Best Private Bali Driver: My Review of Made Real Bali Tours 

By the way, in Bali, you will meet a lot of Wayans, Mades, and Kadeks! It can get really confusing.

The Balinese have a naming system.

• Firstborn child: Wayan, Putu, or Gede
• Second: Made or Kadek
• Third: Nyoman or Komang
• Fourth: Ketut

If you have more than 4 kids, the cycle starts over.

Our driver Made (pronounced “Ma-Day”) grew up in Bali and now lives in a small village next to Ubud. We actually got to visit his home towards the end of the tour, which I’ll share later in this post! 

Made has a wealth of experience and has been a tour guide since 2010.

He has a gorgeous wife and child named Eka, and they live in a beautiful home that he actually built part of it himself.

If you have the chance to see his home, take a look at all of the intricate wood carvings at the entrance that he did himself. Really impressive.

Made exudes incredible kindness and happiness. You cannot help but smile when he laughs.

He truly exemplifies the genuine Balinese spirit.

If you are just going to/from your hotel and a restaurant or just need a quick ride to the airport, Grab is readily available, cheap, and reliable.

Grab is like Asia’s Uber. We used it when we needed to get into Ubud center for dinner from our hotel.

However, if you want to see several sights and hidden gems with a local’s insight, then I strongly recommend hiring a private Bali driver.

It’s like having the BEST local travel friend. If you watch all those funny Instagrams, you’ll know what I mean when I say you can be a passenger princess for the day.

Private drivers can make a custom itinerary based on your interests and will know how to most effectively navigate from sight to sight avoiding traffic if possible.

Also, the itinerary is completely flexible.

Love a particular site? Stay longer.

The opposite is true too. If something is not what you expected, you can move on.

Trust me, once you see all the traffic and challenging driving in Bali, you will be happy to be relaxing in an air-conditioned vehicle with your expert safe driver at the wheel.

Made’s company, Made Real Bali Tours, offers various tours all over the island.

He is well-connected and can recommend the best waterfalls, temples, monkey forests, rice fields, shopping, and traditional food markets.

Made has set tours that can be customized or tailor-made from scratch depending on your interests.

We communicated through WhatsApp before our tour to finalize all the tour details.

Make sure to purchase an Airalo eSIM while you are traveling in Bali because you will be using WhatsApp a lot!

Alright, now the fun part!

What does a day with Made look like?

My husband and I stayed in North Bali at a beautiful resort on a coffee plantation. The next stop on our itinerary was Ubud.

Instead of just driving straight there, we decided to hire Made to make a fun day of it and see some beautiful sights along the way.

Here’s a look at our fabulous day:

We wanted to sleep in a little bit and enjoy breakfast, so we had Made pick us up at our hotel, Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort, at 10 am. He was right on time with a big, friendly smile.

We knew it was going to be a good day.

My husband and I hopped into his very clean, spacious, air-conditioned vehicle (AC worked great!).

Our first stop was Banyumala Twin Waterfalls, which looks like it should be in a fairytale.

This waterfall visit was #3 on our list of favorite things to do in Bali!

Located in beautiful North Bali, this gorgeous twin waterfall cascades over a rock cliff into a pool that you can actually swim in. And many people were taking advantage to cool off in its refreshing waters!

The waterfall is surrounded by lush vegetation like the Bali Red Ti Plant. All this beauty can be reached in a relatively easy 20-minute trek down a well-marked path and staircase.

After we returned from our mini hike, Made gave us cold towels to wipe off, which was a thoughtful touch. 

I really appreciated that Made started our itinerary with the waterfall first because it was packed by the time we were leaving (and hot!).

Good timing.

There are so many temples in Bali, hence the name “The Island of a Thousand Temples.” There’s a family temple, a village temple, a society temple, etc.

Everyone gets a temple.

One of the most beautiful temples is Ulun Danu Beratan, the Floating Temple. It sits on Lake Beratan with a beautiful misty mountainous background. Brightly-colored flowers are planted everywhere you look.

One thing you’ll notice about Bali is how colorful it is due to all the vibrant flowers. They must have good gardeners!

The Floating Temple was built in honor of Goddess Dewi Danu, who is the queen of water. This iconic spiritual symbol is actually printed on the 50,000 rupiah bill.

The Ulun Danu Beretan Temple is not just for show. Actual religious ceremonies continue to be held at the temple, which you may be lucky to witness.

It was fun to walk around the colorful gardens around the lake and listen to Made provide a little background on this historic site.

The other thing I appreciate about Made is he gives just the right amount of information.

Sometimes you go on tours, and it’s information overload. He was able to find the right balance by giving a little history but also just allowing us to relax and soak in the beauty of the temple and its grounds.

The next stop was a coffee and tea tasting with a nice view at Kopi Luwak Baturiti.

We had already done a fantastic deep dive coffee tour at Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort, but we always like to learn more. 

My husband and I have really gotten into specialty coffee and learning about all the different species of coffee plants around the world.

If a great cup of coffee gets you excited, check out the book The World Atlas of Coffee: From Beans to Brewing — Coffees Explored!

The staff at Kopi Luwak Baturiti was very nice and friendly. We had a tasting of a variety of interestingly flavored coffees such as peanut, vanilla, ginger and ginseng in addition to teas such as lemongrass (our favorite), mangosteen, and rosella.

Our favorite was the tea. The coffee was a little sweet, but it was interesting to try the unique flavors.

If you don’t know, kopi luwak is known as civet coffee aka “cat poop coffee,” which is considered one of the most expensive coffees in the world.

A civet is an animal that looks like part mongoose +  part raccoon. They enjoy munching on only the best coffee berries, which are fermented as they pass through their digestive system.  

Supposedly the coffee tastes more “earthy” due to this process.

We tried this exotic type of coffee from wild civets at our Munduk resort and later on at another coffee plantation called Kumulilir.

Can you taste the difference? I don’t think so, but maybe my palate is unable to pick up those nuances. Always fun to try something once though.

If you are a casual coffee drinker, Kopi Luwak Baturiti is a fun place to try.

However, if you are a coffee connoisseur, you may want to consider Wanagiri Coffee Plantation, where you can try the various methods of processing (natural, honey, and full wash) in addition to peaberry and wild luwak coffee.

There are two monkey forests in the area: Monkey Forest Ubud and Sangeh Monkey Forest.

Made explained you will see more people than monkeys in Monkey Forest Ubud and more monkeys than people in Sangeh.

Sangeh is quieter and a little off the beaten path. It’s known for having “calmer” monkeys since there’s less tourist interaction. 

Thank you Made for taking us to Sangeh!

The forest is comprised of these towering nutmeg trees. Intricate Balinese statues envelop the forest, and there’s a 17th-century temple that is located in the center. 

Wild monkeys roam and play along the walkway.

I was a little nervous at first because I didn’t want the monkeys jumping on me.

No monkey bites, please. 

I wanted to see the monkeys and enjoy the experience but didn’t want any direct interaction with the monkeys.

Made knew my fear and was very sweet by keeping the monkeys at a distance with providing the occasional peanut. The staff at the entrance of the forest provides all tourists with a bag of peanuts.

No problems at all, and I was able to enjoy this magical experience with the monkeys at a comfortable distance.

By the way, know your monkey etiquette.

Never look at the monkeys or show your teeth, which is seen as a sign of aggression.

They can steal things like sunglasses or phones, so keep your personal items tucked away. The monkeys can be cheeky.

You will see monkeys all over Bali. We even saw them in Nusa Penida as part of our manta ray snorkeling tour.

Made very graciously showed us his family home and explained how a traditional Balinese family compound is constructed.

For example, there’s always an entrance gate followed by a screen wall to keep out the evil spirits. Then there are specific pavilions for sleeping, cooking, and ceremonial activities. 

There’s always a family temple.

Families live together, so you and your significant other could be sleeping near grandma and grandpa.

I appreciated Made showing us a little glimpse into daily Balinese life.

I love a little adventure and have been cage diving with great white sharks in South Africa, bungee jumping in New Zealand, and swimming on top of the world’s largest waterfall in Zambia.

Google Bali, and you see everyone jumping on a fun adrenaline swing and soaring over a beautiful rice terrace. Sounds fun!

When you enter Swing Heaven, an employee explains for one set cost of 530K IDR (~$35 USD), the staff will take unlimited photos of you at several different stations like an onion nest, stone rock, bed swing, bird nest, Titanic, and adrenaline swing.

For an extra 300K IDR (~$20), you can rent a flowy colorful dress.

Expect many Instagrammers, and there were long lines at each station.

Not quite what I had in mind for my quick swing ride, but we had already paid the fee. We decided to make the best of it and got some photos together on the romantic bed swing.

I will tell you the Balinese know how to take some amazing photos with your phone.

They even instruct you on your body placement to get the most flattering pose. If I had known that, I would have hired a Balinese photographer for our wedding many years ago!

The line for the adrenaline swing was way too long, so we elected to leave after the one photo station.

We wanted to still enjoy time in the beautiful pool overlooking the rice fields of our next hotel, Uma Kalai, which I have to say was my favorite boutique hotel in Bali.

Would I recommend Swing Heaven?

If you want to get that perfect, quintessential Bali photo of you swinging in the sky with a bright red flowy dress at the perfect angle, then yes.

Swing Heaven is like Disneyland for Instagrammers with amazing photographers getting all your best angles.

But if you are like me and just want a quick adrenaline rush on a fun Bali swing, this is not the place.

Made’s rates are very reasonable.

In addition to the full-day trip, we also used Made’s services for transport from our hotel in Ubud to the airport.

The cost was $110 total for the full-day tour plus the airport transfer.

Tipping is a touchy subject, and one I always stress about.

As Americans, leaving generous tips for good service is part of our culture. I’m very aware that in other countries that’s not the case.

In Bali, tipping is appreciated but not mandatory.

According to several Bali blog sites, tips of 10-15% of the total cost or 50K-200K IDR is recommended IF YOU CHOOSE to show your appreciation.

We loved Made and highly recommend Made Real Bali Tours to customize your itinerary for a memorable vacation!

Not only did we see the natural beauty of Bali but also learned about Balinese culture and daily life. Made went above and beyond to give us an exceptional experience.

He truly has a kind, generous heart, and I wish him and his family great health and success.

Matur Suksma Made!

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Questions about our private Bali driver experience?

Let me know in the comments below!