Aug 85 min read

West Bali & East Java by Motorcycle <>

Indonesia | May 2024 |

Here's details on the great ride from Kuta Bali to Malang Java and back over two volcanoes, diving in Permuteran, and a traverse through incredible areas of Bali that a huge percentage of tourists never see (for now?).

Surprisingly (and embarrassingly), east Java and the west of Bali have never been high on my list of places to visit in the 30+ years I have traveled to Indo/ Bali. While I had been to both on my first ever trip in 1992, thereafter I never strayed too far outside of the "Greater Denspasar" conurbation. But that changed in 2023 when I journeyed to Penida, Amed, and Lovina around the east and north of Bali, giving me a newfound appreciation for the island and what it has to offer, things I have been missing. After that, I was keen to see the west of the island and to re-visit east Java in May 2024. And, wow, did it exceed expectations!

Detailed map is at bottom of the page

Planning & Route

Planning: I winged it, setting out without any serious prep. I did spend some time reviewing the route in Java.
Rental: I was back on the same Yamaha Aerox 155 that I had ridden on my Bali to Flores and East Bali rides in 2023. The Aerox was rented from from my friend Pande at Bali Bliss, 2,500,000 "rupes" for a 1-month rental (of course he wanted substantially more, as is his standard "mates rates" that only increase the longer I know and rent from him even though other more formalized rental companies rent for less...). On the bright side, he doesn't require a deposit from me (cash or passport), and he has a "ride anywhere" policy (unlike the formalized rental agencies that are Bali only).
License: I carried my passport, motorcycle DL & IDP (both Singapore), bike registration. I didn't have a single interaction with authorities of any type.
Route: see the dynamic map and Trip Reports, both further down the page.

Bike & Gear

Bike: Yamaha Aerox 155, similar to the Yamaha NMax 155 (the former apparently targeted more at younger riders - supposedly it's more "cool"). Honestly, I would take the NMax over the Aerox any day of the week, the latter being much less comfortable for my 183cm frame. But overall the Aerox is a powerful, reliable bike and I have never had issues with it, nor did it require any type of service.
Riding gear: my own Astone helmet, Salomon trail runners, jeans, rain jacket.
Luggage: I used the same Karrimor 70L duffel from Sports Direct as my Bali-Flores trip; it's ok, a good size, water-resistant, but pretty poor quality overall. My other bags were: Pacsafe Dry-Lite 30L water-resistant backpack used to carry my Macbook and to clip my GoPro; a Pacsafe Anti-Theft Waterproof Safe that I used as a portable safe in my hotel room and to carry gear I didn't want to risk getting wet; and a Pacsafe Vibe 150 sling that I use to carry glasses, wallet, charger, key, when not riding. I used Apple Airtags in all bags and had another under the seat of the Aerox.
Straps: I used my trusty Rok Straps to secure my bags on the back of the bike.

Duration & Distances

5 rides / 4 stops / 7 days / 31 hrs riding / 950 km
Trip reports for each segment are coming
This trip includes multi-day stays in Malang and Pemuteran

Cost

As with Indo generally, the costs were pretty low, around USD 50/day. I didn't do precise tracking, but can guestimate the following in USD:
- Accom: $18/d
- Gas: $3-5/d
- F&B: $15/d

Insurance

Motorcycle: I didn't take out motorcycle insurance (and I am sure it is not available to me for the rental).
Travel/Medical: I used World Nomads travel insurance which covers motorcycle riding and other action-oriented activities, $675 for 6 months.

Roads & Driving

The roads were mostly excellent, as is the case everywhere I have traveled in Indo (I rode 5,000+ km in 2023),
Traffic was decent for much of my trip. The one exception is from Seminyak to Tuban - complete gridlock chaos (like most of the Denspasar area), and the main highway on the north-east coast, from Probolingo to Situbondo; this was a highway full of trucks and buses and riding it felt like being in a blender.
Drivers in Bali and Java are civilized, I didn't experience any type of incident that could be classified as ignorant or unsafe. In general, the traffic moves fairly slowly, and there were not a lot of vehicles on the road, except around major centres like Denspasar, Jember, and the north-east highway on Java.
Obviously, there is a ferry crossing involved on this trip, from Gilimanuk Bali to Ketapang (Banguyangi) Java. Ferries leave regularly for the short trip, I didn't wait long at all. But the short distance ferry trip turns into a long duration ferry trip as there is a massive backlog of ships waiting to dock in either direction - expect about 90 minutes for the trip.

Weather

The weather was almost perfect for me, I only experienced rain once, in Banguwangi on day one.

Communication & Safety

No major issues. English is spoken pretty much everywhere and it was totally safe!

Mobile & Wifi

I used Telekomsel pre-paid. I recommend you get a SIM service plan that is pan-Indonesia, as some plans work only in certain areas, example: a West Nusa Tengarra SIM does not work in Flores, so you then need to buy a new SIM - irritating. I only used data (no voice) and service was pretty good everywhere I traveled.

Accommodation

Great basic rooms everywhere, around $18/day, with hot water, AC, TV. I stayed in some of the most opulent hotels I have ever experienced in Indonesia (not 5-star, but good quality)

F&B

While Indo food is great everywhere, it's next-level in this part of the country.
East Java has numerous unique dishes; Malang, in particular, is a center of exceptional dining, with incredible local cuisine, Arab restaurants, coffee shops, and some throwback colonial era places; I love sambal, and you can easily order 10 different types with your dinner; Pemuteran in Bali also has excellent food choices and quality.
I could find a beer everywhere except Situbondo

Sights

This trip features some of the best scenery I have experienced in Indonesia, and I have been around a bit. Here you will experience a trip that basically runs around and over major volcanoes; though Jave is home to 200. million people, the east is sparsely populated; you "Bali" - incredible beaches, rice terraces, excellent diving; Malang is a historical gem; etc!

Activities

Place I visited and recommend and things I did there (and some I didn't do but are worth considering):

Places to stay: Malang, Kaliburu, Permuteran were all excellent
Places to see: Bromo and Ruang volcanoes, Permuterna for chilling and diving; rice terraces in west Bali.
Things to do: diving in Permuterna (did); hiking in Bromo and Ruang (didn't do, but would next time); touring Malang for its amazing colonial architecture and throwback vibe (it's maybe the nicest city in Indo); Kalibaru also seemed really cool and offers access to Ruang

Trip reports (coming soon)

Will share detailed descriptions of my rides from/to and stays at the later.

Seminyak (Bali) > Kalibaru (Java)

Kalibaru > Malang

Malang > Situbondo

Situbondo > Permuteran

Pemuterna > Seminyak

Map

The maps below provide a good view of the road routes I followed. Click on the "window" top left for ride-to-from details.

More Indonesia touring:

Some other extended tours riding in Indonesia. Read more here:

Bali to Flores by Motorcycle