Bali is incredibly popular and when you're on it Indonesian When you arrive on the island you will immediately notice why. The Balinese culture can be tasted literally and figuratively on every street corner, the food is great, the locals are nice & helpful, you can get the nicest souvenirs there and of course don't forget the beautiful and versatile nature that it island has to offer. I have now been to Bali 3 times and have had enough experiences to put together this article for you. This is our ultimate Bali itinerary!
Day to Day Bali Itinerary
Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan (Day 1 to 3)
You start your Bali itinerary with probably the highlights of your trip. Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan are 2 beautiful small islands next to the large island of Nusa Penida. The 2 islands are connected by a bridge. You can see both islands by scooter in about 1 day. Does Bali + scooter riding in one sentence make you nervous? I understand. But on the Nusas this is different. There are long not so many tourists which makes riding a scooter easy to do. Another big difference between mainland Bali and the Nusa's is the water. Where you can discover black beaches in Bali, you will find in the Nusa's pearly white beaches with clear blue water† Really wow!
A holiday to Bali doesn't have to be expensive. Various budget airlines such as TUI and D-Reizen...
- Cheapest providers for Bali
- Including flight, hotel & transfer
- Fantastic price/quality ratio
- Really get away from it all
Things to Do in Nusa Lembongan & Ceningan | 9 Tips
1. Visit the Blue Lagoon and be amazed by the bluest water!
2. Take a dip in the pool before starting your smoothie bowl at Sea Breeze
3. Visit the cliffs next to the Blue Lagoon
4. View the sunset at Devils Tear
5. Drive over the Yellow Bridge
6. Go snorkelling or diving
7. Visit the mangrove on Nusa Lembongan
8. Go beach hopping!
9. Have dinner at Papa Taros or at Dipha Vibes hostel & restaurant
Tips to stay:
Lemongan Hostel – nice when you want to meet other travelers. incl. swimming pool.
Dayung Villas – lovely, small-scale complex. incl. swimming pool.
Nusa Penida (Day 4 to 6)
An absolute must-do for your travel route through Bali – After a boat trip of less than 15 minutes you are at Nusa Penida. A super large island that isn't 1,2,3 to explore, but it's oh-so-worth it! The downside is that the sights are not that close to each other so you need at least 2 full days to explore it. In 2018 I explored the island by taking a private driver (you can share this amount with other travelers who come along). The roads were very bad at the time. But I have heard that they have renewed the roads towards the end of 2019 and that it is now doable to explore the island by scooter. Yes!
Things to Do in Nusa Penida | 7 Tips
1. Visit what makes Nusa Penida so famous: Kelingking viewpoint & beach
2. Go for a swim in a natural Infinity pool 'Angel's Billabong'
3. Snorkeling with Manta Rays
4. View the sunset at Crystal Bay
5. Visit Broken Beach
6. Go swimming at Atuh Beach
7. Enjoy the beautiful view at Diamond beach
Seminyak (Day 7 to 8)
From Nusa Penida you can take the boat back to Sanur. If you have enough time you could choose to also pack an overnight stay in Sanur, but I recommend that you continue your travel route through Bali directly to Seminyak (about an hour by taxi). With Seminyak I have a bit of a love-hate relationship† Unfortunately, it seems that almost every tourist chooses to stay in Seminyak, which makes it a busy location with a lot of tourist influence. Still I go back every time for about 1 to 2 days. The atmosphere is really nice! You could also choose to travel on to Canggu and visit Seminyak from Canggu. It is about 1 hour away from each other.
Things to Do in Seminyak | 7 Tips
1. Bintang, shisha & sunset at La Placha Beach Bar & Restaurant
2. Chill out for a day at Potato Head Beach Club
3, Have lunch at Kynd Community
4. Get a tattoo as a permanent souvenir
5. Try a smoothie bowl at Nalu Bowls
6. Go for a day shopping† Seminyak is perfect for this!
Canggu (Day 9 to 10)
In Canggu you immediately taste a completely different atmosphere! Canggu is a real one in my opinion food lovers walhalla and should therefore not be missing from your travel route through Bali. It's unbelievable how many restaurants you can find here. Italian, Thai, Moroccan, Japanese, Vietnamese, Vegan† You won't want for anything here!
Things to Do in Canggu | 10 Tips
1. Spend your day at a beach club like La Brisa, Finns or The Lawn
2. Go (or learn) to surf!
3. Watch the sunset at Pura Tanah Lot . Temple Complex
4. Visit it black beach Pasut Beach
5. Ride around on your scooter and enjoy the beautiful environment
6. Spend your Monday evening at Luigis
7. You can contact . on all other evenings during the week old mans for a dance and drink(s)
8. Go souvenir shopping at Love Anchor
9. Eat locally at Warung Bu Mi (best Indonesian food ever!)
10. Watch the sunset at echo beach
Tip to stay:
Water Born Bali – A stone's throw from Warung Bu Mi, Love Anchor & Luigis. incl. swimming pool!
Ubud (Day 11 to 12)
For maximum 75 IDR per day you rent a scooter in Bali. If you want to rent your scooter for a longer period of time, you can haggle until about 50 IDR per day† Only do this if you have enough years of driving experience and are confident on a scooter. The traffic from Canggu to Ubud is not easy. Another option is to take a taxi or a shared minivan ride. The journey to Ubud will take approximately 1 hour depending on traffic. In Ubud you will be immersed in the culture and beautiful nature that Bali has to offer. There are several temples and you can visit the most famous rice fields find!
Things to Do in Ubud | 8 Tips
1. Visit the Tegalalang rice fields
2. Do a Balinese cooking workshop
3. Attend a Balinese ceremony in a temple
4. Go to the around sunset Campuhan Ridge Walk
5. Stroll the Ubud Market
6. Go monkey spotting in (near) Monkey Forest
7. Swing overlooking the rice fields at the Bali Swing
8. Visit the Pura Tira Empuul Temple
Also read: Bali | 10x the best things to do in Ubud
Bedugul (Day 13 to 14)
From Ubud you are in Bedugul within 1 hour. I had actually never heard of Bedugul. I was looking for an accommodation near the Leke Leke waterfall and then I came across Pondok Nyoman from. What a lovely location! The village of Bedugul consists of 1 street that is surrounded by a beautiful area of rice fields with high mountains in the background† When you eat at one of the restaurants you can enjoy this for hours. Another great advantage of Bedugul is that it is super centrally located! From this place you can a lot of sights .
Things to Do in (near) Bedugul | 6 Tips
1. Visit the beautiful Leke Leke waterfall
2. Not enough of this one waterfall yet? Choose from one of these 10 waterfalls
3. Visit the famous Ulun Danu Beratan, a temple located on a lake
4. Drive to the Twin Lake Viewpoint
5. Take a photo for Instagram at the Handara Gate Bali
6. Take a tour and climb Mount Batur during the sunrise
Amed (Day 15 to 16)
From Bedugul you are in Amed after 2,5 hours. When you travel this route by scooter, make sure you set your navigation to 'car' instead of 'motorbike', then you will avoid driving for hours through the middle of nowhere, just like us. The route to Amed is quite simple, when you get to the main road it is a long road straight ahead without too much traffic. So you can enjoy everything around you! Amed is a cozy place on the coast where you will have some fun. After 2 days of enjoyment you can take the boat from Amed to the Gili islands.
Things to Do in Amed | 6 Tips
1. Get up early and visit Bukut Cinta (viewpoint) during the sunrise for a beautiful view over the Mount Agung
2. Visit Pura Lempuyang Temple
3. Go diving or snorkelling
4. Take a tour and climb Mount Agung during the sunrise
5. Visit Tirta Gangga Water Palace
6. Get a traditional Balinese massage
A holiday to Bali doesn't have to be expensive. Various budget airlines such as TUI and D-Reizen...
- Cheapest providers for Bali
- Including flight, hotel & transfer
- Fantastic price/quality ratio
- Really get away from it all
Gili Islands (Day 17 to 20)
There is no better ending than ending your holiday on one of the Gili Islands† These islands belong to Lombok and are 1 hour away from Amed. You can easily score a boat ticket at the harbor (they often offer return options) and before you know it you are on the boat. Depending on what your wishes are, you can end your travel route through Bali at Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno of Gili Air.
Differences between the Gili Islands
Trawangan is the largest of the three Gili brothers. By the way, don't imagine too much, in 25 minutes you cycle around the island and with an hour's walk on the beach you can go a long way. They are therefore small islands, and Trawangan is the largest and also the most visited.
Gili Trawangan (Gili T)
You go to Gili Trawangan for: Parties and Magic mushroom shakes (for those who like). The many backpackers. Irish pubs, reggae bars and of course to book tours and/or some dives. Trawangan just has a real backpacker vibe, lots of young people who want to go wild every night. If this is what you're looking for, Trawangan de Gili is for you!
Gili Meno
The middle and also the quietest island of the three. Here you will find many couples, beautiful beaches and a quiet environment. There really is a honeymoon vibe here. If you don't feel like partying but just want to enjoy the beach, beautiful sunsets and beautiful sea? Then Gili Meno is the best choice.
Gili Air
Do you like beautiful beaches, a quiet vibe but not too much? Then Gili Air is the island for you. It's a bit in between the two Gili's mentioned above. There are a few more bars and pubs compared to Gili Meno, but don't expect overcrowded parties with countless drunken teenagers.
What to do on the Gili Islands |
- Insta photo at swings in water: Everyone who has been to the Gili's has of course a nice picture at one of the many beautiful swings in the water. It's a bit tacky, but secretly it's also fun. Once again I enjoyed a delicious beer, no stress!
- Local market: During the day, the square is full of vegetables, fresh fish and fruit. Once the sun goes down and night falls, the market turns into a large open-air BBQ restaurant, highly recommended if you're on the Gili's. Good food for a reasonable price, and the choice is huge.
- cosiness: The Broken Compass, a well-known name on the Gili Islands. It is a cozy hostel & bar with a European owner. A bit of swimming, drinking cocktails, chatting with other backpackers and of course table tennis!
- Snorkeling and diving: that goes without saying. it is beautiful here, although the coral especially around Gili T is not what it once was.
- Party until you weigh an ounce: the nightlife on Gili T is not bad!
Reasons to go to the Gili Islands
✓ Popular for backpackers
✓ Cozy because of the many bars
✓ Affordable
✓ Experience real 'island vibe'
✓Beautiful sunsets
✓ No cars. However, bicycles, carts and donkeys
End of travel route through Bali
From the airport in Denpasar you can fly back home or you travel on to other destinations in Indonesia such as Java, Sumatra, Lombok of Flores.
A holiday to Bali doesn't have to be expensive. Various budget airlines such as TUI and D-Reizen...
- Cheapest providers for Bali
- Including flight, hotel & transfer
- Fantastic price/quality ratio
- Really get away from it all
More travel routes?
Combine your travel route through Bali with a travel route through Indonesia† Or combine it with Malaysia, Myanmar or another beautiful country? We have on our itineraries page many more fun itineraries scattered around the world. Use it to inspiration or simply to follow in our footsteps!
