Indonesia

Indonesia, in a few days

From Ubud to the Gili islands by way of south Bali and Nusa Penida: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Ubud

Days 1-3

The cultural centre of Bali, set between terraced rice fields and temples. Carvers, dancers and the monkey forest are all within a few streets.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Rice terraces and temples, guidedFull day · from €40
  A day through the Tegalalang terraces and the water temples, with someone who can explain the subak irrigation that feeds them.
• Balinese cooking classHalf day · from €25
  Half a day that starts at the market and ends at the table, grinding the spice paste by hand.

✦ Free to visit

• The Tegalalang rice terraces
• The monkey forest
• Tirta Empul, from outside
• Ubud market

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Pondok Bambu ↗ (€15 a night) · Mid-range: Bisma Eight ↗ (€120 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Sayan ↗ (€650 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Ubud on GetYourGuide

2

South Bali (Uluwatu)

Days 4-5 · 🛵 Road 1h30

The southern tip of the island: the Uluwatu temple on a cliff seventy metres above the sea, surf beaches below, and long evenings facing west.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Surf lesson at CangguHalf day · from €30
  A morning on a soft board in beach break waves, which is where everyone on this coast starts.
• Uluwatu temple and the kecak danceHalf day · from €25
  The clifftop temple in the late afternoon, then the kecak, chanted by a circle of men with no instruments at all.

✦ Free to visit

• Seminyak and Canggu beaches
• Uluwatu temple
• The sunsets
• The cafe scene

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: PinkCoco Uluwatu ↗ (€50 a night) · Mid-range: Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa ↗ (€110 a night) · Luxury: Alila Villas Uluwatu ↗ (€600 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in South Bali (Uluwatu) on GetYourGuide

3

Nusa Penida

Days 6-7 · ⛴️ Speedboat 45 min

A rough island of cliffs and manta rays, forty minutes away by speedboat. Kelingking beach is the shape everyone recognises before they arrive.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Island tour, Kelingking includedFull day · from €35
  A day by car and rough track around Nusa Penida, taking in Kelingking, Broken Beach and the west coast viewpoints.
• Snorkelling with manta raysHalf day · from €40
  Half a day at Manta Point, where rays of three or four metres across come in to be cleaned.

✦ Free to visit

• Kelingking beach
• Broken Beach
• Angel's Billabong
• The clifftop viewpoints

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: The Penida Project ↗ (€15 a night) · Mid-range: Coco Resort Penida ↗ (€45 a night) · Luxury: Bay Shore Huts ↗ (€250 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Nusa Penida on GetYourGuide

4

The Gili Islands

Days 8-10 · ⛴️ Fast ferry 2h

Three small islands off Lombok with no cars on them at all. Turtles feed in the shallows, and everything moves at the speed of a bicycle.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Three-island snorkelling trip, with turtlesFull day · from €30
  A boat day around Trawangan, Meno and Air, stopping where the green turtles graze.
• Two dives off Gili Trawangan2 dives · from €60
  Two tanks on the reefs and the underwater statues, in water that sits around 28 degrees.

✦ Free to visit

• The beaches of Gili Trawangan
• No cars, only bicycles
• The sunsets
• The swings out over the water

🛏️ Where to sleep · Mid-range: Pearl of Trawangan ↗ (€120 a night) · Luxury: Ombak Sunset ↗ (€200 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in The Gili Islands on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

A scooter, and the island boats · A scooter or a hired driver on Bali, then speedboats out to Nusa Penida and the Gilis.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Nasi goreng: fried rice, the national dish, eaten at any hour.
• Satay: grilled skewers under a peanut sauce.
• Rendang: beef cooked down for hours with coconut and spice.
• Gado-gado: blanched vegetables and egg, dressed with peanut again.
• Coffee, and tropical fruit worth the detour: mangosteen, and durian if you dare.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Check the scooter and the helmet before you rent, and carry the right licence.
• Cover shoulders and knees in temples: a sarong is usually lent at the gate.
• Bottled water, and change money in a bank rather than at a street booth.
• Walk around the canang offerings on the pavement, never over them.

Words that help

English ↔ Indonesian

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/indonesia

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.