Be open. Tour in Bali using guides could lead you to a new accommodation that is really eager to please, may otter discounts to a hotel that wants to attract new clientele, or could help you get transport or performance tickets. Their fee, tacked to the base price if not ridiculously high might be worth it.

The same thing goes for self-appointed, multilingual guides who attach themselves to you at the base of volcanoes and at entrances to temples and museums. These contacts could lead to fresh insights and even exciting experiences. Local guides are a part of the color of a new place. These characters seem to have friends everywhere, might work for a tour company on the side, and have an uncle who will sell you Wayang puppets for a special price.

Then there are the officially sanctioned guides who supposedly have been professionally trained. These 300 are registered as guides, belonging to the Bali Guide Association, speak either English, Japanese, German, French, or Mandarin in addition to Indonesian and their own regional tongue. Their services cost more than volunteer guides. You will meet one of these certified guides if you join a local tour. The most talented know the best stopovers for snacks or modern amenities, can take you to places seldom visited, explain landmarks, put you in touch with the local people.

But the government regulation as to who can qualify as a registered guide is highly restrictive. Only people with money can afford to register, and thus they jack up the prices to cover their official fees. Moreover, not all these registered guides get high marks. Some demand fees from art shops and restaurants for delivering tourists; others pocket expenses that were promised as part of your tour price.

Sometimes it is better to employ a nonprofessional, family-style guide, particularly if you are coming for only 10 days or so, do not want to be in a group tour cocoon, and would like to expedite matters so as not to have to find out every- thing on your own without getting ripped off. The price freelancers charge often winds up being cheaper than most tour agencies. A good place to start inquiring about a personalized guide is with your home stay or hotel owner.

Tour in Bali

While you are in Bali, you will save money, your experience will be less structured, and your mobility increased if you take on the island independently. An organized tour, however, enables you to quickly see what Bali has to offer. Then you may decide to go back and experience in depth what you enjoyed most. In nearly every case, it is possible to do some independent touring before and after your tour.

Contact the Indonesian embassy or consulate in your home country for tour companies specializing in Bali. In Indonesia, any of the regional tourist offices can help you select the right tour company.

There are a wide range of guided tour activities to choose from: volcano-climbing, bicycling, skin diving, snorkeling, sunbathing, hiking, shopping, attending festivals, visiting temples, exploring the island's archaeological remains, or systematically visiting Bali's arts and crafts centers. On cultural tours, if silverware, woodcarving, and souvenir shops are not your interest, do not let the guide stop in too many. These stops serve only to thicken the pocket of the guides and drivers.

Tour agencies lining the streets and lanes of Kuta, Legian, Candidasa, Ubud, and Lovina offer fixed-departure tours for a set price, usually for six to 12 people. The Denpasar and each regency government tourist office, as well as the tour desks at larger hotels, are always ready to advise you about specialized tours.

The success of a tour depends largely on the experience and knowledge of the guide leading it. Tours are conducted by English-speaking guides unless tour participants request guides speaking other foreign languages (French, German, Japanese, Chinese). Tours often start from the agencies head office, though many also pick up participants at their hotels, home stays, or in front of well-known landmarks.

The price depends primarily on the type of transport used, the number of people in your group, and the length of your tour. Most only run if there are at least four people, so if one operator cannot run the tour you want when you want it, just check out the next place. Most take in sights along the way and the tour lasts all day. Tour participants may alter/modify the tour by pitching in and paying extra. For example, from Penelokan down to the crater floor costs an extra Rp 20.000 per person on the Kintamani Volcano Tour.