Hello NotaPigsty,

Thanks for the detailed information. Yes, we are hiring a private driver for 600K IDR/day for the 2 day trips.

The itinerary for Day 1 is exactly what he suggested through WhatsApp. That is why I am posting it here for suggestions. This is also why there is no specific sight for the coffee plantation and art market.

http://www.balidriverrecommendation.com/ - this is the driver we have booked.

We have modified Day 2 by ourselves, excluding some of his suggestions and including some of ours.

Our detailed itinerary is:

Arriving on 21.09 at 08:00am and we are going to be picked up from the airport by our driver and transfered to our Villa, 10 minutes out of Ubud Center, where we are spending 4 nights.

On 25.09 we are transfering to Denpasar airport for our flight to Yogiakarta, where we are spending 2 nights. On the way we have to pass through Sanur in order to leave our luggage with Bali Store Luggage.(https://www.balistoreluggage.com/). Our flight is at 14:00, therefore we need to be at the airport around 12:00, no time for sightseeing this day.

27.09 - Arriving back in Bali and heading for Sanur to spend 4 nights there. We are planning more laid back program here, doing only 1 day trip from here to the south part of the island.

Start 09:00

Beach Hopping

Lunch

Pandawa Beach

Uluwatu Temple

Fire dance Ramayana

Seafood dinner at Jimbaran beach

Back to hotel

Those two itinearies seem fine.But as a local, If I have to add, make sure you have free days to explore Ubud on your own. Just rent a motorbike in your hotel and explore. Go to local art markets, taste the balinese food, and see how the locals live. Ubud is big on traditional ceremonies like a balinese wedding,temple ceremonial, or balinese burial. They`re all very unique,one you can`t see any other places. Seeing the vibrant culture are just as important as sightseeing the nature, IMO.

Ubud offres many beautiful things to see, in the day 1 of your itinerary maybe you can spend more time in Tegalalang rice terraces (30 minutes - 1 hour) because you're able to explore and do trekking in the rice paddies which is a nice experience.

You can also do the swing with the rice terraces as a background which is a best thing to do in Tegalalang rice terraces. I know a website https://www.balitourify.com/ that includes the swing and agro tourism and their itinerary. You can also check their Instagram feed for any ideas of day trips itinerary in Bali.

Thanks for the info.

@BalineseBoy90, we have 4 full days and we are doing 2 day trips, the other 2 days we are going to spend exploring Ubud. :)

@Komang G, we prefer to skip the swing, thanks anyway :)

Another question on the taxis in Ubud, isn't there really any taxis in Ubud ? How aboud the apps "GRAB" and "BlueBird", don't they work in Ubud?

Hi Petrin,

There are no Bluebirds in Ubud. These are only around the major "southern resorts".

GRAB - and there's the rub. Basically local drivers do not like Grab drivers and will go out of their way to "persuade" them that they shouldn't be operating on their patch. The local drivers can get aggressive towards both Grab drivers and Passengers.

DAY 1

Once a driver starts suggesting things like Art Markets, Coffee plantations and "lunch" then this is no longer your tour. Probably his tour where he gets commission.

Kintamani Lunch - who suggested this - the driver???? Where???

Kintamani is a very large area around Lake Batur and Mt Batur. Do you know where you will be going??

Mt Batur just looks like a brown/green hill not Doctor Evils hideout.

DAY 2

Disagree with @Balineseboy.

Trace it on a map. It is a ridiculous route.

You will spend 5hrs+ just sat in the van to visit 4 places.

Consider

Ubud - Goa Gajah -Tegenungan Waterfall - Beji Guwang - Tanah Lot - Taman Ayun - Ubud

Hi. Yes, the driver suggested the place for Lunch, don't know exactly which one it is though.

Could you please recommend Coffee plantation and Art Market and also a place to have lunch near the Volcano, I guess it will be something with a view?

After we have the information received and recommended here we can inform our driver that we want to visit these places particularly, not the ones of his choice where he gets commission.

I will also consider your suggestion for Day 2, but we really wanted to visit the Jatiluwih rice terrace and Ulun Danu Temple. Maybe we can include Tanah Lot somehow in the day-trip from Sanur and still do the other sights from the Day 2 itinerary?

Hi Petrin,

Yes you could do Tanah Lot from Sanur.

UBUD

I suggest you look at other driver services. Look at www.ubudtaxi.com (not a taxi service) just a group of local Ubud drivers who offer tours and transfer services.

www.ubudareatours.com often recommended.

I used a guy in Ubud called Paulus padur68@yahoo.com

OTHER TOUR

Consider -

Ubud - Jatiluwih - (perhaps Bali Botanical Gardens) - Ulun Danu Beratan - Handara Golf club gates (instagramming) - Wanagiri Swing (more gramming) - Nungnung waterfall on the way back towards Ubud. If time stop off at Sangeh Monkey Forest - Ubud.

NotaPigsty, your suggestions sound good for one of the day trips. For the second one we can do:

Hotel - Goa Gajah - Tirta Empul - Kintamani area - Tegallalang rice terrace - Taman Ayun - Hotel

or something like this. Then the only consideration will be how we can do our day trip from Sanur to Tanah Lot and what to see. We wanted also to visit some beaches in the south and finish the day with a sunset in Uluwatu Temple and watch the fire dances, then go for a Dinner on Jimbaran Bay, so:

Sanur Hotel - Tanah Lot - some Beach hopping (maybe Kuta beach, Belangan Beach) - Uluwatu temple sunset and dances - Jimbaran bay for dinner - back to Hotel in Sanur.

What do you think? Too much driving again?

Hi Petrin,

Sanur/Tanah Lot/ beaches thing in a day would be fine.

If you go straight to Tanah Lot in the morning then it should only take 1hr from Sanur.

Another hour to the south end of Kuta Beach. Another 1hr to Balangan.

If you missed out Kuta beach and went straight to Balangan from Tanah Lot might do it in 1h30.

You could be there by lunch then just chillax around Bukit beaches for the afternoon.