In Bali, four excursions are worth booking ahead: the Batur sunrise, a day on Nusa Penida, the rice terraces with a driver and diving at Tulamben. As of 6 October 2026, GetYourGuide lists the Batur hike from $27, the Nusa Penida day from $33 and two dives on the Liberty wreck from $109. At Batur a guide is compulsory according to several travel guides, and one of them quotes 600,000 to 800,000 Rp (about €29 to €39) for a group outing with transport and breakfast. The number one trap is the roadside kiosk promising "all inclusive". On top comes the 150,000 Rp tourist levy (about €7), which can be paid online before you fly.
The essentials before you book (read on 6 October 2026)
GetYourGuide's Bali page lists more than 500 excursions. Four are almost always worth booking ahead; the rest can often be done alone:
- Batur sunrise: hike with breakfast from $27, jeep from $20, pick-up between 1 and 3 am depending on where you stay.
- Nusa Penida: east and west day from $33; the boat alone costs 170,000 to 215,000 Rp each way (about €8 to €10).
- Rice terraces: a driver for 10 to 12 hours, 600,000 to 1,200,000 Rp (about €29 to €58).
- Tulamben: two dives on the Liberty wreck from $109, snorkelling from $75.
- Tourist levy: 150,000 Rp per person, once per trip (about €7).
Every figure comes from pages we read on 6 October 2026. GetYourGuide shows "from" prices in dollars; we convert rupiah at €1 = 20,600 Rp (rate of 13 August 2026, as in the two-week Bali budget). Read everything as a dated reading, not as an offer.
What to book and what to do alone
The table sets the "from" prices on the Bali page beside the amounts that guides quote for going without an operator. They do not measure the same thing: do not read a "cheaper" out of it.
| Excursion | Bookable from (GetYourGuide) | Alone or on the spot (source) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batur sunrise | Hike $27 · with hot spring $36 · shared jeep $20 | Guide compulsory; group tour 600,000 to 800,000 Rp | Book |
| Nusa Penida | Day tour $33 · snorkelling $20 | Boat 170,000 to 215,000 Rp each way, plus a driver | Book or driver |
| Rice terraces | Tours with a driver (price not read) | Driver 600,000 to 1,200,000 Rp a day, entry 15,000 to 100,000 Rp | Driver, share it |
| Tulamben diving | 2 dives $109 · snorkelling $75 | 2 dives from Tulamben 1,250,000 to 1,800,000 Rp | Book |
| Kecak, temples, waterfalls | Kecak ticket from $9 | Kecak 150,000 Rp, temple 50,000 Rp in cash | Alone |
Batur sunrise: guide, price and pick-up time
Batur stands 1,717 metres high, with about 700 metres of climbing from the trailhead. According to tristanbalme.com (14 May 2026), pick-up is around 2 to 2.30 am from Ubud and sometimes as early as 1 am from the south (baliholidaysecrets.com says 2 to 3 am); the climb takes 1.5 to 2 hours, the descent 1 to 1.5 hours, and you wait about an hour at the top for the sun.
No climb without a guide. Two travel guides (tristanbalme.com and baliholidaysecrets.com, 17 March 2026) write that the local trekking community enforces the guide; mt-batur.com only says "recommended". Plan on a guide. The permit costs 100,000 Rp (about €5) and is usually in the tour price; ask.
On the Bali page there were three options, all rated 4.8: hike with breakfast (5 to 10 hours, from $27, 11,361 reviews, private option), hike with hot spring (7 to 11 hours, from $36, 10,238 reviews) and shared jeep with hot spring from Ubud (5 to 8 hours, from $20, 4,018 reviews). The spring makes a $9 difference (36 − 27); its entry alone is 300,000 Rp (about €15) according to tristanbalme.com. Read the description to see what is included. The tours with pick-up are on the GetYourGuide page for Bali.
The dry season runs from April to October; in the rainy season baliholidaysecrets.com reports more cloud, but "some mornings are completely clear". The sunrise is never guaranteed. Picking the month is covered in the best time to visit Bali.
Nusa Penida in a day: boat, tour and Kelingking
According to nusapenida.org (updated 20 September 2026), the fast boat from Sanur takes about 45 minutes and costs 170,000 to 215,000 Rp online, up to 250,000 Rp at the counter. The first leaves at 6.30 am, the last at 5 pm, and returns start at 7.20 am. Doubled, that is 340,000 to 430,000 Rp (about €17 to €21) return, without a driver, entries or food. An island fee of 25,000 Rp (about €1) is added; other guides give other amounts, so keep cash.
The "Bali/Nusa Penida: East & West Highlights" tour lasts 8 to 10 hours, costs from $33 and shows 4.7 from 8,353 reviews. According to the description, you are collected in Bali between 5.45 and 7 am for the 7 am boat. The west brings Kelingking, Broken Beach and Angel's Billabong, then, after lunch (at your own expense), Diamond Beach and Atuh in the east. The three-spot snorkelling tour costs from $20; according to the description, manta rays are seen about 30% of the time on average.
Kelingking. Swimming there has been banned since February 2023. The built section has 156 steps: about 20 minutes down, up to 30 back up (nusapenida.org, 1 October 2026). On entry the sources contradict each other: "no entrance fee" at nusapenida.org, 25,000 to 30,000 Rp at indahnesia.id.
The roads. The main road is about 70% paved according to indahnesia.id (26 September 2026); a scooter costs 60,000 to 80,000 Rp a day, but the same site considers a driver or guided tour safer. The Gilis as an alternative are compared in Nusa Penida or the Gili Islands. Do not time the return too tightly: the last public speedboat to Sanur leaves around 5 pm according to the description, and the sea can be rough from December to March.
Rice terraces with a driver: Tegallalang or Jatiluwih
Tegallalang is about 20 minutes from Ubud, entry is 15,000 to 20,000 Rp (baliholidaysecrets.com, 29 June 2026) and the best hours are 6 to 8.30 am. Cards are not accepted, donation posts line the paths and the swings cost 150,000 to 350,000 Rp (about €7 to €17).
Jatiluwih, a UNESCO site, is quieter but about 1.5 hours and 40 km from Ubud. Entry for foreigners is given as 100,000 Rp (baliholidaysecrets.com, 2 July 2026); another site says 75,000 Rp since 14 January 2026. Keep cash.
A worked example for four. A six-seat car with a driver costs 800,000 to 1,000,000 Rp in south Bali (baliholidaysecrets.com, 10 January 2026), and 200,000 to 400,000 Rp more in the north and east; shared by four, that is 200,000 to 250,000 Rp each. With the entries for both sites (20,000 plus 75,000 to 100,000 Rp) it comes to 295,000 to 370,000 Rp, about €14 to €18, without meals or tolls. The four travellers are an assumption. The price covers 10 to 12 hours, fuel and waiting time. Drivers, scooters and apps compared: getting around Bali.
Full guide: Car Rental in Bali: Prices, Licence and Pitfalls
Diving and snorkelling at Tulamben
The USAT Liberty wreck is 120 metres long and lies at 5 to 30 metres, about 30 metres off the beach (neptunescubadiving.com, 26 May 2026). The Open Water certificate is enough for the shallower half; for the bow at 25 to 30 metres, Advanced is recommended. Taking coral is illegal under Indonesian law.
From Sanur it is 2.5 to 3 hours by road. The same source gives 1,250,000 to 1,800,000 Rp for two dives based at Tulamben (about €61 to €87) and 2,350,000 to 3,050,000 Rp for a day trip from Sanur (about €114 to €148).
GetYourGuide's Tulamben page listed 60 activities. Two dives on the wreck (9 hours) are from $109, rated 4.9 from 63 reviews; a try dive starts at $87, snorkelling on the wreck at $75 (9 hours) or $29 (8 hours, 4.2 from 18 reviews), and a three-day PADI Open Water course at $459. The prices cover different things: check transfer, meals and the number of dives.
What you can do without a guide: temples, Kecak and waterfalls
In temples everyone must cover their legs; a sarong and a sash (selendang) are lent or rented at the entrance of big temples such as Uluwatu, Tirta Empul or Besakih (baliholidaysecrets.com, 24 April 2026). Shoulders should be covered. According to kura2bus.com and balidiscovery.com, Circular Letter No. 7 of 2025 lets foreign visitors into the inner and middle courtyards only to pray, in traditional Balinese attire, and not while menstruating. Ask before photographing priests or worshippers.
Kecak at Uluwatu. The show costs 150,000 Rp (about €7) and the 50,000 Rp temple entry is added in cash, even with an online ticket; shows are at 6 pm and 7 pm, arrive around 4.30 pm (baliholidaysecrets.com, 4 January 2026). The monkeys snatch sunglasses, phones and bags. The Bali page offers a ticket that includes temple entry ("Kecak Fire Dance Show & Uluwatu Temple Entry Ticket", from $9) next to another at the same price whose text excludes it: read the description.
Monkey Forest and waterfalls. The Ubud Monkey Forest costs 130,000 Rp for an adult (about €6) and 100,000 Rp for a child aged 3 to 12 (water-sports-bali.com, 3 April 2026); older pages give lower prices. Entry fees, compulsory guides and the best hour for each fall are in the best waterfalls in Bali.
Levy, rules and the traps in detail
Tourist levy. Every foreign visitor pays 150,000 Rp, once per trip (bali-island.com, 2 August 2026); according to our article on Nusa Penida and the Gilis (reading of 16 August 2026) it also covers Nusa Penida, Lembongan and Ceningan. Proof is asked for "at several destinations". The official address ends in .go.id (lovebali.baliprov.go.id); sites with other endings or similar names are not official. Children are not on the list of exemptions.
These are the traps described by baliholidaysecrets.com (updated 4 October 2026):
- Roadside kiosks at "550,000 Rp all inclusive" with hidden charges: ask for a written programme with every cost.
- "Compulsory donations" outside temples (a box, a guestbook): donations are optional; pay only at the official counter against a printed ticket.
- Fake temple guides and "compulsory offerings" (at Besakih, 100,000 Rp to begin with, while real offerings cost 5,000 to 10,000 Rp): guides are mostly optional; if you want one, ask at the ticket counter. At Besakih and Lempuyang a guide is included in the ticket according to the same guide.
- "Lucky" bracelets offered by children at waterfalls and some temples for 10,000 Rp; the price drops if you say no, so simply keep walking.
- Small street money changers and sleight of hand while counting: change at a bank or a reputable changer and count twice.
What the booking page shows, and how safe it is
On 6 October 2026 the page showed for each activity the duration, notes such as "Pickup available" or "Private option available", the rating with the number of reviews and the "from" price; the page title carries "Free Cancellation". The ranking is algorithmic according to the page (popularity, ratings, availability, revenue): compare the rating and the number of reviews yourself.
Cancelling. According to a third-party site (thetraveler.org, October 2025), most activities can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before the start; after that nothing is refunded. If the operator cancels, the refund is full and automatic. What counts is "About this activity" and the voucher.
Can you trust it? On Trustpilot, GetYourGuide stands at 3.9 out of 5 from 56,628 reviews on 6 October 2026, 68% five stars, 19% one star. Criticism covers operators who do not show up, wrong tickets, refunds seen as small and missing meeting points. You lower that risk by saving the voucher offline and confirming the place and time beforehand. Excursions can be filtered by date and category on the GetYourGuide Bali page.
Before you pay: the checklist
Every point can be read on the activity page or on the voucher:
- What is the cancellation condition of this activity?
- What is included: entry or permit, breakfast, boat, lunch, transfer?
- Is your hotel in the pick-up zone, and what time does the driver arrive?
- Group or private, and in which language is it guided?
- Minimum age, fitness and, for diving, the certificate required?
- Tourist levy paid and cash ready for entries?
If those lines check out, you can open the activity for your date. The scams guide advises booking through trusted providers; for Batur and Nusa Penida, confirm the pick-up time the day before, because the tours leave before 7 am.
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