Best Day Trips in Bali
Part of the Bali travel guide — see every topic in All Bali Guides.
Bali measures about 140 kilometres east to west, which sounds like nothing until you drive it. Average speeds outside the motorway are twenty-five to thirty-five kilometres an hour, and the single road through Ubud can add forty minutes on its own. The practical rule is to pick a direction — north, east, west or the islands — and cluster three or four stops along it. A car with driver for a ten-hour day costs 600,000–800,000 rupiah, which for two or more people is better value than any tour.
North: lakes and waterfalls
The classic northern loop climbs from Ubud through Tegallalang to the Batur caldera rim for coffee and the volcano view, then over to Lake Bratan with the Ulun Danu temple sitting out on the water, and down to the Munduk waterfalls and the twin lakes viewpoint at Wanagiri. Add Banyumala or Sekumpul if you want a serious waterfall, and Handara Gate if you want the photograph. It is a long day — ten to twelve hours from the south coast — and it is cool and often wet up at 1,200 metres, so bring a layer.
East: Sidemen, Amed and the water palaces
The east is the quiet side. Sidemen valley has the terraces without the crowds and a view straight up at Mount Agung on a clear morning. Tirta Gangga and Taman Ujung are 1940s royal water gardens, both photogenic, both cheap. Continue to Amed for black-sand bays, snorkelling straight off the beach and a genuinely good sunset over Agung. Virgin Beach near Candidasa is the swimming stop. This is the best direction if you want a day that feels like Bali before the tourism, and it is about two hours each way from Seminyak.
West and the islands
West gets you Jatiluwih's UNESCO terraces, Tanah Lot for the sunset silhouette, and, if you push on, the West Bali National Park and Menjangan's diving — that last one really wants an overnight. The Nusa islands are the other obvious day: fast boat from Sanur at seven, back by five, with Penida's west coast or Lembongan and Ceningan's beaches in between. The Gili islands and Lombok are technically possible in a day and genuinely not worth it — the boat is two and a half hours each way and the sea gets rough after midday.
Making the day work
Leave by seven. The difference between a seven and a nine o'clock start on Bali is roughly ninety minutes of traffic, and every headline site is materially better before the tour buses. Agree the itinerary and price with the driver in writing before you set off, including whether entrance fees and parking are included — usually they are not. Bring cash in small notes; almost every site takes cash only. And build in one fewer stop than you think you can manage: four sites in a day is comfortable, six is a bad day out of a car window.
Best Day Trips at a glance
| Car with driver | IDR 600,000–800,000 for a 10-hour day |
|---|---|
| North loop | Batur rim, Lake Bratan, Munduk falls — 10–12 h |
| East loop | Sidemen, Tirta Gangga, Amed — 2 h each way |
| West | Jatiluwih, Tanah Lot; Menjangan needs an overnight |
| Islands | Nusa Penida or Lembongan, boat from Sanur |
| Golden rule | Leave by 7am; four stops maximum |