Beautiful tour, especially the visit of Luhur Batukaru Temple nestled in the midst of nature and far away from the more crowded temples. Our driver Kris was very kind and answered all our questions along the way. Can only recommend him an Hire Bali Driver in general.

I was in Bali in early September 2022 as part of the Indian delegation for the Indonesian G20/T20 Summit. With a packed work schedule, I only had a Sunday to get a glimpse of Bali. A very quick Internet search led me to the best-reviewed day trip operator, hirebalidriver .com. They have many signature tours but given my interest in spirituality, especially being a Hindu from India and to see those cultural practices reflected in the Balinese life, and my other interest in traditional architecture and lifestyles, I selected the “10-hr Bali Full-Day Water Temples and UNESCO Rice Terraces Tour”. I booked for a single person which cost USD 85 on the operator website with online CC payment, and included the services of the driver-guide, a buffet lunch at the rice terraces, a bottle of mineral water and entry fees to all four temples and the rice terrace. In my rush, I got the booking date wrong. I made a call to Wayan S, the owner, early at 730 am, and he immediately issued me a fresh confirmation for my date, no hassles! Later the evening I got a WhatsApp from my driver-guide, Wayan Berata, that he would pick me up at my hotel, The Hilton Nusa Dua, the next morning at 8am.Summary: For me, this single person day tour of Bali was a wonderful way to disconnect from my hectic work life and explore a foreign yet familiar culture. The car was very clean and smooth, Berata an excellent driver-guide, and it was also very safe since I was a single girl travelling alone. I returned to the hotel after a 12-hour tour, including heavy evening traffic, rejuvenated in spirit, and fresh off the island rain and clean air.Tour details: Berata arrived 10 min to 8am on Sunday, waited patiently for me to finish a quick breakfast, and then led me to a super-clean Toyota Innova in great condition. He was okay with me sitting in the front passenger seat so I could see enjoy the drive fully. We did the trip in a slightly different order than listed on the website: - Tanah Lot Temple - Luhur Batukaru Temple - Jatiluwih UNESCO Green Land rice terraces - Ulun Danu Bratan Temple - Taman Ayun Royal TempleIt was a day of unpredictable weather, and in the first half, especially at Tanah Lot, rained extremely heavily. This was a long drive from Nusa Dua. The temple, set in the ocean, was an experience with the roaring ocean and the pouring rain. Berata had two huge umbrellas in the car, though we were drenched- including shoes - in the extreme rain (I didn’t mind the rain, so we explored the temple without waiting). On the way back to the car, Berata kindly bought me some Balinese rice sweets for a local vendor. Then we drove up to the mountains to the ancient Batukaru temple. Since it was a ceremony day, both Tanah Lot and Batukaru was filled out local devotees in their tradition white and yellow Balinese dresses. I was very fortunate to see the ceremonial procession at Tanah Lot, very festive with bells and music and cheerful people.After Batukaru we went to the Jatiluwin Rice Terrace where we had a buffet lunch at an open air restaurant overlooking the fields (menu had soup, nasi goreng, red rice, chicken, crackers, etc.) and some fantastic red rice tea. Then we took an hour long walk through the rice terraces, again through intermittent rain. After that, we drove to the Ulun Danu Temple on Lake Beratan, which also has a small theme park and picnic areas. The water from these and other lakes feeds the organic irrigation systems across Bali, including the rice terraces. Then we drove to the Taman Ayun Royal Temple, a grand temple complex which has a theatre that shows the history of the temple. The tour has a lot of driving through Bali where you see beautiful family temples alongside the houses, small shops, carving studios, and a lot of green and flowers.Berata is a fantastic driver-guide. He explained the histories of the temples, and answered all my questions about Balinese life and economy, his family, the island of Bali, and so on. He came with me to all the places, took many photos of me in scenic spots (and also some selfies with me), carried the umbrellas when we were not using them, and was attentive but not intrusive. As much as the temples, I also very much enjoyed the many hours of driving between them as he is a very good and patient driver. He even rushed to make sure we went to the fourth temple, which is marked optional, in time before it closed. Hotel to hotel, this trip took about 12 hrs, including the heavy evening traffic.Strongly recommended for folks who want to explore the spiritual heritage of Bali. Ask for Berata if you want a good buddy to see Bali with.

I did this trip with my family. Our private driver “Kris” was fantastic. Very knowledgeable, informative and polite. Lunch was included looking over the rice fields, water provided on several occasions keeping us hydrated. Overall great experience for the family