Indonesia | Oct 2023, updatded May 2024 |
Here's a recap ("Ultimate Guide") of a great tour around the east of Bali, a fun and simple ride that can be easily done by anyone on a rental scooter. After 30+ years visiting Bali and never making it further north of Ubud, this was a nice slice of adventure and some great exposure to the rest of the island, people and culture. This post started in 2023 but I updated it in 2024 after returning to Amed.
My travel plan started with a pre-arrival rental from my long-time scooter connect Pande at Bali Bliss. Terms were a relatively hefty 2,500,000 rupiah per month for a Yamaha Aerox 155 (the same bike I had rented in April-May and rode from Bali to Flores and back).
Aerox & diving gear
In addition to my Bali Loop moto tour, I also planned to dive at some new places in and around the island. This involved an important decision: bring my own diving gear on the Aerox, or rent at Penida, Amed, Tulamban, possibly Lovina. I had my ROK Straps with me, so I strapped on my dive bag containing 25kg of gear and clothes and whatnot, then did a quick test drive. Now, you are probably thinking "huge heavy bag on back of scooter?" (I was...); but it was all good. Dive gear on Aerox it was to be.
Ride 1: Seminyak to Amed
I strapped the dive bag and set off for Amed. This started with the generally chaotic 2-lane road to Sanur, and on to Padang Bai, where trafficwas less. Two hours into the trip, at the Candi Dasa junction, Google Maps, directed me into a village and the road became a single-track paved trail. I was thinking "this can't be for real" but soldiered on and after 30 minutes of jungle, I was back on to the "normal" road to Amed.
I ended up staying 4 nights in Amed. Gotta say: it's one of the most chill places I have ever been to. It is an amazing setting, with Mt. Agung, a picture-perfect volcano and Bali's tallest mountain, looming over. Amed is full of great restaurants, cheap decent accommodation and ok diving at Amed and Tulamben (separate diving stories coming).
Update: Ride 1a - Candi Dasa to Amed
I did this route on a return trip to Amed, and I highly recommend it. This a great country road along the coast, with amazing views.
Ride 2: Amed to Lovina
I set-off from Amed with good views of Agung, a pleasant ride. Just before Lovina, I was surprised to see Singaraja, a place I knew of only as a brand of beer. This is a really interesting city, the second largest in Bali, the prior capital of Dutch-era east Indonesia. It's full of colonial buildings and has a distinct Chinatown vibe about it. Lovina is just 15 minutes further down the road. It's another chill place with lots of decent places to eat (and drink, I guess). For example, I tried Georgian food there (country, not state), for the first time in my life - very good. But, in general, Lovina seemed to be a bit dull.
Ride 3: Lovina to Seminyak
This was a surprisingly quick 2.5 hour ride north to south. It starts with a nice hill-climb, out of Lovina, through some decent forest road, then onto a couple of famous lakes. From there it's back into Denspasar and the flat and heavily populated bottom of the island.
My route and stops
Click the "window" at top-left on the map for more details.
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