10 Days in Bali: Itinerary and Guide
Updated: 3 days ago
Here is the perfect itinerary and guide for 10 days in Bali, including all my best advice for places to go, things to do, and places to eat. I highly recommend combining Bali with a trip to Lombok (to climb Mt Rinjani and visit Kuta), Java, or the Komodo Islands to get the best out of Indonesia.
Contents
How to Get Around Bali
Getting around Bali is not simple as there is next to no public transport. Your best and cheapest option is always a Grab or Gojek ride, whether that be a car or motorbike. In heavily trafficked areas (most of the island), a bike will be much faster. You can also pre-book taxis and tours through your accommodation, or through any agent on the street.
Fortunately, you don’t have to make bookings in Bali too long in advance. I was booking accommodation about 2-3 days in advance and activities 1-3 days in advance.
10 Days in Bali Itinerary Overview
Days 1-3: Uluwatu
Days 3-6: Ubud
Days 6-8: Amed
Days 8-10: Nusa Lembongan
Days 1-3: Uluwatu
I spent 2 days in Uluwatu, and that was plenty of time to see the highlights.
Things to Do in Uluwatu
Uluwatu Temple
The Uluwatu Temple is famous for its clifftop views. It costs 50,000 IDR (approx. £2.25) to enter. While the temple is small, you are mostly here for the atmosphere and walks along the clifftop. You will need to have your shoulders and knees covered to enter, and they do have coverings at the entrance. Be careful of the monkeys here as they can be vicious and steal your things!
Kecak Fire Dance
Every evening at both 6pm and 7pm is the Kecak Fire Dance. The 6pm show gets sold out very fast because it’s right at sunset which makes it a great experience. I would recommend booking in advance, but if you want to try your luck on the day, start queuing around 4:30pm. Tickets for the dance are around 100,000 IDR (approx. £5.50).
Beach
Most of the beaches in Bali you have to pay to go on, unless you are staying at a hotel on the beach. Bear this in mind when planning a beach day. If you are an experienced surfer then this is a great place, but otherwise watch out for the waves as they are very powerful.
Days 3-6: Ubud
3-4 nights in Ubud is plenty of time to get the most out of this town. It is very touristy, but the rice terraces provide a different experience to the beaches of Bali.
Things to Do in Ubud
Tirta Empul Temple
Tirta Empul Temple is the famous one where you can participate in the holy water ritual. It is very touristy and seems almost ‘put on’ for tourists - you won’t see any locals in the water (they all go at night to avoid tourists). Entrance to the temple costs 50,000 IDR (approx. £2.25) and if you want to go into the water you will have to rent clothes. I decided not to participate and just walked around. For me, the highlight was the water spring which was absolutely beautiful.
Goa Rang Reng Waterfalls
This is a waterfall near Ubud and is relatively quiet. There is a good swimming area at the top of the waterfall which is great for relaxing. It costs 20,000 IDR (approx. 90p) to visit.
Tibumana Falls
Tibumana waterfall is very picturesque and you walk through a beautiful canyon to get there. It’s also a great place to swim and not overcrowded. Tickets cost 20,000 IDR (approx. 90p). On the drive to the waterfall, you also will go on one of Bali's most iconic roads.
Bintang Wood Carving Class
This was a truly authentic experience, sitting in a family’s home and learning how to carve wood. You make something of your choice from a selection of designs, and the people there are really helpful and kind. It costs around 500,000 IDR (approx. £22.50) and is a great way to support a local family business.
Mt Batur
One of the most famous hikes on Bali is up Mt Batur. Most people drive from Ubud and do this for sunrise, so it involves a departure around 3am. You’ll get driven to the trailhead and from there it will take you between 1.5 and 2 hours to summit. It’s not necessarily a difficult hike, but it’s very crowded so that might slow you down a bit. You’ll be given breakfast at the top, which consists of bread, a banana, and hard boiled eggs, and eat that while watching the sun rise. There are a lot of people up there and it’s full of benches so plenty of places to sit down. It’s also not a completely remote place - you can see towns and buildings from the summit - so if you’re looking to get into Bali’s nature, then this isn’t the hike for you. But if you want an easy hike with a sunrise reward, then it’s worth the experience. Tour packages cost around 350,000 IDR (approx. £15.75), including transport, a guide, and the entry fee (100,000 IDR/£5.50).
Where to Eat in Ubud (Vegan friendly)
Ubud is not short of good restaurants! While they aren’t as cheap as the rest of Indonesia, here are some of my favourites:
Simply Social
Puspa’s Warung
Plant Bistro
Atman Kafe
Days 6-8: Amed
Amed is much less visited which makes for a relaxing escape from the chaos of Bali! I would recommend 2 nights here, or 3 if you want to scuba dive.
Things to Do in Amed
Scuba Diving
There are some great shipwrecks off the coast of Amed which makes for some incredible scuba diving. The Japanese shipwreck and USAT Liberty are the main ones, with the latter being huge and a really fun dive site. I went with White Sand Divers and they were great. If you don’t scuba dive, there is also some good snorkelling off the coast.
Day Trip to Ujung Water Palace and Tirta Gangga
If you have time, take a day trip to visit Ujung Water Palace and Tirta Gangga. They were relatively quiet and really beautiful places to explore.
Sunset cruise on a local fishing boat
There are some very cool narrow fishing boats in Amed which offer sunset rides on the ocean. It’s a very peaceful experience and I would recommend it!
Cooking Class
I took a cooking class at Adi Restaurant which I really enjoyed. It included a visit to a local market to pick up ingredients, and then we cooked and ate it all. There was so much food and it was all delicious. They catered well to vegetarians and vegans too.
Beaches
The beaches in Amed aren’t amazing. They are either rocky, covered in fishing boats, or private. If you can, make sure you have access to a pool.
Where to Eat in Amed (Vegan friendly)
Amed is very spread out, but here are some places that were close to where I was staying which I enjoyed:
Ibus sea view warung
Trattoria
Made Hill warung
Bukil hotel
Days 8-10: Nusa Lembongan
I chose to go to Nusa Lembongan rather than Nusa Penida because it’s more low-key and less busy. I spent 2 nights there but had 2 full days because of my arrival and departure times. You can choose to spend longer here to have beach days or do more diving!
Things to Do in Nusa Lembongan
Scuba Diving
There is a lot of scuba diving around Nusa Lembongan. You have a good chance of seeing manta rays and during the season (starting August) you can see mola mola too.
Snorkelling Trip
Whether you scuba dive or not, taking a snorkelling trip around the Lembongan and Penida hotspots is worth it. Manta point is especially popular and high chance of manta sightings there!
Devil’s Tear
Devil’s Tear is a beautiful place to see powerful waves against the rocks. You pay 25,000 IDR (approx. £1.15) to enter. Keep the ticket for later as it’s also a good place to watch the sunset and you’ll be able to show them the ticket again.
Dead Pool
Dead Pool is similar to Devil’s Tear but is free to enter and not busy at all. I was the only one there. It’s harder to find and you will have to walk through a cow field to get there, but it’s worth it!
Nusa Penida Day Trip
If you are desperate to go, day trips to Nusa Penida are really popular. Honestly, the crowds completely ruined the island for me and so it wasn’t really worth it, but decide based on what you are looking for!
Where to Eat in Nusa Lembongan (Vegan friendly)
I had a few good meals on Nusa Lembongan, and here were my favourites:
Dhipa Warung
Cookies Coffee shop and Warung
How Much Should you Budget for a 10 Days Bali Itinerary?
My daily average in Bali was £41. This does not include scuba diving, but includes all food, accommodation, transport, activities, my visa, and SIM card. Hostels in Bali are generally around £15 a night, but a few are around the £6-£10 mark. Food is much more expensive than on other Indonesian islands. Where I was paying less than £3 for meals on Java, in Bali most were around £7-£8. You will need cash to pay for pretty much everything in Bali, so make sure you always have enough.
I hope this helps you decide on how to spend your time in Bali. It is an island suffering from overtourism, so please remember to be respectful of local people, support small businesses where you can, and as always, only leave your footprints behind :)
Want more on south east Asia? See some of my other posts here:
Comments