Bali Lombok Gilis travel blog: Travel diary and tips for planning your trip to Bali, Lombok and the Gilis
For travellers, Indonesia is first and foremost synonymous with sunshine, dream islands like Bali and heavenly beaches. Lovers of trekking and hiking will not be left out, as the many volcanoes of the Indonesian archipelago offer countless possibilities, including Bali, Lombok, Flores, Sulawesi and Java.
There are also numerous surf spots, such as Uluwatu in Bali and the internationally renowned Kuta and Canggu. The diverse cultures, customs and traditions of all these islands make every trip to Indonesia a unique experience. Bali also attracts travellers in search of spirituality. Bali is also one of the most popular destinations for honeymooners. Ubud is the village of choice for lovers of Balinese culture, temples and the surrounding rice fields.
Bali Lombok Gilis travel blog
Don't miss out on reading our INDISPENSABLE flagship article containing all our TIPS for travelling to Bali and Indonesia.
Bali is the perfect destination for a first trip to this immense region of the world. If you're not familiar with Indonesia, you should know that each island is very specific and not all are on the same level, particularly when it comes to tourist infrastructure.
Bali is obviously the most popular Indonesian island for tourists. For a first-timer, you won't be disappointed, except perhaps on the beaches. Bali is a destination that youcan discover on your own, but if you prefer to be supervised, you can also use an agency to organise your trip to Bali. We'll talk more about this in some of our articles on the destination.
We also suggest you explore the neighbouring islands of Lombok and the Gili Islands - Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan - which are full of breathtaking corners of paradise.
Further east of Lombok, 1? hours by plane from Bali or by cruise, you can visit the island of Flores. An authentic island away from mass tourism, Flores is our favourite island in Indonesia. And on the practical side, the islands of Rinça and Komodo and theparadise island of Kanawa are accessible from Flores. See all our articles below. In 2015, we explored the island of Sulawesi in a series of articles and videos. In 2017, back to Bali, but also Gili Asahan, Gili Meno and the active volcanoes of Java.
When it comes to meeting new people, it's easy to meet the locals, to our great delight, especially if you travel like us in backpacking mode. Smiling, welcoming, endearing, and always ready to help you even if we don't always understand each other!
So are you ready to take the plunge and travel to the other side of the world?
We've been lucky enough to travel to Indonesia 4 times, once every 2 years between 2011 and 2017. The Indonesian archipelago is our favourite playground in the world. And we can't wait to go back, as other islands like Timor, Sumba and Papua are very tempting.
In 2011, we embarked on our first 6-week independent itinerary, starting and finishing at Denpasar Bali airport. We started by touring Bali as a duo on a scooter from Seminyak. We then explored Kuta, Legian, Ubud, Munduk and Sidemen. After a ferry crossing, we headed for the heavenly beaches of South Lombok. Then, after a bit of idleness on the Gili Islands, we headed to the island of Nusa Lembongan to return to Seminyak. We'll give you a quick rundown of all our stops below, with stories and tips. A trip to feast your eyes on!
In 2013, we returned to Indonesia from that first trip, this time exploring the island of Flores. From Maumere to Labuan Bajo, we crossed the island using a variety of local means of transport. What a great adventure! With the Kelimutu volcano, traditional villages and secret white-sand beaches, it's guaranteed to be a change of scenery. Find out more in our dedicated articles below. After crossing Flores, we made an excursion to theparadise islet of Kanawa before a cruise towards East Lombok, with some magical stops on the programme, including the island of Komodo and its famous dragons, as well as multiple snorkelling stops in turquoise waters with an impressive wealth of aquatic life, the likes of which we'd never seen before. Don't be surprised if you come across manta rays, sharks (the good ones) and other tropical fish such as clown fish, extraordinary starfish and unspoilt coral. Paradise!
Bali Lombok Gilis travel blog
In 2015, we returned to Bali for a few days, this time to enjoy chic Bali. We also found a way to escape the crowds in Kuta, Legian and Seminyak by staying in Canggu in a secret, cheap guesthouse. Then we spent 1 month on theisland of Sulawesi. A new itinerary from Manado to Makassar via the Togian islands that sends the dream.
In June and July 2017, we explored Indonesia again, but this time for 3 weeks in Bali, Java and Gilis with our family and Richard's mum. We returned to the Bali we love to update all our previously published articles and write new ones. On the programme, we returned to Canggu and discovered its remote lands, a piece of authentic Bali. Then we returned to Ubud. In terms of accommodation, we were able to try out some villas and a superb new hotel in the middle of the jungle, reserved for the highest budgets and honeymooners. After an exceptional day where we discovered Bali's most beautiful waterfall not far from Munduk, 9 waterfalls on a single site that is still little-known but won't be for long, we left for a 3-day expedition to Java to visit the active Bromo and Kawa Ijen volcanoes. Finally, we headed for Gili Asahan in the south of Lombok, an island still little-known by tourists, to finish off a few days on Gili Meno. On this subject, we've taken the opportunity to publish a new article that will answer all your questions about which Gili island to choose? Then our tour ends in Canggu. A great family programme that we're not about to forget.
Our itineraries can be done with friends or family by hiring the services of a chauffeur-driven car on each island (Bali, Lombok, Sulawesi and Flores).
The rest of this page gives you access to all our travel reports, stories, tips and advice to help you dream and prepare for your future trip to Bali, Lombok, the Gilis, Kanawa, Sulawesi and Flores.