10 Days in Bali, Eight of Them in the North: A Slow Itinerary

In Brief

Spend days 1 and 2 in the south or Ubud to get over the flight. On day 3, cross the mountains by the Bedugul road, stopping at the lake temple and the botanic garden, and sleep two nights in Munduk for the waterfall walks, the twin lakes and the coffee farms. Days 5 to 7 are on the Lovina coast, with a dawn dolphin trip, the hot springs at Banjar, a waterfall day at Sekumpul and one free day for the sea or the Sunday market. For days 8 to 10, choose Pemuteran and Menjangan for the best reef in Bali, or head east to Amed or Sidemen, which leaves a shorter drive to the airport. Hire a driver for the transfer days and let each base be slow.

Jukung outriggers on the beach at Lovina, home base for the middle of the trip. Photo: Ken Eckert / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Route at a Glance

• Days 1 and 2: The south or Ubud. Arrive, sleep, one easy day.
• Day 3: Cross north by the Bedugul road: Ulun Danu Beratan, the botanic garden, the market. Sleep in Munduk.
• Day 4: Munduk: a waterfall walk, the twin lakes, a coffee farm.
• Day 5: Down to Lovina, with the hot springs and the monastery at Banjar on the way.
• Day 6: Dawn dolphins, then a slow day on the coast or in Singaraja.
• Day 7: Waterfall day: Sekumpul and Fiji, or Aling-Aling, or Gitgit.
• Days 8 and 9: Pemuteran and Menjangan (west), or Amed or Sidemen (east).
• Day 10: The drive to the airport.

Nights: two in the south or Ubud, two in Munduk, three in Lovina, two at the last base.

How this differs from our shorter routes: the 3-day north Bali itinerary works from one base in Lovina, and the 7-day version moves through three north coast bases at a steady pace. This one adds a proper landing in the south, a crossing that is a day out in itself, and an extra free day on the coast. If you are still deciding on length, how many days to spend in north Bali sets out the trade-offs.

A Note on Drive Times

The distances below are road kilometres from OpenStreetMap routing. The times are ours: rough allowances for a car with a driver on mountain and coast roads, with no stops. Traffic, rain and road works on the mountain crossing can add an hour. Treat them as planning figures and let your driver judge the day.

Days 1 and 2: Land in the South or Ubud

The flight into Ngurah Rai is the hardest part of the trip, so do not add a three-hour mountain drive to it. Sleep near the airport or in the south on night one if you land late, or go straight to Ubud if you land early. Before you fly, sort the arrival card and the Bali tourist levy; both save time at the airport.

If you choose the south, day 2 is a beach day. The best beaches in Bali covers the southern coast from Uluwatu up, and Bali's beach clubs the long lunches.

If you choose Ubud, day 2 is for the rice fields, a class or a yoga session and a slow dinner. Ubud is also the better start for this route, because it is a shorter drive to the lakes than the south. North Bali or Ubud explains what each does best, and the best restaurants in Ubud will feed you for both nights.

The Tegallalang terraces outside Ubud. Photo: Philip Nalangan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Day 3: The Crossing North

Leave after breakfast. From Ubud to Lake Beratan is about 45 kilometres; allow an hour and a half. From the airport or the south, the Beratan lake site puts the lake about 60 kilometres away, which takes two hours or more. The routes and the new "shortcut" road works are in getting to north Bali.

The crossing is the day, so make three stops at the top.

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan. The lake temple at Candikuning, one of the island's nine most significant temples according to its official site. Go before midday, when the cloud tends to come down off the hills, and dress for a working temple.

The Bali Botanic Garden. A few minutes from the temple, 157 hectares of conifers, orchids, greenhouses and forest, founded in 1959. Walk it for an hour or two; our Bali Botanic Garden guide has the highlights and how entry works.

Candikuning market. On the main road by the garden turn, with strawberries and highland fruit from the farms around it. Buy lunch for the car.

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan on Lake Beratan. Photo: Alharomain354 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Then take the ridge road west to Munduk, about 20 kilometres; allow 40 minutes to an hour. It runs along the rim above Lakes Buyan and Tamblingan, past the Wanagiri viewpoints. Stop at one if the view is clear. You will be in Munduk by mid-afternoon, which is when the mist usually arrives. The whole area is in the Bedugul guide.

Day 4: Munduk and the Lakes

Munduk sits at around 1,000 metres on a ridge facing the sea, planted with coffee and clove, and it is cool enough for a jumper at night. This is the day for walking.

Start early with a waterfall loop. Munduk and Melanting falls can be walked from the village, and Munduk's waterfall trails sets out the routes, the steeper falls and when a guide helps. Be back at the road by lunch.

In the afternoon, drive down to the lakes. Buyan and Tamblingan are quiet and forested to the shore, and dugout canoes still work the water on Tamblingan. On the way back, stop at a farm: the coffee plantations of Munduk explains who grows what and where you can taste it.

The twin lakes from the Wanagiri ridge. Photo: Stefan Fussan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Where to sleep, and the rest of the village, is in the Munduk guide.

Day 5: Down to Lovina

Munduk to Lovina is about 33 kilometres; allow an hour to an hour and a half. The road drops off the ridge and reaches the coast west of Lovina, so the two stops at Banjar come first.

Banjar Hot Springs. Warm natural pools in a garden, fed through carved stone spouts. An hour in the water is the right end to two days of walking.

Brahma Vihara Arama. The Buddhist monastery in the hills above Banjar, open to respectful visitors, with terraced gardens and meditation halls. Go for the quiet.

Arrive in Lovina in the afternoon and walk to the beach for sunset. The coast faces north over the Java Sea, the water is usually flat, and the evening light lasts. Book tomorrow's dolphin boat tonight, through your villa or with a captain on the beach at Kalibukbuk. The Lovina area guide covers the villages along the coast and where to eat.

Day 6: Dolphins at Dawn, Then Nothing Much

The boats leave in the dark and are back by about eight. Traditional jukung outriggers go out to where the wild dolphins feed at first light. Our Lovina dolphins guide covers what to expect, how to choose a captain who does not chase the pods, and what happens when the sea is rough.

Calm dry-season dawn on the Lovina dolphin water. Photo: Michelle Maria / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

After that, leave the day open. This is the day the shorter itineraries cannot afford. Swim, sleep, read, eat well; the best restaurants in Lovina and the beach guide will fill it.

If you want one outing, go to Singaraja, twenty minutes east. The old harbour, the Chinese temple beside it and the palm-leaf manuscript library are a short walk apart, and Singaraja's old town guide maps the half day.

If one of your Lovina days is a Sunday, go to the Lovina Sunday Market at Kaliasem after the dolphins. It was set up for exactly that: weaving, laklak cooked to order and other things made in Buleleng, on the sand from the morning. Check it is on that week before you plan around it.

Day 7: The Waterfall Day

The north's biggest falls are in the hills behind Singaraja, and this is a full day with an early start. The north Bali waterfalls guide compares them all. Pick one plan.

Sekumpul and Fiji. Sekumpul is often called the most spectacular fall on the island: a canyon of drops reached by a long descent, a river crossing and a climb back out, with a local guide from the village. Fiji Waterfall is in the same valley on the same trek. Allow about an hour from Lovina to the trailhead, and most of the morning on foot.

Sekumpul's main falls. Photo: Putu Andika Panendra / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Aling-Aling. About 40 minutes inland from Lovina at Sambangan, with guided jumps and natural rock slides into the pools. Aling-Aling's guide sets out what the guides allow. Sekumpul in the morning and Aling-Aling after lunch is a full, wet day.

Gitgit. The easy option: a short path and no canyon, just off the Bedugul road above Singaraja. Gitgit waterfall is the one to choose if your knees had enough in Munduk.

Back on the coast by late afternoon. It is your last Lovina evening, so make it a long dinner by the sea.

Days 8 to 10, Option A: West to Pemuteran and Menjangan

Choose this if you snorkel or dive. It is the best reef in Bali, and the one downside is the long drive to the airport on day 10.

Day 8. Lovina to Pemuteran is about 48 kilometres along the coast; allow an hour and a half. Stop on the way at Pura Pulaki, the sea temple against a black cliff, where the macaques live; keep sunglasses and snacks out of reach. Check in and snorkel straight off the beach in the afternoon. The Pemuteran guide covers the bay, the reef restoration offshore and where to stay.

Day 9. The Menjangan trip. The island is inside the West Bali National Park, reached only by boat with a registered park guide, from Pemuteran or the harbours to its east. Go in the morning. Our Menjangan Island guide names the sites and explains how park access works, and diving and snorkelling in Pemuteran covers the operators and the reef closer to shore.

The Coral Garden on Menjangan, sea fans and hard coral in clear water. Photo: Lakshmi Sawitri / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Day 10. Pemuteran to the airport is about 150 kilometres; allow three and a half to four hours. That suits an evening flight. With a morning flight, spend night nine in the south instead and make the drive on day 9 after the boat.

Days 8 to 10, Option B: East to Amed or Sidemen

Choose this if you would rather end closer to the airport, or if you have already seen Pemuteran. It also shows you a quieter coast most visitors to the north never drive.

Amed. From Lovina, the coast road runs east through Tejakula and past Yeh Mampeh waterfall at Les, an easy stop on the way. It is about 90 kilometres to Amed; allow two and a half to three hours. Amed is a string of fishing villages under Mount Agung, with coral a few kicks off the black sand and the Liberty wreck up the road at Tulamben. Spend day 9 in the water. The Amed guide covers the bays and the diving. On day 10, allow two and a half to three hours to the airport.

Jukungs back on the sand at Amed, the day's divers taking over. Photo: Marklchaves / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sidemen. An inland valley in Karangasem, with the Unda river running through it and Mount Agung in view from almost everywhere, as Mongabay described it. You walk through the rice fields and hills from your guesthouse, and the village is a centre of Balinese weaving: the province's information office calls Sidemen's handmade songket a mark of prestige among lovers of traditional cloth, and it is also known for endek. It is the farthest drive from Lovina, about 115 kilometres, so allow three hours or more. It pays you back on day 10: Sidemen to the airport is under 60 kilometres, about an hour and a half to two hours, the easiest last day of any option here.

The rice fields of Sidemen. Photo: Paul Arps / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Where to Stay on This Route

• The south or Ubud (2 nights): Close to the airport for a late landing, or in Ubud to be an hour closer to the crossing.
• Munduk (2 nights): A room with a valley view and hot water; the nights are cool. See the Munduk guide.
• Lovina (3 nights): A villa with a pool is the right place for the slow day. Palm Living's villas are around Lovina, and the best villas in Lovina compares the stretch of coast.
• Pemuteran, Amed or Sidemen (2 nights): Beachfront in Pemuteran and Amed means reef on the doorstep; in Sidemen, choose the view over the valley.

The wider picture of north Bali bases is in where to stay in north Bali.

Getting Around

Hire a private driver for the transfer days: day 3, day 5, day 8 and day 10. The roads over the mountains are narrow and winding, the driver carries the bags between bases and knows where to stop. On the days in between you can keep the driver, take short rides from your base, or rent a scooter around Lovina or Pemuteran if you are confident on one. Private drivers in north Bali explains how to book one and what to agree before you set off.

When to Go

The dry season, roughly April to October, is the easiest time for this route: calmer sea for the dolphins and the Menjangan boats, clearer views over the lakes, and firmer trails down to Sekumpul. In the wet season the falls are fuller and the highlands greener, but boats are more often cancelled and the canyon paths turn slippery. The detail is in the best time to visit north Bali.

Practical Notes

• Cash. Carry enough for the highlands and the last base; waterfall entries, parking and small warungs are cash, and ATMs are thinner away from Lovina and Singaraja.
• Layers. Munduk and Bedugul are far cooler than the coast. Pack a jumper and a rain jacket.
• Temple dress. Bring a sarong for Ulun Danu Beratan, Pura Pulaki and any ceremony you come across. The temple etiquette guide has the rest.
• Shoes. Sekumpul and the Munduk trails need grip. Sandals for the river crossings.
• Buffers. Leave slack before any flight. The mountain roads are slow and the south's traffic is slower.
• Prices and hours. Entry fees, boat prices and opening hours change; each linked guide points to the place's own source.

FAQ

Is 10 days in Bali enough? Yes, if you choose one side of the island to go deep on. Ten days lets you land gently in the south or Ubud and then spend eight days in the north across three bases, with time for the highlands, the coast, the waterfalls and the reef, and one day with nothing planned.

How many days should I spend in north Bali on a 10-day trip? Seven or eight. Two nights in Munduk, three in Lovina and two in Pemuteran, Amed or Sidemen covers the north without hurrying, and it leaves the first two days for recovering from the flight.

What is the best order for a north Bali itinerary? Come over the mountains by the Bedugul road and stop in Munduk first, since the highlands are on the way. Then go down to Lovina, then west to Pemuteran or east to Amed. The route never doubles back over the mountains until the drive home.

Should I end my Bali trip in the north or the east? End in the west at Pemuteran if the reef matters most and you have an afternoon or evening flight, since the drive to the airport takes three and a half to four hours. End in Sidemen or Amed for a shorter last day.

Do I need a driver for this itinerary? For the transfer days, yes. The mountain crossing, the ridge road to Munduk and the long coast drives are much easier with a local driver who carries your bags. On the days in between you can do without one.

Can I do Ubud and north Bali in 10 days? Yes; this itinerary does exactly that. Ubud takes days 1 and 2 and is the natural start, because it sits on the way to the Bedugul crossing.

Sources

• Ulun Danu Beratan, official lake and temple site, read September 2026
• Kebun Raya Indonesia, Kebun Raya Bali, read September 2026 (in Indonesian)
• Balai Taman Nasional Bali Barat, West Bali National Park, read September 2026 (in Indonesian)
• Mongabay Indonesia, Merehatkan Mata dan Jiwa di Desa Sidemen, 26 January 2018 (in Indonesian)
• Diskominfos Provinsi Bali, Untaian Filosofi pada Kain Songket Sidemen, read September 2026 (in Indonesian)
• Road distances from OpenStreetMap routing (project-osrm.org), September 2026; drive times are our own rough allowances
• Every other stop is sourced on its own Northbound guide, linked in the text

Shorter versions of the same north: 3 days and 7 days. For the whole region, the north Bali travel guide.