Bali definitely stole my heart! Heavenly beaches, beautiful temples, tropical rainforests, wide rice terraces and traditional handicrafts. Bali is so incredibly diverse! Here you will find adventure, nature, culture and relaxation.

I was in Bali for the first time a few years ago and now again for two months. That you can experience as much of Bali as possible, I will give you a personal route recommendation for three weeks in this post. Depending on time, budget and personal interest, of course everyone develops their own favorite route. But maybe I can offer you a little inspiration for your unforgettable tour in Bali.

Let’s Go:

Canggu | 3 Nights
Ubud | 3 Nights
North – Mount Batur (Munduk) | 3 Nights
Amed | 3 Nights
Sanur | 1 Night
Nusa Penida | 3 Nights
Uluwatu | 2 Nights
Kuta | 2 Nights
Denpasar | 1 Nights

I’m not a fan of stress when traveling. Why spoil the mood unnecessarily when you could just enjoy the time? That’s why I reduced the tour of Bali to 9 points. I did the tour myself in a similar way three years ago and have supplemented and optimized it in the past two months.

No matter where you come from, you will land at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. There the procedure is pretty simple. Tourists from most countries can get a free Visa Free Entry for 30 days. To do this, you just have to go to the arrival counter, show your completed arrival card, your passport and, if applicable, your onward/return flight ticket and tada: next stamp in your passport.
You can find out the exact information about the various visa options and how you can stay in Indonesia for longer than 30 days here.

As soon as you have picked up your luggage, you can go to the place where you will spend your first few days! It’s best to drive to your first accommodation with a Grab or Gojek. I generally recommend avoiding a local taxi — the prices are often very overpriced for many routes.

GRAB
The Grab app works in a similar way to the Uber app, which is known to many Europeans. All you have to do is download the app from the app store and register with a mobile number and your first ride can start. To set your departure location, you need to activate your current location. Then you can change the location manually on the map. For example, it is advisable to wait in front of restaurants or known buildings — this will make it easier for the driver to find you.
Once you’ve determined your departure location, all you have to do is enter a destination and then wait for a driver to accept your request. This may take a few minutes depending on the area. As soon as you have found a driver, his car model, name, photo, the ratings and above all the license plate will be displayed. The license plate is particularly important so that you can find the driver quickly. The app also shows you how far the driver is away from you. This is how you can estimate the waiting time. Then you will already be collected and brought to your destination.
You can pay cash or in advance via the app with a registered credit card.

GOJEK
The Gojek app is basically the same, only that the prices are often a lot cheaper than at Grab and you can not only be picked up by cars but also by scooter. Of course, a scooter ride is often faster in heavy traffic and a few rupiah cheaper. Make sure that the driver gives you a helmet!

IMPORTANT
In some places, such as Ubud, Grab and Gojek are not welcome and sometimes even prohibited. To use this transport options, all you have to do is walk out of the city center. Some drivers will also send you a place where they can pick you up. It can sometimes be a remote little alley. But don’t worry: you won’t be mugged there. 🙂 The drivers only determine the locations so that they don’t meet police officers from the city center.
If you are asked in such places if you need a taxi, just reply that a friend is picking you up.
By the way: Don’t be annoyed by the constant “taxi taxi transport transport” calls. 🙂

SCOOTER – BE FLEXIBLE BY YOURSELF
Many tourists in Bali like to rent a scooter for a few weeks. This is definitely the cheapest option but also the most dangerous. You can find scooter rentals in almost every place. Everything you should know about the roller rules can be found here.

I recommend to buy a local SIM card for your stay. So you can use the apps like Grab and Gojek at any time from anywhere, access Google Maps and sometimes call your accommodation if it should be necessary.
Mobile phone shops are almost as common in Bali as scooter rentals. As a SIM card provider, I can recommend Telcomsel. You can get all the tariffs there: A month of 12 GB of Internet including a SIM card costs 100,000 IDR (= 6.50 euros). Telcomsel reception is very good in most areas of the island and if you want to top up your credit you can do so in almost any shop/kiosk.

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You know how to get around and you have a sim card. Check! Let’s go to Canggu. I spent almost three whole weeks in Canggu of two months in Indonesia. I love this place! And you will do it too! So be warned: you may no longer want to leave this place. #TrueStory
What is so fascinating about Canggu? This is not a traditional Balinese town. But once you’ve got that Canggu feeling, you’ll know exactly why I love Canggu. Here you will find a healthy mix of all activities and everyone will find their favorite restaurant at the end of their stay. You can find my personal Canggu Guide here.

MUST DO IN CANGGU

• Surf at one of the many surf spots — the beaches in and around Canggu are very suitable for beginners and advanced. There are boards to rent and surf schools on every beach.
• Visit a yoga studio. There you can take various courses or even complete your training as a yoga teacher. My favorite: The Practice
• Play billiards, sip delicious cocktails and enjoy the live music in the Backyards! There is live music every evening and there is a great Latin Night on Mondays and Wednesdays. #favoritebar
• Party until late at night in Sandbar or at Oldmans
• Enjoy a BBQ dinner on Echo Beach including sunset! When you walk towards the beach, there are various bars on the left that offer different BBQs.
• Spend a day in the rooftop pool at Aston Canggu Beach Resort. Free! 🙂 All you have to do is to order a drink and then chill up there in luxury all day.
• Become a food expert in the many cafes and restaurants and have breakfast in the Crates Café. Here you will find a huge selection of smoothies, bowls, sandwiches, breakfast platters and very good coffee! Each dish from the menu costs 55.000 IDR.
• Go shopping at the Love Anchor! Every day until 6pm there is a large bazaar where you can buy clothes, accessories, souvenirs and much more. Warning: do not forget to deal with the prices 🙂
• Gehe im Love Anchor shoppen! Hier ist jeden Tag bis 18 Uhr ein großer Bazar auf dem du Kleidung, Accessoires, Souvenirs uvm. findest. Achtung: Handeln nicht vergessen 🙂
• Do a trip to the Tanah Lot Temple

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From Canggu it goes to Ubud. The journey takes between 1 1/2 and 2 hours — depending on the traffic chaos. Now it is becoming more traditional and spiritual. Welcome to the Eat Pray Love village. You can find detailed tips here.

MUST DO IN UBUD 

• Spend the night in a beautiful villa. There are incredibly beautiful villas around Ubud. Even if you’re more of a budget traveler like me, you should definitely treat yourself to one night’s luxury. Personal recommendations: Sativa Villas, Omah Lembu Villa, Asli Bali Villa.
• Take a trip to Kemenuh Butterfly Park. Here you will find a beautifully maintained facility with many different butterflies. The house in which the cocoons of the butterflies hang is particularly great. Have you ever seen golden cocoons? Here you go!
• A waterfall hopping tour is definitely a must! There are a lot of waterfalls in the Ubud area, my favorites: Air Terjun Kuning (no tourists – we were there alone at lunchtime), Tukad Cepung Waterfall, (a lot oft tourists – still worthwhile), Tegenungan Waterfall (one of the most famous waterfalls in Bali, a lot of tourists – also very worthwhile)
• Deal with the prices at the Ubud Art Market! Here it is time to spend your money on beautiful, traditional, Balinese crafts. Of course you will also find tons of clothing and accessories. So: leave space in your suitcase!
• Take part in a Balinese Cooking Class. I can wholeheartedly recommend Green Kitchen (also vegetarian)! You can simply make a suitable appointment via WhatsApp and then be picked up from your accommodation on the day and taken to the second largest market in Ubud, the Klungkung Market. This visit alone is worth the experience. Then you hike through the rice fields and harvest vegetables, which are then traditionally processed in six dishes with stone mortar and cooked above fire.
• Treat yourself to a Balinese massage. There is not much to say about this. Simply stop at the nearest massage store and let yourself be pampered. Over and out.
• Allow half a day for a tour of the Monkey Forest. Hundreds of sneaky monkeys in a beautiful nature park. Entry costs for adults  80,000 IDR in 2019 (= 5 euros).
• Watch a Balinese dance (for example, the Legong and Barong dance at the Ubud Palace)
• Take a bike tour through the surrounding rice fields. The dear owner Made of the Omah Lembu Villa accompanied us through the rice fields for free. #non-touristic
• If you like more action, you can also exchange the bike for a quad! We took part in a guided quad tour and had the chance to cruise through a mud road. Of course you can also rent the quad without a tour and go on your own.
• Visit the huge rice terrace in the area. The most famous are the Tegallalang Rice Terrace. Just wow.

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Next stop: off to the north of Bali! You can also visit many places in the north from Ubud in day tours. But it is really beautiful and it is worth spending a few days in the less touristy area in a really epic nature!
Caution: In the north it is hardly to use Grab or Gojek.

MUST DO IN THE NORTH OF BALI

• Visit Mount Batur (Gunung Batur). Many tourists climb the still active volcano in a sunrise trekking tour with a hundred other active vacationers. The view is definitely beautiful, but it can also happen that you don’t see a sunrise through a thick cloud cover. Nevertheless: Give it a try!
• Relax in the hot springs for a day. Generally it is a bit cooler in the north and that makes your stay in the hot springs even more enjoyable! And who doesn’t want to enjoy the paradise in hot water for a few hours?
• Take a walk around Lake Batur (Danau Batur). The lake and especially the view in the background is simply breathtakingly beautiful. You can complete the walk at the Floating Restaurant Kedisan.
• Do a tour to the famous Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple. Best early in the morning! There are an incredible number of tourists here from 10am.
• Travel to Munduk and enjoy the beautiful nature, the huge rice fields, the breathtaking waterfalls and hike around Lake Buyan (Danau Buyan).

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After the little bit colder north, let’s go back to the beach and the ocean! In Amed you will find black beaches and especially fewer tourists.

MUST DO IN AMED

• Snorkeling and diving is an absolute must do in the Amed region. Why? The water is very clear due to the stone beach and the variety of fish is gigantic. In the Banyuing Bay there is a Japanese shipwreck where you can often see some turtles between 4pm and 5pm.
• Visit the Pura Lempuyang temple. The famous picture of the temple is probably known to anyone who has ever looked at pictures of Bali. After 9am you have to wait up to three hours on average before you can get a photo between the famous columns. No joke. The queue is really long. But there are many more temples in the temple complex, for which it is also worth planning a few hours.
• The sunset in Amed is particularly beautiful because the sun disappears behind Mount Agung (Gunung conference). Tip: The sunset is particularly beautiful from the Sunset Point or the Blue Earth Village Café.
• Try the fresh fish in a restaurant on the beach! There are even tours where you can go fishing yourself and your fish is prepared in the evening. If you like dessert, you should definitely try the Lava Cake in the Warung Enak! 🙂

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Sanur wasn’t first on the plan during my tour. But since I went from the port in Sanur to Nusa Penida, this place cross my path and it is perfect for the water sports enthusiasts among you!

MUST DO IN SANUR

• Hike along the beach promenade. Sanur has the largest promenade in all of Bali and it is really nice to walk the eternal path along the sea and sip a cocktail in between and watch the sunset in the evening. Tip: You can also cover the distance by bike.
• The Free 5 km Beach Runwalk takes place every Saturday. At 5.45am the run starts at the Genius Cafe and ends with a big breakfast together!
• If you don’t have time to go to Nusa Penida, you can make day trips from Sanur to the famous diving spots or explore the island in a day tour!
• Water sports. All over! Surfing, sailing, jet skiing, canoeing, kite surfing, stand up paddling and much more. Every water sports lover gets his money’s worth here. The level for surfing is a little bit higher here and is more suitable for advanced and professional users.

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Although you only spend a limited time in Bali, do you need to visit another island? YES! On Nusa Penida you can observe manta rays, chill on white sandy beaches and really enjoy the breathtaking landscape everywhere.
You can find my personal travel guide to Nusa Penida here.

MUST DO ON NUSA PENIDA

• Watch the many manta rays while diving or snorkeling! Sad Story: 89% of the gigantic, beautiful animals can be seen on a snorkeling tour. I have not seen them. And I must have been really unlucky, because some of my friends saw an average of 15 manta rays the day before, as well as the two days after my snorkeling tour … (Even with the same tour company) REALLY BAD LUCK 🙁
  But still: try it! The tours are offered all over the island. I can recommend Octopus Dive to you. They have a great lunch on the boat and the boys are super nice.
• Visit the Kelingking Beach! If you google information about Nusa Penida, you will immediately see the image of the Kelingking ‘T-Rex’. And from early in the morning there are hundreds of tourists at the lookout point. Just walk past the queue for a few minutes and take an almost identical picture on the stairs behind. 🙂 AND you definitely have to take the daring path down to the beach! Worth it!
• Relax on Crystal Bay Beach. It is a lot more touristy than the Kelingking Beach but easier to reach and also super beautiful. Here you can spend eternal hours with some bintangs
• Drive to the Nusa Penida Treehouse (Rumah Pohon) in the east of the island. Here you can’t get enough of the amazement at these epic natural cliffs. Thank you dear Indonesia for creating such a beautiful landscape!
• If you can’t get enough of a great view, you definitely can’t miss the Saren Cliff Viewpoint. Apparently, the place isn’t well known, because we were completely alone there at lunchtime (which is usually the rush hour at such points). #Jackpot
• Another highlight of the island are the Teletubbie Hills. This island really only consists of highlights. 😀
• Watch the sunset in the Amok Sunset restaurant. One of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen so far and I was sitting in the pool with a cocktail. It couldn’t be better! Tip: Cocktail Happy Hour is between 5 and 7pm — otherwise the prices for ordinary people like me are rather too high.

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As soon as you have returned to Bali from Nusa Penida, the shuttle bus will take you directly to Uluwatu. You can book the shuttle bus directly at the port of Nusa Penida with your boat ticket. If you spend a few euros more and want to get to your destination faster, you can also simply take the boat ticket to a port and then call yourself a Gojek/Grab.
Many visitors to Bali don’t have Uluwatu directly on their list. In Uluwatu there is one of the most famous temples on the island and very beautiful coastlines with wonderful beaches for chilling and surfing.

MUST DO IN ULUWATU

• Visit the Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple and watch the Kecak Fire Dance. This traditional Balinese dance starts at 6pm in the temple. It is best to buy the tickets at 4pm so that you still get a seat. Then you can walk the two remaining hours through the great temple complex and enjoy the view of the beautiful cliffs. Caution: monkeys!
• Spend a day at Nyang Nyang Beach! For me, this beach is one of the most beautiful in Bali. You have to walk down a rocky forest path for 15-20 minutes and then fight your way up again — but as a reward you are on an almost private, clean beach with great white sand. We took beer and snacks with us and spent the whole day there.
• Another beautiful beach and one of the most popular surf spots is Padang Padang Beach. It is more secluded in a really picturesque setting but is definitely more visited by tourists than Nyang Nyang Beach.
• If you should be in Uluwatu on a Sunday or Wednesday, you should definitely go to the party in the Single Fin. Here you will find live bands in the upper area and electronic music in the lower area.
• Walk through the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Natural Park. The park is dedicated to the deity Wisnu and his mount Garuda and the largest statue of both is a giant 120 meters high

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From Uluwatu we continue to the city that never sleeps. Modern tourism in Bali started in Kuta and the place is known for its long sandy beach, great waves for surfing and above all the wild nightlife in bars and nightclubs.
I have to admit that I am not a big fan of Kuta, but you should still stop by and see for yourself.

MUST DO IN KUTA

• Chill out at Kuta Beach and watch the sunset. Don’t be scared: here you can not really walk because of the tourists. And unfortunately there is also an enormous amount of garbage. Nevertheless: Bintang at sunset is nice to have.
• Spend a day at Waterbom Bali! It is one of the largest water parks in all of Asia. The admission is really expensive, for adults the day pass costs 480.000 IDR (= 30 euros) — but it is worth it in the end for a whole day. I had the fun of my life here on the water slides and in the hot weather you can really have a great day here.
• Celebrate a night in the Skygarden! An all you can eat & drink takes place here every evening from 5 to 9pm. The buffet is huge and the best thing is that you get a big pizza plate. Super idea! You don’t have to queue up that often. 😀 After food and drinks you can dance off the calories on one of the four stages with different music styles and really good DJs.
• If you like shopping malls, Kuta is the right place for you and you can go shopping for a short time before departure.

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Sad, but unfortunately true. Your last stay is approaching: Denpasar, the capital of Bali. From here you fly back home. That is why I recommend you to spend the last night here, so you have no stress to get to the airport on time. After all, the vacation should end relaxed. Here you can enjoy your last day on the beach, in the museum, in a temple or with a massage.

MUST DO IN DENPASAR

• Take a short trip to the Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC) on Serangan Island. The small island is connected to the south of Denpasar and via a small road to the mainland.
• Spend a few hours at the Fingerprint Painting Museum (Museum Lukisan Sidik Jari). The gallery is a private collection of I Gusti Ngurah Gede Pemecutan, a member of the Denpasar royal family. The painting technique consists of a multitude of colorful dots and lines, which were only applied with his fingers. Just beautiful!
• At the end, enjoy a Balinese massage — so the return flight home does not seem so long when your body is deeply relaxed.

I wish you lots of fun on your Bali round trip!

Lots of Love ♥