Planning on going to Bali? This page is here to guide you through all the stages of your Bali holiday. Finding information for your Bali holiday isn’t a problem, information overload is. Here we have curated information that will help you to plan your Bali Trip without wasting hours and hours researching. Sometimes the more you know before you go, the more freedom, flexibility and unique experiences you have.
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Are you going to Bali? What are you struggling to find/plan for your trip?
Hey, love this site! My partner and I are heading to Bali at the end of January for 2 weeks. We want to do everything, temples, exploring, beaches, hikes, white water rafting, explore hidden caves, waterfalls, experience the culture etc. Action packed holiday, but we aren’t sure where to stay or how long to spend in each place if we stay in multiple towns and how to get to each of the sights…. any suggestions on how to achieve all this?
Thanks (:
Hi Kendel, thanks so much :) Sounds like you’ll have a fun time in Bali!
From what you want to do, I would say Ubud would be a good base for some of it. From here you can go white water rafting (the company you go with will generally pick you up), if you’re up for it you can hike up Mount Batur for sunrise or if you want something more leisurely, then the Campuhan Ridge Walk is beautiful in Ubud village. Other than this, there are lots of rice fields around, Tegalalang rice field is the most known, but also pretty touristy. We have found some of the best rice terrace walks have been more local ones which funnily enough some hotels may offer guided walks, but they are usually in the hotels local community and you are the only one there. There is also Jatuliwih Rice Terraces which are further away from Ubud, but are also beautiful. Staying in Ubud, its quite likely you will just stumble across a traditional ceremony.
The other main part of your trip was more beach related, so you could spend this either around Seminyak, Canggu, Sanur, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran or Uluwatu. So many to choose from! They each offer something different. Seminyak is very popular, has lots of restaurants, shops, beach clubs etc, but the beach itself isn’t my favourite, but still nice. Canggu is laid back, need a bicycle or scooter to get around, and the beaches here are more surf beaches. Nusa Dua and Sanur are more flat beaches, but Nusa Dua area has more or a resort feel and less culture (but still only 30 minutes drive to Seminyak give or take depending on traffic) and Sanur has a quieter vibe about it. Jimbaran and Uluwatu are near each other, and the beaches along and near here are nice. Bingin is one of my favourites, as well as the beaches at Karma Kendara and Sundays beach club in Uluwatu. Pandawa Beach is also beautiful.
And then there are more remote places that are also definitely worth a visit, like Sidemen (think rice fields and tranquility), Candidasa, Munduk etc…
A great way to get around is to hire a private driver (https://almostlanding-bali.com/discover-a-different-side-to-bali-with-your-bali-private-driver/). Here you can see a bit more info on how long it takes to get between places in Bali – https://almostlanding-bali.com/bali-transport/.
Have a great time and let us know if you have any more questions :)
Hi you guys. I LOVE you’re blog and it’s been so helpful in planning our trip :) We have been hearing conflicting ideas about when to go. We’re planning a 2 to 3 week Bali trip in 2017 but aren’t sure what month we should go in. What’s the best month in your opinion?
Thank you!!
Hi Katrina, thanks so much :) The weather in Bali really is pretty good all year round. We’ve also found that it’s not been as predictable, like having a week of rain in dry season etc. If you can pick anytime, the dry season is probably best as there is less chance of rain. The dry season runs from about April through to September/October. August is peak season, it will be really busy prices will be higher and there will be less availability. July is also high season. I’d probably go May/June or September/October. But I wouldn’t worry about it too much as we have been in both wet and dry season and many different months and loved it every time :)
Have a great trip and let us know if you have any other questions :)
Hey Guys!
You’re blog is a godsend to me.
We’re planning our honeymoon and are looking to stay in a luxury hotel/week for the first week.
We’d like for it to be picturesque and be surrounded by greenery, we mainly want to do waterfalls and temple touring, maybe an adventure or two at this point.
Our second week we’d like to get to that beaches and the parties.
Is there a particular hotel(s) or area you’d recommend where we could start this off?
Hi Nabila, thanks so much, that means a lot :)
How exciting… sounds wonderful! For the first week Ubud sounds perfect, but probably on the outskirts. Hotels we have absolutely loved that I think would be perfect are Alila Ubud and Padma Resort Ubud. Both hotels have some activities that you can do through them, otherwise you can organise external tours/private driver to see Waterfalls etc. Tengenungan waterfall is a great one, about 30 minutes from center of Ubud and you can swim in it too.
For your second week, for beaches and parties I’d recommend Seminyak. Anantara Seminyak is really romantic and the rooms are huge and luxurious, it’s also right on the beach and near La Plancha Beach bar. Peppers Seminyak are stunning villas that also have resort facilities which we absolutely loved. This is a little further away from the beach though. Another one we haven’t stayed at yet but would love to is the W Hotel Seminyak. It looks amazing, has it’s own beach bar and isn’t too far from Potato Head Beach Club. The Legian also looks nice but have not stayed there, it’s in between Ku De Ta and Potato Head, on the beach and still close to shops etc.
Hope this helps, have a great honeymoon :)
Hello Mandy and Chris,
your blog has been more than helpful, we love it !
just a quick question.. many of our loved ones are concerned about us traveling over to Bali because they feel as though it may be unsafe.
what are you thoughts about that? Is it safe to travel there in May?
Thanks again,
Jann
Hi Jann,
We had the exact same concerns before our first trip to Bali, but ended up going and obviously loved it. Every trip we have felt safe and not had any incidents. Unfortunately these days you can’t guarantee safety anywhere, even at home, you just need to do what feels right for you :)
Hi,
we plan to visit bali in Dec 2015 from India for our honeymoon. We have booked through tour operators and we have been assured water rafting on the ayung river, water sports. I am not sure of the weather conditions will support the activities. Is the weather going to be a spoil sport?
While booking we werent so sceptical, however as the dates near, we are having after thought regarding the plan!
We would appreciate your thoughts on visiting bali in dec 2015.
Thank you!!!
Hi Kelly,
I believe white water rafting is still doable in the wet season, it may just increase the rapid class.
As for being in Bali during wet season, I think it’s fine. When it rains in Bali, it usually only lasts for short periods and then the sun comes out. It doesn’t usually mean it will rain all day every day, so I wouldn’t be too concerned about that.
Hope this helps and have a great holiday :)
Hi Mandy & Chris!
So good to find a reliable source, super organised, very handy. Thanks heaps! Well done!
We’re flying to Bali next Friday and still not sure if we should take a taxi at the airport or have a private driver. We’ll arrive late, around 11:30pm and we are staying in Uluwatu. A contact we have in Bali is asking us $ 50 australian dollars, we have no idea if it’s the price.
Any tips?
Again, thank you so much!
Xx
Hi Mel, thanks so much :)
We usually take an airport taxi, just had a look and I believe the current price to Uluwatu is 135,000 IDR which is roughly $14 AUD. Our last trip we got in around midnight and there were still plenty of airport taxi people around. There is a desk as soon as you come out of the airport where you pay and get a ticket, and then you meet your driver on the other side.
Have a wonderful time in Bali! Let us know if there is anything else we can help with :)
Hy. we are going to Bali in a week. And i was wondering how to get from Lombok Airport (arrival 8.7/ 16:30) to Gilli Trawangan (by taxi and fast boat) ? i couldn’t find out if the fast boats drive only in the afternoon or how does it work? if we arrive in the afternoon ( to lombok) do we neek to spend the night there in go to Gili T. the next day? Do you kow any other options ? thanks!
Hello!
Yes, taxi from the airport to the port of the boat company you choose, then fast boat to Gili T. Depending what time you arrive, there is a chance you will need to stay overnight in Lombok (but it will just depend on each companies boat schedule).
If you have accommodation on Gili T I would send them an email and ask as they may have a boat service themselves where they can pick you up, if not, I’m sure they will be able to recommend a fast boat service. We got the fast boat from Bali, so have not yet used the Lombok Airport route. After our stay on Gili T, we came back to Lombok for a few nights, and just arranged a fast boat transfer through our accommodation of that leg.
Have a great time in Bali & Lombok :)
Hi! I just wanted to say that I wish I had found your blog sooner! I’ve been planning a 7 day trip for my friend and I for months, gathering bits and pieces of advice from all over the internet. Of course one week before we leave I finally stumbled on to Almost Landing! Good news is we are going to hit up most of the gems you mentioned. Bad news (not really?) is that I want to spend much more than 7 days in Bali now! Next time!
p.s. your website is organized SO well and your writing is beautiful. Great decision to leave your old job to pursue this full time!
Hi Kate, thanks so much for your kind words… it means a lot :) Really happy you enjoyed our site, have a great time in Bali!
Hi,
Im planning to go to Lombok on mid April for 5 days then transfer from Gili T to Bali. Planning to stay at Bali for 2 days.
Total days plan are 7 days and then going back to Kuala Lumpur. Travel with my boyfriend.
1.)Which boat transfer should i take and how long the journey from Gili T – Padang Bai – Kuta.
2.) Is 7 days enough to explore both island?
Thanks!
Hi Farah,
When we went to Lombok we used a company called “Blue Water Express”. At the time we found them to be great, but I think the speed boat option is best in good weather. Otherwise you can fly from Bali to Lombok too. The time it takes to get from Gili T – Padang Bai – Serangan is about 2hrs 15 mins by speed boat, and Serangan is about 15 minutes in good traffic from Kuta.
Is 7 day’s enough to explore both islands? 7 days is better than not going at all, but it will be hard to see a lot in that time. 5 days on Lombok should be a great amount of time, but 2 days in Bali won’t give you much time to see/do much. If you haven’t been to either place before, and you only have 7 days, I would possibly think about doing 4 days in Lombok and 3 days in Bali, just to give you a little more time. If you can add more days, perhaps do 5 days in Lombok and 4 days in Bali.
If you have any more questions we’d be happy to help :)