My Bali Itinerary: What I did and what I should have done differently

Katie
Mar 11, 2019
4 min read

Bali turned out to be everything that I wanted it to be, but nothing like I expected. We spent two weeks touring the island, it was full of hiking, animals, new friends and definitely was my favorite part of our month long trip around South East Asia.

My boyfriend and I got to see and do some amazing things but there are a few parts of the trip that we should have done differently. I have typed up our Bali itinerary and have included things that we did and things we didn't know about but wish we did so you don't make the same mistakes!

First stop: Kuta

We spent 3 days in Kuta which is a popular town close to the airport. I am all about the hostel life! They are cheap, sometimes include breakfast and you can pretty much always make new friends.We stayed at Cara Cara Inn.

What we did:

Turtle Release - on the beach in Kuta there is the Bali Sea Turtle Society where everyone gets their own new born sea turtle to release into the ocean. It doesn't happen everyday so you have to catch it at the right time. Make sure to check their Facebook page and keep an eye on the sign outside to find out when to line up. The best part about it is that you get to release these cuties for free!

Eat at Sky Garden - This place is a backpackers dream come true, so much so we went there twice! It is a ginormous nightclub with all you can eat AND DRINK starting at 5:00PM. They have different food at their Buffett every night and IT ONLY COSTS $7 (I had to put that in all caps so you understand the amazingness that is Sky Garden)

Side note: I basically turned this part of the trip into a food tour and if I didn't include Bali Beach Bowls on the list of places to eat while in Kuta I would be letting you down! The french toast I got there for breakfast was probably sent from heaven above! SO GOOD!

Day trip to Seminyak - One of our days here we bought a 3 day buss pass and took a trip to the town of Seminyak. This could also go on the things we should have done, I loved this town and wish we had stayed here a couple of nights instead of just visiting for the day! We visited Potato Head Beach club where we could swim in the pool and lay on the beach that was way less crowded than the beaches in Kuta. We got ice cream at a place called Mad Pops and had the BESTTTT smoothie bowl of my life at a place called Kynd Community!

What I wish we did:

Seminyak - I kind of mentioned this above, but I wish we had stayed a few more days in Seminyak, Bali. It was a nicer town than Kuta was and you didn't get hassled by locals trying to sell you stuff as you walked down the street. It had a ton of fun restaurants that I was too full to try so I wish I had more time.

Take Surf lessons - This was on our list of things to do but we spent so much time exploring and just hanging out at the beach we never had the chance to sign up for one.

Stop two: Ubud

We spent another 3 days in the town of Ubud and KISS MY BRAIN we decided to take the local bus system from Kuta to Ubud and we saved a bunch of money! The bus is called Kura Kura and the drivers could not have been nicer or more helpful!

What We did:

Tegalalang Rice Terraces - We rented bikes! You read that right.. BIKES not motorbikes. My boyfriend and I have absolutely zero experience driving a motorbike and we even tried in Kuta. We took our bikes to the Tegalalang Rice Terraces which was supposed to be a shot 45 minute ride was actually a 2 hour ride because it was all up hill! So.. DO go to the rice terraces... DO NOT take a bike!

Tegenungan Waterfall - We booked a taxi this time and went to the waterfall. Make sure you go super early so you aren't surrounded by tourists. The best part about the taxi was that it waited for us the whole time at no extra cost.

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary - We paid 30k to walk around the sanctuary which was way bigger than expected and we could stay as long as you want. Feel free to bring fruit to feed the monkeys but just beware because as soon as they see the food they will be after you!

Folk Pool and Garden - We were on the hunt for good breakfast un Ubud and came across this place. We got to sit by the pool, there was a swim up bar and the food was great! We were there in the morning but the place looked like it had the potential to get pretty wild at night, if we weren't leaving that day we would have checked it out.

What I wish we did:

This is easy.. learned how to ride a motorbike. Riding a bike uphill in 100 degree weather for 2 hours nearly killed me (and my relationship) If you can't ride a motorbike just take a taxi. It will save you a lot of stress!

What we did:

Spent two nights in the middle of nowhere - We booked two nights at the Hideout Eco bamboo home through Airbnb. We had a great time during the day exploring and finally learning how to ride a motorbike in a place with no cars! There were dogs and cats that kept us company and we got to swim and eat food cooked by the locals.

What I wish we knew:

The adorable little house was in the middle of nowhere and when the sun goes down it gets DARK. That seems like a pretty obvious statement but living/ working in NYC has me accustom to light pollution. Because this is an bamboo hut things have a tendency to slip through the cracks of the walls. We had visitors all night long, from huge lizards to bugs! Needless to say I didn't sleep for two nights straight but it was quiet the experience!

To see more of what we did in Southeast Asia check out my video that takes you through Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia!