3 Weeks traveling: Bali and Lombok
In Mai 2022 I traveled for 3 weeks through Bali. 3-4 Weeks I can highly recommend for relaxed traveling on this island. This route is a mix of sightseeing and relaxing in 3 Weeks for someone who needs something new every day. The best time to travel to Bali is from April to October in the dry season and if you want to avoid crowed and overprices places travel in May, June, September or October.
10 Things which are good to know before !
In Bali they drive on the left hand side
lack of public transportation in Bali (no trains!)
Scooters or Motorbikes are the best to go
Wahrung are the best budget restaurants
Check for added tax and service tax
Apps as Grab or Go-jek instead of liferando
Don't drink Tap water in Bali
Check Visa requirements
Hindu religion on Bali and Muslim Religion on Lombok
Appropriate wearing for cultural places
Start of the Journey
After the arrival at the Denpasar Airport, I first of all took a taxi to Canggu. It is about 1 hour drive and the traffic can be really chaotic over the day. Don't do the mistake as I did and take the first taxi on the airport, a few meters further away the local taxis are way cheaper and the easiest is hiring a bluebird taxi over the App. There are just not allowed driving into the airport!
Canggu is also a really active and crowd city, but really worth a stop. Strolling through nice restaurants, cafes and markets is such a vibe here. Moreover on the west coast many Surfing hostels are located.
1.Day:
After sleeping until 12, we decided to get breakfast at the Hungry Bird Coffee, which I can highly recommend if you like a warm porridge, English breakfast and a good coffee. Also the offer free water to drink. (It costs around 80.000IDR)
For the first day it is the best to catch up some sleep. That is why we stayed at our AirBnb and chilled at the Pool.
In the evening we checked out the Sunset at the Beach. Canggu is known for the best sunsets. Close to the Beach there is the Ithaka Warung as a Rooftop Restaurant which is a nice place for dinner if you like a less crowded and chilled vibe. For some drinks we went to Lola's Cantina Mexican. You get a Taco with your cocktail for free which was super nice and if you like Espresso Martini this is really a place you have to check out.
Recomendations:
Low Budget Restaurants: Warung Sika, Warung Ithaka, Warung Varuna
Middle Budget: The Avocado Factory, Pizza Fabrica, Living Kitchen Bali
2. Day:
After Breakfast it was time for some Surfing Lessons. I was at Black and White Canggu.
The were super friendly and the lessons were really cheap. I can recommend you these guys for renting a board or some teaching classes. One class of 2 hours costs there around 40.000 IDR.
Canggu has many boutiques to over and for buying jewelry and souvenirs the Love Anchor market is perfect.
In the Afternoon we already left, on the way to Ubud.
We took a BlueBird taxi which costed us 200.000 IDR.
3.Day:
We stayed at Ali Lodge, if you want to have the Jungle feeling during swimming in the pool you should go there. Also the Staff was really nice and organized trips and a scooter for us.
A must in Ubud are the Tengallalang Rice Plantations, if you go there after the rainy
season the terraces are green and look fresh, so the best time to visit them. You should really go there in the morning as early as possible to avoid the crowds. The entrance is just 10.000IDR and really worth it.
You can take nice Pictures in the tree swings, hike through the terraces or try Lombok coffee.
In the Afternoon we went to the city center and tried the ice cream in Tunis Coconut Shop. Fresh and natural coconut ice cream. As a Tourist you should not go to the market, they can be really intrusive and persistent.
Tengallalang Rice terrace
4. Day:
We decided one day before doing the Sunrise Trekking to Mount Batur. The Tour costs 450.000 IDR per person. The Bus picked us up around 4 and we got a Pancake and Coffee before we started. You should bring
jacket and good shoes with you and do. not underestimate the end of the hike as it gets really sandy and slippery. The Hike was around 1 hour and really crowded, everywhere people trying to manage it up till sunrise. On top we got a banana, plain toast and boiled egg. It was not the best breakfast but the best view for sure. Also many monkeys came to pick up the leftovers of the breakfast what was the second highlight.
Tired and happy we relaxed the rest of the day at the pool. For the Evening we planned checking the waterfalls. Not famous but with an amazing surrounding was the Kemenuh Waterfall.
5.Day:
We missed the Beach to much so it was time traveling to Amed. Located on the Northeast Coast it is the most famous place for Scuba Diving on Bali. We stayed at the Bali Dive Resort and could book the Diving Tour from there. If you want a super cheap and fresh Barracuda go to Warung Segara. On the Jemeluk Beach you can see the Coral Reef right away. Overgrown Cages and fish shoals impress.
6.Day:
With our Paid Diving team we went to the Liberty ship wrack for diving. My best dive so far. We saw tiny sharks, moraine,.. I would say a must if you like Scuba Diving.
For ending the Day we drank a Beer at Aroma de la Mer with an amazing view over Amed.
7.Day:
We decided taking the ferry from Lembar to Nusa Penida. Afterwards I would say the Speedboat is more comfortable and reliable. The ferry was way cheaper than the speed boat with just 45.000IDR. Arriving on the Island the Taxis were all quite expensive at the harbor, so we decided to just walk.
In the evening we went to the Chill Penida, a restaurant/bar with a nice ocean view, good food and a pool, which you can use for free if you drink something there.
8.Day:
With 2 friends we booked a private driver for a day for discovering the island. The price for a private driver per day was 600.000 IDR. The streets are not in a good condition and many accidents happen there, so a taxi is the best option there. First step was Diamond Beach. Amazing view and cristal blue water. You can also walk down to the beach, but the stairs are really steep and unsecured. we also went to the Thousand Islands Viewpoint, which is also nice for taking pictures from a Tree House.
Next we drove to the famous Kelingking Beach. A must see on Nusa Penida. It is a hot spot and you have to expect many crowds and monkeys which are searching for food from the people. But the Pictures are amazing you can take there.
Last we went to Crystal bay, what was kind of a fail. The weather switched to clouds and wind, so the water wasn't turquoise and inviting anymore. But on the next day we gave it another try.
9.Day:
We woke up too late so we missed the early boats for snorkeling. So we went for a private boat for 900.000IDR, when you are a group this is a really good price and you can go to whatever place. The point where we stoped was at the Manta Point, these animals are incredible and really rare so when you are on Nusa Penida you should try to see them. The low budget Warung on this island was for us the Warung J Pudak.
10.Day- 14.Day:
This time we decided taking the Speed Boat to Gili Trawangan. The Speed Boats are quite pricy for low budget travelers but the only way from Nusa Penida to Gili. (350.000IDR) This island is known as the party island, if you want it less crowded and more relaxed I recommend you the two other Gili Islands.
Next Day we decided in the morning renting a Bike for the next few days, what is the best
option for getting around. On this island there is not much to do than relaxing and swimming. What I can recommend for surfer beginners is taking some classes on Gili T., the waves are perfect from beginners and close to the centre. If you want to do some
snorkeling I would go to the Turtle point in the northern part. Many snorkeling tours are offered here to the other Gili Islands but in my opinion not worth it and overpriced. Moreover the Sunset Point on the southwest part of the island is the best place for watching sunsets, and all the bars are often good visited.
What you should not miss out is the local food market at night, here you get really good dinner for a cheap price and the mango juices were amazing.
15.Day:
Time to say good bye to a relaxed stay. Our next destination already is waiting for us: Lombok!
We arrived in the north of the island in Pemenang with the
ferry and took a private driver to the south. On the way you
pass the Monkey street and have an amazing view of the tropical nature of the island. Lombok is less touristic and less crowded than Bali. Our final destination was Selong Belanak Beach, famous for being the best beach for surfer beginners. Here we stayed at the Suku Lifestyle Hotel, the owners are a German couple which gave us good tips for our stay. We really enjoyed the stay in this Hotel with its oriental charme.
16.Day:
We rented a scooter in our hotel and drove through the landscape to do some beach hopping. Starting at Pantai Tanjung Aan, which is not worth a stop. To many locals want to sell something to you and no inviting beach for swimming. Next Stop were the Bukit Merese Hills. A good place watching the sunset and hanging around with a drink ( no cafes in this area !). For Lunch we stopped in Kuta. Here you can do some grocery shopping or checking out the surfer cafes and restaurants. Our last stop was Pantai Mawun, here you can expect big waves for having fun in the water. Another Beach I can recommend is Pantai Mawi, but the way to get to this beach is not the best and difficult with a scooter.
17.Day:
Surfing classes and chilled day at the beach was our plan. But here the weather did change often in the afternoon, so we ended with a chilled Pool day.
18:Day:
We decided to go to the North of the Island close to the Mount Rinjani. Unfortunately the weather was not the best so we decided not to do the trekking tour to the top. Instead we went to Sendang Gila Waterfall. Entrance here was 20.000IDR. In my opinion visiting the north is not worth a visit when you don't have plenty of time and also there is not much to do.
19.Day:
Our last destination was Uluwatu before our flight back home. A place I can highly recommend to stay is the Mangga Wangga Living, a nice hotel with a shared kitchen und sweet puppies walking around. The best Beaches for sunbathing here are Padang Padang Beach and the Bingin Beach. At the Bingin Beach you can watching professional surf competitions or go surfing by yourself.
Melasti Beach
Padang Padang Beach
20.Day:
We started into the day with a nice Breakfast at the French'a Bakery.
We decided to check out Melasti Beach, is it to touristic or worth a visit ? was our mission to find out.The Entrance for the Beach was 11.000IDR. I can say that the water was the clearest on the island but you can not really swim there, so most people just sit in the water and chill. Also the bluebird and Go-jek taxis are not allowed to drive down to the beach, just the expensive and private one! Our Conclusion was that Padang Padang is way better and more authentic that Melasti.
In the evening we got some nice Thai Curry at Pok Pok Ulu and did some Shopping in the Main Street.
Recomendations:
Low Budget Restaurants: Warung Cenana, Pok Pok Ulu
Middle Budget Restaurants: The Cashew Tree, French'a Bakery, The Loft
21.Day:
Unfortunately we achieved the last day of this Journey. To sum everything up, I can just say to everyone that Bali should be on your bucket list. It is a small island and has short destinations so perfect for a round trip. The diversity is huge, from the balinese culture, the food options and the activities you can do there. So here we come to an end now and I really thank you for reading! See you on the next journey!!
Amazing blog. Next travel destination: Bali 🫶🏼