MOUNTAIN BIKING -BALI, INDONESIA

I was incredibly excited to find a mountain biking tour in Bali that would provide an adventurous way to explore Ubud. Since I was not planning on staying in Ubud itself, the Infinity Mountain Biking would be a great alternative to seeing Ubud as well. Infinity makes it easy for you by offering free transfers to/from South of Bali to the meeting point in Ubud. That will be quite a relief after you’re worn out post bicycling tour! I also liked the fact that Infinity offered different skill levels of biking tours: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Note that you should also have travel insurance to join and for safety measures, of course.

BATUR TO UBUD/OFF ROAD (INTERMEDIATE)

Since I like to reach new heights and was familiar with bicycling (more inner city than off-road), I thought to sign up for an intermediate tour. The tour was from Mt. Batur to Ubud (central). Well, I was certainly in for a challenge because I then realized I had never been off-road, technically speaking. I am more of a hit the pavement type of person.

During this tour, we started off going through some minor brush fields and certain paths were quite narrow or surrounded by tree trunks. Then, we moved onward riding through a mixture of uphill and downhill courses. I was biking through paths I never experienced like muddy forest trails, rubble jungle terrain, and through the backyards of villagers. This was definitely an exhilarating experience, although, I did have my moments of fear. Sometimes, I preferred to walk up a steep terrain rather than attempt a potential slide.

This tour will take you through the back roads of the Abuan Village and orange plantation as you pass by many village temples.The great part is that the guides do not mind if you need to “walk it” rather than ride certain curves. I would recommend that if you do intermediate or advance biking, you should already have some experience with off-road trails and mountain bikes in general. I only attempted an intermediate tour because I like to challenge myself and it sounded cool (of course!).

UBUD CULTURAL TOUR (BEGINNER)

After rising to the challenge of the intermediate tour, I was somewhat relieved to join a more on-road tour and stop at the cultural spots in Ubud. There is a balance between biking and walking through various locations. Basically, not as much full-on biking because you are now exploring by foot as well.

These are the following locations you will explore:

Tegalalang rice terraces (featured below)
Gunung Kawi Temple: one of Bali’s oldest and largest ancient monuments.
Goa Garba Temple: estimated construction in the 12th century and frequented as a place of meditation.
Goa Gajah Temple
Tegenungan waterfall (featured below)

During my tour it was a wet day and we encountered some intense rains. Again, I had never biked in such weather and basically was soaked. I actually found this to be a cool experience in the end because it proves how strong you really are.

On any tour with Infinity, you will be provided water bottles regularly and break for snacks and lunch. I was happy knowing I would not feel faint and looked forward to the food as always. The snacks and meals are both local treats. Lunch was very fresh during both tours which I ate at two separate restaurants.This tour truly is considerate of the various needs of a cyclist and it a fantastic way to have an athletic experience as you soak in the beautiful views of Ubud landscapes.I would definitely return to this tour with Infinity Cycling during my next visit to Bali!