Best of Bali

📍 Denpasar Ngurah Rai international Airport – Candidasa (67 km): 2 hours 20 minutes

Arrive in the afternoon at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar and be greeted by the guide and driver. From there, receive a private transfer to Candidasa, in the east of Bali.

Check in at the hotel in Candidasa and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure

Dinner and overnight in Candidasa.

Inclusions:

📍 Candidasa – Taman Ujung, Karangasem (9 km): 20 minutes Taman Ujung, Karangasem – Tenganan (12 km): 25 minutes

After breakfast, explore the beautiful, little-visited province of Karangasem.

Start with a visit of Taman Ujung, a beautifully restored water palace set in a pond and only reachable by bridge. Following this, head to Tirta Gangga. Meaning 'water of the Ganges' this sacred water palace was built in the early twentieth century by the last king of Karangasem. It boasts many decorative ponds and fountains, lush plant life and natural bathing pools.

From here, we go to Bali Asli for an authentic and flavourful Balinese lunch.

Optional Activities

After lunch there are two options for additional activities:

1. Go on a one-hour soft trek through the rice paddies of Tenganan, one of several ancient villages in Bali of the original Bali Aga people.
2. Have a relaxing afternoon on the tropical beach near Candidasa Pasir Putih. Weill will arrange a sunbed and fresh coconut drink ahead of time.

Return to the hotel in Candidasa late in the afternoon.

Overnight in Candidasa.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Candidasa – Sidemen (42 km): 1 hour 30 minutes Sidemen – Besakih (22 km): 45 minutes

After breakfast in the morning, check out and start “Balinese daily life” program for you to discover. In the morning, after breakfast, checkout from the hotel before the start of the “Balinese Daily Life” program. Upon arrival at the the village, meet with the local Balinese villagers and receive a traditional conical hat and bamboo walking stick. These will come in handy on a one-hour walking trip through the areas rice fields. Next, try walk the walk of a Balinese farmer by trying to plow the rice fields behind a buffalo and planting rice seedlings. Be rewarded for this hard work with a cold fresh coconut.

After the farming experience, take part in four short workshops, 20 minutes each: a cooking lesson, offering and palm-leaf decoration, arak (a Balinese rice wine) distillation and iron working.

After a hard day’s ‘work’, settle down and enjoy a proper Balinese lunch served in the village.

Then continue to Besakih, known as the ‘Mother Temple’ of Bali. Located on the western slopes of Mt Agung, Bali’s highest volcano (2,567 m), Besakih is the largest and most religiously important temple on the island. As such, it is regularly visited by all Balinese for special ceremonies, making it a great place to see traditional Balinese culture.

At the end of the day, transfer to Ubud for check-in.

Overnight in Ubud.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

Spend this morning discovering the many charms of Ubud while visiting museums, palaces and local markets. Start with a visit to ARMA Museum (Agung Rai Museum of Art) and enjoy one of the best permanent collections of Balinese and Indonesian paintings. A visit to ARMA provides a great overview of the island’s rich artistic traditions. Of course we will also make a stop at the Monkey forest to watch its cheeky inhabitants fool around.

Continue to Ubud’s Royal Palace in the heart of the town: built in the 16th century, the palace is still home to Ubud’s King and its Royal family.

Finish this morning’s excursion with a walk in Ubud Market where local vendors come to buy and sell exotic produce as well as handicrafts and textiles.

Lunch will be served at Indus Restaurant, one of Ubud’s top tables, with breathtaking views over the Tjampuhan River Valley.

Relax this afternoon with a one-hour Balinese massage treatment at a local spa.

In the evening, be treated to a special traditional Balinese dance performance in a nearby village. It’s a cultural spectacle that will no doubt be one of the highlights of the trip.

Continue with a drive to dining experience at The Sayan House, located in the charming Sayan area. Step onto the lawn atop the valley, be mesmerized by the stunning panoramic views of the surrounding lush greenery.

Overnight in Ubud.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 Ubud – Mengwi (17 km): 40 minutes Mengwi – Jatiluwih (32 km): 1 hour Jatiluwih – Lake Bratan – Ulun Danu (24 km): 50 minutes Lake Bratan – Lake Buyan – Lake Tamblingan (12 km): 25 minutes Lake Buyan & Tamblingan – Lovina (16 km): 30 minutes

After breakfast at the hotel, check out and meet the tour guide and driver to head to Royal Taman Ayun Temple in Mengwi. There, take a look at its famous multi-storied roofs surrounded by a big picturesque fish pond.

Next, enjoy a scenic drive up the slopes of Mount Batukaru -the second highest volcano in Bali (2,271m).  Here, visit the UNESCO-listed Jatiluwih Rice Terraces. This area is known as the ‘Rice Granary of Bali’ and is one of the best examples of subak, the traditional irrigation system used by rice farmers in Bali.

Take a leisurely one-hour walk through the rice fields to experience the area’s blissful verdant scenery before enjoying lunch at a local restaurant.

Then continue to Lake Bratan for a visit to Ulun Danu Temple. The temple is set in the middle of the lake’s calm waters on a small bit of land, giving it the impression of floating’.  Ulun Danu is widely considered to be one of Bali’s most beautiful temples.   

From there, continue along a high mountain road with amazing views and stop at an incredible viewpoint overlooking the ‘Twin Lakes’ of Tamblingan and Buyan. Be sure to take some photos here, as it’s considered to be one of the most iconic viewpoints in Bali.

Finally, descend from the mountains down to the coastal town of Lovina, in northern Bali.

Check in to the hotel and spend the remainder of the day at leisure. We recommend taking some time to explore and lounge on the incredibly unique black sand beaches in Lovina. Similar in both colour and texture to coffee grounds, it’s one of the most interesting beaches on the island.

Dinner at leisure.

Overnight in Lovina.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Lovina – Belimbing (78 km): 2 hours 40 minutes Belimbing - Tanah Lot Temple (40 km): 1 hour 20 minutes Tanah Lot Temple – Ngurah Rai International Airport of Bali (28 km): 1 hour

This morning and lunch are at leisure. After check out, be picked up by the guide and driver and drive to the south, passing Belimbing and other small but beautiful villages along an incredibly scenic route.

The landscape alternates between jungle-covered mountain vistas and amazing rice terraces.

Late in the afternoon, arrive at Tanah Lot, Bali’s most famous temple. Set dramatically on a small island right in front of the coast, watch a spectacular sunset.

Afterwards, be transferred to a South Bali beach hotel (not included) or to the airport in Denpasar for an onward flight.

This itinerary finishes between 18:30 – 19:30.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast