How to Get Around in Bali (10 Ways)

Lois Morton – Bali is very popular tourist destination, but surprisingly, there is no reliable public transportation available to get around easily (and cheaply) for travellers and visitors. Off course, walking in Bali, especially in the densely popular area like Kuta is feasible, but not all tourist destinations in Bali are within short walking distance from where you stay. Even when it is said to be 200 m or 15 minute-something walking from your hotel, the fact is longer than you expected, sorry to say :p

So if you are planning to come to Bali, please also think how you plan to get around and explore there, after finding how to get to Bali and where to stay in Bali. Even so, but don’t be discouraged. We’re here not to spoil your Bali dream (Bali beach or surfing dream :p), but quite the opposite; we’re here to help you to make the most out of your stay and make your Bali holiday is easier and cheaper 😀

1. Walking

Motorcycle or motorbike is ubiquitous in Bali, since it is the main transportation in the island. It is the easiest (and can be the cheapest) way to get around in Bali, if you can ride a motorbike. Many Bali’s wonderful sites and destinations are actually hours/tens kilometers away by car from the town/tourist center, so it is not a good idea to walk or cycling there. The cheapest option then is to rent a motorcycle and ride it yourself, and you are free to explore Bali on your pace.

Yes it’s true that Bali is lack of public transportation, but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have any. Many people may not know that now, Bali also has a real public busway service just like Trans Jakarta in Jakarta and Trans Jogja in Yogyakarta, eventhough it have not served all areas in Bali. The Bus is called Trans Sarbagita, which stands for Trans Bus for DenpaSAR, BAtubulan, ; the complete bus route in the future). 

Trans Sarbagita Buses have been operating since 2011, and currently only has 3 lines: Ngurah Rai Sport Stadium-GWK line (corridor 1), Batubulan-Nusadua line (corridor 2), and Ngurah Rai International Airport-Tegal Bus Terminal line (branch line). In addition to these 3 ‘main’ lines, Trans Sarbagita Buses also have 6 feeder lines which include GWK-Uluwatu line and Tanjung Beno-GWK. Large buses serve the main lines, while the feeder lines served by smaller minibus. The buses have several stops within the line and come every 15 minutes or so, and operate until about 6 pm for the main lines (feeder lines operate until 5 pm). The large buses standard flat rates per trip are so affordable: only 3,500 IDR for public passengers and 2,500 IDR for students. And 3,000 IDR for the feeder minibus.

Although Sarbagita buses may not the most convenient way to get around in Bali, it can be a feasible option, especially if you want to go to GWK (using corridor 1 line), Nusa Dua Beach (using corridor 2 line), and Uluwatu Temple (using corridor 1 line + Kelan-Uluwatu feeder line). The large buses which serves the main lines usually quite crowded with public locals and university students (like I say, not many tourist use it, either do not know or prefer more convenient/expensive transportation), while the feeder minibuses are most often almost empty with only 1 or 2 passengers per trip (so you will have the whole car for yourself and feel like renting a car plus a driver for only 3,000 (three thousand) rupiah! Ow, sounds too good to be true, eh? :D)

One more public transportation in Bali that you may never heard of. It’s Komotra, small colorful minibuses with open windows who will take passengers between Kuta Parking Center and Kuta Beach. You can use this minibus to go to Kuta Beach and and other places along its route if you are happened to be around Kuta Parking Centre or stay close there. But be warned and ready to snatch a seat on the Komotra with big group tour, since many large group tour buses are stopped in Kuta Parking Centre and send their passengers to Kuta Beach by Komotra. The Komotra flat rate for one way trip per person is 3,000 IDR (Do not ask the price/rate. Just get on and hand the money with exact amount when you get off).

Motorbike taxi can be a good option for those who want to get the comfort of riding on a taxi but with cheaper cost. For you who are not familiar with this means, riding on a motorbike taxi means you will hop on the back seat of a motorbike, instead of a car, and the rider will take you to where you want to go just like with taxis. In local Indonesian language, this is called ‘ojek’. This kind of services has been exist for a long time in Indonesia, include Bali, since motorcycle is still the main transportation in this country.

Okay, this one is a bit touristy, not local wise transportation :p, but still can be used as a way to visit places in Bali. Kura-Kura Bus is a kind of shuttle buses who will take passenger along its routes and stops in several determined bus stops. This bus service is owned by private Japanese company and has been operating in popular tourist areas in Bali since 2013 . It uses mini shuttle bus with capacity of about 15 passengers and wi-fi is available inside the bus. Look on the service and how they provide complete information on the site, the buses seem to target and chater mainly for foreign tourists. And it’s proven when I try to get on it this May. No locals visitors use it. All foreign visitors 🙂

Just like shuttle bus, many hostels and travel companies in Bali also offer day tours for visitors. Day tour is more suitable for travelers who already arrived in Bali and have a place to stay, since the tour is just a trip, not include hotels and plane ticket like conventional group tour with X Day Y Night format. So if you are in Bali, have a room already, but still confused how to visit those popular tourist destinations in Bali, then the day tour is the answer.