Providing the main gateway to the Indonesian island of Bali, Ngurah Rai International Airport is located along the coast between Kuta and Jimbaran. 13 kilometres south of island capital Denpasar, it’s the third busiest airport in Indonesia and offers a variety of international and domestic flights. The airport is located in the south of Bali, just a few kilometres to the white sand and luxury resorts that the island has become famous for. Transfers to destinations in Central Bali, such as Ubud, or the tranquil villages in East Bali take less than two hours. The airport is also known as Denpasar International Airport and I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
A modern international terminal opened in 2013 and handles all flights arriving from outside Indonesia. Visitors can clear customs and immigration here, and visa on arrival facilities are available for various nationalities. After exiting customs, visitors will find ATMs and a tourist information desk. The domestic terminal has been moved to the old international terminal, with all the check-in counters located on the first floor. Garuda Indonesia flights are to the left with other domestic airlines to the right after going up the escalators.
Immediately after clearing customs, international passengers will see a number of drivers working for resorts and hotels in South Bali. Beyond these, there’s a small booth where a fixed-fare taxi ticket can be purchased. Fares should be clearly marked and depend on distance, with the price per car, not per person. A slightly cheaper transfer can be found by leaving the airport and flagging down a local metered taxi, however, this does require walking through a number of taxi touts, who have a tendency to heavily overcharge. For Central Bali, there’s an air-conditioned bus service from the airport which stops in Sanur, Kuta, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua.
The new international terminal is a reflection of the growth in visitors to Bali. For 30 years, authorities had made minor expansions of Ngurah Rai International Airport, which were quickly absorbed as the airport continued to exceed its capacity. The new facilities enable the airport to handle 25 million passengers a year.