If you want to head to Java from Bali, the best way to go from Ubung bus Terminal which is located outside the Kuta and Seminyak. For us, we hired a driver from Ubud to Ubung bus terminal for 200k rupiah.
There are actually two bus terminals in Bali, Ubung Terminal and Mengwi. Most of the locals only talked about the Ubung terminal. I googled up the Mengwi Terminal and I'm thankful that we didn't choose to go there. Here is why and why .
Ubung Terminal. Don't expect much, just a shelter to rest. No ticket counters present.
Our initial plan was to catch a 9am bus from Ubung Terminal to Probolinggo (10 hour bus ride) but we only found out that there are actually no specific timings for buses leaving Ubung Terminal. The officers at the counter were not helpful and we were skeptical ourselves hence we asked the local people around the terminal before committing to the ticket.
It costed us 175k rupiah each , including the ferry ride and a crappy meal at some roadside restaurant in Situbondo town. Our bus final destination was actually Surabaya but the buses here will wait for the bus to be filled up with people going to other destinations along the way. We waited for 2 hours, 11am, before departing to Probolinggo.
While waiting for our bus to depart, I took the opportunity to talk to the other passengers. We were relieved that a few other people were also heading to Probolinggo town and they mentioned that this was the only way to get to Java island.
Some tips/things to note :
- Bus ticket fares are fixed. Do make sure to ask them to show you the ticket cost price instead of them quoting you. We were shown 175k rupiah by one of the vendors but after walking around to source for information, another lady from the same vendor told us the ticket price is 200k rupiah. Spotted the discrepancy and asked why is there a difference.
- No toilet breaks. However, you can use the toilets at the Ketapang ferry. The bus will take the ferry across, reducing the hassle of buying separate ferry tickets. You can buy food on the ferry as well.
- People are helpful! Guess all the other passengers were equally lost as us on the bus ride and we got tips for our Bromo Trip from a good samaritan. He even asked the bus driver to stop us directly in front of our hotel.
- You can stop at Bayuwangi town to go to Ijen Crater. A number of passengers on our bus did that
- Ubung - Gilimanuk (Ketapang Ferry) - 3 hours
- Ferry ride across to Java - 1 hour
- Bayuwangi to Probolinggo town ( Mt Bromo) - 6 hours
- Probolinggo to Surabaya (Final Destination) - 2.5 hours
I'll continue to write about travelling up to Mt Bromo later!
