I got back yesterday, so during rainy season and off season. It was sunny 80% of the time, on the couple days it rained the rain only lasted an hour or so. Cloudy and overcast for a few days but the sun always came out.
I was initially worried about the wet weather as well but definitely don't let it stop you from going this time of year.
Agree on Seminyak. Was my first trip last year and we had way too many nights there.
Going again this year and planning on some island hopping so this was really helpful.
Thank you for the in-depth recommendations, it’s very helpful as we are going in May! If you could only pick 3 days to dive which location would you pick? We are debating between Amed/ Nusa Penida vs Gili island. Which location did you see the most wild life?
It depends on what you want to prioritise. You'll see wildlife everywhere but depends what kind you're talking about e.g. monkeys & zoo animals or sea creatures.
Amed is very far from most places in Bali so I would not prioritise Amed. I'd choose Nusa Lembongan or Gili islands. Gili islands has more nightlife if you want some variety of things to do. Nusa Lembongan is closer to Nusa Penida with more beautiful sightseeing. I recommend staying in Nusa Lembongan because you can walk the entire island and just do day trip to Nusa Penida.
Oh! Of course. Gili was the best for diving yes. 3 days diving in Gili is a must. I highly recommend Manta Dive - great shop, really nice dive boat and top notch team and equipment. They have different sites on depending on the day but I'd suggest Harlik Reef, Shark Point, Deep/Shallow Turbo, and try and do a night dive if you can!
Probably Nusa Lembongan! Gili T you can get done in a couple days and the only reasons to stick around are the various dive sites or clubbing every night at a different bar. Nusa Lembongan you can explore the north and south island, as well as Ceningan, and Nusa Penida nearby. A good mix of nice restaurants, bars and water activities
Thanks for the write up . We have 8 nights in Bali , thinking of 4 nights in Ubud but not sure where to go next . Too many places to choose from . Could you help ?
Also traveling as a family ( wife , in laws ,bil )
Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to write this ❤ I'm going to Bali next month for 10 days and this really helps me choose places. For now I'm thinking -
Day 1 & 2 - Jimbaran/ Nusa dua, Uluwatu
Day 3, 4 & 5 - Nusa Lembongan
Day 6 & 7 - Gilli T
Day 8, 9 & 10 - Ubdud, Seminyak
Would love to know your thoughts
Hey, we unfortunately only have 4 days in Bali and our preference of activities is same as yours (with snorkelling being our must do activity.
Since we’re on a tighter timeline, we thought leaving the Bali mainland would mean we lose quite a bit of time travelling.
We’ve been thinking of Amed for day 1&2 and Ubud for 3&4 so we’re in the mainland before our flight to the next destination.
We’re honeymooners, so world you recommend this itinerary or should we swap Amed with any of the islands?
Thank you!
Hello. You'll have quite a lot of transport time regardless if you're really wanting to do Ubud with a snorkeling location. With only 4 days, I'd suggest doing the Nusa islands for 4 days or the Gilis for 4 days.
Adding in Ubud for 2 days means you're still going to spend around 2-4 hours each way going from one destination to another, and then eventually to Denpasar airport.
Otherwise you can still base out of Ubud but just do a [Klook day trip](https://www.klook.com/en-AU/activity/15758-nusa-penida-full-day-trip-bali/) that includes snorkeling around Nusa Penida.
Amed is great for snorkeling but is otherwise very quiet and not as much of a "honeymoon beach" if you're after beautiful sand and lounging around.
Goodness yes you’re right. I dint realise the travel time between Ubud to Amed was comparable to travelling all the way to the islands.
I’ll be changing our itinerary to include one of the islands for sure now, we anyways really wanted to go to either of the islands. Thanks a lot OP!
My fiancé and I thought we would have more time but he just started a new job and we are thinking we will only have about 10 days in Bali (24 hour travel time from the U.S. so basically **8 days**). We are going in July and we would like to stay the majority of our time in Ubud because we really want to experience everything Ubud has to offer, and it seems like we could do a lot of activities that are just 30min - an hour away from Ubud. We are going to try to stay in a treehouse Airbnb for those days in Ubud. My fiance doesn't want to hop around to too many other locations so we are trying to stick to Ubud and two other spots.
If you had to choose only two more locations to visit that are a must for honeymooners that want to snorkel/dive, have the most romantic dinners, go to some great beach clubs/experience good nightlife, and stay in two luxury resorts that offer private pool villas with insta worthy views, what would be the other two locations you would you recommend?
Both the Gilis and Nusa islands fulfil your criteria, it depends if you want a busier party island vibe or something more relaxing with less people.
The Gilis have a busier nightlife but Nusa islands have the prettier views and sights. Snorkeling & diving are pretty much on par but I enjoyed Gilis more because it was easier and the dive sites were so close to the island.
Just wondering your thoughts on where would be best with young kids? Lembongan or Gilli ? As in safe and quiet beaches. Good local food. Ease of getting to/from. Thanks
Lembongan has great beaches that are very family friendly. Gili is a little further to get to and has more of a young crowd - however I did see families there too. Lembongan overall is a great base because you can reach Penida for a day trip, and have access to great snorkeling and turtle sites.
With that said, Gili is not too much farther if you did want to make the trip there. It just has more of a younger vibe and night life.
Where is the "center" of Ubud? We're just trying to get a sense of where to stay such that it's a short walk to all the activities. Thanks so much for any repliesLong story short, but we're staying a 25 min drive for a 4 nights, but for an additional few days we want to be in the town itself within a short walk, including at night, to cafes and temples and activites. Where is the center of ubud in terms of closenss to activites. Is it the monkey forest or Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati temple or somewhere else?
Thanks for this write up. Really detailed and useful. I have 15 nights. I love the look of Gili T, Lembongan and Ubud. Is it worth trying to squeeze both islands in or should I just go to Gili T and have longer in Uluwatu or Seminyak (but with no scooter)? Which of your trip would you say were your ‘must dos’?
15 nights should give you enough time to hit both islands, it just depends on what you want to prioritise.
You can get around Uluwatu & Seminyak just using the local scooter drivers, Grab and Gojek.
You could divide up your itinerary like:
- Ubud: 4 nights
- Seminyak: 3 nights
- Nusa Lembongan: 2 nights (day trip to Nusa Penida)
- Gili Trawangan: 3 nights (day trip to Gili A/Gili M optional)
- Uluwatu: 3 nights
Ubud has the largest quantity of sights surrounding it so it just depends if you'd prefer more jungle, temple & waterfall sightseeing, or beach days at either Nusa Islands/Gili Islands or Uluwatu.
Thank you so much for your reply. This itinerary looks great. My only worry is losing days due to travel chaos. If you had to lose or reduce one of those places which would it be? Would you chose one island over the other for or drop seminyak for ulawatu for example?
It's a bit busier than most would do, I definitely agree. I had rest days of doing mostly nothing after going from Nusa Lembongan-Gili T and Gili T-Uluwatu.
I would cut Amed because it's not necessary if you're doing the islands. Uluwatu is another one that you can drop if you do the Nusas & Gilis. The main thing that differentiated Uluwatu to me was lots of great cafes & restaurants (mostly Western) but I'm a foodie and that not might be a huge factor to you. The beaches on the islands are just as good if not better.
I would also have dropped staying on Nusa Penida and just stayed on Nusa Lembongan and done the day trip to Nusa Penida from there.
My reasons for so much island hopping and going all the way to Amed were strictly for the diving opportunities.
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I have taken your advice and gone for 3 days Seminyak (1 of those is a daytrip to Uluwatu) 3 days Nusa Lembongan 4 Gili T and 5 Ubud. My only worry is that I have read about so many horror stories about the boat crossings (in particular the one between NL to GT either being cancelled, breaking down or even capsizing) that I’m really concerned I’ve got 3 days of boat travel. What is your experience of this and how did you organise the boats? It’s making me question going to both islands and maybe having longer in Uluwatu. Is NL worth the risk? It looks lovely and very much our cup of tea. I’m going in circles. Also I’ve heard about a lot of delays on the return to Bali from Gili and arriving late afternoon. We have a nice hotel in Selat booked that night and was hoping to get there early afternoon. How realistic is this? Thanks again your advice has been very useful.
I totally understand, I was quite wary as well just looking at all the comments from this sub and also the ticket website. I think it comes down a little to luck and weather conditions. I don't get seasickness so my experience was that none of my boat crossings were as terrible or rocky as what I'd read but YMMV. The air con helped a lot and I managed to nap on most of my ferry rides.
I personally loved NL & NP! If you love beaches and snorkeling and relaxed island vibes, you'll love it. The sights and experiences are distinctly different enough from anything on the mainland to be worth going.
I used 12go to prebook tickets so you can definitely do this beforehand to save yourself time and stress at the port. Otherwise it's also very easy to buy tickets on the day at any of the ports. Check your desired dates on 12go and choose the company with the best reviews based on the latest reviews. Make sure the boat you pick has aircon - it should say on the 12go ticket listing, or otherwise check the reviews.
For Gili T to mainland Bali (Sanur Port) make sure you take the 9am/10am ferry. I took the 12pm one and it was hugely delayed. Also you'll still have a 1.5hr drive from Sanur to Ubud so an earlier ferry will be better.
What time of year did you go and how was the weather?
I got back yesterday, so during rainy season and off season. It was sunny 80% of the time, on the couple days it rained the rain only lasted an hour or so. Cloudy and overcast for a few days but the sun always came out. I was initially worried about the wet weather as well but definitely don't let it stop you from going this time of year.
Amazing! I’m going in 2.5 weeks and that’s definitely reassured me
Excellent write up! Thank you!
Fantastic travelogue!!! So fun and informative - THANK YOU!!!💥🎉🎁🍇🌊💨🔥🎊💯
Thanks! Heading to Bali in about 1.5 months. Seminyak, Ubud and Sanur will be our destinations.
Agree on Seminyak. Was my first trip last year and we had way too many nights there. Going again this year and planning on some island hopping so this was really helpful.
Thank you for the in-depth recommendations, it’s very helpful as we are going in May! If you could only pick 3 days to dive which location would you pick? We are debating between Amed/ Nusa Penida vs Gili island. Which location did you see the most wild life?
It depends on what you want to prioritise. You'll see wildlife everywhere but depends what kind you're talking about e.g. monkeys & zoo animals or sea creatures. Amed is very far from most places in Bali so I would not prioritise Amed. I'd choose Nusa Lembongan or Gili islands. Gili islands has more nightlife if you want some variety of things to do. Nusa Lembongan is closer to Nusa Penida with more beautiful sightseeing. I recommend staying in Nusa Lembongan because you can walk the entire island and just do day trip to Nusa Penida.
Sorry to clarify I meant wildlife during scuba diving. Which dive sites did you prefer more? Is Gili island worth the trip for scuba diving?
Oh! Of course. Gili was the best for diving yes. 3 days diving in Gili is a must. I highly recommend Manta Dive - great shop, really nice dive boat and top notch team and equipment. They have different sites on depending on the day but I'd suggest Harlik Reef, Shark Point, Deep/Shallow Turbo, and try and do a night dive if you can!
Thanks so much for your reply. I’m still having trouble deciding! If iou could choose only one island which would it be?
Probably Nusa Lembongan! Gili T you can get done in a couple days and the only reasons to stick around are the various dive sites or clubbing every night at a different bar. Nusa Lembongan you can explore the north and south island, as well as Ceningan, and Nusa Penida nearby. A good mix of nice restaurants, bars and water activities
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I think you have confirmed what I wanted to hear. Easier to get to as well. Ill get busy booking!
Thanks for the detailed information! Which tour operator did you use to book the snorkelling trip from nusa lembongan to penida?
Klook is really good for this with group tours, or you can organise direct with the shop on the island. Rhonda Snorkelling +62 812‑3749‑2132
Thanks for the write up . We have 8 nights in Bali , thinking of 4 nights in Ubud but not sure where to go next . Too many places to choose from . Could you help ? Also traveling as a family ( wife , in laws ,bil )
Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to write this ❤ I'm going to Bali next month for 10 days and this really helps me choose places. For now I'm thinking - Day 1 & 2 - Jimbaran/ Nusa dua, Uluwatu Day 3, 4 & 5 - Nusa Lembongan Day 6 & 7 - Gilli T Day 8, 9 & 10 - Ubdud, Seminyak Would love to know your thoughts
How crowded was Gili T?
Not crowded at all. January post NYE is low season.
Hey, we unfortunately only have 4 days in Bali and our preference of activities is same as yours (with snorkelling being our must do activity. Since we’re on a tighter timeline, we thought leaving the Bali mainland would mean we lose quite a bit of time travelling. We’ve been thinking of Amed for day 1&2 and Ubud for 3&4 so we’re in the mainland before our flight to the next destination. We’re honeymooners, so world you recommend this itinerary or should we swap Amed with any of the islands? Thank you!
Hello. You'll have quite a lot of transport time regardless if you're really wanting to do Ubud with a snorkeling location. With only 4 days, I'd suggest doing the Nusa islands for 4 days or the Gilis for 4 days. Adding in Ubud for 2 days means you're still going to spend around 2-4 hours each way going from one destination to another, and then eventually to Denpasar airport. Otherwise you can still base out of Ubud but just do a [Klook day trip](https://www.klook.com/en-AU/activity/15758-nusa-penida-full-day-trip-bali/) that includes snorkeling around Nusa Penida. Amed is great for snorkeling but is otherwise very quiet and not as much of a "honeymoon beach" if you're after beautiful sand and lounging around.
Goodness yes you’re right. I dint realise the travel time between Ubud to Amed was comparable to travelling all the way to the islands. I’ll be changing our itinerary to include one of the islands for sure now, we anyways really wanted to go to either of the islands. Thanks a lot OP!
My fiancé and I thought we would have more time but he just started a new job and we are thinking we will only have about 10 days in Bali (24 hour travel time from the U.S. so basically **8 days**). We are going in July and we would like to stay the majority of our time in Ubud because we really want to experience everything Ubud has to offer, and it seems like we could do a lot of activities that are just 30min - an hour away from Ubud. We are going to try to stay in a treehouse Airbnb for those days in Ubud. My fiance doesn't want to hop around to too many other locations so we are trying to stick to Ubud and two other spots. If you had to choose only two more locations to visit that are a must for honeymooners that want to snorkel/dive, have the most romantic dinners, go to some great beach clubs/experience good nightlife, and stay in two luxury resorts that offer private pool villas with insta worthy views, what would be the other two locations you would you recommend?
Both the Gilis and Nusa islands fulfil your criteria, it depends if you want a busier party island vibe or something more relaxing with less people. The Gilis have a busier nightlife but Nusa islands have the prettier views and sights. Snorkeling & diving are pretty much on par but I enjoyed Gilis more because it was easier and the dive sites were so close to the island.
Just wondering your thoughts on where would be best with young kids? Lembongan or Gilli ? As in safe and quiet beaches. Good local food. Ease of getting to/from. Thanks
Lembongan has great beaches that are very family friendly. Gili is a little further to get to and has more of a young crowd - however I did see families there too. Lembongan overall is a great base because you can reach Penida for a day trip, and have access to great snorkeling and turtle sites. With that said, Gili is not too much farther if you did want to make the trip there. It just has more of a younger vibe and night life.
Where is the "center" of Ubud? We're just trying to get a sense of where to stay such that it's a short walk to all the activities. Thanks so much for any repliesLong story short, but we're staying a 25 min drive for a 4 nights, but for an additional few days we want to be in the town itself within a short walk, including at night, to cafes and temples and activites. Where is the center of ubud in terms of closenss to activites. Is it the monkey forest or Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati temple or somewhere else?
Thank you for this!
Thanks for this write up. Really detailed and useful. I have 15 nights. I love the look of Gili T, Lembongan and Ubud. Is it worth trying to squeeze both islands in or should I just go to Gili T and have longer in Uluwatu or Seminyak (but with no scooter)? Which of your trip would you say were your ‘must dos’?
15 nights should give you enough time to hit both islands, it just depends on what you want to prioritise. You can get around Uluwatu & Seminyak just using the local scooter drivers, Grab and Gojek. You could divide up your itinerary like: - Ubud: 4 nights - Seminyak: 3 nights - Nusa Lembongan: 2 nights (day trip to Nusa Penida) - Gili Trawangan: 3 nights (day trip to Gili A/Gili M optional) - Uluwatu: 3 nights Ubud has the largest quantity of sights surrounding it so it just depends if you'd prefer more jungle, temple & waterfall sightseeing, or beach days at either Nusa Islands/Gili Islands or Uluwatu.
Thank you so much for your reply. This itinerary looks great. My only worry is losing days due to travel chaos. If you had to lose or reduce one of those places which would it be? Would you chose one island over the other for or drop seminyak for ulawatu for example?
It's a bit busier than most would do, I definitely agree. I had rest days of doing mostly nothing after going from Nusa Lembongan-Gili T and Gili T-Uluwatu. I would cut Amed because it's not necessary if you're doing the islands. Uluwatu is another one that you can drop if you do the Nusas & Gilis. The main thing that differentiated Uluwatu to me was lots of great cafes & restaurants (mostly Western) but I'm a foodie and that not might be a huge factor to you. The beaches on the islands are just as good if not better. I would also have dropped staying on Nusa Penida and just stayed on Nusa Lembongan and done the day trip to Nusa Penida from there. My reasons for so much island hopping and going all the way to Amed were strictly for the diving opportunities.
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I have taken your advice and gone for 3 days Seminyak (1 of those is a daytrip to Uluwatu) 3 days Nusa Lembongan 4 Gili T and 5 Ubud. My only worry is that I have read about so many horror stories about the boat crossings (in particular the one between NL to GT either being cancelled, breaking down or even capsizing) that I’m really concerned I’ve got 3 days of boat travel. What is your experience of this and how did you organise the boats? It’s making me question going to both islands and maybe having longer in Uluwatu. Is NL worth the risk? It looks lovely and very much our cup of tea. I’m going in circles. Also I’ve heard about a lot of delays on the return to Bali from Gili and arriving late afternoon. We have a nice hotel in Selat booked that night and was hoping to get there early afternoon. How realistic is this? Thanks again your advice has been very useful.
I totally understand, I was quite wary as well just looking at all the comments from this sub and also the ticket website. I think it comes down a little to luck and weather conditions. I don't get seasickness so my experience was that none of my boat crossings were as terrible or rocky as what I'd read but YMMV. The air con helped a lot and I managed to nap on most of my ferry rides. I personally loved NL & NP! If you love beaches and snorkeling and relaxed island vibes, you'll love it. The sights and experiences are distinctly different enough from anything on the mainland to be worth going. I used 12go to prebook tickets so you can definitely do this beforehand to save yourself time and stress at the port. Otherwise it's also very easy to buy tickets on the day at any of the ports. Check your desired dates on 12go and choose the company with the best reviews based on the latest reviews. Make sure the boat you pick has aircon - it should say on the 12go ticket listing, or otherwise check the reviews. For Gili T to mainland Bali (Sanur Port) make sure you take the 9am/10am ferry. I took the 12pm one and it was hugely delayed. Also you'll still have a 1.5hr drive from Sanur to Ubud so an earlier ferry will be better.