English | The Ashram | How to visit

Please note: During your stay at the ashram you need to wear a sarong at all times.

There is a lovely selection of sarongs to buy in the ashram shop.

Smoking and consumption of alcohol is not allowed within the ashram compound.

How to book your stay

Please e-mail [email protected] (or phone the ashram) a month or so before arriving with your accomodation preference and arrival details - name, date, airline, time and flight number. During busy times not all room types may be available, so it is strongly advised to book in advance. Once we receive your flight details, we consider your reservation as confirmed, but please confirm your visit again around a week before arriving. We can arrange for an airport transfer for a fee of around £34 / €43 / AUD 60 / IDR 600,000 one way.

A minimum stay of five days is mandatory for first-time visitors.

      

Transfer from/to the airport

The ashram is around a 2-hour journey from Denpasar airport. On arrival at the airport, a driver will wait for you at the meeting point, holding a Ratu Bagus Ashram sign. The airport transfer fee is around IDR 600,000 one way payable in the ashram on arrival. This can be shared if there are several people in your party. If at all possible, please arrange your flights in such a way that your arrival is no later than 11 pm and your departure no earlier than 9 am. We can occasionally arrange for a late night arrival or drop-off, but there will be an additional charge payable to the driver.

Visa requirements

Please note: Your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months from date of leaving Indonesia.

The Indonesian government has waived visa fees for most Asian and European countries. For these countries applies: if you are intending to stay for less than 30 days, you do not need a visa to enter Indonesia, but you cannot extend your stay beyond 30 days. If you are thinking of extending your stay beyond 30 days and up to 60 days, you can still buy a 30-day Visa on Arrival and extend it while you are in Indonesia. The current fee for a Visa on Arrival is IDR 375,000, payable in local currency.

For visas for other countries, please check with the Indonesian Embassy.

In most countries, you can also apply for a 60-day tourist visa from the Indonesian Embassy in your country of residence. It is advisable to do this well ahead of your departure date. The 60-day tourist visa cannot be obtained on arrival. For the citizens of some countries, a 60-day tourist visa can be extended four times by 30 days each. Please check what applies for your country with the Indonesian Embassy before departure. In some cases, you need a sponsorship letter from an Indonesian citizen for this type of visa.

If you wish to apply for a 60-day extendable tourist visa in a country other than your country of residence, you will need a sponsorship letter. In that case, please contact the ashram at [email protected]. We may be able to assist you with such a letter.

If you intend to extend your visitor visa while in Bali, please keep the ticket and boarding pass of your incoming flight. The immigration authority will want to see both before extending your visa.

Currency

The currency of Bali is the Indonesian Rupia.

The ashram also accepts credit cards, but there is a surcharge of 3% for bank charges. It is best to pay for your stay in hard currency or via bank transfer in advance of your stay. If you choose the latter payment method, please ask for the ashram bank details when you book your stay, and tell us in which currency you want to pay. For personal expenditure, you can change money at favourable rates in town (the money changers at the airport offer the least favourable rates). Payment for items from the ashram shop and for excursions can be made in foreign currency but cannot be made via credit card so please bring some cash – Euro, AUD, US$ and GBP are accepted. In the ashram you can also change small amounts of hard currency.

There are plenty of ATMs in Bali, although the nearest one to the ashram is over 1 hour away. However many of them allow you to withdraw only small amounts of cash in one transaction. You can also cash US$ travellers cheques at some money changers and some banks, but the rate you receive is less than for cash.

To check the current currency rates, use this link for a web currency convertor:

go to The Ashram

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