Private Chartered Car to Bali Temples With Besakih Temple

Disappointing and Overpriced – Not the Experience We Were Promised

As a well-travelled guest in my 30s from London, I’ve taken many cultural and private tours around the world — and unfortunately, this was one of the poorest I’ve experienced. I booked Tour 1 with Gusti Bali Tours for myself and my mother, expecting an enriching, immersive day exploring Eastern Bali. What we received was a disjointed and unprofessional experience that fell far short of expectations. 📍 Sites we visited: Lempuyang Temple (Gates of Heaven) Tirta Gangga Water Palace Taman Ujung Water Palace Tenganan Village Tukad Cepung Waterfall While the destinations themselves are beautiful and culturally rich, the delivery was entirely lacking. The driver was unengaged, barely spoke throughout the 8–10 hour trip, and made the car environment uncomfortable by sneezing repeatedly without covering his nose. For a tour of this length, that behaviour was not only unpleasant but unhygienic. We were encouraged to pay extra for an “Official English-speaking Guide” to elevate the experience. Sadly, the guide offered no meaningful insight — he had no cultural or historical context, and merely pointed us toward dated, printed signboards or photo areas. Everything he shared could easily be found online with a quick search. It felt passive and uninspired — the opposite of what a professional guided tour should offer. 💰 On the pricing: We were charged IDR 2,950,000 (over £150) — IDR 1,200,000 per person, plus IDR 550,000 for the so-called guide, which we were told was “official.” This is frankly outrageous for the level of service we received. It’s worth noting this was not a private car with luxury features — just a basic vehicle with a disengaged driver and a guide who contributed almost nothing. In hindsight, a far better (and more affordable) option would’ve been to book locally through a reputable hotel or concierge. There are plenty of excellent guides in Bali — unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them. ❌ Verdict: I would not recommend Gusti Bali Tours. This is not about nitpicking, but about basic standards of professionalism, value for money, and cultural respect. Bali deserves better representation than this. — Giancarlo, London

via Tripadvisor

Daily life touch

Our driver Gutsi was nice and gave us interesting information about daily live! He was on time and contacted us the day before. He was flexible and we design our own tour. Thank you! suksma

via Viator

Temple and more temples

My cousin and I wanted to see the temples in Bali and this was the perfect choice. Driver was on time and was knowledgeable of the routes and history. Recommended!

via Viator

Expensive

The driver was very friendly. The excursion in and of itself was VERY expensive. Paying to enter every temple was not cheap, and at one point we had to pay to enter the “city” then pay for a disgusting lunch. Overall we wasted a lot of money and time with the excursion. If you see one temple you’ve pretty much seen them all. Sadly I wouldn’t recommend this excursion.

via Tripadvisor

Great day

This is a great place to visit, very spiritual whatever your belief is. At the entrance you will be given a sarong of your clothing is not right, if you want to go into the water you can hire a sarong for the water and to pray. Maybe not for everyone but I found it quite moving, there are certain fonts you can not use as two are for the dead and some are for children, but the people will keep your right!

Response from the operator: We appreciate you sharing your feedback and it is our hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the near future.

via Tripadvisor