Bali is one of the most popular destinations in the world, due to its diversity. Every day in Bali can be an adventure: hiking to waterfalls, rafting in a river through the jungle, world-class surfing & diving, yoga retreats, visiting centuries-old temples… there are activities to suit every kind of person during your vacation in Bali. If you haven’t been, it should be at the top of your bucket list (and I’m sure that if you have been, you’re dying to go back!). Here is my 2 week travel itinerary through the Island of Gods: Bali.

First things first, basic information:

• How to get to Bali: I use the website Skyscanner to plan all my trips, as it’s the best to find the best deals on flights & the best months to travel. We flew from Málaga to Istanbul to Denpasar.
• Budget for a Bali trip: Bali can be a very cheap or a very expensive destination. There are really good hotels starting from 50$ a night, all the way to out-of-this-world beautiful hotels for thousands of $ a night. Food is really cheap, you can eat for 10$ per person in a restaurant, and massages start from 7$.
• How to move around Bali: we chose to hire a private driver in Bali. This is the best option, so you can explore at your own path. If you plan on staying in a small area (Ubud center, Canggu…) you can rent a scooter from 5$/day and drive yourself. Only do this if you are confident. Traffic is hectic!

UBUD, BALI

Plan to stay in Ubud at least 4 nights of your Bali travel itinerary. There is PLENTY to do. From visiting waterfalls & the famous rice terraces, to amazing temples, Ubud is filled with bucket list hotels and really cheap spas. If you are planning a 2 week Bali travel itinerary, I would spend 4 nights in Ubud and 2 in the North of Bali.

I made a list of my favorite hotels in Ubud, that can help you choose where to stay in Bali.

Things to do in Ubud: a visit to the Tegalalang rice terraces is a must. It’s a beautiful jungle of green fields and palm trees. There are also lots of photo spots with swings and some cafes. It gets really crowded, so we started very early, and then visited the Monkey Forest Sanctuary, which is a Hindu Temple and a nature reserve. There are 3 temples inside, with giant roots around the bridges, big stone carvings of Komodo Dragons, and hundreds of playful monkeys! Be careful with your belongings and don’t feed the monkeys as they can get really aggressive when there’s food.

You can book a visit to Tegalalang and the Monkey Forest Sanctuary here.

We chose to spend our mornings exploring and our afternoons chilling in the hotels or visiting a spa. Around midday it gets really hot so we’d rather not be out in the sun doing sightseeing! There are lots of spas all over Ubud and they are quite affordable, just make sure to book at least 1 day in advance. We pretty much went to the spas every day! I got full body massages, facials, flower baths… there are endless treatments.

Over the next days we visited the Tirta Empul temple, whose sacred springs are said to have been created by a Hindu God and possess curative properties. A local showed us how to complete the ritual and so we did. They will give you a sarong to wear over your clothes while you are in the temple grounds, and if you want to do the ritual in the springs you will have to pay a bit extra for the dress and the offering.

We also visited Pura Gunung Kawi temple. There are a million stairs to go down to this temple, so make sure to visit early so you don’t have to walk back up in the heat! There weren’t many people for this reason, and there are a lot of shops on the walk so you can buy some drinks and souvenirs.

We also walked around Ubud centre and the traditional market, where we bought some souvenirs. Keep in mind that they always put the price up depending on your level of street bargaining ability. So if you think the price is too high, don’t pay it! There are hundreds of shops selling the same products so I’m sure you will find it cheaper somewhere else. I have seen sarongs going for 1$ on the street, and for 20$ in a shop.

You can book a tours that will take you to Tirta Empul.

NORTH OF BALI

If you want a complete Bali travel itinerary, I suggest visiting the North of Bali. You can make day trips from Ubud (this is what we did) or get a hotel in the area. If you decide to do the later, I would check out Munduk Molding Plantation. It’s one of those amazing hotels that you can see all over Instagram!

The waterfalls in Bali are all epic, but there are two I recommend not missing: NungNung and Sekumpul. The hikes are not easy (but totally doable), so I would visit the waterfalls in different days. You can also stop by at Handara Gate for a picture and visit Ulun Danu Beratan Temple.

You can book a tour to Sekumpul and Ulun Danu temple here.

CANGGU, BALI

For the rest of our trip to Bali we headed to the South of the island, which is a complete different world from Ubud, so we could complete our Bali travel itinerary. There are many areas in the South and they are all different. Seminyak and Kuta are the busiest, full of party crowds, so we decided to avoid these.

We spent 2 nights in Canggu in a very affordable Airbnb with private pool and Balinese design. Canggu is full of vegan cafes, cool restaurants and boutique shops. We visited Deus Ex Machina shop and they had a concert later that night so we also went there for dinner. There are a couple of markets worth visiting and you can easily move around the area on foot. The beach in Canggu is also great for learning to surf in Bali. There are lots of beach clubs & restaurants too.

If you want to do some cultural activities, a visit to Tanah Lot temple is a must. This is one of the most popular temples in Bali. It’s just sitting over the water and the views are very impressive, especially at sunset.

ULUWATU, BALI

For the last days of our Bali travel itinerary, we spent a couple more nights in Uluwatu. I absolutely fell in love with Uluwatu Surf Villas. They have amazing villas with private pools overlooking the ocean, and a restaurant and drinks bar that has the best sunset view in the world! My pictures below in a pool is from their restaurant area. If you want to experience the different vibes of Bali in your travel itinerary, you have to visit Uluwatu.

While in Uluwatu there are many beautiful beaches to visit, such as Blue Point Beach or Thomas Beach. The most popular is Padang Padang Beach, but they are all stunning in my opinion. There are also lots of boutique shops around and some restaurants. The vibe in Uluwatu is much more chilled than in Canggu, being more remote there is way less people.

We also tried visiting The Edge Bali, but there was such a queue and so many people that we decided to skip it. Alternatively if you have the option to stay there overnight, it looks like a really nice hotel! Instead, we rented a bike and drove to Karang Boma Cliff for some amazing sunset pictures, just the day before we left!

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask below in the comments, and let me know if Bali is in your bucket list.

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