I left Hostel Nusa Penida early the morning of September the 30th, 2018. After having spent 3 days on the Nusa Islands (2 days in Nusa Penida and 1 day between Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan) I would be getting back to Bali. The boat back to Padangbai (Bali) was leaving at around 08:00 and I didn’t want to risk missing it. I was close to do that though, since I didn’t get the name of the port right. Luckily enough, the guy from whom I had rented the moto was kind enough to give me a ride to the right port (Buyuk Harbour). Once in Bali I would be driving my (first) moto back to Kuta and, from there, I would try to come up with the best (and, if possible, cheapest) way to get from Bali to Java or, in my case, from Kuta to Kawah Ijen.
From Padangbai to Kuta
The boat took around 45 minutes to get from Nusa Penida to Padangbai. Back on firm land, I found out with relief that my moto was still there. As you might remember, because the public ferry was broken down, I couldn’t bring my moto to Nusa Penida and I had to leave it there, at Padangbai’s harbour.
I’m not exactly sure about what I did next but, when I realised, I was stopped by an officer next to his booth. I didn’t face that situation when I entered the harbour. I guess I could have avoided the “entering/leaving” booth somehow but I wasn’t paying much attention. The officer asked for my driving license and I tried to stay cool. I had my (expired) international license that I got back in Spain, as I was getting ready for my Work & Holiday year in Australia. He took a look at it and, after what felt like an eternity, told me everything was in order and I could go. Hell yeah!
The beginning of the road was like the ones I had already taken since arriving in Indonesia. After a while though, it changed from winding, narrow and steep to a highway. It was my first time driving a moto on a proper Indonesian highway! The ride took long enough. I wasn’t used to driving motos that fast and I didn’t want to overdo it. I saw plenty of trucks, people selling fruit by the road and some small villages now and then.
As soon as I arrived in Kuta I drove to RAMABEACH hotel. It was there where I rented the moto after my arrival in Indonesia. It had been 9 days since I had last seen Kuta and I got the feeling that neither of us were the same anymore. I met the guy, paid him for the extra 2 days (I had rented the moto for 7 days but the trip took longer than expected lol) and asked him to give me a ride to my hostel: Gong Corner Homestay.
There are better hostels in Kuta, that’s a fact. But, back then, most of the good deals were kind of taken and I ended up staying there. The hostel, for the price (60 K in a 4-people shared room), was not too bad, but it wasn’t my favourite one in Indonesia. Regardless, the location was good, and I met some nice people there. Surprisingly enough, it was the first time I met locals in a hostel.
Wandering around Kuta
Kuta has the reputation of being one of the most touristic cities in Bali. It also has the reputation of being full of Aussies. And, as soon as I left the hostel and started walking, I realised both statements were true. I saw plenty of bars broadcasting Australian football. I saw plenty of Aussies walking around, making noise and drinking at every single bar. For a second, it was like if I was back in Australia. And that feeling increased when I heard some locals calling me “mate”, as they were trying to catch my attention.
I didn’t see much of Kuta, mostly because I didn’t have much time but also because, from the beginning, I didn’t think about Kuta as a city in which I would like to spend a lot of time. What I saw was basically bars, locals trying to attract attention, tourists (most of them Aussies), girls trying to sell massage sessions, restaurants, plenty of shops, noisy clubs and a lot of traffic. Thus, as you might imagine, I can’t really say I fell in love with Kuta. The way I see it, due to its proximity with Denpasar’s airport, Kuta is the perfect city to stay at when you just arrive in Indonesia (if you had flown to Bali) or when you need to spend sometime planning your trip.
In my case, I decided to stay in Kuta because I needed to spend sometime figuring out how to get from Bali to Java, or, more specifically, from Kuta to Kawah Ijen. I walked around for a while and eventually made it to some sort of Warung where I ended up paying 16 K for my lunch. Yes, even in such a touristic city you can find cheap places to eat. Unfortunately, I didn’t write down the name of the place, but it was closed to Gong Corner Homestay.
After lunch, I started to walk around the neighbourhood. Because I hadn’t found a clear way to get from Kuta to Kawah Ijen, I decided to look for some agencies that organized the trip. I wanted to visit the physical shops and speak to the people in charge to get all the details and prices. Unfortunately, after more than an hour, the cheapest deal I could get was 1.250.000 IRP with Perama Tour.
How to get from Kuta to Kawah Ijen?
On the one hand I didn’t really know how to get from Bali to Java. I thought I was there for adventure but it felt like it was too far and kind of messy. On the other hand, even if I had the money, I didn’t want to just give it away. I was going to be travelling for 3 months and I couldn’t know where and when I could need that money. Thus, after thinking about it for a while, I decided to go back to my hostel and spend the evening trying to find a clear and “easy” route that would take me from Kuta to Kawah Ijen.
Again, it wasn’t easy, and now and then I felt frustrated because I felt like I was wasting my time. The temptation of going to back to the travel agency and give them my money was on the table, but I managed to overcome it. So, now, I’ll try to explain you how to get from Bali to Java (from Kuta to Kawah Ijen) by using public transport (aircraft excluded), without relying on travel agencies and on a budget.
1) Grab from Kuta to Ubung Terminal (27 K)
It was at the hostel, talking to some locals who were wearing a green jacket, that I discovered the “Grab” app. It is basically like Uber but with some extra cool stuff, like being able to hire a motorcycle rider. For further info, take a look at my 30 days in Indonesia post, where I speak about that and other awesome apps for your trip 🙂
2) Grab from Ubung to Mengwi terminal (23 K)
During my research I found that from Ubung terminal I would be able to go straight to Banyuwangi, but that wasn’t true. Apparently, that route used to work, but not anymore. If you want to go straight to Banyuwangi, you need to go to Mengwi terminal. If not, you can take a bus in Ubung and get to Gilimanuk.
In my case, I decided to avoid having to stop in Gilimanuk for too long. I did it mostly because, being a harbour and a key connection point between two islands (Bali and Java), I felt like it would be full of touts. I also felt like I might spend a while trying to buy the ferry ticket and I didn’t want to waste much time.
3) Bus from Mengwi terminal to Banyuwangi (85K)
I couldn’t find an accurate bus timetable so I just tried to be at Ubung’s terminal kind of early. Once you catch the bus from Mengwi terminal to Banyuwangi you are all good. It takes a while (even if the driver was going super fast) but it normally takes you to your destination, just kidding. As of now, you can also take a look at another app I recommended here. The name of the app is “Traveloka” and, among many things, you can buy public transport tickets and check their schedules in most of the Southeast Asian cities 🙂
Thus, all in all, if you do as I just described above, you should make it to Banyuwangi on a budget. Once there, you will be in a good position to make it to Kawah Ijen 😉
NOTE: As you might have realised, I went from Kuta to Ubung terminal just to find that there was no straight bus from Ubung to Banyuwangi. I found that bus at Mengwi terminal. Thus, you might want to skip Ubung terminal and go straight from Kuta to Mengwi terminal.
So long Bali!
By the time I finished planning my route it was already dark. I was kind of dizzy after having spent the last 3 hours focused on my computer and I decided to go outside to have dinner and celebrate the milestone of knowing how to get from Kuta to Kawah Ijen. As during the afternoon, I wandered around the neighborhood checking different bars and restaurants. I ended up having my dinner at Three Kings Pizza. The place was small, but the pizza was huge and delicious. I paid 85 K for the pizza and a beer. It was my 9th day in Indonesia and my first time eating western food, not bad right?
After dinner I went back to Gong Corner Homestay and, after preparing my backpack, went straight to bed. I woke up at around 07:30 the next morning. It was my 10th day in Indonesia and I was getting ready to leave Bali for Java. I ordered my Grab rider and he showed up right away. I jumped on the back of his moto and we started driving to Ubung terminal. The drive was nice and calm, even if there was some traffic.
After thanking my driver and getting off the moto, plenty of locals approached me. They wanted to get me into buying their buses tickets. I checked the different signs and schedules and it was then when I found out that there was no straight bus from Ubung to Banyuwangi. I went outside the terminal and tried to hire another Grab to go to Mengwi terminal. The guy came but, when I tried to jump on the back of his moto, some locals approached us. They discussed for a while. I didn’t understand anything but, after the discussion, the driver said he couldn’t take me.
I tried to hire another one with the same outcome. It was then when I found out that the drivers couldn’t pick me up right at a public terminal. I guess that’s something similar to what Uber has: public spots are reserved for taxis and the ones alike. Thus, I walked away from the terminal and after 5 minutes or so, I was able to hire my driver. I arrived at Mengwi terminal at around 10:00. I looked for the bus to Banyuwangi, paid 85 K for the ride and jumped in.
The bus was comfortable enough. It was full of locals (I was the only tourist) and had an amazing audio system:
From Mengwi terminal, we were stopping now and then to get new passengers onto the bus. The locals were very kind and I even had some conversations with some of them. The ride was kind of calm, although sometimes we would get a little surprised due to the driver’s speed 😅.
The landscape was constantly changing. I saw the typical rice fields that I had seen during my first days in Indonesia, I saw plenty of temples and locals driving their motos, I saw mountains, volcanoes and the sea. There were palm trees all around and also some jack fruit trees now and then. I felt like, after all the struggling, I had taken the right choice.
At some points the trip felt kind of long. Sometimes touts would jump in the bus, try to sell something and get off the while the bus was still running. Eventually, we made it to the tip of Bali and the connection to Java: Gilimanuk. The bus entered the ferry and we got off to stretch our legs and see the views from up there. There was a little strip of sea between Bali and Java and we were crossing it. Bali had been my house for the last 10 days and, just like that, I was about to change to a new one: Java, the island that dominates Indonesia.
