How Do You Travel Around Bali

I’ve seen and gotten so many questions from different people about Bali travel but they all asked this same question:

“How do you travel around Bali?”

It’s pretty simple and easy.

Unlike other countries where public transportation is present and readily available, Bali is quite peculiar. Bali does not have trains or metro rails. They have buses, yes. But when you’re a tourist visiting this beautiful paradise, riding a bus is not very efficient especially when you plan to move around a lot.

I have not heard or known anyone who came to Bali for the holidays who tried riding a bus. It’s not that it’s not possible, but there aren’t really many “guides” that suggest taking buses in Bali.

So how should you travel around Bali then?

tbel-abuseridze-3Hp9UgGwhIQ-unsplash — Photo by Tbel Abuseridze on Unsplash

BY BIKE/MOTORBIKE

If you are traveling to Bali alone or with a partner, renting a bike or motorbike could work for you. For as long as you know how to drive one and you have a valid driver’s license.

Renting bikes in Bali is easy. You can simply ask your hostel, hotel, resort, or villa personnel about it and they’d gladly assist you. If you’re skeptical, you can always ask around. Daily rental costs between 10 USD – 25 USD depending on the type of bike/motorbike you want to rent.

Daily Budget: 10-25 USD or 500 – 1,500 PHP

BY CAR

I find this option the most efficient way to travel around Bali. Availing car services can make your whole travel experience better. You need not have to think how to get to one place to another. You won’t have a hard time booking a grab car or hailing a cab. And you can negotiate prices!

I only suggest getting a car though if you travel to Bali in a group of 3 or more or if you’re going to far off locations such as Lempuyang temple or the mother temple, Besakih.

Renting a car for a day (that’s 8-10 hours) would cost between 400,000 IDR – 600,000 IDR depending on the locations you will include. Just make sure you’re making the most out of the servic. Because if you’re just going to two nearby spots, I don’t think renting a car is a good idea, especially if you want to save some moolah.

If you’ll be needing help arranging car services in Bali, you can leave me a message and I’d be glad to assist you.

Daily Budget: 400,000 IDR – 600,000 IDR or 1,500 PHP – 2,500 PHP

BY TAXI

The first time my friends and I went to Bali we rode cabs several times. We always end up “contracting” the driver to service us for the entire day… Luckily, taxis are not that expensive in Bali. Personally though, I don’t prefer riding taxis because sometimes there are drivers who take advantage of tourists. If you’re not so familiar and/or you haven’t made your research, you would probably end up paying more.

Also, note that taxi drivers dislike TNVS drivers. According to most of the drivers I’ve talked to, it has something to do with safety.

Daily Budget: 4 USD (Short Distance e.g. Kuta to Seminyak)

BY GOJEK/GRAB

Many blogs and travel groups would recommend this form of transportation but I don’t really recommend this if you plan to go out all day, moving from one place to another.

Grab should be fine but I tried Gojek and it was super sketchy. I once tried to book a ride to bring us back to our villa but the driver didn’t pick us up at the pinned pick-up location, instead he wanted us to go to a small alley to meet him. We found it creepy and scary so we cancelled the booking and just hailed a normal taxi instead.

Are the TNVS illegal?

The Transportation Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) is a government regulated form of transportation services. This includes Grab and Gojek.

Most taxi drivers will discourage tourists to travel thru Gojek and Grab because they said it’s illegal. That part is still unclear to me. When I talked to several local drivers I’ve met, they explained that most drivers especially those who are from Bali island, are not supportive of this form of transportation because they bring in drivers from other parts of Indonesia, affecting the local drivers who are making a living. They even said that these “imports” weren’t screened well enough, that’s why they frown on the idea.

Disclaimer: I may not be the correct person to say stuff about this issue because laws in Bali are clearly different with ours. So if you want to know more about it, you can do your own research.

So far, I’ve tried riding a Grab car and availing car services in Bali. I personally prefer the latter. I find it more flexible.

Balinese people are one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.

Feel free to leave comments or message via e-mail if you have any questions. If you like this article and want to see or know more about my #unBALIvable trip, or other trips and tips, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

xo,