Bali Travel Guide
Bali in Five Days
A first-timer itinerary that puts every headline in the right order — the Monkey Forest and terraces, Tirta Empul after the Batur sunrise, the highlands and Tanah Lot, Nusa Penida, and the Kecak at Uluwatu — with two bases and realistic drive times.
Five days is enough to see the essential Bali if you accept two truths: you cannot see everything, and you should never spend more than about two hours a day in a car. This plan uses two bases, Ubud for the first three nights and the south coast for the last two, and front-loads the early starts while you are still jet-lagged. Swap days around to match the weather, especially in the wet season, when mornings are usually clearer than afternoons.
Before you fly. Pay the tourist levy on the official Love Bali website, complete the e-Arrival Card and, if your nationality needs one, buy the e-VoA online. Book the Mount Batur sunrise trek, the Nusa Penida day trip and the Uluwatu Kecak tickets in advance, as all three can sell out. Arrange airport transfers through your hotel; a driver for the long days is worth booking ahead too.
Day one — arrive and settle into Ubud. Most international flights land in the afternoon or evening. Transfer straight to Ubud, about an hour or more depending on traffic, and keep the evening easy: a walk along Jalan Hanoman or Monkey Forest Road, dinner in a warung and an early night. If you arrive early enough, catch a traditional dance performance at the palace or one of the village stages around town.
Day two — Ubud on foot and the rice terraces. Be at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary at opening, before the heat and the crowds, and follow the monkey rules: no food, nothing loose or shiny. Walk on to the royal palace, the art market and the lotus pond at Saraswati temple. After lunch, take a Balinese cooking class, or rest by the pool and save energy. In the late afternoon, drive twenty minutes north to the Tegallalang rice terraces when the tour groups have thinned, and walk down into the paddies with small cash for the donation posts. Early night: the alarm goes off at around one.
Day three — Batur sunrise, then the holy springs. Your guide collects you in the small hours for the drive to the Kintamani highlands and a two-hour torchlit climb to the crater rim of Mount Batur for sunrise over Mount Agung and the caldera lake. Wear proper shoes, bring a warm layer and a rain jacket, and keep the following day free as a back-up if cloud or rain is forecast. After the descent, many tours offer a soak in the natural hot springs on the lakeshore. On the way back toward Ubud, stop at Tirta Empul in Tampaksiring for the purification ritual: rent a bathing sarong, start at the left-hand spout and skip the ones reserved for priests. Back in Ubud by early afternoon for a well-earned massage.
Day four — the highlands, Jatiluwih and Tanah Lot, moving to the coast. Check out and drive west with your driver. Start at the UNESCO-listed Jatiluwih rice terraces on the slopes of Mount Batukaru, where a morning walk on the trails shows the subak landscape at its grandest, then continue up to Lake Beratan for the floating shrines of Ulun Danu Beratan in the cool air of Bedugul. Lunch with a view, then descend to the coast for sunset at Tanah Lot, checking the tide table to time the walk to the rock. Check in to your coastal hotel in Canggu, Seminyak or Uluwatu that evening. This is a long day; if you prefer, skip the highlands and go straight to the coast via Tanah Lot.
Day five — Nusa Penida or the Bukit. Choose your finale. For drama, take the Nusa Penida speedboat day: Kelingking, Broken Beach, Angel's Billabong and Crystal Bay, with hotel pickup and entrance fees included on the Tiqets tour; respect the barriers and the warning flags, and swim only where it is safe. For a gentler day, explore the Bukit instead: a beach morning at one of the cliff coves, lunch, then Uluwatu Temple in the late afternoon and the Kecak fire dance at sunset. If you choose Nusa Penida, consider adding Uluwatu on the morning before your flight, or extend your stay by a night.
If you have more days. Add a day in east Bali for Lempuyang, the Gates of Heaven and snorkelling at Padangbai; a beach day in Sanur or Nusa Dua; a night on Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan; or simply more time doing nothing by a pool, which is also a very Balinese activity.
Drive times to plan around. Ubud to the airport: one to one and a half hours. Ubud to Kintamani: about an hour. Ubud to Jatiluwih: about an hour and a half. Jatiluwih to Tanah Lot: about an hour. Canggu to Uluwatu: forty-five minutes to over an hour. Sanur to Nusa Penida by fast boat: about forty-five minutes. Add time for afternoon traffic everywhere.
Budget and bookings. Day tours with a driver and guide are the simplest way to manage the long days, especially Batur and Nusa Penida, which start early and finish late; on the other days, hiring a driver by the day gives you flexibility to linger. Remember that many entrance fees, donation posts, parking and warung meals are cash only, so keep a stock of small notes, and carry your levy voucher, as attractions may ask to see it.
Wet-season adjustments. Between November and March, schedule outdoor sights in the mornings, keep the Batur day flexible, carry a light rain jacket rather than an umbrella, and have a rainy-afternoon plan such as a cooking class, a spa or a museum in Ubud.