Getting There & Getting Around
Public bemos come here from Singaraja, the south, and Gilimanuk in the west, stopping all along the main road. Hop on and hold on.
Pak Komang (tel. 08/1338365761) and his group of transportation friends are reliable, speak reasonable English, and are happy to organize a car and driver for tours or to take you anywhere on the island. Perama Tours (tel. 0362/41161) has two offices in Lovina (one in the Perama Hotel) and charge reasonable rates for getting around the island. Motorbikes can be rented all over town at your own risk for around Rp50,000 per day. Remember, drive with caution. Like Singaraja, no taxis are available, only private transport with cars and drivers.
Warning: Chasing the Dolphins of Lovina
Everyone in Lovina will try to sell you an early morning dolphin trip. Because of the number of people involved, these trips should now be rechristened dolphin "chasing" rather than dolphin "watching," with up to 30 very loud boats involved in the hunt. Consequently, actual sightings are becoming increasingly rare and most of the dolphins have wisely moved to other locations. Expect to pay around Rp50,000 per person for a 2-hour trip.
Another annoyance involving dolphins can be found at the somewhat commercial Melka Hotel. Here you pay US$50 for a 20-minute swim with large dolphins kept in rather small pools. Some guests (especially young women) are scared when the dolphins become overly friendly. There have been recent tales of physical and even sexual abuse by the male dolphins on unsuspecting tourists. As this is entirely out of character for the normally sweet and docile dolphin clan, one might assume that this is retribution for their wretched conditions.
Fast Facts
Lovina has two ATMs on the corner of the main road and Jalan Pantai Bina Ria but no banks. A number of Internet cafes are dotted around the village. The most reliable is Spice Link, Jl. Pantai Binaria (tel. 0362/41509; daily 8am-5pm). Coming from Singaraja, just after the traffic lights on the left hand side, is a small pharmacy and a general practitioner's surgery with a doctor on 24-hour call. The new Tourist Police office is just outside the Sunari Resort. The post office is on the main road, about 5 minutes from the village center. Open Monday to Thursday 8am to 3pm, Friday until noon, and Saturday until 1pm. A tourist information office (tel. 0362/25141) is on the main road in the center of the village and is open Monday to Thursday and Saturday 7am to 5:30pm, and Friday until 1pm.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
