What does an 18-day Bali itinerary look like, stop by stop, and in what order should you loop the island?

1. 1Seminyakincl. a one-day hop to Banyuwangi, Java3 days
2. 2Mundukwaterfalls and crater lakes3 days
3. 3Ubud5 days
4. 4KintamaniMount Batur sunrise trek2 days
5. 5Sidemen3 days
6. 6Padangbaiport for Lombok and the Gilis2 days

The route, stop by stop

• Seminyak, 3 days (19-22 May): the southwest coast, close to the airport, with a long west-facing beach for sunsets, Petitenget Temple at its northern end and Tanah Lot sea temple a short way up the coast. This block also held our one-day hop across to Banyuwangi on Java (21-22 May), the town on the far side of the Bali Strait that is the usual base for the Ijen volcano.

• Munduk, 3 days (22-25 May): a ridge village at around 800 m in the northern highlands, among clove and coffee plantations. It is the base for the Munduk, Melanting and twin Banyumala waterfalls and the forest-ringed crater lakes of Tamblingan and Buyan, with Ulun Danu Beratan temple on Lake Beratan a little further on.

• Ubud, 5 days (25-30 May): the cultural centre: the royal palace and its nightly Barong dance, the Tegallalang rice terraces, Tirta Empul, Goa Gajah, the Campuhan Ridge Walk and the Sacred Monkey Forest. Our Ubud guide covers the town, and how many days in Ubud explains why most people need 3 to 4.

• Kintamani, 2 days (30 May-1 June): the rim of the Batur caldera at over 1,500 m, with the active cone of Mount Batur (1,717 m) and Lake Batur below. The pre-dawn sunrise trek is the reason to stay up here rather than day-trip; see our Kintamani guide.

• Sidemen, 3 days (1-4 June): a rice-terrace valley below Mount Agung, with songket and endek weaving workshops and walking paths between the paddies. Our Sidemen guide has the detail.

• Padangbai, 2 days (4-6 June): a small harbour village on the east coast. It is the port for the public car ferry to Lembar on Lombok and for fast boats to the Gili Islands, and it has a few small beaches within walking distance, including Blue Lagoon and Bias Tugel.

Why the loop runs in this order

Bali's airport is in the south, so the coast is the natural first and last stop. We arrived from Vietnam and started in Seminyak, close to the airport, then went north to Munduk, the longest drive of the loop, typically quoted at 2 to 3 hours from the south depending on traffic and stops.

From Munduk the route drops back to Ubud, which sits in the middle of the island and makes every later leg short: Kintamani is roughly 35 km, about an hour or a little more by road. Kintamani before Sidemen means the volcano views and the colder nights come in one block, and then the road runs downhill to the east. Padangbai last works if you are continuing by boat to Lombok or the Gilis; if you are flying out instead, the drive back to the airport is usually quoted at about 1.5 to 2.5 hours, so allow a generous buffer.

The one move we would not repeat for most readers is fitting Java into the Seminyak block. Banyuwangi lies across the Bali Strait from Bali's western tip, the opposite end of the island from Padangbai, and the standard crossing is the Gilimanuk-Ketapang ferry. If Ijen is a priority, give it its own two days at the start or end rather than squeezing it into a beach stay.

Late May and early June: the start of the dry season

Bali's dry season is usually described as running from about April or May to September or October, with the wettest months from roughly November to March. Indonesia's weather agency, BMKG, defines the onset by rainfall falling below 50 mm per ten-day period, and its regional forecasts have typically had the southern lowlands around Denpasar turning dry in April and the uplands of north Gianyar, Bangli and parts of Karangasem (the Ubud, Kintamani and Sidemen side of the island) in May. Onset varies from year to year, so expect the odd shower in the highlands even in early June.

That makes late May and early June a good window for this route: the terraces are still green from the wet season, and it comes before the July and August peak, when accommodation is under the most pressure. In the highlands, mornings are usually the clearest part of the day, so plan the walks and viewpoints early. Kintamani is cold before dawn at altitude (around 15°C), so pack a fleece for the Batur trek.

Getting around: private driver, scooter or ride-hailing

The route data shows where we stayed, not how we moved, so here are the standard options, neutrally:

• Private driver: the usual way to do a multi-base loop. A car with driver for 8 to 10 hours is typically quoted at around IDR 600,000 to 800,000 for the car, not per person; confirm what is included (fuel, parking, extra hours) and see our Bali tipping guide for the customary tip. Turning a transfer day into a sightseeing day with one or two stops on the way is the main advantage.

• Scooter: common, but legally you need your home licence plus an International Driving Permit with the motorcycle category stamped, and many travel insurance policies exclude riding without one. The roads up to Munduk and Kintamani are steep, winding and slippery after rain. Read our Bali scooter rules guide first.

• Grab and Gojek: widely available in the south and around Ubud, but Bali tightened its rules for online taxis in 2025, and travel guides report local transport-only zones in parts of Ubud and elsewhere where app drivers may not pick up. Coverage is much thinner in Munduk, Sidemen and Padangbai, so arrange onward transport with your guesthouse before you arrive.

What we would change

The order held up. The days were slightly uneven: Ubud at 5 days is generous unless you want rest days or a cooking class, and 4 is enough for most people. Munduk at 3 days is right if you want two waterfall and lake mornings; with less time, our 10-day Bali itinerary gives it two nights, and drops it entirely below ten days.

Sidemen is the stop we would never cut: three days there is what lets Mount Agung clear at least one morning. If you are short of time, skip Kintamani as a stay and do the Batur sunrise trek as an early start from Ubud instead, and use Padangbai only if you are heading on to Lombok or the Gilis. Our how many days in Bali page gives suggested splits for 7, 10 and 14 days.

Before flying, sort the paperwork: the e-VOA (30 days, extendable once), the free All Indonesia arrival card within 3 days of landing, and the separate IDR 150,000 Bali tourist levy. Our Bali e-VOA guide explains how the three fit together.

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