Practical Bali Travel Tips When Arriving at Ngurah Rai Airport
If you have just arrived at the Ngurah Rai Airport
then here are some Bali travel tips that might come in handy.
Especially if there is nobody from your hotel waiting for you at the arrivals hall. Because then there is only one option left for you: the airport taxi.
Unlike other airports throughout Indonesia, you won't be approached or followed by dozens of taxi drivers asking you if you need a taxi.
Instead at Nugurah Rai Airport all the taxi drivers are waiting for their customers at a taxi booth,
indicated by a big blue sign.
HighlandWaterfall In Bali island view
Behind the counter you can see a list of all the major Bali travel destinations with the exact price behind it. After you tell the person where you want to go (hotel name, street name or village) you have to pay immediately.
And that's that, so no need to pay the driver anymore later on.
I did hear, though from other travelers that when you are at the taxi counter you should know your exact destination and in which village your hotel is located.
It seems that the people at the taxi counter sometimes want to confuse you on where your hotel exactly is. Some village boarders are not very clear, especially in Kuta area.
So if you for instance say that you want to go to a specific hotel in Legian, the taxi drivers will claim that that it is located in Seminyak. This village is a bit further away so in the end you pay more then necessary. But from my own experience the taxi drivers are ok.
Do make sure though, that the taxi driver actually drops you off in front of your hotel.
One time our taxi driver did not want to make a detour through Kuta because everything is one-way traffic.
So he said that we could just get out as our hotel was just 1 minute walk away.
But I guess he got minutes confused with kilometers. The prices of the airport taxi are of course a tiny bit more expensive than a regular taxi which cruises around town. But these regular taxis are not allowed to pick up any customers from the airport; they are only allowed to drop them off.
So you have no other choice then to go for the official airport taxi.
Make sure you keep this Bali travel tip in mind when you set foot on the beautiful tropical island after a 12 hour long haul flight. If somebody approaches you with a 'better price', decline it immediately.
I understand that it sounds tempting to go for a cheaper taxi ride, but usually at the end you pay more than expected and you'll have a bad start of your holiday...
And let's face it, if you are coming from Australia, Europe or the United States then a 1 hour drive for about USD 8 isn't what I call expensive.
The airport taxi prices for the major tourist destinations are in Indonesian Rupiah: Kuta: 40.000 Kuta Center: 45.000 Seminyak: 55.000 Sanur and Nusa Dua: 85.000 For hotels further away in Nusa Dua: 95.000 Ubud: 175.000 Candidasa: 300.000 Denpasar (depending on which area): 60.000 - 80.000
If you planning to use the taxi to go to other Bali travel destinations or if you plan head back to the airport then I highly recommend the Blue Bird taxi-company.
Indonesians throughout Indonesia even prefer to hop in a Blue Bird, so you should too.
There are other taxi companies as well but their reputation isn't that good as Blue Bird's. Their drivers are very polite and always on time when you have ordered a taxi by telephone.
That is a good thing to know if you have to catch your plane home at 6am, right?
Matt Verbaan has traveled through Bali on various ways: motor scooter, car rental and private drivers.
Tips about transportation and other useful information on getting around this tropical island can be found on his own Bali travel
by Matt Verbaan
