Heavy Rains Mean Tourists Must Allow For Extra Travel Time In Bali

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Tourists in Bali must allow extra time when traveling by car or moped for the next few months.

As the rainy season has hit Bali hard, the island’s major highways and busiest roads are regularly becoming badly flooded, making driving dangerous. 

Journeys that should take 15 minutes could take over 45 minutes this rainy season. Frequent flooding and traffic congestion caused by an increased number of vehicles on the road during the festive season cause double the trouble. 

Tourists are advised not to rely on GoogleMaps, Waze, or other maps to estimate their time of arrival or travel accurately.

For example, check GoogleMaps at any given moment, and it will say that the journey from central Canggu to central Uluwatu will take between 45-55 minutes.

In reality, even on a ‘clear run,’ this journey will take at least an hour and a half, and with traffic and flooding on the roads, leaving anything less than three hours would be a mistake. 

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Heavy flooding has been reported on Bali’s busiest streets and major highways. Heavy rain on Monday 9th December caused major flooding on Ngurah Rai Bypass Road, which is the main highway that connects the central south of Bali with Denpasar, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, and the Bukit Peninsula.

Flooding was concentrated around the Taman Griya Housing Complex in Jimbaran at the traffic light intersection. 

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The flooding triggers huge traffic jams between the popular resorts of Jimbaran and Nusa Dua, and the volume of vehicles in the flooding area caused the flood to flow our further.

This flooding has become an all too common occurrence, and one local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told reporters, “Every time there is heavy rain, we are already prepared to face flooding here. There should be a long-term solution so that it doesn’t continue like this.” 

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Speaking separately, the Head of the South Kuta Sub-District, I Ketut Gede Arta, said the waterlogging that occurred in the area was due to heavy rain.

He explained, “This problem is not only due to the low-lying position of the land but also because of the piles of garbage and materials that clog the drainage channels.”

Nevertheless, with the rainy season worsening each year and with incidences of flooding reported more and more frequently, it is clear that serious long-term solutions need to be implemented for the benefit of both local residents and tourists.

Tourists who are self-driving in Bali over the festive season, whether by moped or car, should do their best to time their driving between heavy rainfall.

Keep up to date on local Instagram citizen journalism pages that give up-to-the-minute, hyper-local updates on conditions on the roads, as many local drivers send in updates as they travel through each neighborhood.

Major weather warnings will be reported by The Bali Sun; weather reports can also be found in English and Bahasa Indonesia on the Bali Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency Instagram page. 

It is not only flooding and traffic congestion that means that extra travel time is essential in the coming weeks in Bali but accounting for the risk of fallen trees and landslides, too.

During the rainy season, hundreds of trees and large branches fall across Bali and often fall over roads, blocking access until the rain is stopped and teams can safely come and remove the tree from the road.

Landslides are also a major hazard and are regularly reported in rural areas, villages, and more urban landscapes. Strong winds are a hazard not to be ignored, especially by pedestrians and moped drivers in Bali, as well as flash flooding.

Leaders are urging tourists and residents to act responsibly during the rainy season and periods of extreme weather, excising a risk-averse approach as much as possible.