Canggu to Gili Trawangan: A Bali & Lombok Island Route

Land in Bali, grab your bag, and make your way to the hostel in Canggu. This is a surf town with a split personality—part laid-back hippie vibe, part full-on party scene. Drop your stuff, meet the rest of the crew, and get ready for the first night out. The real agenda starts tomorrow.

You don't come to Canggu and skip the surf. Today is built around a surf lesson for all levels, starting with the basics on the sand before you hit the water with instructors. After the lesson, the afternoon is yours. Your best move is to rent a board and keep practicing, or just grab a cheap Bintang at a beachside warung and watch everyone else wipe out.

Time for a break from the coast. Today involves an overland journey north into Bali's highlands, stopping first at the Ulun Danu Temple, which appears to float on the edge of Lake Beratan. From there, continue to the village of Bulian for a community-run homestay. In the afternoon, a local guide takes you on a walk through the village, where you'll learn to make traditional Balinese offerings before visiting a temple for a ceremony with a local priest.

Today is a full free day in Bulian to do your own thing. You can use the downtime to just chill at the homestay and recover, or you can opt for something more active. Popular options include a trek through nearby Lemukih village to see coffee fields and waterfalls—including a natural waterslide—or a guided bike tour for a different perspective on the northern Bali landscape.

You've got a free morning in Bulian, where you can opt into a local cooking class or even a sunrise fishing trip. By the afternoon, you'll be on the road again, heading for Kintamani, a town at the base of the Mount Batur volcano. The campsite here has its own hot spring pool, which is the main event for the evening. Get a good soak in and hang out by the campfire; you have a very early start tomorrow.

It's a pre-dawn wake-up call for the two-hour trek to the summit of Mount Batur. You'll reach the top (1700m) just in time for sunrise, with a simple picnic breakfast to go with the view. After hiking back down, there's time for one last soak in the hot springs before the drive to Ubud. Along the way, you'll stop at a women's community center for a locally prepared lunch. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore Ubud before a planned night out with the crew.

After yesterday's early start and late night, today is a much-needed free day in Ubud. There's no set schedule, so you can sleep in, find a good coffee shop, or wander through the town's central market. If you've got the energy, the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is the main tourist draw, but just exploring the town's backstreets and rice-paddy views works too.

You have a second full day to dig into Ubud. Stick to your own agenda or pick from a few local experiences. Options include a Balinese spiritual tour, a cooking class back at the PKP community center, a bike tour through the surrounding rice terraces, or an organized visit with a local family. The choice is yours.

It's a multi-stage travel day. The morning starts with a drive from Ubud to the Padangbai harbour, where you'll catch a speedboat for the crossing to Lombok island. Once you land, another overland journey takes you inland to Tempasan, a small village where you'll be staying in a local lodge. The day ends with a group dinner alongside some of the villagers.

Today is about getting a feel for local life on Lombok. A morning walk takes you through the village's vibrant green rice terraces, with chances to meet local farmers. Afterwards, you'll head to the nearby village of Pringgasela to visit a women's cooperative and see a demonstration of their traditional weaving techniques. After a local lunch, the afternoon is free for optional activities like a bike tour or yoga, followed by a campfire after dinner.

You have a full free day in Tempasan to pick your own adventure. The area offers a solid mix of options, from a snorkel trip to see the coastline from the water to a trek to find monkeys and waterfalls in the forest. If you'd rather stick closer to the village, you can sign up for a local cooking class or just find a yoga session.

This morning you'll drive to Bonjeruk Village, where a local student guide will lead a short cycling tour of the area that lasts about an hour. The ride is a good way to work up an appetite for the home-cooked Lombok-style lunch that follows. After eating, you'll get back on the road and continue to the coast, arriving in the beach town of Senggigi. The rest of the afternoon is free to hit the sand.

A short drive to the port, a speedboat ride, and you're on Gili Trawangan—a tiny island famous for its beaches, party scene, and total lack of cars. You'll need to carry your own bag the 300m to the hotel. Drop your stuff and head straight back out on a boat for a snorkel trip around the three Gili Islands, with stops at spots like Turtle Point. The night is for seeing what Gili T's reputation is all about.

Your last full day is a free day on Gili T. You can spend it recovering on the beach, or get more active. Renting a bike to pedal the dirt track that circles the entire island is a classic move and only takes an hour or two. Other options include stand-up paddleboard yoga or just finding a good spot to swim.

The trip officially ends after breakfast this morning. You can pack up and depart from Gili Trawangan at any time. You'll need to sort out your own speedboat and onward transport back to the airports on either Lombok or Bali.