Ubud Transportation

Putu is a kind, gentle soul who made our trip to Bali amazing and so much more than it would have been had we gone on a package tour. He showed us real hospitality. This cheerful young man gave my husband and me a one day tour from Ubud (we wish we could have done more days with him but had to leave the next day). He patiently and knowledgeably worked out the itinerary with us, with lots of good suggestions (though we were free to change it at any time of course). We liked him so much that we had him drive us to our next destination in Kuta the next day also. Putu is a fountain of knowledge, a sweet, sharing person, punctual, and a very safe driver. His English is excellent too and his rate was very reasonable. And can I tell you how humble he is? When we asked what he was doing that night, Putu very modestly replied that he was going to be playing Gamelan music at the Ubud Palace ‘because it is my hobby’. We went to see him perform and I can tell you that he is an excellent musician. His wife is a Balinese traditional dancer (they met while performing) and they are expecting their first child. So if you are interested in this part of Balinese culture, Putu can tell you plenty about it. That day with him was just completely lovely and so relaxing, and definitely the highlight of our trip to Bali. The people carrier that he uses is modern, spacious, clean, comfortable, and air-conditioned. Also, if you are looking for anything in particular to buy, chances are that Putu will know where you can find it at the best price – he took us to the shadow puppet-making village and we purchased a very nice one at a great price. I would like to add that my husband is a professional tour guide in Turkey and he thought that Putu was great.

Walking is actually the right way to explore Ubud. But, I gotta admit walking from Pengosekan to ubud centre is quiet painful (after 2 days doing it anyway).
The best option is to rent a motorbike for IDR 50 K a day. Tell the guy where you're staying and they will pick up the motorbike at your place once the rent/lease is over.

I love Ubudtaxi so much. Their rates are there in their website (by usual taxi from airport to Ubud it takes iDR 200 K. Theirs is IDR 195 k). They offer a lot of service, but since I don't really require cars in getting around Ubud, I use their airport transfer service.
The car is Suzuki APV. The driver will pick you up with the little board with your name on it.
The driver will take your luggage to the parking lot where the car is parked. You'll be given a bottle of mineral waters. It's very convenient.
They can be chatty if you are chatty, but if you want to jump start your Ubud solitude session, they'll respect your privacy.
Highly recommended.

I just got back today from our family's first trip to Bali/Ubud, and I had to write about our wonderful experience w/ our driver, Sila. We are so lucky we hired Sila because he made our trip to Ubud so special. He was full of stories and is so well-informed about Ubud and all things Indonesian. My husband greatly enjoyed talking with him during our long drives.

His car is very well maintained. I was worried about tracking beach sand into his clean car, but he was very nice about it. He was great with my 3 young boys. His knowledge of English is impressive, and he has a sense of humor, too! He showed us good restaurants, a fine art gallery, and he made sure we got to watch the Monkey and Fire dances. He is very generous with his time since he charges a flat rate even if we ended our day late at night. He also carried ice cold water: a necessity in warm weather! Also, while we enjoyed the beach that he took us to in Nusa Dua, we felt no worries leaving our belongings with him in his car such as our wallets and camera. Sila is truly trustworthy.

I was really upset with another driver we hired in Ubud (Sila was already booked that day, alas!) That driver whose name begins with P. brought us to tourist trap places where I suspect he would get a commission. He also did not have any water and he asked too many personal questions and interrupted our private conversation. He also would not drive us past 5 pm even if he charged the same rate as Sila.

So if you go to Ubud and need a driver, please do hire Sila: baliwithsila@yahoo.com or www.geocities.com/baliwithsila/

Since he goes out of his way to make you happy and is generous with his time, please be generous with your tip! (***Photo shows our sons with Sila with the breathtaking Ubud rice terraces in the background...)

This is definitely the more reliable Made. He's centered around Ubud and will go out of his way to make you happy. His rates are reasonable, he can take you via car or motorbike (whichever you prefer) and he's very pleasant to spend time with. He also dances, in case you'd like to see him perform in and around the Ubud area.

I guess many hotels/resorts provide free shuttle services for their guests. The same thing goes for Ubud Village Resort & Spa. The free shuttle services will take you to Ubud town (you can request to be dropped at any locations along the shuttle map). Shuttle services provided at every hour from the resort and check point for return to Ubud Village Resort & Spa is at Ubud Village Hotel, located at the main road of Ubud town.

Renting motorcycle is quite cheap in Ubud. It's only Rp30,000 for 24 hours. Hubby and me did this one of the days...kinda nice taking ride on motorcycle...we get to stop wherever we want...parking was easy as well and it's cheap. When you're renting a motorcycle...check if all the things on the motorbike are working or not.

Riding in any place in Indonesia I supposed is quite challenging. Drivers/riders tend to be much agressive...they'll honk you if they feel you're going like a snail.

MAS (Malaysia Airlines) have frequent flight to Bali (Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar) with a quite reasonable fares. Check out MAS website from time to time for promotions which they do it quite often.

I'd hired Made once back in 2007 to transport me somewhere in Ubud, then ended up hiring him again on 3 separate occasions in 2008. On the first trip, he took me to Tirta Empul, through Tagallalang & to see the terraced rice paddies around Ubud. On the second trip, he basically took me to run errands & to lunch -- to the Post Office to mail something, to Ubud Music to buy a new memory card for my camera, & to Dirty Duck for lunch. Finally, he drove me from Ubud to Legian, with several stops in Celuk & another stop to see the batik making process. Made is very polite, speaks English relatively well & is reliable. His car is air conditioned & his rates are negotiable. You may contact him via E-mail at dekrut07@yahoo.com or via phone to book him.

NOTE: In April, 2009, he wasn't happy with less than 400,000 rp to pick me up in Legian, go to the airport to pick up my boyfriend, take us to Jimbaran, then take us to Ubud (with a short stop at an apotek). A few days later, he didn't show up to transport me from Ubud back to Seminyak. In the future, I will no longer use him.

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: HAVING A DRIVER TO TAKE YOU AROUND BALI IS THE WAY TO GO..ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHERE TO GO AND THEY DON'T GET LOST AND WASTE TIME TRYING TO GET BACK ON THE PATH...ALSO THEY KNOW THE PLACE AND CULTURE. .THE AMAZING AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ABOUT BALI IS INVALUABLE!!!!!
PUTU ..THE DRIVER THAT TOOK ME MOST OF THE PLACES I WENT WAS SUPERB!! !!HE MADE IT FUN AND IT WAS A GREAT TIME HEARING HIS AMAZING EXPERIENCES OF BEING A DRIVER!!! : )
HE CHARGES $40 A DAY!! BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!!!