One of the highlights of our Bali trip last summer in 2023 was our experience in Surya Bintang. We had a whole day of extremely scary yet exciting activities that we did as family! 

If you want to know what these activities are, read below.

But first, let me tell you something about Surya Bintang Adventures.

Surya Bintang Adventures is a professional tour company that provides tourists, both locals and foreigners alike, an adventure trip in Ubud. For those of you who are not familiar with the geography in Bali, Ubud is a small town situated in Indonesia. It is filled with rice paddies, steep ravines, and waterfalls that makes it ideal for different sports activities for adventurous souls like us!

If you are craving for an adventure activity while in Ubud, you can definitely go to the website of Surya Bintang Adventures.There, you can be acquainted with the different activities that they offer. You can book a single activity with them, or explore different combo packages that they have. 

In our case, we chose the combo package that included 3 activities – Bali Giant Swings, Water Rafting, and ATV Ride. This is a 5-hour activity that will begin with a jeep ride to the meetup spot. The activities will start at 9 am.

To get to the meetup spot, you can either request a pickup from your hotel, or you can also go there directly should you wish to start your adventure early on. Regardless of your choice, it is important to go to the meetup spot first to be familiar with the activities for the day.

In this meetup spot, you can prepare your things, freshen up, and have refreshing drinks for free.  Your group will also be provided with a big plastic crate for all your personal belongings. It is advisable to bring a waterproof bag if you want to bring your cellphone with you. Otherwise, it will definitely get wet in the water rafting activity. 

There are also shower rooms in the meetup spot that you can use before and after the activities. There are separate shower areas for both men and women, and towels will be provided to you. 

What to Expect

• Insurance is covered for travelers aged 5 to 65 years old.
• Guides can take photos and videos for you using their own gadgets.
• You may opt to buy these photos and videos from the company for USD40. They will send these to your email.

Swings

• There are 7 swings to try in the area.
• There are nests and lounge spots for photoshoots.
• Travelers can take as much time as they want in this area.

Rafting

• The rafting activity will take 2 and a half to 3 hours. 
• There will be 29 rapids that the raft will pass

ATV

• The track is mostly muddy and wet

Can anyone join these activities?

Unfortunately, there are some restrictions to these activities:

• This is not recommended for pregnant women
• This is not suitable for people with heart problems or other serious health conditions
• This is not suitable for people on wheelchairs
• This is recommended only for travelers aged 5 to 65 years old

How much are the fees?

Adults aged 12 to 65 years old have to pay USD98 per person, while kids aged 5 to 11 have to pay USD51.

 These fees are inclusive of a buffet lunch, free flow coffee and tea, free hotel pickups and dropoffs, welcome drinks, insurance, locker rooms, towels, shampoo, and soap in the shower rooms.

Watch the teaser to our Surya Bintang Adventures here!

Once your group is finished depositing your things in the crate, you can ride the jeep again to go to your designated activity. In our case, our first stop is the Giant Swings. Let’s go!!

Bali Swing

Your trip to Bali will not be complete without trying Bali’s giant swing. This is one of the most fascinating signature attractions in Bali. There are many giant swings in Bali, but the one that we went to is super spectacular because of the view that you will see while you are swinging. 

First, you need to climb up numerous steps – probably hundreds of them– to go to the top of the cliff where the giant swings are. We were so fortunate that just weeks before, Emman and I went to the gym every day, which made our legs prepared for the difficult and unsteady steps that we climbed. We did not know that there would be a challenging flight of stairs to climb, and we are so happy that we got to work out prior to our trip. So, a big tip: prepare your legs for going up and down rough and big steps if you are going to the giant swings. 

Is it worth doing?

Once you reach the top, you will see the giant swing in the middle of lush greenery. You will be rewarded with breathtaking and awe-inspiring panoramic views of beautiful treetops, cascading waterfalls, and the river valley.

Is it worth doing? — YES! 

But I understand your apprehension. It must be scary looking at the photo and imagining yourself on the swing. Well, it is a lot scarier when the swing is right in front of you! 

I actually almost did not do it because I have a tremendous fear of heights. But I did it because my 5-year-old was cheering me on and I did not want her to think of her mother as a scaredy cat! 

It was the scariest thing that I did in my entire life so far! At that point, I surrendered my life to the ropes holding the swing and the harness keeping me to the swing. I literally muttered a silent prayer that if it would be the end of me, oh God, take care of my daughter please! It was not an exaggeration! 

But, yes, it was worth doing! It was just as scary as hell because I imagined the worst case, but once you are on the swing with eyes open (I closed my eyes for the first part of the ride), oh my the view was just spectacular! 

Don’t be fooled by the way I screamed while on the swing. I really enjoyed my time there (lol wink wink). 

What else is in here?

Aside from the giant swing, there are also different built structures that are good for photoshoots.  There are nests, lounge couches, and others that will give you a good view of the forests in the background. Check out our family photos below. 

Amazing view, right?

Also Read: Top Things to Do in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka

Ayung River Rafting

The next part of the adventure is rafting at Ayung River. This is an exhilarating experience as there are big and small rapids waiting for you in the river. It will begin with a short orientation from your raft’s designated guide. Each raft can sit up to 6 people and comes with a guide. In our case, we were seated with honeymooners from South Korea, who were also up for an adventure.

Our guide gave us instructions prior to the activity. Whenever the water is smooth, we should keep our paddles upright. He also instructed us how to move the paddles every time we needed to move forward, backward, and  to stop. The most important of all is to hold the ropes tight every time there was a big wave in front of us. This is to keep us in our seats. We also had to make sure that our life vests and helmets are securely fastened all the time. 

This 2-hour rafting adventure offers two options: the advanced or the easy track. Since we were with a kid, we chose the easy one. But it was not all easy and smooth throughout! There were big rapids that we sailed through, and there were times when we almost got out of the raft if not for the ropes we were holding tightly to! Of course, Tala was tucked between me and Emman so she’s safe in her seat. 

Halfway through the adventure, we stopped for some refreshments and for a toilet break. There are chips, crackers, water, soda, and beer that you can buy from the store.

This adventure was definitely one for the books! We enjoyed it so much, especially with the amazing view, the surprise waterfalls, and the thrilling experience throughout the ride.

We were a bit scared especially when there were big rapids in front of us and our guide would shout instructions at us. Tala was really scared, especially in the steep slide towards the end of the adventure, but she gave the rafting activity an overall rating of 9/10 because it was one hell of a fun adventure for a 5-year-old city girl! 

Tips for Ayung River Rafting

• Leave your essentials (money, keys, etc) in the crate at the meetup point. Otherwise, these might get wet or get lost during the ride.
• Bring a waterproof bag in case you want to bring your cellphone with you. You may opt to bring a small amount of money should you want to buy snacks from the stores by the riverbanks.  
• Put your phones in special waterproof cases so these are kept dry all the time. 
• Stay focused and listen to the guide at all times.
• Enjoy the ride and the view! 

Read also: What can you see in the Batu Caves, Malaysia?

ATV Ride

The last part of the Surya Bintang Adventures is the ATV ride. This is a thrilling activity that will bring you to rugged terrains, muddy trails, and water-filled canals while riding a quad bike, or an ATV (all-terrain vehicle). 

Once you get there, the guides will greet you, prepare your boots and helmet, and ask you if you want a single ATV or a tandem ATV ride. A single ATV ride means that you will use only one ATV, which is ideal for a max of 2 people per quad bike. On the other hand, a tandem ATV means that you will use 2 or more quad bikes for your group. In our case, we chose a single ATV for all 3 of us. 

Before we started the ride, the guides let Emman try the quad bike’s mechanisms first – how to maneuver, how to reverse, how to stop, and how to accelerate on sloppy parts of the route. Emman said the handlebars are heavy and hard to move from side to side. Good thing he was able to get the hang of it before our actual ride began!

During the entire ride, we were following where the ATV of our guides was going. They took photos and videos of us along the way. We passed through villages, rice fields, hillsides, and water-soaked canals!

Tips for the ATV ride

• Leave your essentials (money, keys, etc) in the crate at the meetup point. Otherwise, these might get wet or get lost during the ride.
• Opt to wear the boots provided by the guides so as to prevent your shoes from getting splashed with water or mud.
• Try the quad bike first and get a feel of how it works. You can always opt to switch to another quad bike before the ride starts if you feel that the first one you tried is a bit iffy.  
• Keep a little distance from your ATV’s guide in front of you so you can see how they prepare for each turn or acceleration. Some inclined parts need great momentum from the ATV to successfully reach the top. 
• Stay focused and listen to the guide at all times.
• Enjoy the ride and the view! 

That’s it for the ATV! Stay tuned for the more of our adventures in Bali, Indonesia!

Remember, this is Team Tala Travels! Watch our videos and pictures on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok!

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