Which Bali Adventure Should You Book? ATV vs Jeep Tour vs Rice Terrace Trekking vs Bali Swing vs Temple Tour (2026)
Five adventures take almost all of the bookings in Bali: ATV quad-bike rides, the sunrise jeep tour to Mount Batur, rice terrace trekking at Jatiluwih, the Bali swing park, and the Tirta Empul purification temple tour. They are not interchangeable. One runs at 04:30 in the dark and costs IDR 1,080,000 per vehicle; another takes two hours, starts at IDR 650,000 per person, and is finished before your coffee cools.
Get it wrong and you will spend four hours of a rainy afternoon on a muddy trail when what you actually wanted was a temple — or pay for a jeep when a single ATV ride would have done the job.
This is a side-by-side comparison of all five: real prices, real durations, what is included, what happens between November and March when the rains arrive, and who each adventure is genuinely built for.
Quick answer: which Bali adventure suits you
- You want mud, tunnels and waterfalls — book an ATV ride. It is the most popular adventure in Bali and the fastest way to feel like you did something.
- You want a sunrise without hiking in the dark — book the jeep tour to Mount Batur and Kintamani. You sleep late, you eat a sunrise breakfast on the volcano, you are back by mid-morning.
- You want to walk, photograph and slow down — book the Jatiluwih rice terrace trek. Two hours of guided walking through UNESCO-listed terraces, then lunch and a chocolate farm.
- You want a short, fun stop with children — book Bali Swing. Ninety minutes or three hours, unlimited swings, lunch included.
- You want a half-day that is also a spiritual experience — book the Tirta Empul temple tour. Holy spring bathing, a guided purification ceremony, and lunch made from the offerings.
The five Bali adventures compared
| Adventure | Price from | Duration | Difficulty | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATV rides (Kuber, Jambe Asri, Alasan) | IDR 650,000 per ATV | 2–3 hours | Easy to moderate | Families, couples, thrill-seekers |
| Jeep tour to Mount Batur & Kintamani | IDR 1,080,000 per jeep (up to 3 people) | ~3 hours, starts 04:30 | Easy | Viewers, photographers, small groups |
| Rice terrace trekking at Jatiluwih | IDR 1,175,000 per person | ~5 hours including transfer | Easy to moderate | Walkers, photographers, slow travellers |
| Bali Swing | IDR 650,000 per person | 1–3 hours | Easy | Families with kids, couples |
| Tirta Empul spiritual tour | IDR 708,000 per person | ~4 hours | Easy | Culture-seekers, couples, families |
Two things to note before you pick. First, most of these prices are per vehicle or per package, not per person: an ATV tandem is one quad bike for two people, and the jeep carries three. Second, hotel pickup is a separate line item for almost everything except the rice terrace trek, and it is charged per car (one car serves up to five people), which is why it is worth ordering one transfer for the whole group instead of three.
1. ATV tours in Bali: the most-booked adventure
An ATV (quad bike) ride is the single most popular thing visitors book in Bali, and for a good reason: you sit astride the bike like a motorcycle, a local guide leads you, and two hours later you have been through tunnels, under waterfalls and along tracks that no tour bus reaches.
There are three main tracks near Ubud, and they are genuinely different experiences rather than the same ride three times:
- Kuber ATV — Ubud, from IDR 750,000 for a single ATV or IDR 1,000,000 for a tandem. The signature route is the waterfall and long cave section, including a tunnel ride. Rated 4.8 from 260 reviews.
- Jambe Asri ATV — Gianyar, from IDR 650,000 single or IDR 900,000 tandem. This is the one that adds Barong Cave and a rice field section to the standard jungle route. Rated 4.7 from 775 reviews.
- Alasan ATV — Ubud, from IDR 700,000 single or IDR 900,000 tandem, plus free access to the Cretya Sunset Pool Bar afterwards. You can upgrade to a 450cc bike for an extra IDR 300,000 if you want more power. Rated 4.7 from 84 reviews.
Every ATV ride includes lunch, a helmet, boots, a locker, a towel, insurance and a local guide. Start times run from 08:00 to 15:30, so you can fit a ride into almost any day of your trip.
Two conditions worth knowing: bookings must be made at least two hours before the activity, and the ride is not suitable for people with pre-existing medical conditions. Pick-up is available on request; the meeting point is on-site.
Who should book it: anyone who wants energy. Families with older children, couples who want a shared experience on one tandem bike, and solo travellers who want to meet other people — most ATV groups are six to ten riders with a guide.
2. The jeep tour to Mount Batur and Kintamani
The jeep tour is the other Bali classic, and it works in the opposite way to the ATV: you do almost nothing, but you do it at the best possible time of day.
The jeep leaves the Jowet Sunrise parking area at 04:30 AM and drives up to the Kintamani plateau on the rim of Mount Batur. The trip takes about three hours and comes in three flavours:
- Sunrise Only — IDR 1,080,000 per jeep
- Sunrise + Black Lava + Black Sand — IDR 1,125,000 per jeep
- Black Lava + Black Sand (afternoon) — IDR 1,080,000 per jeep
Each jeep seats up to three people, so four travellers need two jeeps — which is also why the price per person drops to IDR 360,000 when you fill the vehicle. Breakfast is included either way: coffee, tea and a banana pancake at base camp, or banana, eggs, bread, coffee, tea and mineral water at the sunrise point.
Bring warm clothing and a jacket — it is genuinely cold on the caldera before sunrise, and a camera. The tour is not recommended for people with back problems, wheelchair users, anyone prone to altitude sickness, or travellers over 70.
Who should book it: photographers, honeymooners, and anyone who wants the volcano without the hike. It is also the best-value adventure for a group of three, because the per-person cost drops below most of the ATV options.
3. Rice terrace trekking at Jatiluwih
This is the slow one, and it is the one people remember most. You walk for two hours through the Jatiluwih rice terraces — a UNESCO World Heritage site near Ubud — on a guided route along the narrow paths between the flooded paddies.
The Jatiluwih trekking package costs from IDR 1,175,000 for one person up to IDR 2,160,000 for a five-person package. It includes round-trip hotel transport from Ubud, Kuta or Sanur, all entrance fees, mineral water, a local trekking guide, lunch at Gong Jatiluwih, and a visit to a local chocolate farm afterwards.
Pick-up is at 07:00, 08:00 or 09:00 AM, with 09:00 the latest slot of the day — which means the whole thing is over by early afternoon.
Who should book it: photographers (morning light on the terraces is some of the best light in Bali), travellers over 50 who would rather walk than ride, families with older children, and anyone on a multi-day trip who wants a morning that is not another transfer.
4. Bali Swing
If you are travelling with children, or you only have an hour and a half to spare, this is the one. Bali Swing is a hillside park near Ubud with nine different swings — adrenaline, libra, single, bed, romantic, plus the chicken nest, bird nest and the sky bed, which has the best view on the property.
The Bali Swing package starts at IDR 650,000 for one person and goes to IDR 2,250,000 for five. Your ticket covers unlimited swings and attractions, a lunch, and registration. Children under five enter free with an adult.
Two practical notes: arrive after 08:00 and at least two hours before 17:00 so you can actually use the whole ticket, and note that activities are weather-dependent — swings close in wind and heavy rain. An outside photographer costs an extra IDR 200,000; professional photographers are available on site.
Who should book it: families with kids of any age, couples who want a fun photo stop, and travellers who have already done the big adventures and want something light.
5. The Tirta Empul spiritual tour
The most underrated of the five, and the one that makes Bali feel like a different island. Tirta Empul is a water temple near Tampaksiring, and the spiritual tour takes you through a guided purification ceremony at the holy spring.
From IDR 708,000 per person, it includes the ceremony and guidance, holy spring bathing at Tirta Empul or Sebatu, a traditional prayer offering and lunch made from the offerings, and an optional stop at Tegalalang Rice Terrace afterwards. Morning slots run from 08:00 to 16:00.
Hotel transfer is free within the Ubud area, which is unusual for this island. Outside Ubud it is IDR 660,000 for Kuta, Canggu and Seminyak, or IDR 825,000 for the airport, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua.
Temples have their own dress expectations: cover your shoulders and knees, and bring something to tie around your waist if you have a T-shirt and shorts.
Who should book it: couples, anyone with an interest in Balinese culture, and travellers who want a meaningful half-day rather than an adrenaline one. It also survives the rainy season better than anything else on this list.
What it really costs: prices and hotel pickup
Base prices never include transfer unless stated. Pick-up is charged per car — one car covers up to five people — and a transfer ordered once for the whole group is cheaper than three separate ones.
| Adventure | Ubud | Kuta, Canggu, Seminyak | Airport, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATV rides (all three tracks) | IDR 450,000 | IDR 660,000 | IDR 825,000 |
| Bali Swing | IDR 440,000 | IDR 660,000 | IDR 825,000 |
| Tirta Empul temple tour | Free | IDR 660,000 | IDR 825,000 |
| Jeep tour to Mount Batur | IDR 700,000 | IDR 900,000 | IDR 900,000 |
| Rice terrace trekking | Included (Ubud, Kuta, Sanur) | Included (Ubud, Kuta, Sanur) | Ask us |
The best Bali adventure for the rainy season (November to March)
Bali's wet season runs roughly from November to March, and it is the season most people book. It is also the season when choosing the right adventure matters most:
- ATV — still the most fun. Mud is part of the experience, and the enclosed cave and tunnel sections of the Kuber and Jambe Asri tracks keep you out of the worst of it. Ask the operator for the track status that morning; after very heavy rain some tracks close for safety.
- Rice terrace trekking — the terraces stay green, the path turns slippery. A great walk on an overcast day, but wear shoes with grip and expect mud on the steps.
- Jeep tour — the risk is cloud, not rain. In the wet season the volcano often sits under a cloud cap, so the sunrise itself can be a wash. The black lava and black sand driving is unaffected, and the breakfast is still worth the 04:30 start.
- Bali Swing — the most weather-sensitive of the five. Wind and rain close the swings. Check the park's update on the day and keep the date flexible if this is the trip's centrepiece.
- Tirta Empul — the safest rainy-season booking. The temple and the ceremony work in any weather, and the optional Tegalalang stop can be dropped if the afternoon is too wet.
Which adventure suits your group
- Children aged 5 to 12 — Bali Swing first, rice terrace trekking second. Skip the jeep tour: the 04:30 start is brutal for small children.
- Teenagers and active adults — ATV. Tandem or single, depending on the group.
- Photographers — rice terrace trekking in the morning light, then the jeep for the volcano. Those two together cover most of what Bali looks like.
- Travellers over 70 or with limited mobility — Tirta Empul and Bali Swing. Both are on flat ground with transport included.
- Couples — ATV tandem (one bike, two people, no awkwardness), the romantic swing, or Tirta Empul if you want the day to mean something.
- Groups of four to six — two ATVs, two jeeps, or one trekking package. Add a Tirta Empul tour in the morning and a swing in the afternoon if you have a spare day.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an ATV ride cost in Bali? A single ATV starts at IDR 650,000 (Jambe Asri) and goes up to IDR 750,000 (Kuber). A tandem ATV for two people is IDR 900,000 to IDR 1,000,000. Hotel transfer is extra, from IDR 450,000 in Ubud. Lunch, helmet, boots, insurance and a guide are included in every ride.
Is hotel pick-up included in the price? For the rice terrace trek it is — round-trip transport from Ubud, Kuta or Sanur is part of the package, and there is no separate pick-up fee. For every other adventure, transfer is charged per car: IDR 440,000 to IDR 700,000 from Ubud, IDR 660,000 to IDR 900,000 from Kuta, Canggu or Seminyak, and IDR 825,000 to IDR 900,000 from the airport. Tirta Empul is free within Ubud.
What should I bring? For ATV and the swing: sunscreen, a change of clothes, closed shoes and a change of clothes you do not mind getting wet. Helmet, boots, towel, locker and lunch are provided. For the jeep tour, warm clothing and a jacket — it is close to freezing on the caldera before dawn. For the temple tour, clothing that covers your shoulders and knees.
How far in advance should I book? ATV rides can be booked up to two hours before the start time, so they are easy to fit in on the day. The jeep tour and the rice terrace trek have fixed early-morning starts (04:30 and 07:00–09:00) and limited vehicle capacity, so book those a few days ahead — and earlier in July and August, when the island is at its busiest.
Can I do two adventures in one day? Yes. The most common combination is the Tirta Empul temple tour in the morning (it finishes around lunch) and an afternoon adventure after it — a swing session, or an ATV ride, since rides run until 15:00–15:30. The jeep tour is the exception: it starts at 04:30 and is finished by mid-morning, so pair it with a second half-day activity rather than another one.
Is Bali safe to visit in the rainy season? Yes. The rains are usually heavy but short, and they rarely run all day. The practical effect is on outdoor activities rather than on travel itself — which is exactly why the temple tour is the fallback worth knowing about.
What is the minimum age for the swing? Children under five enter free when accompanied by an adult. For ATV rides, you need to be able to handle a quad bike, and the ride is not suitable for people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Ready to book your Bali adventure?
All five adventures are run by our own guides in Ubud, Gianyar, Kintamani and Tampaksiring, with lunch, equipment, insurance and hotel transfer available on every booking. Tell us which one you have in mind and we will confirm the time slot, or book directly online in a couple of minutes.
- ATV rides — three tracks, from IDR 650,000
- Jeep tour to Mount Batur — sunrise over the volcano, from IDR 1,080,000 per jeep
- Rice terrace trekking at Jatiluwih — two-hour guided trek, from IDR 1,175,000
- Bali Swing — nine swings and lunch, from IDR 650,000
- Tirta Empul spiritual tour — purification ceremony, from IDR 708,000
Or message us on WhatsApp at +62 851-7516-3718 and we will pick the activity that fits your group, your dates and your budget.
Related reading: the ATV guide for beginners, our ATV rainy season tips, and ATV vs Buggy in Bali if you are still choosing between off-road options.