Asia · Indonesia
Fifteen days between the Bali of temples and villages, three experiences off the tourist trail, the sea at Nusa Dua and four nights on the car-free Gili Islands.
Quick facts
Indicative price from
€2,199
per person
This itinerary is a starting point: we'll adapt it with you in your tailor-made proposal.
Request informationA Bali trip that goes beyond the best-known places. It starts with a tour of the island: Tanah Lot, the Jatiluwih rice terraces, Lake Beratan, Kintamani and the Besakih Mother Temple, Tirta Empul and Ubud.
Then three special days. One in the life of a village, among schools, coffee plantations and rice fields. One in the green north, with the Banyumala waterfall, Lake Tamblingan and a boat crossing to a hidden temple. And one along the south coast on a fishing boat, with sunset at Uluwatu and dinner in a sea cave.
After three nights by the sea at Nusa Dua you head to the Gili Islands, small car-free islands with clear water, for four days of snorkelling and relaxation.
15 days in the programme
Arrival at Bali's international airport, in Denpasar. Before leaving the airport you pay for the visa on arrival, which can also be requested online before departure, and the island's tourist levy, both excluded from the price. Private car transfer to Seminyak, on the south-west coast, about half an hour away if the traffic allows. Seminyak has wide beaches, boutiques and seafront bars, and at sunset the sun goes down into the Indian Ocean. Bali is seven hours ahead of Italy, six when Italy is on summer time.
A day by private car with an Italian-speaking guide, heading north. It starts at Tanah Lot, the temple built on a rock in the sea: at low tide you can walk up to its base. Then the Jatiluwih rice terraces, a UNESCO site, and the Ulun Danu temple on the shore of Lake Beratan, at about 1,200 metres. A short walk to the Munduk waterfall and a stop at the Banjar hot springs, where the water pours from dragon mouths carved in stone. Arrival in Lovina, on the north coast.
A morning at the local markets, then up to Kintamani, on the rim of an ancient caldera. From here you see Mount Batur, a volcano that is still active, and at its foot Lake Batur, the largest in Bali. On to Besakih, the Mother Temple, the island's most important religious complex, at about a thousand metres on the slopes of Mount Agung, Bali's highest peak. Temples are entered with shoulders and knees covered, usually with a sarong tied at the waist. In the evening, arrival in Candidasa, on the east coast.
The first stop is Goa Lawah, the temple built in front of a cave that is home to thousands of bats, regarded as sacred. Then Tirta Empul, the temple of the holy springs, where the Balinese step into the pools and pass under the fountains for the purification ritual. Next comes Ubud's Monkey Forest, among moss-covered temples and groups of macaques: hold on to sunglasses and bags. Arrival in Ubud, the island's cultural centre, with the royal palace, the market and the craftsmen's workshops.
The first of the programme's three exclusive days, devoted to the life of a village near Ubud, with an Italian-speaking guide. You visit a school and a traditional house, where the family lives around a courtyard with its own small temple. Then the coffee plantations and the rice fields run with the subak, the system of channels and water turns shared among farmers, which dates back to around the 9th century and has been a UNESCO site since 2012. It is the most direct way to see how people live in Bali away from the resorts.
The second exclusive day, in Bali's green north, in the highlands of Lakes Buyan and Tamblingan, in the same ancient caldera as Lake Beratan. A trail goes down through the forest to the Banyumala waterfall, two side-by-side cascades that end in a pool where you can swim. Then a walk along the shore of Lake Tamblingan, the smallest and quietest of the three, at about 1,200 metres. The day ends with a boat crossing to a temple hidden in the forest, far from the tourist routes.
The third exclusive day, on the south coast. You board a fishing boat and sail along the Bukit peninsula, Bali's southern tip, past limestone cliffs and small hidden beaches. A stop for a swim, then the sunset in front of the Uluwatu cliffs, where the temple looks out over the ocean from about 70 metres up. In the evening, an included dinner in a cave overlooking the sea, in the Jimbaran area. Drinks are not included.
Private car transfer to Nusa Dua, on the east coast of the Bukit peninsula. It is a quiet, orderly area of seaside hotels, with light sand beaches and a sea kept calm by the reef offshore. The rest of the day is free to settle in and have a first swim. In the late afternoon you can walk along the pedestrian promenade that links the beaches, as far as Water Blow, the rocks where the ocean waves shoot up in spray several metres high.
A free day by the sea. One idea: the morning on the beach, then the Tanjung Benoa peninsula, just north of Nusa Dua, Bali's main spot for water sports, with parasailing, jet skis and glass-bottom boats. In the afternoon, a few minutes from the hotels, Puja Mandala brings together five places of worship side by side: a mosque, a Catholic church, a Protestant church, a Buddhist temple and a Hindu temple. Optional activities, booked separately.
The last full day in Nusa Dua, free. One idea: a Balinese massage, with deep pressure and scented oils, in one of the local spas. If you would rather get out, in about half an hour you reach the Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural park, with the statue of the god Vishnu riding the eagle Garuda, more than 120 metres tall including its base. Or the beaches below the Uluwatu cliffs, such as Padang Padang and Melasti. Optional activities and trips, booked separately.
A last morning in Nusa Dua, then a transfer to the port and a fast-boat crossing to the Gili Islands, about two hours at sea. You cross the Lombok Strait, where the Wallace Line runs, the natural boundary between Asian and Australian wildlife. The Gilis are three small coral islands off Lombok: Trawangan, Meno and Air. There are no cars or motorbikes, and you often land straight onto the beach, with your feet in the water. Check-in at the hotel and a first swim in the clear water.
A free day. Around the Gilis it is easy to meet sea turtles, green and hawksbill, which often feed a few metres from the shore. One idea: a snorkelling boat trip around the three islands, with stops over the richest reefs and at the underwater statues near Gili Meno. In the afternoon, a bike ride around the island on sandy lanes: Gili Trawangan, the largest, takes about an hour. Optional trips, booked separately.
A free day. The three islands are linked by public boats and fast shuttles, with short crossings. Gili Trawangan is the largest and liveliest, with its evening food market and beach bars. Gili Meno is the smallest and quietest, with a salt lake inland. Gili Air, the closest to Lombok, is halfway between the two. At sunset, from the west coast of Trawangan, the sun goes down behind Bali's Mount Agung. Optional crossings, paid separately.
A last free day on the Gilis. If you have never dived, you can try a first dive with one of the islands' dive centres, a popular place to learn. Or a morning by kayak or paddleboard along the shore. To the east, on clear days, you can see Lombok's Mount Rinjani, the second highest volcano in Indonesia. There is time to pack calmly before tomorrow's crossing. Optional activities, booked separately.
Fast boat to Bali, transfer to the airport and flight back to Italy. Given the length of the crossing, an afternoon or evening flight is the best choice.
