The Ultimate Dreamy 7 Day Bali Itinerary - Part 1
Being an Aussie, Bali has always been a go-to travel destination for me. Cheap flights, some of the world’s best resorts, delicious food & the sweetest locals makes Bali a place I find myself returning to year after year. And there’s always something new to discover in Bali, or a new area to explore. For our most recent trip to Bali, we hit up Amed, Munduk and Ubud to tick off some ridiculously beautiful sights that we have yet to see over seven fun-filled days. We also added in an extra two days to Nusa Penida (which you can do too!) for a bit of island adventuring.
Today I’m excited to share with you guys our dreamy 7 Day Itinerary in Bali, perfect for photo-lovers, couples or friends!
This itinerary is heavy on the driving, which we planned intentionally, so as to see as many hard-to-reach (but not really!) sights as we could in one go. I would definitely recommend booking a driver for the full duration of the trip. I wholeheartedly recommend my friend Gede from Bulleh Trans - he started his own driving company after working years as a policeman and now does private driving all around the island of Bali. We’ve booked him over three different trips in Bali and he’s just such a genuine, gentle, kind and funny person to be around. He has a few different cars to suit varying group sizes so be sure to send him a WhatsApp message or Instagram DM if you’re interested in booking his services. And if you do end up booking him be sure to say hi from us - that’s Gede in the middle below!
Day 1
Arrive Denpasar Airport - hooray!
OPTIONAL ADD ON: NUSA PENIDA (2 Day itinerary)
We actually visited Nusa Penida first for two days - so if you have an extra couple of days, I recommend checking our Nusa Penida Two Day Itinerary out first as it fits well here, in between Denpasar and Amed (our first stop on Bali proper).
DRIVE: DENPASAR —> TAMAN UJUNG WATER PALACE
TAMAN UJUNG WATER PALACE
Taman Ujung Water Palace is a gorgeous sightseeing spot featuring Balinese and European architecture combined into one. There are ornate pillars and water features here, and is a beautiful spot to visit on the way to East Bali. Entry is only a few dollars and it’s surprisingly quiet. When we visited, there were few tourists here but plenty of locals enjoying a picnic under the sun.
DRIVE: UJUNG WATER PALACE —> AMED
OVERNIGHT AT AMED
It’s time to check in at your accommodation at Amed! We stayed at The Griya Villas and Spa in Amed which if you’re interested in, you can check out here. If your accommodation offers any interesting dinner experiences, tonight’s a good chance to book one in!
Day 2
DRIVE: AMED —> PURA LEMPUYANG
PURA LAMPUYANG
Our first stop for the day is Pura Lempuyang (Gateway to Heaven). Go as early as you can humanly wake up, as this is by far the most popular tourist attraction I have ever visited in Bali, which baffles me as there are so many other places in Bali which I think are just as beautiful! Anyway, Pura Lempuyang is actually an area with multiple temples, however tourists are only allowed in a specific area here, and this area includes the famed photo spot with the gates framing Mt Agung perfectly in the background.
If you want a picture in this spot (which 100% of the people who visit, do), then you’ll need to take a number when you arrive and wait until your number is called (yes it’s that busy that they had to create this system!). Once your number is called, you get the opportunity to have your photos taken by a designated staff member who sits in front of the gate and snaps pictures all day for tourists. A donation for his efforts is appreciated and he is the one that snaps the mirrored pics that have been popular on Instagram. It’s crazy as I used to think there was a pool of water on the bottom creating the reflection, but actually it was just some guy who made his mirrored pic idea viral and oh-so-popular.
Here’s a picture of the creative mirror-ed image, as well as an image of what it really looks like.
Visiting Pura Lempuyang can take anywhere from 30=45 minute way for a photo (us) or 3 hour wait (others I overheard, after they arrived only an hour after us). We ended up spending around 1.5-2 hours here wandering about. Once you’re done, swing by the little photo viewpoint park on the way back to the car park. For a small entry fee, you can enjoy a few more photo opportunities with Mt Agung, this time without the crazy crowds. Funnily, there are staff members working here who will also offer the mirrored-picture look should you be into mirrored pics!
DRIVE: PURA LEMPUYANG —> AMED
After a hectic morning, a well-deserved break is on the cards. When we’re in Bali, we always make sure to schedule time to actually enjoy the resorts we stay in, as the resorts in Bali are often an attraction in itself! We utilised the afternoon here at The Griya to relax and enjoy its facilities. Now’s a good time to book in for a massage, cooking class or afternoon tea.
Day 3
We’re starting today early with a sunrise lookout, or if you can’t wake up so early, I promise you it’s just as gorgeous during the day as well.
DRIVE: Amed —> Bukit CinTA
This viewpoint doesn’t have an exact name and nor does it have an exact spot, however locals know it as ‘Bukit Cinta’ which you can also find if you input this into Google Maps. If you tell your driver this and show them a picture, they should know where to take you for the best views.
MOUNT AGUNG SUNRISE VIEWPOINT
The sunrise viewpoint of Mount Agung from Bukit Cinta was by far one of the most spectacular viewpoints I’d ever visited in the whole of Bali. And I think it had something to do with the fact that there was not a soul in sight when we visited. For an island as popular as Bali, I was really surprised how somewhere like Pura Lempuyang would attract thousands of people, whereas nearby Bukit Cinta would barely get even a few people at a time. I asked my driver about this and he said that most tourists visit East Bali as a day trip (starting as early as 3am from places like Ubud or Seminyak) simply to visit Pura Lempuyang and if they have time, Tirta Gangga. No one really ever stops off at this viewpoint if they’re visiting as part of a tour, so for those who are self-travelling or have their own car, count yourselves lucky for now as there is barely a crowd at this breathtaking spot!
Entrance is free.
DRIVE: BUKIT CINTA —> TIRTA GANGGA
TIRTA GANGGA
It’s time to scoot off to Tirta Gangga! Tirta Gangga is another one of those popular tourist attractions here in East Bali, so expect crowds no matter what time you visit, just like Pura Lempuyang. The garden here is actually not that big at all (which is why it makes it feel all the more crowded!) and everyone comes here to see the huge koi fish in the water.
The garden is not that big so you’ll probably spend no more than an hour here. If you want to feed the fish during your visit, then you can buy bags of fish food before you enter the garden, for around 5000 IDR. I can’t remember the cost exactly, however what I do remember was that we went off on our own to buy some fish food , and then after when I asked our driver to help us buy some more, he ended up getting it at a cheaper cost than us haha.
Entrance fee to Tirta Gangga is 10K IDR.
DRIVE: AMED —> MUNDUK
After your visit to Tirta Gangga, it’s time to head off to Munduk! Get comfortable, as this is a 3.5 hour drive. Our driver Gede had us stop over at Singaraja (the capital city in the northern area of Bali) for some food to break up the drive. He took us to a delicious local warung where we tried babi guling (suckling pic, a Balinese specialty dish). It was extremely spicy and not what we were used to and he told us that tourists always get the non-spicy version of babi guling at tourist-oriented restaurants however the real thing is meant to be super spicy. ‘No spicy no good!’
CHECK IN @ MUNDUK ACCOMMODATION
Hooray, you’ve arrived at Munduk! How much cooler and less humid is it here? After all that heat in Amed, it’s time to transition to somewhere completely different. Time to check in at your accommodation - if you need a recommendation, we booked our stay at Munduk Moding Plantation, somewhere I’ve wanted to stay at for years and I’m just so glad they had availability for us because we booked late and almost missed out. Oh, and I just realised I haven’t got a blog feature on Munduk Moding Plantation up yet - I better get one up soon because it’s just gorgeous!
We took advantage of this evening and enjoyed the gorgeous sunset at their world-famous infinity pool. Far out, yes I know. I really think you should stay here too.
It’s time to relax! Tomorrow’s going to be a big day of exploring!
Part two coming up next!