Driving in Bali will be different from any other countries like Australia , USA, Europe etc. Like any other south east Asia country, Bali traffic is something you need to well adapt before you decide to do your own driving. If you have driving experience in Jakarta, Bangkok , India or Philippine then you should be fine . If you are first timer please pay attention to bellow guidelines
GOOD TO KNOW
When the first time driving in Bali please always remember to take left hand traffic. Anyone can enter the main road without looking and most of the people use horn as a sign to notice you. Maximum speed you can get in Ball highway ( by pass) is around 75 km /hours and for most of the road can flows rarely faster than 40 km /hours. Some of the road condition now in Bali is well maintain by local authorities even is quite narrow and crowded in the big city such as Kuta, Seminyak, Denpasar and Ubud area.
Please pay attention to things bellow
- Few signs along the road even at the city area
- When you go to countryside , please share the road with chicken , dogs , duck or even cows crossing the road
- Changing line without signal notice is normal
- Sometimes road is close or detour due the the religion ceremony so please expect anything could happen in the road
DRIVING SCOOTER
Driving scooter around Bali could be excellent choice because it very cheap compare into other mode of transportation . However please Bali is the small tiny island with millions of scooter. You will see scooter everywhere, every narrow corners, on every space you could imagine. Usually when you rent a scooter you will have 100 - 150 cc Japanese made two wheeler with automatic transmission easy to operate. We very highly suggest to ride your scooter in short distance instead of cross the region
Basic rule for ride a scooter in Bali
- Wear helmet all the time even you are ride in one region
- Wear sunglasses and sunscreen since Bali is humid hot weather
- Always check your scooter before go such as tire pressure, petrol , oil etc
- Do not drink alcohol
- Bring your international driver license
- Event the road in Bali now is good , please be aware to look into small hole during your ride
- Park in the designated area special for scooter
Renting scooter in Bali is very convenient and make things very easy , however the safety is something you need to consider before to take this option because accident is quite often from small to fatal . But please note the accidents between Balinese and tourist usually happen mostly because they don't pay attention to advice from the rental company, overestimates them self and lack of information regarding traffic Bali traffic condition. Beside of this issues, lot of time the local police will do some random administration check and see if all the rider have proper paperwork to ride a scooter - so please make sure you have your helmet on and international driving licence with you all the time
Note : if you get caught and and not bring the necessary document, please do not panic. The police will write you a ticket and you can pay the fine at nearest bank /ATM for USD $10 - USD $30 depends on what violation you did.
RENTING A CAR
Unless you are an excellent driver and have experience is south east Asia country, We do not recommend renting a car without a driver. Car rental with decent vehicle with English speaking driver will cost you around USD$ 45 - USD $60( this price is authorized car rental with insurance) but will safe you lot of hassle. What you can do is rent a car with driver for 8 - 10 hours and explore the island, so some sightseeing etc. Private car rental with driver will be much more faster and efficient because the driver knows where to go around, familiar with shortcuts and more often the driver could be a good friends/guide who can give you lot of information about Bali. The best thing is after a full day exhausting day trip , you will be happy not to be the one behind the steering wheel. For private car rental in Bali with professional English speaking driver please click here
