tradition and culture.”

Local media outlet Coconuts Bali reported that the woman had been apprehended by immigration officers, with Denpasar immigration head Tedy Riyandi confirming she had been found.

The unnamed female is the latest in a long line of tourists who have been accused of direspecting Indonesian culture by stripping off in places they shouldn’t.

In 2022, a Russian Instagram influencer was reported for taking naked photos beside a sacred 700-year-old tree in Bali.

Alina Fazleeva, who has more than 27,000 followers on the platform as @Alina_Yogi, posed naked for images with the roots of the ancient tree in the Tabanan district, taken by her husband.

Ms Fazleeva quickly deleted the offending photo, following up with an apology video and a photo of her praying under the same tree, posted with a caption in Indonesian.

“I apologise to all Balinese and Indonesian people, I regret my actions,” she said in a follow-up post.

“I’m so embarrassed, I didn’t mean to offend you in any way, absolutely no knowledge of this place.

“I just prayed under a tree and went straight to the police station to explain this incident and apologise,” she wrote on Instagram.

In March this year, a Russian man apologised after posing semi-naked on a sacred site in Bali.

The tourist, known as Yuri, sparked outrage after sharing a since-deleted post to Instagram, which showed him mooning on top of Mount Agung.

As well as being the tallest point on the Indonesian island, the mountain – which is an active volcano – holds special significance to the Balinese people and is considered to be a dwelling place of the gods.