Bali Tour Guide

Few weeks ago I went to a village called Yehembang in West Bali. I came here because some of my relatives, uncles and aunties live here.  Besides visiting them, I also wanted to visit the waterfall located in west side of the village.  It was about 4 PM when I started riding my motor cycle in the farm that belongs to the local in that village. My uncle has agreed to show me the route to the waterfall. We both went with the motor cycle. Sometimes he stopped to ask for direction to the people we met. Since there was no signage along the way, just plantation such as coffee, cocoa, bananas and spices.  It was fun to ride the motor cycle along the small path among the farm. This path was not actually for motorcycle, but for farmers to walk to their farm. At one time, we got lost in the farm, but there was a man who live along the path that we could ask. He was very kind person, and he told us the quicker way to go to the waterfall. His house was quite old. I asked if he stayed...

To get to the Wanagiri village where the waterfall is located, you need about 2 hours drive from the capital city of Bali. This waterfall is called Banyu Wana. Actually, there are numerous waterfalls in this area because the area is on hills. Hello everyone, I have not written in this blog for so long. I am writing now at other places, but I would start writing here again, and cross post my posts in other blogging platform here.   And now I would like to share my last trip to Banyuwana waterfall. This was before the covid-19. When I arrived in the village, I saw an open building by the road with the sign that said "BANYUWANA WATERFALL". There were two Balinese men wearing simple traditional Balinese uniform inside the building. One of them sold the tickets to get to the waterfall. One ticket to waterfall cost about 3 usd. The other man there was a local guide for the waterfall. You can hire him to show you the path to the waterfall and help carrying your bags if you need it. ...

The Island of Antlers or Pulau Nusa Menjangan it's located in West Bali. To reach this island you have to board on a boat and travel for about half an hour or less. What is so special about this Island? The Island has quite a beautiful beach. The water on the beach is crystal clear. And since  there were not so many visitors coming to the beach, the beach is quite clean. This island is not inhabited by people. The island is occupied by wildlife especially antlers. Occasionally you can see some antlers running around the beach. The island is actually as you can guess  got its name from the animals. You can visit this island  to go for snorkeling in the ocean nearby the island. This is my first post after sometime 😀. Thanks for reading.

It was a drive from Ubud on Eka homestay at Sriwedari road, Evelyn and Khem were my clients. We were about to encounter the road with the worst traffic in Bali, with lots of 10 wheelers passing by, reckless drivers, one or two who would end up in the ravine or river by the streets with the all the wheels facing up. I drove them to Balian beach, the so called surf beach, where there are many farms and where there are more cows than people. Both these ladies, in their early thirties, were so kind and and down to earth. Treating me as friends, they begin to tell stories about themselves. Khem worked for the series US "Survivor" with two Australians friends who work for the same series. They said they were in logistic and designing challenges for the twenty participants for the Survivor series. As for Evelyn, she is on self discovery. It may sound like a "cliche", she commented, but she has visited some countries before Bali to find herself. "My visit to Bali wa...

Ms Lau (from Singapore, with Mr. Pei and Eaton) sent me a list of itinerary that she wanted to cover during their tour. I look down at the itineray she sent and it read as follow: From Harris Kuta resort - Visit Besakih Temple - Visit Kintamani with Batur Volcano and Lake - Visit Tampak Siring/Tirta Empul Temple - Stop at Beratan Lake - Visit Tamblingan Lake - Visit Gitgit Water Fall - Lovina Beach - Visit Hot Water Banjar - Visit Tanah Lot Temple - Enjoy the sunset at Tanah Lot. Wow, that was going to be a heck of loong journey..! On the tour date at 10 AM, I was ready at hotel lobby waiting for them. Mr. Pei was a very kind and pleasant person who loves engaging in conversation. On the other hand, I don't remember what she does, but Ms. Lau seems to know much about internet business. So, I told them that the itinerary for their full day tour was usually done in a 3 day tour. I told them that it was not possible to cover all places. In Bali, due to the road condition, traffic, hil...

I am not a coffee drinker, but since I went tour with my client, Karl , coffee supplier in Kuala Lumpur, then that day I had to drink about 4 to 5 cups of coffee during the day which make me a wake the next 24 hours. (by the way, this is the second part of Arabica coffee hunt in Bali .) On our last tour searching for coffee, we went to Kintamani and Menangi village. Karl, my client, was very happy there that he could taste the real Bali coffee. On this tour, we went to a different route; to Banyuatis village. Banyuatis village is a very popular village in Bali as coffee producer. On the way to Banyuatis, we stopped at Candi Kuning market. For locals, this place seems to be a must stop. We stopped for about twenty minutes there for getting fruit and snacks. In Banyuatis village, an hour later, we stopped at a restaurant called Ngiring Ngewedang. It was quite interesting that this difficult-to-pronounce-name-restaurant for westeners actually means "let's have some coffee." ...

Karl Priston, a coffee supplier, sent me an email and said that he needed a Bali tour guide who can assist him while travelling around Bali in search for Bali coffee. In particular, it was called Arabica coffee. He was not interested in any other type ofcoffee (Robusta coffee or any other coffee). First we went to Seribatu village and met my acquintance, Oka, to ask him about where can we get the Arabica coffee. Based on Oka's info, we headed to Mengani Village (S8°17'17.25", E115°14'58.78") , north of Kintamani Village. It was a remote village, far from any where. While observing the village, Karl asked if the people who lived around the village would enjoy spending in a place like Kuta which was totally different from this mountainous area. Maybe not. We arrived at the coffee processing place. I walked to the main building and saw a stack of wet coffee beans waiting to be peeled off. The beans go to a kind of chanel where it will then squeezed by certain kind of...

Working as a Bali tour guide, I also get a chance to get people to Lake Tamblingan to start their natural trekking journey. It is a great way to see Bali closer by doing trekking in Lake Tamblingan. (not in the middle of the lake, but by the lake). First, you will descend from Munduk village down to the Lake Tamblingan. There is a trekking guide association office by the lake. This is where you will pay for the local guide (trekking guide). You will start your journey passing through various plantation, such as coffee, chocolate, and clove. You will hear the bird singing in the air, and inhale fresh air to your lungs and think "what a great day." The sun glows above, the lake surface shines like a crystal by your side. After two hours trekking, you will arrive at the other side of Buyan lake. Now what? Do I have to walk back the way I came? It is interesting, but I have done that. Don't worry, here is a little secret, we will take you back on a canoe voyaging through the ...

Do you like bike riding? You can enjoy Bali riding mountain bike in rural areas or in the villages thus you can experience "the real Bali". Some tour operators provide cycling tour. Sobek, for example, is known for their mountain cycling which started at Kintamani village overlooking mount Batur and Lake Batur. The route for this cycling tour is down hill that you don't need to paddle hard. That's the basic idea actually. To have more times enjoying beautiful scenery along the way without having to worry about the route. At certain points, the tour guide will stop and explain interestings stuff that you see in the villages, so you can take photos or just have little drinks.At the end of your cycling tour you will stop at a restaurant for lunch. Other tour operators even combine cycling activity with other interesting things to do. Tour East Bali, for instance, have cycling plus cooking lesson package. You start your cycling at Perean Village and descend for about 7 ki...

While golf is not as popular as football in Bali, some Balinese, especially the business people, play golf. There is a saying about this, whenever they play golf, they talk about business. But when they are at the business meeting, they talk about golf. So, where can you play golf in Bali? The Bali Golf and Country Club . Located in Nusa Dua and designed by Nelson and Wright. It’s an 18-hole course located in the main area of Nusa Dua where all these international hotels suchs as Westin and Grand Hyatt is located. Le Meridian Nirwana Golf Spa and Resort. Located in Tabanan, close to the sacred temple of Tanah Lot. It is an 18 hole golf course with a wonderful view of Tanah Lot. The Course is actually higher than the temple, which should not be. Because higher place is considered sacred. Bali Handara Kosaido Country Club . Located in Bedugul, in the middle Bali. 18 hole golf course in the middle of lush area of tropical plantation. The accommodation and restaurant with fantast...

Trekking to the sacred mountains, watching the spectacular sun rise is an unforgettable ways of experiencing holidays in Bali. Start early in the morning to ensure you are at the top at the right time for sun rise. Enjoy the great views of the whole island from the top while enjoying your breakfast. Here area bit of stories about these trekkings: Trekking Mount Batur: Mount Batur, a three-crater volcanic mountain , is 1717 meters high. Your journey is started below Mount Batur near Lake Batur at a Hindu temple called Jati temple. You will arrive at the first crater (the highest) by the sun rise. While watching the sun rise, we will serve the breakfast (steamed eggs, banana and bread). Next, you will go the explore the second craters which lastly erupted in 1963. The last crater, the lowest, will be your final stop. The third crater occasionally has smokes or hotspots and colorful beautiful stones. You will go back through a challenging trails among rocky black lava stones to the starti...

Diving in Bali has been very popular for many divers from all over the world. Bali has a unique and beautiful diving sites. There are plenty of colouful tropical fish, a large variety of sponges and fascinating gorgonian and sea fans. Each diving site has its own characteristics which you can explore by yourself. AMED Situated in East Bali, about two hours drive from Denpasar. The site has a very slow current so it is good for beginner and under water photography. TULAMBEN About half an hour drive east of Amed is another diving site called Tulamben. It is an excellent diving sites where you can see a very old ship wreck. It was a trade ship "US Liberty' from the era of the second world war. Lying 6 meters below the surface, the ship wreck is covered by many kinds of corals. You can feed the fish here. This site is good for both beginner and professional divers. Like Amed, Tulamben has slow current that it is very good for under water photography. MENJANGAN Located in Western ...

Elephant Park in Taro village has been always a great place for me to visit. Located about 50 kilometers north east of Denpasar, you can reach it in about one and half hour drive from major tourist place like Kuta or Nusa Dua. If you fancy riding elephant while enjoying the lush area of Bali villages, you should not miss this adventure . Opened officially in year 2000, the park covered an area of 2 hectares in the middle of national forest. It has quite a facilities, such as information centre, and museum with a numerous collections of elephant memorabilia and the only Mammoth Skeleton in South Asia. You can also visit gift shop in one of the corner of the park that stand besides a 200-seat restaurant where you can watch the elephants. There is a basket ball field where you can see the elephants shows off their intelligence by drawings or paintings (not a really nice picture, though). Close to this field is where you can have photos with them and next climb one of the elephant to st...

Tanjung Benoa or Benoa Bay is located 25 kilometers from Denpasar, the capital of Bali. Many hotels and restaurants has been built there for tourists. Some international hotels located here are The Aston Bali, The Novotel, and Club Bali Mirage. A restaurant called Bumbu Bali also very popular in Tanjung Benoa for its Balinese authentic cooking lesson. Though it is not as popular as Kuta, Sanur, or Ubud, Tanjung Benoa has it owns attractions; water sports. There are lots of varieties of water sports you can do in Tanjung Benoa. There are also many water sports operators available. They offer individual or single activity or water sport tour package. You can choose what suit you best. These are the water sports you can enjoy in Tanjung Benoa. Parasailing You don't need actually need any special skill to enjoy this activity. You just have to be fit and have no problem with height issue. The staff will help you in attaching the parasail to your body. You will also wear special thick gl...

I was sipping my Bali coffee at a small cafe while waiting for the clients that have gone into the monkey forest with the local guide, when somebody came and said to me that one of my tourists had been bitten by a monkey. Possibly a big monkey, he remarked. And so, I walked quickly into the forest entrance and saw that Sue, the tourist, has been surrounded by the locals that gave her first aid treatment, some betadine, and bandage. Many visitors and tourist (well, visitors are local and tourist are foreign visitor :-) )gathered to see what happened. Every body seemed quite panic, and talked and talked in Balinese, the language that Sue did not understand. That made her more worried. (Well, luckily, I understood. I am a Balinese) A police car arrived and two officers came out of it. Surely they were not going to "apprehend" the monkey, but they only would take Sue to the Tabanan Hospital. I went with them taking Sue because I was only the one who spoke English and Balinese. Su...

Here is the second series of my post Care For A Little Adventure? I will update this post as many times as it is needed as there are more info I can collect about each activity. I will also put more things on the list because there are maybe new activities available in Bali. Surfing: Bali is well known place for surfing. One of the popular site where you can surf is in Kuta beach. This is the place for both novice and expert to surf. There is even operator or company that offer learn to surf program. They claim they can make you stand on your board at the end of the day. Other places for more challenges are in beach of  Suluban, Padang-padang, and Dream Land. The places are closed to Uluwatu temple. Bungee Jumping, you don't have to go very far to have a bungee jumping. Kuta is the place. It is a great excitement, but not really a life changing experience, if you ask me. It is as exciting as riding motor bike in Denpasar, but bungee jumping is much safer. Wate...

There are lots of things you can experience while you are in Bali, instead of just sipping beer by the hotel pool. You can have many types of water sports, white water rafting, sailing, fishing, dolphin watching and elephant safari, a visit to Bali bird park, cooking lesson, learning surfing and even bungee jumping. Well, are you ready for a little adventure? Elephant Safari Ride through Bali rural area. One of the biggest elephant  park in Bali located in Taro village, it is about 30 kilometres drive from Denpasar (the capital city). You can take photos with the elephant, watch them playing football (well, soccer!), paint on a canvass, or bathing in the pool. There is advertisement once that makes me smile, "you can buy elephant manure here in the park". They claim that elephant manure is one of the best in the world. Well, if you are interested,  you can try it for your garden at home. There is also an interesting museum about elephant, and even there is a skeleton ...