We hired a driver for the day and we were lucky enough to get Dewas. He was amazing he took a look at the things we wanted to do and built a great day around it. He was super friendly and helpful and made sure my parents 71 and 72 were well taken care of. What I liked best was that he made sure we saw everything but didn't make us feel rushed. I would definitely hire him again. Thanks for a wonderful day.
We were only in Bali for one day, so we tried to see as much as we could. It was a long day with lots of traffic but we did get an overall experience of Bali. The lunch was great and our driver Kris very nice.
This was the absolutely perfect solo tour for me! I got the real local experience, and hit all the big highlights, in the local way! Mr. Ma-de was amazing. The tour began with Ma-de picking me up at my hotel. Just want to say that a few days prior to the tour, there was great communication confirming my reservation, and the morning of, Ma-de sending me a text introducing himself, confirming he’d be at my hotel to pick me up at the start time.
Here are our stops for the day, over the course of 9 am until roughly 3:30 pm when I returned back to my hotel:
1. Monkey Forrest
2. Pasar Seni (Ubud Market) and Ubud Palace (City Palace)
3. D’Alas Swing and Restaurant
4. Ulu Petanu Waterfall
5. Gunung Kawi (Holy Spring Temple)
6. Abian Desa Rice Terrace
I am so thankful we started with the Monkey Forrest because we got in before it was super crowded. Ma-de knew exactly how to navigate the paths, avoiding minor crowds, take perfect pictures and show me famous spot from the movie Eat Pray Love. Plus, I took this tour on a Friday, so I already expected it to be crowded. But no, it was not bad at all. We spent a little under an hour, I think, and when we were exiting it was definitely starting to get more busy.
Next, I got dropped off at a popular market, super safe and very easy to navigate on my own. Tons of tourists around and across from Ubud Palace. Ma-De told me what time and where to meet him, and to text him right around pick up time. All worked out great and it was enough time to shop.
The swing and lunch was awesome. Also perfectly timed, as we beat the crowd. I won’t say anymore, because I don’t want to ruin it but it was an awesome stop! And not a crazy touristy one that you might expect.
The waterfall was awesome as well. And I actually swam in the area below it!! Don’t be a chicken, do it! It’s awesome. Not scary, not deep and not cold! If anything, do it for the pics, right?! It’s breathtaking. Ma-de is a great photographer :)
Bring a towel and change of clothes. The tour company tells you this when you book your reservation. There is a little outside changing stall.
Off to a temple next. I felt kind of bad because my hair was wet… but it was okay. The temple gives visitors a sarong to wear. Women are not allowed the enter inner parts of the temple if they are on their menstrual cycle.
The temple is stunning, and there is a mix of old and new structures, you can see the difference in the color of what is old and what has been restored/newly painted. It is really beautiful and was so interesting learning about the irrigation system there.
The final stop was a rice terrace. Wow! What a site. It’s pretty unbelievable how quickly the rice grows and how many steps there are in preparing the soil, transporting the plants, harvesting the rice, drying the rice and more. It’s a lot of work!
In conclusion, this tour is 1000000% worth it. I would have paid double the price for the tour. The company, Hire A Bali Driver is outstanding. Even if you don’t get Ma-de, all of their guides will conduct their tour in this local style way. And ask questions because they have a wealth of information and love to share info all day. Don’t be silent in the car the whole time! We saw a few other tour guides from same company when we were out but not too many. Maybe because it’s an amazing kept secret. But sharing my wonderful experience here. I had a great day. Only sharing one pic, don’t want to spoil all the magic.