The most popular island of Indonesia, home of spirits and rice terraces
B A L I
ARRIVAL IN BALI
This will be a long post - but not as long as we spent wondering whether to go there… 😉
While traveling around Asia for six months and talking to people, we heard plenty of mixed opinions
about this island. But as in life, the best way is to check everything yourself. So that’s exactly what we did.
Our flight was from Ho Chi Minh with our favorite VietJet, so it was a very pleasant 4 hours.
Honestly, I’m happiest about the fact that we didn’t fly 20 hours from Poland for a fortune 😅
But let’s start from the beginning.
GETTING AROUND THE ISLAND
After landing, we were welcomed by a very pleasant temperature of just over twenty degrees, which was a blessing after the last month in Vietnam with crazy (average) 35°C heat. We were feeling really positive.
A taxi driver approached us immediately, offering the Grab price, so at least we didn’t have to overpay for a SIM card at the airport or haggle for several minutes.
However, the amount surprised us. 650,000 IDR (about 175 PLN) for 35 km. For Asia, that’s very expensive. I’ll add that our most expensive airport taxi ride so far was in Kuala Lumpur - about 80 PLN for 62 km. Which ride do you think took longer? Of course, the one in Bali 😉 Covering 35 km took us 1.5 hours. In Malaysia, traveling twice the distance was half an hour faster.And that was the first sign of what would define our entire stay. We weren’t wrong 😉
Leaving Denpasar is quite a challenge because the traffic is heavy. We were heading to Ubud, which is probably famous for having the worst traffic jams on the island, but fortunately I already have plenty of experience in choosing accommodation and considering every possible inconvenience.
Our place was in the perfect location - less than 4 km from the center,
which allowed us to:
1 — live in beautiful natural surroundings
2 — sleep peacefully - without the sound of furious scooters, temple noise,
or partygoers at 3:00 a.m.
3 — reach the town on foot - without depending on any transport
4 — have a shop, laundry, and some restaurants nearby
I’m a genius! That’s exactly what I thought the next day when we finally walked to Ubud 😉
Unfortunately, we don’t have photos that perfectly show the situation because
during the worst traffic moments — when there was usually no sidewalk
— we were more focused on simply getting through without being hit.
Still, the road itself was quite picturesque 🙂
And yes - we knew where we were going. We knew Ubud would be a great base for seeing everything we wanted on the island, but also that the city’s reputation is the complete opposite of what you see on Instagram.
But we really wanted to experience it 🙂
So yes - it’s true that Ubud is not the place from Eat, Pray, Love. It’s not a place of spiritual cleansing, peace, and relaxation. It’s rather a crowded town full of engine noise and fumes, where at every step you have to watch out for scooters trying to squeeze out of traffic between other scooters and cars.
Sometimes it feels even more crowded than Saigon (and that city really lives up to its name). Walking in the middle of the street between vehicles became our daily routine. I’m glad we didn’t rent a scooter - it would have been just a waste of time, money, and nerves.
We actually visited central Ubud only a few times - to wander around, grab something at a nice restaurant, and watch a traditional dance show in one of the temples.
As for public transport in Bali - it practically doesn’t exist.
So your only options are renting a car, renting a scooter, or getting around on foot.
So… shall we leave Ubud?
BALI TOURS
Because getting around the island happens at a snail’s pace, drivers - probably the group most eager for your money in the world (regardless of the country) - are rubbing their hands together and offering poorly planned, overpriced tours designed so you see as little as possible in one day while paying as much as possible.
And tomorrow? Another tour - because of course you won’t manage everything in one day due to:
1 - traffic jams
2 - in the most touristy spots, people sometimes wait several hours just to take a photo
A driver in Bali is probably one of the best-paid people on the island. Three hours in traffic, five hours of chilling, and you’ll see two - maybe three - attractions in a day while spending a lot of money. Still, it’s better to negotiate directly with a driver than to overpay for organized tours, which usually cost around half a thousand PLN for two people.
We planned our trips ourselves. For the first one, we hired a car with a driver for the whole day for 700,000 IDR (about 190 PLN).
This included parking fees and up to 12 hours, although we finished in just over 8. Probably because we set off at 5:30 a.m. to catch the sunrise at the volcano - which, by the way, didn’t work out due to something we completely failed to anticipate. So we went back a second time, and you’ll read about that adventure below.
And if you don’t feel like reading much, here’s a 15-second summary
Tour Summary
To visit several places that specifically interest you at a reasonable price, you need to spread it over two or more days - and ideally arrange a private driver.
There are plenty of groups where you can do this, for example the Facebook group Bali Best Things. If you have the budget, don’t want to waste time and energy to save a few hundred, and you’re visiting for two weeks - there are organized tours available on GetYourGuide (or locally, of course).
Always check carefully what’s included in the tour - whether entrance tickets are covered, whether you need to bring anything (such as water shoes, trekking shoes, or a scarf/sarong), and whether lunch is included or if it’s better to bring your own. Prices for drinks or shoulder/knee coverings can be outrageous, and in places like Nusa Penida it may even be difficult to buy them.
Of course, you can get around on your own by scooter, but we preferred not to take the risk, since neither tourists nor locals are particularly skilled drivers, and the infrastructure is nowhere near adequate for an island packed to the brim.
Remember - to rent a scooter, you must have the proper license.
Full-day trip (Kintamani, Penglipuran Village, Pura Tirta Empul Temple, Taman Sari Waterfall & Natural Pool, Tibumana Waterfall)
Short trip (4 hours) - Paperhills and the volcano at sunrise (second attempt), Batur Hot Springs
2-day trip (Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, Bali Handara Gate, Lovina Beach, Blue Lagoon, and Aling Aling Waterfall)
If you’re looking for organized tours in Bali, feel free to check out our GetYourGuide link.
By booking through it, you’ll be supporting our future travels - at no extra cost to you.
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