Feedback on 15-day Bali itinerary

Hi there,

I’m reaching out not for myself for once😛, but for a family member who’s heading to Bali in a month and has a thousand questions. Since she doesn’t spend much time online and I don’t know this part of the world at all, I thought I’d ask for feedback here. Here’s what she’s planning:

Departure Arrival > UBUD UBUD UBUD UBUD UBUD - PEMUTERAN PEMUTERAN PEMUTERAN - MUNDUK MUNDUK MUNDUK - SIDEMEN SIDEMEN SIDEMEN - SEMINYAK SEMINYAK - DENPASAR - Flight to Komodo FLORES/KOMODO/RINCA FLORES/KOMODO/RINCA Flight to DENPASAR - SANUR Departure

She knows UBUD is very touristy but plans to stay there and take day trips from there. Her main question: is it worth going to Flores just for Komodo? Agencies apparently offer mini-cruises for 2-3 days... Type of trip: 2 adults, no kids. They like taking their time and don’t want to rush. I think they don’t mind touristy spots but still hope to find some authenticity. Thanks for your thoughts!

Good evening,

Departure/arrival > UBUD UBUD UBUD UBUD UBUD - PEMUTERAN PEMUTERAN PEMUTERAN - MUNDUK MUNDUK MUNDUK - SIDEMEN SIDEMEN SIDEMEN - SEMINYAK SEMINYAK - DENPASAR - Flight to Komodo FLORES/KOMODO/RINCA FLORES/KOMODO/RINCA Flight to DENPASAR - SANUR Departure (...) They like taking their time and don’t want to rush...

If they’re spending 15 days on the island, your friends will only have an average of 1.14 full days per stop. This is definitely *not* the itinerary of someone who likes taking their time and avoiding rushing—it’s actually the complete opposite.

On top of that, I see a lot of Balinese stops, most of which are very far apart. Transportation in Bali is really slow, and cross-island bus or bemo routes that connect two cities without going through Denpasar are rare. Perama does offer some handy tourist shuttles, but even those won’t help with this itinerary. Getting between these stops by car (with or without a driver) will also take a long time.

Is it worth going to Flores just to see Komodo?

With only two full days there? Absolutely not. In any case, it’d be better to use those 4 days (including round-trip flights) to give their Bali trip some breathing room—which it really needs—without adding more stops to the ones already planned.

But they still hope to find some authenticity.

Given the pace they’re setting, they shouldn’t count on it too much.

Sorry I couldn’t give more positive feedback.

Thanks so much for your reply. No need to apologize at all—I wasn’t sure myself, so it was hard to give them advice, but I totally get what you mean.

When you don’t know the place and just look at a map, everything seems straightforward, but I suspected getting around wouldn’t be that simple.

First, I’ll tell them to cancel the Komodo stop, and then we’ll rework the Bali trip, which is actually 15 days there. That’ll give me some ideas too, since I’m thinking of going this summer if I can find decent flight tickets

Hi there, Here’s the revised trip without Komodo:

Day 1: Arrive in Bali in the evening. Where to stay for the night? Day 2: Pura Tanah Lot – where to stay for the night? Day 3: Ubud Day 4: Ubud Day 5: Ubud Day 6: UBUD Day 7: MUNDUK Day 8: Munduk Day 9: Night in Kintamani or return to Ubud. Day 10: Night in Amed or Candidasa. Day 11: Sidemen Day 12: Sidemen Day 13: Nusa Penida Island Day 14: Return to Bali, where to stay for the night? Sanur or Jimbaran Day 15: Last day, where to stay for the night? Day 16: Evening flight home

Does this feel less rushed this time? Any tips on where to stay for the first two nights near Tanah Lot? Is Canggu or Deraban a good choice? What would be the most exciting option for a bit of culture shock upon arrival? Thanks for your help

Hello, Here’s the revised trip without Komodo:

D1: Arrival in Bali in the evening. Night? D2: Pura Tanah Lot – night? D3: Ubud D4: Ubud D5: Ubud D6: UBUD D7: MUNDUK D8: Munduk D9: Night in Kintamani or return to Ubud. D10: Night in Amed or Candidasa. D11: Sidemen D12: Sidemen D13: Nusa Penida Island D14: Return to Bali, night? Sanur or Jimbaran D15: Last day, night? D16: Evening return flight

Does this feel less rushed this time?

No, quite the opposite—there are more stops than in the first version, so now you’re averaging less than a full day per stop. There’s no mystery: to avoid rushing, you need to cut the number of stops by *at least* two.

I’m not familiar with the Tanah Lot area.

I don’t see the point of spending so much time in transit just to spend a short afternoon in Amed (or Candidasa) and Nusa Penida.

Instead of 4 and 2 nights in Ubud and Munduk, I’d split them into 3 and 3.

Instead of going through Ubud or Kintamani, I’d go from Munduk to Amed (if you keep that stop) via the north coast. That would mean at least one transport change in Singaraja (and maybe another in Lovina), but the whole trip could still be done in a single day.

Thanks so much for your reply! 🙂 They’ve removed the stops in Amed and Nusa. Honestly, even without having been there, I didn’t see the point of Nusa either. At least now it’s confirmed. They’ll be traveling by private transport, and since they won’t be there during high season (next month), it should be easy to organize on the spot. It’ll also save them time on transportation.