Bali Travel Forum

Hello,

People here seem very knowledgeable about travel in Bali and so hopefully you all have some advice. We are going to be in Bali from May 21st to June 12 this year.

We are booking a few places, but we kind of want to play it by ear for a lot of places we go. In addition, we wanted to try some public transportation but I've heard they can be very slow and are a pain because of their confusing routes and what not.

Basically our plan for places to stay is as follows:

A few nights in southern bali (I booked our first few nights at Poppies in Kuta)
Head over to Eastern Bali (I want to do some diving/snorkeling at Amed/Tulamben)
Head over to Northern Bali (Lovina area and I have a place booked in Pemuteran for Menjangan Island)
Central Bali (Ubud and all the places around there)
Like one more night in southern bali before our flight

So, we may make some overnight stops in other places but something like:

Kuta --> Amed --> Lovina --> Pemuteran --> Ubud --> Sanur --> Flight Home

In terms of transportation from some of these places...the biggest journey seems to be Amed to Lovina. Would it be possible to (without prearranging it because we aren't sure how long we want to spend in each place) pick up a driver in Amed that could take us to Lovina? Or would it be easier to maybe get a driver to Ubud and then take a Bemo/Bus up to Lovina. We've heard the northeastern coast can be desolate, so we would like to take a route through central area (Maybe up through the mountain past Banur Lake)

In general, as you leave the southern touristy area, are drivers/transportation still easy to find in the towns?

Also, what would you expect to be charged (roughly) for an Amed to Lovina trip, it seems like quite a treck.

Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian.

Check out the forum reply's to Tsay posting a little bit further down the page.

Thanks,

I checked out that thread.

My only additional question would be: If I don't want to preplan a driver for my whole trip, will I be able to find a driver in Amed when I am there to drive me somewhere like Lovina? We don't want to have to keep to a schedule and don't really want to book a driver for our whole trip (just seems weird, even though it isn't that expensive). So if we decide we do really want a driver for certain trips is that sort of service available in places like Amed in short notice?

Thanks

You will not have a problem finding a driver in any of the places you are staying Brian. Just ask the hotel staff and they will arrange a local driver for you. Be sure to check their car first to make sure it is in good condition and that the AC works. If you are concerned at all about your potential liability see if the car is insured since many are not. Ask if gasoline etc. is included in the price and how many hours (including their return trip home) are included and how much for additional hours as you will probably want to stop at a several places along the way. Combining a day's site seeing tour with your transfer is the most economical way. They will drive you by any route you choose to go.

A driver with a newer car that has insurance with gasoline, 10 hours service, parking etc. included will cost around 500,000rp. I don't recommend hiring the cheapest driver you can find. Better to save a few dollars on a less expensive room or a meal, not the car you will be riding in.

If you are concerned about finding a reliable and safe driver, you can always call a driver centrally located in Ubud to take you from say Amed to Lovina or from Permutern to Ubud. The cost will be the same. Just call two days before you want to be picked up. As a back up, I can recommend a very safe and dependable driver and trained guide (new car & liability insurance) based in Ubud who travels to all areas. Putu Arnawa mobile phone: 08123608079 but your hotel should always be able to provide transfers perhaps at a slightly higher cost to include their commission.

Driving from Amed to Lovina inland and seeing the volcano, caldera and pretty sights is much nicer as you said than traveling along the coast. Go from Pemuteran to Ubud by traveling inland through Munduk rather than retracing your way back to Lovina and then heading south to Ubud.