by Norman D. Ford
Outline Route Map, Not to Scale
Commercial bike tours of Bali, Indonesia cost $100- $200 per day. But anyone with some gumption and an itinerary to follow can tour Bali on their own for as little as $20 a day for everything. At least, that's what I discovered during a 17-day solo bike tour of Bali in October 1995.
One of the most beautiful and exotic islands on earth, Bali is nonetheless webbed by a network of paved roads while beach and mountain resorts with a choice of inexpensive hotels and restaurants are spaced an easy day's ride apart.
Despite this development, much of Bali remains almost unchanged. Covering about 80 very hilly kilometers each day, my route led past lush, terraced ricefields to dense green jungles inhabited by playful monkeys and on to the cool, damp heights of rakish volcanoes.
Other roads took me on a roller-coaster ride around Bali's rugged shores, soaring over headlands with spectacular views then winding around crescent beaches jammed with hundreds of outrigger fishing canoes called prahus.
Almost daily, I encountered a major cremation or religious procession. Hundreds of sarong-clad men played gamelan music on gongs and drums--or carried huge platforms containing the funeral tower or palenquins or effigies of Hindu gods or animals. Mean-while, files of statuesque women in traditional dress balanced pyramids of fruit and flowers on their heads as they walked.
Riding the backroads took me past innumerable village temples, in many of which costumed villagers were celebrating a variety of events, from a teen-ager's tooth-filing ritual to an epic Hindu play. The Balinese were extremely friendly and were anxious to meet and talk with westerners in their limited English. But nowhere did I meet another touring bicyclist.
To avoid the afternoon heat and humidity, I rose at 5 each morning and breakfasted in my room on bread and fruit bought the evening before augmented by instant coffee brewed in cold water. Few restaurants opened before 7 whereas I was on the road in the cool of the morning before six a.m. when traffic was also very light. Though I made the ride alone and without sag support, I could easily have gotten a ride from a passing bemo (jitney mini- van) which operate almost everywhere.
Dehydration was once a problem for Bali bicyclists but nowadays every village shop sells bottled water. I also found that every published itinerary was poorly designed and based on an inadequate knowledge of Bali's roads.
Instead, I began my tour at Ubud, 25 miles from the airport, and the cultural heart of Bali's flourishing art, music and dance activity. I stayed here four nights, cycling each day up a different road to the heights of Mount Batur, Bali's most central volcano, and coasting back down to Ubud by a different route.
Back in Ubud each evening, I watched a spectacular dance performance--usually the elegant legong or the kecak monkey chant--performed with incredible verve and skill by up to 60 brilliantly costumed performers.
On my final ride up to Mount Batur, I continued on down a switchback road into the volcano crater and stayed overnight at a comfortable hotel. Next day came a wonderfully scenic 40-mile ride completely around the crater and its lake. And on the following day I hiked to the still-smoking summit of Batur itself.
From Batur's cool heights, a long downhill run led through thatched villages and around the slopes of Bali's largest volcano, Gunung Agung (3,100 metres), to the beach resort of Candi Dasa. Here, as elsewhere, every hotel had a choice of vacant rooms that for $10 a night typically included a ceiling fan and all basic comforts except hot water (hardly necessary in this tropical climate--but more expensive air-conditioned rooms with hot water were available). And all rooms were within 30 meters of the ocean and beach.
From Candi Dasa, I followed a rugged 80 kilometer route that hugged the wildly scenic shore of the Seraya Coast. Though many roads in Bali were potholed and eroded, this one was so badly worn that motor traffic was virtually nil. Yet my mountain bike easily negotiated the ruts and holes.
That night I stayed at a homestay (budget hotel) for scuba divers that fronted a beach with a sunken wreck only 50 meters offshore. With a rented mask, I snorkelled out over the wreck and watched a score of scuba divers in the transparent waters 20 meters below.
Then in a single day, I biked the length of Bali's north shore, with the lava-strewn cone of Gunung Agung high on the left most of the way. That night's stopover was in Lovina Beach, another top resort for snorkelling and dolphin-watching. Next came a superbly scenic ride up a mountain ridge high above a chain of lakes to the cool mountain resort of Bedugul for overnight. A final 70-kilometer downhill run led next day back to Ubud, my starting point.
By staying several nights at each stopover, I was able to explore almost every road in Bali on out-and-back day rides. Altogether, I covered about 1280 kilometers.
Drawbacks? I've already mentioned the need to forego a cooked breakfast and to start riding at daybreak to avoid the afternoon heat and humidity. Traffic was fairly heavy at times but I felt perfectly safe. ( However, expect traffic to gradually increase as the years go by.)
Consisting of bemos, a few light trucks and hundreds of motor cycles and scooters, drivers were extremely courteous and never attempted to overtake unless there was room. Every village had its mangy, barking dogs but none attempted to bite.
Given the energy and ability to cycle Bali's demanding hills, you'd have no trouble finding places to eat and stay and the island is ideal for independent touring. June through October is the cool, dry season with fewest tourists in June and October.
If you're thinking of going, read Lonely Planet's Bali and Lombok guidebook (though their cycling advice was out-of-date). Detailed road maps are available in tourist centers. Bali is considered low risk for malaria. But only bottled water is safe to drink and it's best to skip salads in restaurants and stick to meals of well-cooked foods.
You won't need much in the way of clothing. I found a sweatshirt useful in mountain hotels and a raincape kept me dry during a couple of cold mountaintop showers. A white, long-sleeved shirt provided good UV protection while cycling.
Backroads and the Bicycle Adventure Club, among others, have operated group bicycle tours of Bali but at prices 5-10 times those I paid. Tent camping is not recommended. The nearby island of Lombok also offers cycling possibilities.
The itinerary below is an improvement on the route described above.
Recommended Itinerary
DAY 1: Kuta Beach (near airport) to Ubud via Kerobokan- Mengwi-Mambal-Kengetan and local backroads.
DAY 2: Ubud to Payangan-Batur-Penelokan and down into Batur Volcano for overnight at Kedisan.
DAY 3: Kedisan to Penelokan-Batur-Kutadalam then via a long, scenic descent through Blakiuh to Mambal and Ubud.
DAY 4: Ubud to Pujung, Penelokan and Kedisan for overnight in Batur Volcano.
DAY 5: Loop ride inside Batur Volcano from Kedisan to Songan-Yehmampeh-Penelokan and Kedisan (also ride around south shore of Lake Batur and back to Kedisan).
DAY 6: Optional hike up Mount Batur (go by bemo to trail on east side)
DAY 7: Kedisan to Penelokan-Rendang-Genteng and Candi Dasa.
DAY 8: in Candi Dasa with short ride to Tengenan and back.
DAY 9: Candi Dasa to Amlapura thence around Seraya Coast to Amed.
DAY 10: Amed to Culik, Tirtagangga water palace and north again to Culik and Tulamben (for snorkelling).
DAY 11: From Tulamben along north coast to Sanil, Singaraja and Lovina Beach. (Optionally, stay over at Sanil for a day ride up Mount Batur to Kutadalem and return; or at Singaraja for a day ride up past famous waterfalls to Lake Bratan and return--both involve climbs of 1,200 meters.)
DAY 12: Day ride from Lovina Beach to Senrit then explore road south to Pupuan and beyond; return to Lovina Beach for overnight.
DAY 13: Lovina Beach to Senrit-Mayong-Munduk and to Bedugul for overnight.
DAY 14: Bedugul to Luwus-Petang-Mambal and Ubud.
DAY 15: Ubud to Kuta Beach via same route as in Day 1. (From Kuta you can ride south to Ulu Watu Temple and back in a day. Other optional day rides are available from various overnight stops on this itinerary.)
For more info, click on Bali Cycling Federation's website at www.balicycling.com and look for up-to-date touring info on Bali. Kertayasa Wayen of Bali Cycling Federation also writes that he can arrange Self-Led or Led tours of Bali, with or without a leader or support vehicle, for tours on mostly low-traffic roads through the most scenic and richly-cultural parts of Bali, with all hotel accommodations reserved. This is for info only and does not imply our recommendation.
Hotel-Travel--Bali Hotels Website . Click here if you prefer more upscale and comfortable hotels than the budget-style accommodations listed in Norman Ford's Bali Bicycle Tour.
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