9 Days in Bali: An Itinerary

It seems like I’m just back from my trip to Sri Lanka, but I was lucky enough to go and explore Bali in Indonesia 6 weeks later, for 9 days with a long time school friend – which I was not going to miss such a great opportunity to do!

If you have read some of my other itineraries, they are always very jam packed and I usually have suggestions about how I would have conducted the trip if I had more time on my hands. However, this Bali itinerary is a reasonably paced itinerary and something that I feel anyone could achieve!

Of course there is always the option of condensing activities down, or spending less time on beaches and more time actively exploring, but to experience the true beauty of what this island has to offer, I feel you have to add in some relaxation time. Believe it or not, this is one of the few trips I have done where I genuinely feel I didn’t over exert myself and scheduled in time to relax, without feeling I was missing out on seeing anything.

THE ITINERARY

Day 0: Travel Day

My flight from London got into Densepar, Bali at 00:25 and I had arranged with the hotel to be picked up directly from the airport and taken to the hotel in Ubud (approx 1 hour away).

TIP: There is not much to see or do in Densepar from a tourist point of view, it is more used for the businesses and companies of Bali. At the end of the trip I went to Seminyak which is only 30 minutes from the airport, which is another option to start your trip if you would like less travel time on arrival. Personally, the reason I chose to start with Ubud was because this is where a lot of my active exploring would occur and I love doing that at the beginning of a trip and then using the end of the trip to relax.

Day 1: Ubud Town Exploring

Top things to see in Ubud (within walking distance)

- Puri Saren Palace

- Ubud Market (don’t be afraid to barter, you can usually get a third off the initial asking price!). There is a great array of clothing, coconut related crockery, Indonesian teas and coffees, accessories; basically just about anything!

- Campuhan Ridge Walk; a lovely easy walk which can take 20-40 minutes one way (depending on pace and how far you decide to walk along) through the rice paddies. Take advantage of some local cafes en route and try some fresh fruit juice.

- Ubud Rice Fields (about a 10 minute walk from the main street in Ubud). We didn’t do the rice fields on this day, as due to a late night we had got up later and then also spent time at the hotel pool.

Day 2: Ubud Monkey Forest and Cooking Class

- We spent the morning at the Ubud Monkey Forest, which depending on where your accommodation is, you can walk easily or get a driver. This is one of Ubud’s biggest attractions, but we found out you need to be on your guard with the monkeys, as although they look cute – their attitude can change quickly. We spent approx 1.5-2 hours here. TIP: Don’t bring in a rucksack if you can help it. If you do then padlock the zips as the monkeys know how to get in. Monkeys will sometimes jump on you in hope to get food, stay still and walk slowly away and they should jump off of you (or a local will help you out). If you aggregate a monkey then they have been known to bite – there are plenty of medical centres available in Ubud if this happens, and you must get a rabies injection.

- In the afternoon we had booked onto a Balinese Farm Cooking Class. There are plenty you can do in the city, however we booked one online (it can be found here). I would highly recommend booking this cooking school. It is a 5 hour excursion and they pick you up from your hotel and take you to the Ubud countryside where you start the cooking school with picking your own organic vegetables and learning about the food items grown on the island. You then spend time preparing and cooking 6 Balinese dishes (2 starters, 3 main courses and 1 dessert). You work in pairs with your own cooking station and there are regular, vegetarian and vegan options to choose from.

Day 3: Mount Batur

- Completing the Mount Batur Volcano Sunrise Trek, was the highlight of this trip and is a MUST DO for anyone exploring this island. You get picked up at your hotel around 02:00am and drive to the starting point Mount. Escorted with local guides, you complete a 2 hour hike to the summit of Mount Batur, reaching 1717m above sea level. The beginning of the hike is a gentle inclined stroll, however as you near the top the terrain is slightly more tricky, varying from uneven rocks to a gritty sand-like path. If you have a good level of fitness then this hike is not one to be worried about, and even if you are unsure about your fitness abilities – I saw all ages and abilities complete the hike and because you are in a group with local guides, no one gets left behind. You make it to the top for sunrise and it is magnificent and makes your trek up the Volcano worth every moment. On the excursion we booked, it included a coffee plantation tour afterwards, where they explained how traditional Balinese coffee is produced and you get to try numerous samples. You are then brought back to your hotel between 11:00am-12:00pm. The excursion we booked is linked here, but there are plenty of opportunities to book your excursion in country as well.

- It was on this afternoon that we strolled around the Ubud Rice Fields as described in Day 1’s plan.

Day 4: Beauty outside of Ubud and The Yoga Barn

- From 09:00am until 14:00pm we had hired a private driver to take us to Istana Tampak Siring/ Hot Spring Water Temple so that we could experience some of the Hindu temples. There is a small entrance fee of 10,000 IDR (50 pence). TIP: We originally were going to do but we were advised against it as the locals there do not like the tourists and will insist on a separate entrance fee for each part of the temple. After this we visited the Tegallaleng Rice Terraces and the Tegenungan Waterfall. TIP: In rainy season it is not always possible to swim in the waterfalls because of the dirt and debris that is carried into the water as a result of heavy rains.

- In the afternoon we headed to the Yoga Barn (one of the most famous in the world) and booked onto a yoga class. They have classes everyday, starting almost every 30 minutes (find the timetable here). There are lots of different studios conducting 1.5 hour yoga classes and they have advertised the level of ability the classes are (we did a beginners one, as I don’t do yoga very often and my balance and flexibility is something I need to work on!). A one off class costs around £6.50, but if you are very keen on yoga – you can buy bulk packages which make each class cost less. I really enjoyed the yoga class, and it is set in beautiful jungle surroundings which really adds to the whole experience. TIP: They also have a great cafe called ‘The Garden Kafe’, which serves all raw and vegan dishes. They also wash all their foods in bottled water, which means this is a safe place to get a salad or stock up on your veggies if you have been missing them!

Day 5: Gili Trawangan

- To arrange a transfer to Gili T, you will need to ask around stalls and tourism stands in whichever place you are staying. You can often arrange the same company to complete a shuttle bus from your hotel to Padang Bai (the harbour), a return fast boat, and a shuttle to your next destination when you arrive back into Bali – all in the one price. We were very lucky and got all of this for 500,000 IDR (£25) per person. However usually you will be paying 700,000 to 1 million each.

- Once settled into our hotel, we used bicycles to cycle to the beach where we sunbathed and also planned to go to the sea turtle hatchery (however they had just let the turtles into the sea the day before!) and to the famous pandawa swing to watch the sunset. Due to the recent earthquake in Lombok 2 months ago, the famous night market no longer exists, however there are still some local food stalls on the street outside with seating areas, where we enjoyed some very tasty Indonesian food, freshly prepared for a very cheap price.

Day 6: Gili Trawangan and Snorkelling Trip

- Snorkelling Trips around the 3 Gili Islands is a very common thing to do and is a great way to explore what the Indonesian Ocean has to offer. There are multiple snorkelling trips advertised throughout the island, so premature booking is not necessary. We booked ours with our hotel on arrival for 125,000 IDR (approx £6) per person. My highlight of this half day boat trip was being taken to turtle point and having the opportunity to swim with wild turtles; it was just an amazing experience (and one I wish I had a waterproof camera for!).

- Other activities we completed in Gili T were: Stand up paddle boarding (costs 100,000 IDR per board for 1 hour), Gili T viewpoint (a little underwhelming but you could see all 3 Gili Islands at once!), watching the sunset at Pink CoCo Beach Bar on Sunset Beach and then (because neither of us are big drinkers) watching free open air movies on the beach at Aston Sunset Beach Resort. TIP: If going out and partying is your style then Gili T is one of the best places to embrace that! There are plenty of bars, clubs and happy hours to choose from!

Day 7: Travel day and Seminyak

- We headed back from Gili T all the way to Seminyak, which because of traffic we did not arrive until 15:30. After we had freshened up from the travel sweats, we went a walk along the beach and watched the sunset at La Plancha Beach Bar and then afterwards looking through some of the local market stalls and shops for any more goodies for ourselves and for presents for back home.

Day 8: Seminyak Beach and Ulawatu

- A morning spent relaxing and sunbathing on Seminyak Beach and then having the most amazing lunch at Cafe Organic, Seminyak. Here they serve smoothie bowls, smoothies, chia cups, array of brunch items and salads. It is a little more pricey (for Bali) but is so worth it!

- We then hired a driver (the same one that we had in Ubud) to take us to the GWK statue (Great statue of eagle and Wisnu God) and to Ulawatu Temple in the afternoon. The GWK statue was fairly overrated in my personal opinion. It costs 125,000 IDR entry and although it covers a large space of land, there is not a lot to do when you are actually there. TIP: Ask your driver if there is a good viewpoint of the statue, without having to pay entry fee to actually go inside. At the Ulawatu Temple, we paid (100,000 IDR per person) to watch a 1 hour traditional Balinese Kechak Play and Dance in the amphitheatre within the temple grounds, with the sun setting in the background. We really enjoyed this play as not only did it give some education on culture, but it was comedic, easy to follow and had elements of audience participation.

Day 9: Seminyak and Mrs Sippy Beach Club

- Now I told you at the start of this blog post that part of the experience of Bali is to relax! The Seminyak (and other coastal areas) have plenty of beach clubs which was an aspect we wanted to experience. The most famous is Potato Head Beach Club (as international DJ’s will often come here), however this was closed for a private event, so we headed to Mrs Sippy beach club. We chose this one as my friend had heard good reviews and we loved the fact that the pool is salt water rather than chlorine. To give you an idea on price, at this specific beach club we paid 100,000 IDR entry (approx £5), and then set up on a day bed which you were required to have a minimum spend of 600,000 IDR (approx £30) between you, throughout the day. To spend this isn’t hard as the prices are not typical Balinese prices. However we felt it was worth it because we stayed from 10:00am until 17:00pm, and enjoyed the pool, sunbathing, food and general relaxation (also they have some pretty cool floating beanbags in the pool!).

- My taxi for my flight home was at 22:30pm, so I tried out a Balinese massage in the evening as Bali is famous for it’s spas and also it costs the equivalent of £4 for a massage (!!)

FINAL POINTS

- Think about the time of year you go, I went in November which is the start of the rainy season – luckily we only experienced rain in the evening in Ubud, but this could limit some activities if you go during this time.

- There is no public transport in Bali. To get around, you must either have a private driver or rent of motorcycle. For a private driver to complete a full day excursion, do not pay any more that 500,000 IDR (£25.00).

- Beware of ‘Bali Belly’. Western stomachs cannot handle foods which have been washed in local water, which means we are likely to be ill if we eat raw salads. Therefore only eat cooked vegetables, unless your salad comes from a trustworthy cafe (like The Yoga Barn, Ubud’s Garden Kafe).

- Mount Batur is a must-do! Trust me, it’s worth it when you get to the top!

- Don’t be surprised at how the Lombok earthquake affected the Gili Islands. Although the death rate wasn’t so high to be well publicised, it showed considerable damage to buildings, structures and beaches. There is still a lot of rubble at the sides of the road, parts of the island which have been flattened and debris on the beach – as well as the pier being non existent! However the locals on the island are working so very hard to rebuild their island in time for high season, in order to welcome the tourists. It is still worth going and is important to remember, that without continual tourism, the island will struggle to make the money to continue rebuilding.

- Make the most of trying Indonesian Food. You’ll find that places that start with ‘Warung’ means local, so they will not charge tax. However do read reviews prior to going to any Warung’s to ensure food is good and there is a safe cleanliness level. My personal favourites were ‘Gado-Gado’ (steamed vegetables, tofu, tempeh, egg, potato and peanut sauce), Indonesian curry and Balinese green crepes (made green by the pandan leaf and stuffed with palm sugar and shredded coconut).

Happy Travelling!

Ruth xxx