My Three Favorite Drives Around Bali

Generally, I hate driving in Bali. I actually love driving in general, but here – no, just too crazy and too dangerous. It just drives me nuts when tourists get into some mystical explanation of how traffic works here and how everything goes fine. Well, in fact, it doesn't go fine. I've known nine people that died here in accidents over the past 21 years. So, beware when driving around the island. Wear a helmet, long pants, shoes and a shirt, not a singlet.

But, I do love getting out on the motorcycle and driving around the island once every month or two months. Outside of the cities, the roads are relatively free of traffic, and it's possible to really enjoy driving around the island and appreciate the beauty of Bali outside of the cities. I begin my drives from downtown Singaraja, but these drives can be taken from the south up to the north for folks who want to visit the Singaraja area.

Singaraja to Ubud via Kintamani
I drive out from Singaraja on the main road to the Kintamani turnoff in the village of Kubutambahan. Driving out of the city requires some concentration because the traffic gets intense in the morning, especially around the start of school. I usually leave around 9 am in order to miss most of the crazy early morning drivers. Once I'm on the road up through the hills to Kintamani and Mount Batur, I can relax and enjoy the incredible views of the ocean to the east. There's minimal traffic on this road, which allows me to get into a driving zone. Just past Kintamani, before reaching the temple, there's a turn-off down to Ubud. Fortunately for me, since I have terrible problems with directions, there's now a sign for the turn-off. The road down from Kintamani to Ubud was, once upon a time, one of the worst roads in Bali; it was filled with huge potholes and loose gravel. I actually lost control of the bike once because of the road conditions. Now, however, the road is wonderfully paved with lovely views of the orange groves alongside the road. It's a straight drive down to Ubud with a right turn at the statue.

Singaraja to Candidasa on the east coast road
I used this road many times during my six years in Sumbawa when I was going back and forth between Sumbawa and Bali. The east coast road features landscapes much different than the rest of the island. The north coast section of the road is lined with coconut groves, farther south the landscape becomes drier until you reach the area around Tulamben which is very dry and still shows the signs of the eruption of Mount Agung in 1963. This drive takes you past the small tourist area of Air Sanih and then Tulamben, Tirtagangga and finally Candidasa. Along the way are a number of hotels and homestays for folks that want to spend a night or two exploring the area. For me, it's just a lovely drive past picturesque villages with some incredible rice paddies once you reach the southern part of the road.

Singaraja through Pupan and down south
This road is on the west side of the island. I traveled this road the first time that I came to Bali. That time I was on a bus going from Denpasar to Lovina. What an

incredible introduction to the Balinese countryside it was. Now, I just drive west from Singaraja just up to Seririt and then travel south through small villages up into the hills and then down through glistening rice paddies. When I've had enough of the magic of Bali, I turn around and head back home. This is another road with a minimal amount of traffic and views that you want to photograph and send back to your friends and family at home to let them know just what Bali is outside of the tourist zoo of Kuta-Legian-Seminyak.