New Tourist Attraction at Lake Batur, Kintamani, Offers Pedal Boat Riding

There is a new tourist spot at Lake Batur, in the district of Kintamani, Bangli. Its name is Batur Aqua Ride. The attraction, opened a month ago, offers relaxed pedal boating on Lake Batur. “We have pedal boats for singles (capacity one person) and tandem pedal boats (capacity two people),” said Aristya Dewi, the ticketing officer at Batur Aqua Ride, when DetikBali spoke to her at Lake Batur on Sunday (8 March 2026).

DetikBali visited Batur Aqua Ride at 11:00 Wita. Dozens of visitors were seen paddling their pedal boats a few hundred metres from the dock.

Some chose to pedal alone, others as part of a group, and some brought their partners in tandem pedal boats. Occasionally they paused to take selfies of the views of Mount Batur and Mount Abang.

Not only that, there was a sizeable queue as visitors waited for their turn. While queuing, they took selfies around the Batur Aqua Ride dock.

“Earlier there was a long queue. Visitors queued for about an hour,” said Aristya.

At 13:00 Wita, DetikBali tried pedal boating on the lake. The pedal boat is not a duck-boat often seen at some lakes in Java. It resembles a standard pedal bicycle, but uses two thick rubber floats and a long board-like prow that tapers at the front.

The single-seater pedal boat is sea-blue. The tandem pedal boat is pink. There is a propeller connected to the rear pedal area underneath the boat.

Operating it is the same as riding a regular pedal bicycle. However, the pedal boat has no brakes. To stop or reverse, the rider simply pedals backwards.

The tandem’s pedal cranks and the underwater fins can be moved independently, like two bikes joined into one.

“Turn left or right, the handlebars are steered at about 45 degrees. If you want to reverse, just pedal backwards,” explained Aristya.

Pedalling a pedal boat on Lake Batur is not overly strenuous. Only the wind can sometimes blow quite hard, making pedalling a bit tougher.

Visitors may slow-drift to the left when wind blows from the west or from Lake Batur toward Mount Abang. Yet this is part of the fun of pedal boating on Lake Batur. “Don’t panic, stay calm. No need to rush. This is a relaxed pedal boat,

” Aristya advised.

Aristya said Batur Aqua Ride provides four tandem pedal boats and 15 single-seat pedal boats. All visitors must wear a life jacket provided at the counter before selecting a boat.

Ticket prices differ for local visitors and foreign visitors. Local or Indonesian visitors pay Rp 100,000 per person for a one-hour session.

Visitors can also request an escort or guide for an additional Rp 10,000. The escort will accompany and document the experience using the visitor’s personal device.

“If guests are foreigners, the ticket price is Rp 550,000 plus Rp 10,000 if they use a guide. All visitors receive free mineral water and a locker at the counter,” Aristya explained.

Batur Aqua Ride is open every day except Nyepi Day. It opens from 08:00 Wita to 16:00 Wita. On Nyepi Eve, the attraction closes at 15:00 Wita.

“Visitors must not eat, drink, or smoke while pedal boating on the lake. This is part of our standard operating procedure,” Aristya said.

“Visitors will also be prohibited from pedal boating during heavy rain and must wait until the rain stops,” she added.

Eni and Agung Putra, two visitors from Denpasar, said it was their first time pedal boating at Batur Aqua Ride. Eni admitted she was a bit tense because she seldom pedals on a lake.

“It was a bit tense earlier. Not because of the wind, but because it is rare to pedal on a lake,” Eni said.

Agung agrees. He often visits Lake Batur and thus was not too tense about pedal boating at Batur Aqua Ride.

“I learned about Batur Aqua Ride on TikTok. But the wind was a bit strong today, so I just rode with the wind,” he said.

(iws/iws)