Bali ~ YVETTHEWORLD

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11 Day itinerary

Day 1 – Flight from Yogyakarta to Bali

The flight from Yogyakarta to Bali took about 1.5 hours. On our way to to our Airbnb near Ubud, our taxi driver stopped at a local market where we bought dinner.

Day 2 and 3 – Bali Dacha and Natya Resort

I was a bit feverish on day 2, so we just took it easy and stayed close to our Airbnb. Bali Dacha is an open bamboo jungle hut next to the river, and a beautiful place to stay in. We walked down the river to Candi Tebing Tegallingah, which are ruins of a temple. I was surprised at how quiet these ruins were.

After our walk to the ruins, we took a taxi to Natya resort. Some of my Bali dreams were to have a flower bath and a floating breakfast. Natya resort made both of these dreams come true. They didn’t even charge us for the flower bath. We spent day 3 in and around Natya resort to recharge.

Day 4 – Swings, Tegallalang rice fields, three temples and Tegenungan waterfall

The extreme swing was another one of my Bali dreams. While Bali Swing is the most famous one, the Terrace River Pool Swing is a lot cheaper. The latter was located in a jungle surrounded by rice fields, birds nests and other photo opportunities. You won’t be disappointed by going for the cheap option here.

After the Terrace River Pool Swing, we went to the Tegallalang rice fields. Although these rice fields are one of Bali’s main attractions, we couldn’t help but to feel disappointment after our experience with the rice fields in Yogyakarta.

We then visited three temples near Ubud: the Tirta Empul, Gunung Kawi and Goa Gajah. We finished the day at the Tegenungan waterfall.

Day 5 – Ubud Monkey Forest

I had mixed feelings about going to the Monkey Forest, but I’m so glad we went. We were a bit scared about using our phones with the tripod, until one of the monkey carers told us that the monkeys in Ubud aren’t interested in stealing phones and tripods. Getting close to the monkeys was lots of fun, and we took some amazing pictures here. Just keep an eye on your backpack, because the monkeys know how to open zippers.

Day 6 – Ulun Danu Beratan temple, Handara Golf Gate, Wanagiri Hidden Hill, Gitgit waterfall, Jatiluwih rice field

The Ulun Danu Beratan temple is one of the most beautiful temples in Bali. We arrived around 9:30 am and were still able to take quiet pictures here.

Although the Handara Golf Gate is nothing more than the gate to a Golf Resort, it has become famous on instagram. Because of its instafame, the place now charges a small fee for taking pictures here. At least you have the place to yourself for 10 minutes, without having to worry about other people in your pictures.

Wanagiri Hidden Hill is full of bird nests, swings and other picturesque spots. The hill is next to a lake, which makes for a nice background.

The Gitgit waterfall is surrounded by greens and colourful flowers. We really enjoyed taking a bath underneath the waterfall. It was so peaceful and quiet.

Our final stop of the day, the Jatiluwih rice field, was a suggestion by our driver. With a volcano in the background, these rice fields were very picturesque.

Day 7 – Candi Dasa Lotus Lake

After spending the day in Ubud, we took a taxi to Candi Dasa. This is where we stayed for one night. We had the lotus lake to ourselves while we were watching the sunset.

Day 8 – Lempuyang, Tirta Gangga and Besakih temples, and Tukad Cepung waterfall

When we planned our visit to these temples in Bali, we didn’t realise it was Galungan and Kuningan that day. These are national holidays where locals visit the temples with their families, so imagine how busy it was.

We arrived in Lempuyang temple at 8 am, but it was already challenging to take quiet pictures because of the national holidays. It was nice to see the families bringing offers to the temples and playing instruments together. I was however disappointed to find out that the reflections of this temple are created by a mirror, and not by a lake.

Tirta Gangga is my favourite temple in Bali, because of its stepping stones over a Koi pond. It was less crowded than Lempuyang, and I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful gardens surrounding this temple.

Our final temple of the day was Besakih, which is high up in a mountain and overlooking several pagodas.

We ended our day trip at the Tukad Cepung waterfall. When visiting this waterfall, most people turn left when they reach the river. This will take you to an underground pool underneath the main waterfall. However, the waterfall on the right side of the river is worth a visit as well. Just make sure you bring water shoes with you, because the pebbles in the river are painful.

Day 9 – Villa Sidemen and Uluwatu temple

Villa Sidemen (together with Natya resort) is the best place we’ve stayed in during our Bali trip. It has a private infinity pool overlooking a volcano, and an relaxing bath tub inside the villa. The volcano gets covered by clouds for most of the time, so we almost missed out on its beautiful view. As we only stayed one night, we were lucky that the volcano showed up just half an hour before our check out.

After our check out, we took a taxi to Uluwatu, our next destination. We convinced the driver to stop at Uluwatu temple before reaching our hotel. Be careful with the monkeys around the Uluwatu temple. They are more brutal than the ones in Ubud, and we’ve seen them stealing phones and flip flops from visitors.

Day 10 – Nusa Penida

Our time in Bali went a lot quicker than we had hoped for, so we had to choose between exploring more of Bali or visiting Nusa Penida. As this was already our last day, we decided to take a last minute day tour to Nusa Penida. We’ve seen the T-rex, Broken Beach, Angel’s Billabong and Crystal Bay. I’m glad we decided to go for it, as it would have been a shame to miss this wonderful island.