BootsnAll Travel Community

I'll be travelling to Ubud this July. I would like to find out if it's possible to walk from from Ubud to the crafts villages like Mas, Celuk and Batubulan? Or it's better to call a cab? Cabs are readily available in these areas?

Hi Sydia,

There is a fair distance between the places and from Ubud that you mentioned. Unless you are into long day hiking, I would suggest you bargain a price for the trip with a taxi driver, or, better still, there are plenty of bemo drivers around that would gladly take you to where you want to go for a price.

Indonesialogue

Got it. Thanks!

Hi Sydia;

We stayed in Ubud in December, and ended up hiring a vehicle/driver rather than motorbikes.

No problems at all to get hold of one - most staff in the hotels have a cousin/brother/uncle who hires himself out to tourists - they'll come to you and quietly ask if you need a car and driver rather than go through the advertised people!

Cost is relatively cheap - the rate appears to be around Rp 250,000-300,000 for an aircon "Kijang" type car for 5-6 hours (being a bit generous - I'm sure we could have got it down below $250,000 without too much trouble). A bit more expensive than doing it by taxi or hiring a bike, but you'll get commentary from the driver and he's at your disposal - he'll also recommend certain places to see (most probably related in some way!). We found it to be a worthwhile investment for the day.

The villages are probably 30-40 minutes from Ubud, but you'll end up spending at least 5 hours cruising around if you want to cover them off.

Make sure you have a look around Symon's Art Studio in Ubud - it's "unusual" !

We did the Ubud visit in March of 2008, and had a great time. Number 1, I would not just hire a driver off the street, they just drive, seldom do they know anything about anything. The same goes for the Bemo driver. I would hire a driver/guide. We have been to Bali 3 times in 4 years and have hired Merta all 3 times. He will take you where you want to go, tell you about everything on the way and everything when you get there. You can probably visit a couple of those places in one day, it depends on how long you stay there. Merta is very dependable, and trustworthy - and that is the most important thing when you just hire a driver off the street.
email: mertagct@telkom.net Phone: 62 981 337 377 925

The price is right, keep in mind that gas is going up everywhere. You are hiring a driver and guide for a whole day for 2 people. It will cheaper than if you were on a tour, going with a group. Usually they charge both people, and its usually for half day. John