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Finding things to do in Bali with kids that will suit the whole family is always a tricky task. Depending on the ages of your kids, you may worry that the activity won’t suit all ages. On our recent extended family trip to Bali, we found something that suited all ages a Bali bike tour with Ubud Cycling Bike.
We took a Bali bike tour with Ubud Cycling Bike in 2017 and 2023 and it was so much fun. Cycling in Bali can seem daunting and you may think how will we manage it with kids? Read our review to find out how we managed 5 kids aged between 18 months and 13 years.
Table of Contents
Cost of Ubud Cycling Bike tour
In 2017 and 2023, we booked a private family tour with Ubud Cycling Bike. The tour we organised included just our extended family, so it meant we could tailor the bike tour to our needs. This is especially important when traveling with younger kids or neuro-diverse children.
Click this link to find updated prices for the Family and Private Bike Tour
Ages suited to an Ubud bike tour
One of the reasons that I think this is one of the best things to do in Bali with kids, is that every age can be included in a Bali bicycle tour.
Babies or the elderly that can’t ride a bike: During the tour, a bus followed us riding our bikes. It was available for anyone to use if they got tired or needed a break. When we first started riding, the 18-month-old in our group needed a nap so he and his Mum sat in the bus while we were riding our bikes.
Babies or toddlers that want to go for a ride: The bikes were fitted with toddler seats on the front of the bikes. This made it fantastic to make sure they were safe and even when Mason was 4 years of age, he was very tall and fit in the toddler seat. They have helmets for all ages.
Kids that aren’t confident at riding: Charlotte came under this category in 2017 and even though she was 7 years old, she was not an overly confident rider at the time. This was not an issue as she could be dinked on the back of a bike.
Kids that are confident at riding: Kid’s bikes were supplied and were easy to ride.
Adults: There was a range of different bikes available to suit all rider’s abilities
What is included
The Bali bike tour was not just a bike ride but also included a full cultural experience for the whole family. Here is the list of activities that we did on our tour that suited our family group:
- Bali school tour
- Organic family plantation tour
- A waterfall experience
- Bike ride
- Visit to a family compound
- Lunch
Think that a cycling tour won’t suit your family? Check out their range of tours available including cultural tours, Mt Batur sunrise treks, and much more. Check out the Ubud Cycling website for more details.
Details of our Bali cycling tour in 2017
Here is an overview of our tour on 23rd November 2017 and why we think it is one of the best kid’s activities in Bali.
We were picked up from our accommodation at Padma Ubud Resort at 7:45 am by a 12-seater bus. There was plenty of room for our group of 4 adults and 5 kids aged 8 months, 4, 5, 7, and 8 years.
We were driven through the beautiful Bali countryside and 40 minutes later arrived at the local Bali school. Here we met Komang our awesome tour guide for the day. He was so lovely and excellent with the kids.
We were invited into a local Balinese school to have a look around, this took us about 15 minutes. Such an eye-opener for the kids to see how privileged they are to go to school in Australia and the wonderful facilities they take for granted. We were very impressed with how well-behaved the Bali school kids were and their uniforms were very cute!
Ubud Cycling Bike is very supportive of their local school and they make sure that our visit didn’t disrupt the children from learning. They often have different projects aiming at making the school a better place for the children and currently, they have plans to build a new toilet at the school. In remote areas, clean toilets can be hard to come by plus only a few children have toilets at home. A lack of access to water and toilets can seriously interfere with a children’s education. Due to a lack of education on good hygiene practices, many children miss school regularly due to bouts of diarrhea.
Girls often drop out of school when they reach puberty because of embarrassment and the lack of private places to maintain their dignity. Guests on tours can help by donating extra money towards this cause and part of the cost of the bike tour is donated.
Next, we jumped onto the bus and were taken a short distance to Abian Kusuma Sari Agrowisata on Jl Tampaksiring, a Luwak coffee plantation. This part of the tour was about 30 minutes long.
(Please note that Ubud Cycling Bike no longer supports Luwak coffee plantations due to the practices of the Luwak being caged. An organic family plantation has replaced this part of the tour.)
We got back into the bus and drove 20 minutes to the Mt Batur lookout. Here we were able to get out for a photo overlooking Mt Batur. (Please note that this part of the tour is now a visit to a waterfall.)
It was then a 30-minute drive to the starting point of the bike ride which was off the main road and hardly any traffic. Here we worked out what bikes we would ride and if anyone wanted to travel in the bus for the first part of the ride.
Then we were off! Experiencing riding through Bali villages was such a great feeling and it was not hard riding at all. Not much traffic and it felt like we were going downhill every so slightly!
10 minutes into the ride we stopped at a Bali family compound and shown around. Such a great experience for the kids as they were drying rice and the women were weaving baskets. This is not a tourist spot but family members of Komang who very generously let us look around.
We were then back onto the bikes and rode on to see the most beautiful rice fields. This was the real Bali!!! We rode for about 1 hour before we got to the first hill. It wasn’t huge but I may have got off and walked it.
We then swapped over as the youngest member of our group and his Mum were ready for a ride. I had a break in the bus with Mason who watched the iPad that we had brought along with us. He needed chillout time and the air-conditioned bus was the perfect spot for this.
The group rode on for another 30 minutes before we decided to finish as the kids were starting to get hungry. We all loaded back on the bus and were driven 20 minutes to lunch at Warung Tepi Sari, North of Ubud. Lunch was included in the price and we enjoyed chicken satay sticks, rice, and much more. The kids thought the lemonades were pretty cool!
The drive back to Padma Ubud Resort happened just in time as the rain started to pour! We visited in November and found the best weather to be in the mornings.
Tips on a great day
We researched a few Bali bike tours and we are so glad we chose a tour with Ubud Cycling Bike. They were extra helpful and understanding of traveling to Bali with kids. It is one of our top things to do in Bali with kids and here are a few tips to make your day even better.
- Pack runners when you are packing for your Bali family holiday. It’s not ideal to ride in sandals, so if you can fit runners in your luggage you will enjoy the day more.
- Pack snacks for the tour that are easy to eat on the bus. There is a couple of places to get snacks but it’s easier with kids if you bring the ones they like.
- You will be with the bus for the whole day so feel free to bring a bag of goodies or pram to keep the younger kids entertained if they get bored.
- Put sunscreen on the kids before you leave and take sunscreen with you in your bag.
- If anyone suffers from car sickness pack a vomit bag.
- Have smaller rupiah notes in your pocket in case you want to buy something.
- Komang is great at asking what you want to do and if you decide that you have ridden for long enough let him know. Likewise, if you want to see or do more things let him know as he is very flexible.
We hope you enjoyed our Bali bike tour review and it has helped you to decide if it’s right for your family. Feel free to come join our Facebook group, and chat to us on Facebook or Instagram.
Kate xx
Note: We paid in full for the bike tour in 2017 and were hosted in 2023. All thoughts are our own.
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Hi Guys,
We are looking for a 4-5 hour private cycling tour on 12th July.
Pickup please from Jalan Raya Seminyak Gang Keraton, Seminyak
4 adults & 5 kids aged 13, 11, 10, 8 & 7.
Can you help?
Thankyou
Jonathan
+ 61 433 095 996
Jonathan@xpresso.com.au
Hi Jonathan, apologies we don’t make bookings but provide details of places/activities we have done before in Bali. You can contact Ubud Cycling Bike direct yourself 🙂 Thanks Kate