Indonesia · Bali
Bali
Rice terraces and temple gates inland, then a beach at the other end. Bali works best as two halves — and getting the split right is most of the job.
The short version
Don't stay in one place
The single most common Bali mistake is booking fourteen nights in one resort. Inland and coastal Bali are completely different holidays, and only 25km apart — though the traffic makes that an hour and a half. Four or five nights in Ubud, then the rest by the sea, is the split that works — and it costs no more than staying put.
Inland
Ubud, for the first half
Rice terraces, river gorges and a genuine arts town rather than a resort strip. Mornings are the whole point here — Tegallalang is empty and cool at seven, and packed and 32°C by ten. Stay in Sayan or Payangan if you want the valley view; stay central if you'd rather walk to dinner.
The north
Ulun Danu Beratan, and the road to it
The lake temple you've seen on every Bali cover, an hour and a half north of Ubud through the highlands. Worth doing as a full day with the Handara gate and a waterfall rather than a there-and-back dash. It's 1,200m up, so bring something warm — people are consistently surprised by that.
Pick your base
Four very different Balis
Jungle, culture and the best food on the island. No beach — that's the trade. Villas with private pools are cheaper here than anywhere on the coast.
Reef-sheltered, so the sea is flat and safe. Quiet, older, family-friendly, and the fast boats to Nusa Penida leave from here.
Seminyak for beach clubs, restaurants and sunset. Nusa Dua for big gated resorts and calm swimming. Twenty minutes apart, entirely different crowds.
Doable as a long day trip, better as an overnight. The roads are rough and the viewpoints are far apart — one day means seeing three things in a rush.
Worth the early start
What we'd actually book
Twin falls and a swimmable pool, in the northern highlands. A steep walk down, quieter than the Ubud waterfalls.
The split gate everyone photographs. It's the entrance to a golf resort, there's a small fee, and by nine there's a queue.
The closest proper waterfall to Ubud, so the easiest to fit around a morning. Busy, but the walk down is short.
Ask us when you book — if a village odalan falls in your dates, it's better than anything on a tour itinerary.
When to go
The dry season is the whole ballgame
Bali is warm all year — around 30°C whatever the month — so temperature isn't the question. Rain is. April to October is dry; November to March brings afternoon downpours and humidity that makes Ubud hard work. May, June and September are the sweet spot: dry, and cheaper than the July–August peak.
Navy marks peak pricing, pale blue marks dry season without the peak surcharge. Christmas and New Year price like July.
Before you book
Three things worth knowing
There are no direct flights. Everything routes through the Gulf or Singapore, 16–18 hours all in. That's an argument for adding a stopover rather than enduring it — a night in Dubai or Doha each way costs less than you'd think.
Visa and levy on arrival. UK passports get a visa on arrival, and there's a separate Bali tourist levy payable online before you land. We'll send you the link with your documents.
Traffic is the hidden cost. Ubud to Seminyak looks like 40 minutes on a map and takes ninety in the afternoon. We build transfers around that instead of pretending it isn't true.
Next step
Tell us your dates and we'll split it properly
Send this over and we'll come back with a two-centre itinerary, live availability, a price from your airport, and the payment plan written out in full.
Practical
Indonesian rupiah. Cash for warungs and markets, cards fine in hotels and beach clubs.
Visa on arrival for UK passports, extendable once. There's also a tourist levy payable on entry.
Drives on the left. Traffic in the south is genuinely slow — Ubud to Seminyak can take 90 minutes for 25km.
7 hours ahead of the UK.
Bali packages
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
7 nights in Bali
- Return flights and private transfers
- All inclusive throughout
- Financial protection confirmed in writing before you pay
10 nights in Bali
- Return flights and private transfers
- All inclusive throughout
- The extra nights cost proportionally less — fixed costs don't change
14 nights in Bali
- Return flights and private transfers
- Half board throughout
- Best value per night, and worth it on a longer flight
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Packages that include Bali
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
12 Night Singapore & Bali
12 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,749pp
13 Night Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Krabi
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,649pp
13 Night Vietnam & Cambodia
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £2,099pp
13 Night KL, Langkawi & Penang
13 nights · Dec–Mar · from £1,599pp
14 Night Singapore, KL & Bali
14 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,849pp
15 Night Thailand & Bali
15 nights · Apr–Oct · from £2,199pp
14 Night Japan & Singapore
14 nights · Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov · from £2,999pp
12 Night Dubai & Thailand
12 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,849pp
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