Bali: Sideman Loop

If you’re looking for a great getaway for a day or two, with some epic scenery and sights, a trip from the Kuta area to Sideman and nearby locations is a great plan. It's not an epic moto journey, but it's fast and easy and worth the minimal effort, and is easy for newbie riders looking to journey beyond the south of the island.

Only in recent years have I made the effort to explore Bali beyond the Kuta area, never having gone beyond Ubud until 2023. But thank god i finally got my mojo working, and started exploring the outer reaches of the island. Sideman is one of the latest places, and it is worth the ride, a scenic and chill place with outstanding complementary sites nearby.

Ride Details: Distance: 130 km / Duration: 4 hours / Bike: Yamaha Nmax 155 cc

Section 1: Seminyak to Sideman

On a rental Yamaha Nmax, I followed Google Maps the quickest route possible, Seminyak > Denspasar > Sanur > Sideman. This is mostly a traffic clogged, exhaust filled non-interesting ride, but you can crush the 53 km in an easy 90 mins. In planning your trip, you could look up some stops along the way (waterfalls, for example, if they stoke your fire), but I chose to put the pedal to the metal and get there fast with no stops.

Section 2: Stay at Sideman

This was my first trip to Sideman. And it was good. There's not much to do there, but that is the main prerogative. The setting is spectacular, with amazing views of Mt. Agung and terraced rice paddies. The food scene is superb, high quality, low cost. Accomodation priced seemed a bit high, but this is a new tourist hotspot (and could literally become one at any given time, given proximity to the volcano). Nature is really intact here, with sightings of snakes, many butterflies and bugs, frogs, and flowers. A friend and I stayed a couple of nights.

Section 3: Side Trips from Sideman

There are many places you can visit near Sideman, either as a day trip or on your journey here/return. A major Bali tourist attraction is Besakih Great Temple, the location of a bazillion Insta poses. It's about 60 minutes away (I didn't ride up there). My friend suggested we check out Tukad Cepung waterfall, so we rode there on the way back to Seminyak, about 40 mins. This is a cool place, notable for a waterfall into a cave (yes, another Insta fave). There was a line-up for the cave, but the rest of the site is good to explore, so no issue. I didn't get a unique model pose that looks like every other visitor's pic.

Section 4: Sideman to Seminyak

Unfortunately, even with the side-trip to the waterfal, the ride back from Sideman was no more interesting than the ride there. Most of the east side of Bali, up to Padang Bai, is pretty heavy traffic and densely populated.