Bali airport to Uluwatu: time, cost and transport

How do you get from Bali airport to Uluwatu?

Book a car at a set fare ahead of landing, or order a Grab or Gojek car at the app pickup outside arrivals. The drive from Bali airport (Ngurah Rai, officially I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport) is about an hour, a little less or more with traffic.^{[2, 3]}

On a seller's page updated September 2026 a fixed fare is IDR 200,000 (about AUD 16) a car for up to four passengers with luggage, and the driver waits up to two hours after your plane lands before a surcharge starts. A May 2026 price is IDR 560,000 (about AUD 45) for a standard car with up to three passengers on the same run. The counters, the ride-hailing pickup point and the touts to ignore are in the Bali airport guide.^{[3, 4]}

How do you get from Uluwatu to Bali airport?

The road is the same in reverse: about 21 km and an hour when traffic is light. The fare depends on how you book. A car is listed from IDR 200,000 (about AUD 16) in both directions (updated September 2026), and at IDR 395,000 (about AUD 32) for a standard car from Uluwatu, with IDR 750,000 (about AUD 60) for a van that takes five to ten people.^{[1, 3, 5]}

Leave a margin if you set off in the late afternoon: the drive from Uluwatu to Seminyak, which lies beyond the airport, takes 1.5 to 2 hours at 16:00 WITA, against about an hour at 11:00.^[8]

For six people, two cars at the IDR 200,000 (about AUD 16) fare come to IDR 400,000 (about AUD 32), against IDR 650,000 (about AUD 52) for a minibus from the same listing, our estimate; each car takes two large suitcases and two cabin bags.^[3]

How much is a car from Uluwatu to Canggu, Seminyak or Ubud?

Sellers' fares as published in October 2026 are about IDR 425,000 (about AUD 34) a car to Seminyak, IDR 550,000 (about AUD 44) to Canggu and IDR 650,000 to 675,000 (about AUD 52) to Ubud, and the table lists every route. For Ubud, see Ubud, Bali.^{[5, 13, 20]}

The table's times are sellers' light-traffic figures. Plan on 2 to 2.5 hours between Uluwatu and Ubud in daytime traffic, and over 3 hours if you leave between 15:00 and 17:00 WITA.^[6]

An app car is cheaper on a quiet road. In August 2026 it ran about IDR 220,000 to 280,000 (about AUD 18) from Canggu and IDR 220,000 to 320,000 (about AUD 18) out to Seminyak. Surge can push the Canggu ride past IDR 400,000 (about AUD 32).^{[7, 8]}

A metered Bluebird taxi from Canggu runs about IDR 250,000 (about AUD 20) in smooth traffic, and IDR 350,000 to 400,000 (about AUD 28) or more in heavy traffic.^[7]

Decline any request for extra money and rebook in the app: some drivers accept a booking, then message asking for IDR 50,000 to 100,000 (about AUD 4) on top of the fare.^[7]

Gojek usually has the cheapest fares. Drivers booked off the app charge a little more and may haggle, and a full-day driver's price depends on a good contact.^[19]

Can you use Grab or Gojek in Uluwatu?

Yes for most rides, but several spots refuse app pickups: the car park at Padang Padang beach, the main car park at Uluwatu Temple, Suluban, Bingin, where many drivers will not drive all the way down, and the beach clubs below the cliffs at Melasti, where pickups happen near the main entrance instead.^[2]

Pickups are often barred at the popular beach and temple car parks, and drop-offs are not, so walk out to a nearby minimart or the main road and order there.^{[2, 7, 9]}

Phone signal can be patchy around the temple, so order the car while you still have a bar or two. If you hire a scooter instead, read the scooter licence rules first.^[11]

How do you get a car back from Uluwatu at night?

App cars are often hard to get at the temple right after the evening kecak (fire dance) show, and after midnight near the beach clubs on the Bukit peninsula. Book a driver for the return, or walk to a main road before you order.^{[2, 10, 11]}

Local taxis at the beach clubs quoted from IDR 300,000 to 400,000 (about AUD 24) or more for a ride to Seminyak in August 2026, so agree a price in advance. The road is quicker at night: Uluwatu to Seminyak takes 35 to 45 minutes, against 1.5 to 2 hours at 16:00.^[8]

Cars may not head west on Jalan Uluwatu towards the temple from the Baler Setra junction in Pecatu, from the afternoon until 22:00 WITA. Motorcycles can, and Badung made the scheme permanent in July 2026. A car can still meet you on the junction's east side.^{[12, 14]}

How do you get from Uluwatu to Nusa Penida?

Boats for Nusa Penida leave from Sanur or Serangan, those for Nusa Lembongan from Sanur, and those for the Gili Islands and Lombok from Padang Bai or Serangan, so the trip starts with a car to the harbour. The Sanur fare is in the table above, and the fast boat guide covers the crossing and the harbours. Once across, Nusa Penida, Bali has the island itself.^{[15, 16, 17, 18]}