Best Bike Tour in Bali: An Inside Scoop

This may sound like a weird reason, but sometimes you cannot execute something really well if you offer too many options.

Have you ever been to a restaurant where the menu has like 50+ dishes?

Really? You’re able to execute 50+ amazing dishes?

But what about that one place where all they make is homemade tortillas? Now, we’re talking!

Same with tours. When you get a company that only focuses on one experience, that experience is usually pretty darn good.

Love Bali Bike Tours offers just one tour, and they’ve perfected the customer experience!

I have always been a fan of small group tours. Much more personal and better experience.

Love Bali Bike Tours takes a max of 8 people but usually it’s less than 6.

On the day we went, it was only 3 of us (my husband, myself, and one other tourist)!

Of course, we always have to check the reviews.

With 5-star reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, and Viator, we knew we were going to be in good hands.

Another test I sometimes do with tour companies is to send them an email with a quick question. If they respond back pretty quickly, that’s usually a good sign.

And yes, Love Bali Bike Tours passed that test too. 🙂

Alright, on to the fun part! Here’s a sneak peek into what to expect from a day with Love Bali Bike Tours.

We stayed at the exceptional resort, Uma Kalai in Ubud, which overlooks a beautiful rice field. This was one of our favorite boutique hotels we stayed at in Bali.

After enjoying a nice breakfast at our hotel, our guide Kadek and driver Ketut picked us up in a comfortable van.

Kadek had a great sense of humor and spoke English very well, which made communication very easy.

We picked up one more guest, and then our tour began!

One of the most popular (and beautiful!) rice fields is Tegalalang!

Before we jumped on the bike, we stopped by these stunning rice fields for a quick photo. Tegalalang Rice Terrace is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is definitely worth the stop.

These are the rice fields you see in all those Instagram photos. It is stunning!

We went to three coffee plantations during our time in Bali. What can we say … we LOVE specialty coffee.

1. Munduk Coffee Plantation (we actually stayed on this amazing coffee plantation while in North Bali)
2. Kopi Luwak Baturiti (we stopped here on our way from North Bali to Ubud with our private Bali driver)
3. Kumulilir (we stopped here on our bike tour)

Kadek took us to a beautiful coffee plantation called Kumulilir.

A friendly staff member guided us around the property showing us the harvesting and roasting process.

Kumulilir offers a flavored coffee and tea tasting.

Their flavored coffees include ginseng, vanilla, pure cocoa, coconut, and Bali coffee. The tea flavors include lemongrass, ginger, mangosteen, turmeric, and rosella.

We already had done a flavored coffee tasting at Kopi Luwak Baturiti (little on the sweet side), so we skipped this time. The other traveler in our group enjoyed the flavored tea tasting.

BUT we did try luwak coffee, which is the famous “cat poop coffee.”

The civet (which looks like a cross between a mongoose and a raccoon) is responsible for helping to produce one of the most expensive coffees in the world.

This fuzzy looking animal loves to eat only the best coffee berries and then poop them out. Supposedly, this makes the coffee taste more “earthy.”

I wouldn’t be able to pick out luwak coffee in a lineup, but of all the luwak coffees we tried in Bali, Kumulilir was our favorite. It had a lovely acidity. 

Is it worth the higher price tag? Probably not, but fun to try!

We also enjoyed a very refreshing iced coconut coffee.

The next stop was breakfast at an open-air cafe in Kintamani with a breathtaking view of Mount Batur, which is still an active volcano.

It is noticeably cooler high up in the mountains.

If you love waking up early and watching epic sunrises, you can actually join a guided hike to Mount Batur’s summit.

We preferred to enjoy it from a distance.

My husband and I had already eaten breakfast at our hotel, but we still decided to share a delicious banana pancake.

With full bellies and feeling well caffeinated, our next stop was to get matched up with our bike and helmet.

The bikes were in good condition, and Love Bali Bike Tours provided water to keep us hydrated.

I was super grateful the weather was slightly overcast, which made our bike ride incredibly comfortable.

Shortly into our bike ride, Kadek pulled over and pointed up.

I gasped because it looked like something from a horror movie. Tons of spiders were suspended in webs around the telephone polls. 

Kadek disappeared for a second and emerged holding what he called a “friendly spider,” which he reassured us was not poisonous.  

Kadek said the local kids enjoy them as pets and proceeded to hand one off to me.

Now, I have done some adventurous things in my life like dangling off the world’s largest waterfall, bungee jumping in New Zealand, and cage-diving with great white sharks.

But hold a spider with long dangly legs?

Um, heck no, but I enjoyed watching him play with them from a safe distance, lol.

One of our first stops on our bike ride (which by the way is mostly downhill!) was a visit to a Balinese traditional home.

One of the locals was kind enough to allow us to visit their family compound, which has distinct spaces that serve specific purposes.

Balinese homes include the entrance gate, family temple, sleeping quarters, space where they keep their dead family members before the funeral (yes, you read that right), the kitchen, and the rice/livestock area.

We appreciated Kadek sharing this authentic experience and giving us insight into local daily life and culture.

We have done some pretty epic bike rides like the Veloroute La Voie Des Vignes in France, Otago Central Rail Trail in New Zealand, and the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail.

This cycling tour was up there as one of our favorites.

We cycled through small villages in the countryside, scenic rice fields, and through little forests.

Super scenic and mostly downhill! There was only one hill. I am embarrassed to say I did have to get off the bike and walk it.

Kadek would occasionally stop and give some commentary on Balinese daily life.

I would only recommend this bike tour if you have experience riding a bike.

Some of the trails have narrow sections, and you need to have some dexterity in operating a bike. You will also ride on the road with cars for a brief period.

We always felt safe. Kadek led us in the front, and there was another guide in the back ensuring our safety.

So much fun! I regret not putting my GoPro on the bike to capture all this amazing footage.

Lunch was served at the tour company’s home.

We replenished all those burned calories with a fantastic local meal of chicken satay, white and fried rice, spring rolls, fresh greens, and some delicious ripe fruit.

My husband and I learned how to make some of these dishes later in our trip at this incredible cooking class with Chef Ketut!

A cold Bintang completed the lunch.

We were back to our amazing hotel Uma Kalai by 3:15 pm for some pool time. Fantastic relaxing day!

✔️   SUNSCREEN

Luckily, it was overcast on the day of our bike ride, which made biking super comfortable.

But of course, you will get a sunburn even on a cloudy day. Load up on sunscreen. My favorite travel sunscreen is Elta MD UV Clear SPF 46.

✔️   SUNSHIRT

If you are fair like me, strongly consider wearing a long-sleeved sun protective shirt.

Then all you need to do is sunscreen your hands and face.

Speaking from personal experience, if you elect to sunscreen your arms and not wear a long-sleeved shirt, bugs love to stick all over your arms.

The shirt eliminates the sticky bugs and protects you from that strong Bali sun.

✔️   BACKPACK OR UGO 

You need to be hands-free.

To store your essentials like credit card, phone, etc., I would recommend a backpack (I have the Zomake bag) or consider an Ugo.

An Ugo is like a rugged waterproof pouch.

I brought it on our trip to Bali because I knew we would be snorkeling at Nusa Penida and Komodo Island. It floats and keeps all your essentials completely dry.

But, I have also found another use for it … biking!

It worked perfectly for the bike ride (which you can see in my photos).

Plus, if it started to rain, I didn’t have to worry about my phone getting wet.

✔️   CYCLING UNDERWEAR

You will be on a bike for a fair amount of time. I wore cycling underwear for that added comfort under my skort.

✔️   BUG SPRAY

I prefer to avoid any mosquito contact since I’m a bug magnet.

Do a quick spray with DEET to avoid any hungry mossies. Apply sunscreen first and insect repellant second.

✔️   WATER 

They do provide water, so you do not need a water bottle unless you drink a copious amount of water.

We fell in love with Bali and the beautiful kind Balinese people.

If you want to learn a little about the culture, visit some iconic sites, see a volcano, witness breathtaking scenery, and enjoy some delicious local food, do not miss the exceptional Love Bali Bike Tour!

The cost is incredibly reasonable, and you can book through Viator with generous free cancellation up until 24 hours before the tour.

Incredible value.

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Questions about our Bali bike tour experience?

Let me know in the comments below!