Bali : Northern Bali Private Day Trip with Transfer

We booked this tour with a request to personalize it for us. We skipped Tanah Lot and did only North part. The guide Desa was very cordial and helpful but the car is quite old and the air conditioning in the car was not the best one. We were traveling not a cloudy cool day but in a very hot weather the air conditioning could be the issue. Another concern is the price. It is possible to find cheaper options.

We booked this tour to see the highlights of Northern Bali. Communication with our guide Esa was simple. He picked us up from our hotel ahead of schedule and took us to the agreed sights safely and quickly, while taking road and weather conditions into account to make sure to avoid rain. During the trip he gave us useful information about the tour and the sights. We had a very memorable experience in great conditions during our visits and therefore would highly recommend booking a tour with Bali Locall and Esa!

(Guide name - Dena) We had possibly the WORST experience. Our day started off well with an on-time pick up at our villa, but when we got to our first stop of the tour, it became clear that this was more of a taxi service rather than a private tour. Our guide changed the flow of the itinerary without telling us, and we ended up going to the waterfalls first (instead of Tanah Lot). He left us on our own at the entrance, didnt bother to explain what to do/where to go, so we had to explore the trails on our own, without knowing where we could change our clothes etc. Turns out we didnt need to change into our swimsuits anyway, because the waterfalls was too cold in the morning for us to enjoy. He switched the Tanah Lot temple as the last stop - but the view is completely different in the afternoon! When we went to the Jatiluwih rice fields, our guide simply raised his hand halfheartedly to point us the direction we should go. It was only when i enquired more on the direction we should go, that he bothered telling us that we needed to cross the fields and he would wait for us at another parking lot. Imagine if i didnt ask - how would we have known that we needed to go to another parking spot to meet him?! The rice fields was so big that we got lost, as there are various trails that can be taken. We ended up calling Dena halfway and he told us that we needed to take the short trail to get to his meeting point (again, this could have been communicated to us much earlier as we wouldnt have known). We also noted that all other tourists had their guides accompany them at all locations (including the rice fields) and explain to them the culture/location, but our guide left us alone all the time. When we finally finished the rice fields trail and met Dena, my partner told him nicely that for future tours, he should consider telling his tourists that they need to take the shorter trail, because it is very easy to get lost in the big rice fields. But he completely ignored us and continued to walk. Throughout the whole tour, Dena explained very minimally to us (only when we asked), and his body language consistently showed that he did not care about the tour at all. We learned nothing. The whole tour was a waste of time and his attitude completely ruined our moods. Perhaps the worst was when he fell asleep while driving the car in the midst of heavy traffic - he had fallen asleep behind the wheel for a few minutes, and many cars had to honk him. The only time Dena bothered talking to us and smiled at us was at the end of the tour...when he asked us to leave him a five-star review. I kid you not. We wanted to be considerate as we know reviews are important to companies...but with the horrible service/attitude/tour that Dena provided, it was difficult to not put what we experienced in a truthful review.

It‘s my second trip to Bali and it‘s the second time, I did all my trips and sightseeing’s with Midi from Bali Local Host. Everything works perfectly and he is absolutely reliable. Always on time, he has knowledge about Bali culture and nature. He knows good spots for lunch, is well prepared for every situation and the car for the trips is modern and comfortable. He also gives you enough time on each spot and is a good photographer. If I go to Bali for a third time, I will do the excursions again with Midi from Bali Local Host. Thanks also to Farel and Putu who did the transfers. They also were in time and the transfers worked perfectly.

DENIA turned this experience into a great one! Excellent explanations about culture, country, place, with lots of sensitivity towards one's needs. Wonderful adventure! Thank you, Denia and Bali! Great trip