How to get around Bali

You finally made it to Bali. Let the adventure begin! Unlike most Southeast Asian places, getting around the Island of the Gods is easier said than done. The lack of public transport caused traffic and congestion to skyrocket, especially in the south of the island, due to an overreliance on private cars and scooters. While the old way of going around Bali with Bemo (local vans) is slowly disappearing, new initiatives aiming to tackle the traffic issue have started to appear between Denpasar and Ubud.

Knowing how you will get around Bali is entirely part of what you must decide when planning a trip to Bali. First, you need to choose how you will get from the airport to your first stop and then how you will travel between the different diving spots on the island. Depending on your budget and ability to drive on Balinese roads, it might impact the itinerary you’ll end up doing. Let’s dive into the details….

Driving around Bali: my favourite option

Honestly, driving anywhere between Denpasar and Canggu is an absolute nightmare during the rush hours (8 am-10 am & 4 pm-6 pm), and even Ubud has become complicated if you stick to the centre. However, from the moment I reach Sidemen or Candi Dasa, driving on the rural side of the island is actually one of the things I love the most in Bali… the rice fields, the views of the ocean, passing temples, school students waving at me with a big smile, ducks crossing the road, catching a new view of Mount Agung, and flowers of frangipani everywhere!

I also like renting a car as it makes travelling with scuba diving gear easier. I cannot deny how much I love the freedom it gives me with my schedule. As I love taking my time sightseeing to take pictures, my experiences of booking a driver for the day weren’t so successful as they are used to tourists hoping to places for 15 minutes for a quick selfie.

To rent a car in Bali, I recommend booking in advance to find better deals. You can rent a car directly at Denpasar Ngurah Rai Airport, but rental companies from Denpasar Centre or Sanur also offer free rides between the airport and their agency. If you prefer booking with the option of having free cancellation, I recommend checking the prices here. 

Don’t forget Indonesia drives on the left, so it won’t be a big deal if you live in the UK, Australia and Japan. You also need to know the traffic on Bali’s roads, especially around Denpasar, Ubud, and Kuta, which is intense, with many people on scooters all around you. If you are not used to driving in the traffic of a big city, you may want to reconsider this option. Most importantly, remember that people tend to drive relatively slowly in Bali, and most rules are up to who gives the biggest smile; this saves it all from absolute chaos. Last but not least, foreigners must have an international driving licence; without it, no rental car.

Note that parking with a car is not always easy in Bali, so I decided to switch to a scooter while in Amed. Since I started driving a scooter, it has been true that you enjoy the landscape even more, but you are also much more exposed to traffic. I wouldn’t recommend it for long distances. When looking for a scooter, ask at your accommodation. Note most scooters are rented without any insurance in Bali (contrary to cars, but the price difference is significant).

Public Transportation

• Bemos: before most Balinese families got a scooter, this is how people were travelling across the island. When I returned to Bali in 2023, 11 years after my first visit, I was shocked at how few I saw on the roads. By looking closer, I realised some are still operating in the more remote corners of the islands; you usually catch them at the traditional markets. For instance, to go to Amed & Tulamben, there is a route starting in Amlapura Market and going to Tyanar in the north. While it’s convenient for Tulamben as the village is on the main road, for Amed, you need to stop in Culik and find a way to make the last kilometres. This is the cheapest way to travel across Bali for a few thousand rupiahs, but you never know when you will leave or arrive as the van waits to be full. I would only recommend to backpackers travelling light with plenty of time ahead.

• Teman bus (Trans Metro Dewata): It was the best surprise of my return to Bali in 2023, the island’s first genuine public transportation initiative! It only runs between Denpasar and Ubud (also from the airport’s domestic terminal). Let’s salute the effort and appreciate that it’s already a good start. Primarily aimed at locals, information is mainly available in Indonesian. Rides must be paid with a prepaid card in Indomaret convenience stores. From their Instagram account, you can access the route maps. I saw them running frequently in Sanur and Ubud but never made it to buy the card to try them.

• Minibus: There is no long-distance bus between the main points of interest in Bali, but you can book a minibus at a very competitive price. The main one is called Perama. On their website, you can only book for at least 2 persons, but on 12go.asia, you can book a single ticket.

• Ferries: If you plan to travel to the islands of Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida, the Gili Islands, or Lombok main island, you’ll have to travel by boat. The slow ferries only leave from Padang Bai. This is the most affordable option, but you won’t be able to book it in advance online.

• Speedboats: You can get to the islands much faster than the ferry in less than half an hour, but it’s also a pricier option. Speedboats to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida leave from Sanur, Kusamba and Padang Bai. In this case, it only takes 20 minutes to cross over. There used to be a connection between Amed and the Gili Islands, but as it was unregulated and led to serious accidents, that route was closed in the summer 2023. You can still board a boat on that route from Padang Bai. Speedboats can be booked on 12go.asia.

Hiring a driver

The easiest and fastest way is obviously to hire a driver. The lack of options in most areas of the island or the difficulty of driving made the business of drivers in Bali flourish. You can ask your accommodation to plan a pick-up at the airport or book an entire day of sightseeing as you move to your next location. After comparing the fares I could get by going directly with drivers and fares offered when booked through a hotel, I found the difference to be small. If you want to have direct contact with drivers in Bali, the best thing to do is to head to Facebook groups for each location you visit in Bali. More than half of the posts are related to this. As a scuba diver, booking transfers with dive centres is another option. They tend to have more luggage space for those travelling with gear and cameras.

• Drivers apps: Grab & Gojek have brought a transportation revolution to Bali. Working similarly to Uber or Bolt apps, here, you can also book scooter drivers for short rides for more or less 1€ (15-17K IDR). Those who feel uncomfortable on a scooter can still book a car. While car prices are competitive on short rides within locations, long-distance rides are much more expensive than hiring a private driver. While the flexibility is fantastic for a traveller, this is not to the taste of everyone in Bali. As a result, you can only use the apps in the south of the Island and Ubud; they have been banned almost everywhere else (you will likely see signs in Sidemen or Amed saying only drop-offs are allowed with Grab or Gojek). Note – there is an official waiting lounge for both apps at the international arrivals exit where staff can help you book your ride through the app and might even give you a promo code!

• Taxis: Only available in the south, I mostly only see the blue cars in Sanur, where there are many other ways to get around, especially by bicycle with dedicated paths (quite unique in Bali). I only took one during my first trip to Bali in 2012, right after I arrived at the airport. If you choose to take a taxi there, make sure to head to the official taxi booth to get an official taxi driver (after passing the yelling drivers at the international arrival).

Getting around Indonesia from Bali

Indonesia is such an incredible and diversified country that limiting yourself to Bali would be too bad. Here are some of the best options to explore Indonesia beyond Bali, especially as a scuba diver.

• To/From Java: The two islands are so close that you can drive between Java and Bali using a 30-minute ferry between Gilimanuk and Ketapang. You can board a long-distance bus to East Java (as far as Surabaya) from the Mengwi bus terminal in Denpasar. If you don’t feel like spending an entire day on the bus, you can fly directly from Bali to Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Jakarta.
• To/From Lombok: You can either board a ferry from Padang Bai to the Gili Islands or the main Island of Lombok, or fly between Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali and Selaparang Airport in Lombok.
• To/From Komodo: You can fly directly from Bali to Labuan Bajo in Flores and then board a day trip boat or a liveboard to explore Komodo National Park and/or diving in Komodo.
• To/From Sulawesi: You can fly directly from Bali to the south to Makassar or the north in Manado. Both northern and southern Sulawesi have some of the best diving in Indonesia.
• To/From Raja Ampat: Great news! There used to be a mandatory stop in Sulawesi on the way to West Papua; there is now a direct flight from Bali to Sorong a few days per week (Thursday, Friday, and Sunday).