Explore Bali and Beyond on Two Wheels - By Ima Deville

Discover the pleasures of Bali by little roads and lost paths. By mountain bike or motorbike, you can access areas that you wouldn’t even know existed. Along the way you will be surprised by the tranquility of small villages and the kindness of their inhabitants. You will cross paddy fields, unforgettable forests and stumble upon lost temples. It is not unusual to encounter colourful and lively ceremonies with no other tourists in sight. Mountain biking is becoming popular with residents and tourists alike because the infrastructure is now available to make this sport accessible and fun for anyone.

Bali Advertiser interviewed one of the leading figures and a pioneer of mountain biking in Bali, Régis Requis, founder of Archipelago Adventure. Several times successful in other areas, he admits that Archipelago Adventure brings him the most pleasure because he is free at last to do what he really likes and share it with others. He loves wheels, nature and has a soft spot for Indonesian culture and all the trips he offers reflect his passion. Over the years, his team has become the specialists in mountain bike and motor bike discovery trips in Bali, Java and Sumatra. They have explored and created several routes to cater for different demands as well as various physical abilities. They use new mountain bikes suitable for all kinds of paths and tracks and, for total security and convenience, every trip is accompanied by a vehicle that follows the group.

Day trips fall into two broad categories: the discovery and the sporty trips. The first cater for families or friends who want to enjoy nature and visit areas rich in culture. Kids can take part in those trips as soon as they are able to cycle and there is no strenuous physical effort required. Sporty trips on the other hand, are meant for friends who share a passion for discovering new places and love the physical strain. During these trips mountain bikers go through less accessible areas, enjoy fast down slopes and prove their skills up hill. With Archipelago Adventure each trip is numbered from 1 to 5 according to the level of difficulty, making it easy to choose the most suitable day trip for you.

Tanah Lot and Kintamani to Ubud are level 1 destinations for families or anyone with no previous experience of mountain biking. In the fertile rice fields of Tanah Lot, you cycle along a small path and across a beach before stopping to visit a local tile maker and a rice cooperative. There is also time to take a Bali coffee in a warung and swim in the sea near the Tanah lot temple before tasting a traditional meal in a small friendly restaurant. Kintamani-Ubud is also an easy and pleasant excursion. The minibus takes you to the caldera of Mount Batur with splendid views of the volcano and the lake and you start descending through an orange grove. Photo opportunities abound because there is always something interesting, a farmer in his fields, children coming home from school or fruit sellers on the road, the real Bali. This downhill trip lets you soak up the incredible Balinese nature with its sounds, smells and wonders to the eyes. Once in Ubud, a good lunch is waiting for you in a little Balinese restaurant with an unimpeded view over the rice fields.
Level 2 excursions include the most popular from Bedugul to Jatiluwih. Attainable to all, it makes you discover one of the most amazing areas of central Bali. Starting at over 1200m above sea level, the tracks go through a charming Balinese mountain village before plunging through a thick forest of birches. You cycle in the trees’ shade along dirt tracks for several kilometers while descending towards the south. You come across beautiful countryside areas, surrounded by market-gardening cultures, giving you a chance to witness the authenticity of the life and work of small farmers. The downhill slope lasts for about 2 hours and a half hour and reaches the magnificent area of Jatiluwih, where terraced rice-fields have been used for centuries with the same ancestral techniques. Another relatively easy level 2 outing takes you from Lake Buyan to Kaliasem. There, you cycle on a small track to the heart of coffee and cocoa plantations, through wood lands of mostly tall conifers. During breaks you get the opportunity to converse with the villagers and find out a little more about their way of life and how they have continued to work in harmony with nature. The excursion ends on Bali’s north coast, where you can take a dip into the ocean before indulging in a traditional dish by the sea.
If you are reasonably fit, you can definitely embark on this fine level 3 trip from Munduk to Pupuan. Starting in coffee plantations, a small track winds through the mountains and takes you through the cocoa plantations unknown to many people. All day long you ride uphill and downhill. If you want to have fun and if you particularly enjoy going off the beaten track, this trip will be paradise for you.
Want to talk sport? Then try the level 4 Kintamani-Telaga trip. It is an original mountain-bike excursion during which you ride along a great variety of little tracks known to only a handful of aficionados. You can get a true taste of serenity and solitude along this forest track with breathtaking views of mountain peaks, Mount Batur’s crater and the Indian Ocean. The effort is definitely very physical but the reward is a never ending descent all the way to the coast.
Is that not enough for you? The ultimate level 5 course starts at 1600 m, with a splendid view of Mount Batur and many other unforgettable views throughout. Initially you descend at full speed for two and a half hours and the rest of the journey is uphill and downhill. You forget your tiredness looking around you and stopping regularly for refreshments at small forgotten local warungs. The small restaurant where you finish your day is once again carefully chosen to offer unique rice field views. This trip is for trained and fit people only.
Archipelago Adventure goes beyond Bali to explore the imposing neighbouring island of Java. Regis says that this large and unknown mysterious island seems to have been made for mountain biking with unending roads and views that take your breath away. A while back, he decided to share his expertise and knowledge of this magical region where everything seems to come from other times, the buffaloes in the fields, the sugar cane plantations or the Hindus of Mount Bromo that remind him of the inhabitants of the mountains of Peru. If you feel like escaping your daily routine for five to seven days and have a few sporty friends you could convince, this trip is an unforgettable adventure.
Regis Requis is also a motorbike enthusiast and his company has acquired brand new off-road\ Kawasaki 250 KLX. A typical day trip starts early and takes you towards Mount Batur, riding through the countryside until you finally reach the volcano caldera. After lunch, you ride a small winding road between the volcano and the lake, through a forest to a little restaurant for a well-deserved lunch. In the afternoon, you pass coffee and cocoa plantations, an old temple before it heading off towards Ubud. The day ends on a spectacular sunset into the rice-fields.
For longer excursions, six to ten days, Regis can take you to East Java, renown for its natural wilderness and diversity of landscapes. From Gilimanuk, you cross to Java by ferry and start riding along little countryside roads towards the north in the direction of one of east Java’s best conserved natural reserves. This region is quite surprising and reminiscent of the African savanna with the volcanic peak of Mt Baluran standing out on the clear blue skies. Accommodation is in village guesthouses or small hotels and you are constantly in close contact with humble and friendly Javanese people who are always willing to speak about their life and region. The second day you get to ride the Kawa-Ijen volcano, famed for its magnificent crater of turquoise waters where sulphur is collected. On the other side of the volcano, you descend through coffee plantations, spreading on the horizon until the magnificent plain of the Jember region where time seems to have stopped centuries ago. The third day takes you to the valley of Lumajang on secondary tracks and roads through fruit and chili plantations and a magnificent bamboo forest until you arrive at the famous Mt. Bromo. Later you discover Gunung Semeru, the highest point on the island of Java at 3676m. The attractions along the way are numerous and if you are fascinated by volcanoes and lunar landscapes, you are bound to enjoy every minute of it.
From Bromo, the itinerary heads west and south through rivers (by raft), forests and countryside, passing a sugar cane factory. Reaching the Javanese south coast there is a wonderful bay that is one of the best kept secrets of Indonesia. And a secret it will remain! A thick jungle is inhabited by birds of paradise, gibbons and several other species of Javanese monkeys. You witness giant turtles laying their eggs at night. You then ride into a national park, home to one of Java’s thickest and most well preserved jungles. The loop continues to take you back to Bali through more interesting places. In truth, not many trips provide such thrill from your engine, spectacular scenery and authentic encounters with locals in only nine days.
For more information, visit the
website www.archipelago-adventure.com and
contact Régis: info@archipelago-adventure.com.
For reservations please call at: 8444624 or 08 12 38 50 517
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