How many days do you need in Bali, and how should you split them between areas?

1. 1Seminyakarrival, close to the airport2 days
2. 2Mundukwaterfalls and crater lakes2 days
3. 3Ubud4 days
4. 4KintamaniBatur sunrise trek1 day
5. 5Sidemen3 days
6. 6Padangbai or the coastor onward to Lombok and the Gilis2 days

Why Bali needs more days than its size suggests

Bali is small on a map but slow on the road. The highland bases sit on steep, winding roads, and the drive from the south coast up to Munduk is typically quoted at 2 to 3 hours depending on traffic. Each change of base costs most of half a day, so the real question is not how many sights you want to see but how many bases you want, at two to three nights each.

The other constraint is weather by time of day. Mount Agung from Sidemen, the Batur sunrise and the Munduk waterfalls are all best early, before cloud builds. One night per base usually means one rushed morning; two or three nights gives you a second chance if the first is cloudy.

Suggested splits: 7, 10, 14 and 18 days

• 7 days: Ubud 4, then a coast stop 3 (Seminyak or Sanur), with the Batur sunrise trek as an early start from Ubud. Two bases only; skip Munduk.

• 10 days: Ubud 3, Munduk 2, Sidemen 3, Seminyak 2, which is our 10-day Bali itinerary with transfer planning for each leg.

• 14 days: our suggested cut of the route we took: Seminyak 2, Munduk 2, Ubud 4, Kintamani 1, Sidemen 3 and Padangbai or the coast 2. It keeps every landscape type but trims a night from most stops.

• 18 days: our real route, Seminyak 3, Munduk 3, Ubud 5, Kintamani 2, Sidemen 3 and Padangbai 2, described stop by stop in our 18-day Bali itinerary.

Beyond about three weeks, the extra time is best spent leaving Bali: Padangbai is the port for the public ferry to Lombok and fast boats to the Gili Islands.

How to split your days by type of trip

• Culture and temples first: give Ubud 4 days for the royal palace dance, Tirta Empul, Goa Gajah and the rice terraces, and add Sidemen for the weaving villages and Pura Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung nearby.

• Hiking and landscapes: weight the trip towards the highlands: 3 days in Munduk for the waterfalls and crater lakes, 2 in Kintamani for the Batur sunrise trek and the lava fields, and 3 in Sidemen for terrace walks.

• Beach and food: make the coast the main base (Seminyak for restaurants and sunsets, Canggu for surf), and treat Ubud as a 2- to 3-night inland trip rather than a series of day trips from the south, which mostly means hours in traffic.

• First visit, mixed interests: follow the 10- or 14-day split above. If you have to cut a stop, drop Munduk before shortening Sidemen.

Visa, levy and timing

The e-VOA allows a 30-day stay and can be extended once for another 30, so any of these plans fits. Separately, you need the free All Indonesia arrival card within 3 days before landing and the one-time IDR 150,000 Bali tourist levy; our Bali e-VOA guide covers all three.

For a multi-base trip, the dry season, roughly April or May to September or October, makes transfers and walking easiest. We went in late May and early June, at the start of the dry season and before the July and August peak. In the wet season, from about November to March, keep transfer days short and add a spare day, since afternoon downpours are common.

Frequently asked questions