Self-Launched Indonesia: Candidasa, Mt Rinjani Foothills & the Gilis
9 days · Bali & Lombok, Indonesia
G Adventures charges £735
No-markup version: ~£443 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 9-day self-launched version of G Adventures' Bali–Lombok–Gili Trawangan route: start with beach time and snorkelling in Candidasa on Bali's east coast, cross by fast boat/ferry to Lombok, base yourself in Senaru and Sembalun for guided walks through Rinjani foothills with local (including women-led) guide associations, learn to cook Sasak-style with guesthouse hosts in Pringgasela, explore the pineapple and cassava trails above Kuta Lombok, cycle and eat lunch with the community English camp in Bonjeruk, then finish with island life on Gili Trawangan. Everything here is bookable yourself — budget guesthouses, local guides, public/private minibuses and fast boats — for roughly a third of the group-tour price. All costs are approximate per-person estimates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive Candidasa, Bali
Candidasa, Bali
Fly into Denpasar (DPS) and take a Grab/Gojek or prepaid airport taxi east along the coast to Candidasa (about 2–2.5 hrs, £14–18 for the car — share if you can). Check into a guesthouse or small hotel on the Jalan Raya strip, sort out a SIM card at the airport (Telkomsel ~£5 for 20GB), and pay the Bali tourist levy online (150,000 IDR / ~£7) before or on arrival. Evening swim, warung dinner, early night.
🚌Airport taxi/Grab from DPS ~£16 (shared)
🛏Guesthouse or simple hotel in Candidasa (private fan/AC double, ~£16–20)
- →Airport transfer to Candidasa
- →Bali tourist levy (online)
- →Local SIM card
- →Evening beach walk
Candidasa — Blue Lagoon snorkelling & Balinese cooking
Candidasa, Bali
Book a Blue Lagoon snorkelling trip direct with one of the dive shops in Candidasa or via Klook (~£22–28 including gear, boat, guide and sometimes lunch) — the reef at Blue Lagoon and Bias Tugel is calm and great for beginners. In the afternoon, arrange a Balinese cooking class with a local family or Padang Bai/Candidasa cookery school (~£25–30) to make chicken tum and gado-gado. Alternatively just rent a scooter (~£5/day) and beach-hop.
🚌Local bemo/scooter or short taxi ~£5
🛏Guesthouse or simple hotel in Candidasa (~£18)
- →Blue Lagoon snorkelling trip
- →Balinese cooking class
- →Optional scooter rental
Candidasa to Senaru via ferry to Lombok
Senaru, Lombok
Head to Padang Bai harbour early and take the public ferry or fast boat to Lembar/Bangsal, Lombok (ferry ~£3.50, 3–4 hrs; fast boat ~£15–20, 1.5–2 hrs). From the port take a shared or private car north to Senaru at the foot of Mt Rinjani (~2 hrs, £18–22 private, less shared). In the afternoon, arrange a guided walk with the Rinjani Women Guide association or a local Senaru guide (~£15–20 for a half-day walk) through hamlets and rice terraces, keeping an eye out for long-tailed and rare ebony leaf monkeys. Sunset views of the Rinjani crater rim are the payoff.
🚌Public ferry ~£3.50 or fast boat ~£17, plus private car to Senaru ~£20
🛏Guesthouse/homestay in Senaru(~£12–15)
- →Padang Bai to Lembar/Bangsal ferry or fast boat
- →Transfer to Senaru
- →Women-led Senaru village walk with local guide
- →Waterfall visit (Sendang Gile/Tiu Kelep) if time
Rinjani foothills trek to Sembalun & Pringgasela
Sembalun & Pringgasela, Lombok
Do a leisurely half-day walk with a local guide through the Rinjani foothills around Sembalun — rice fields, tobacco and vegetable plots with the volcano looming behind (~£18–22 guided). Stop at a village where women weave traditional songket/ikat cloth; most guides can arrange a visit with a weaving family. In the afternoon head south to Pringgasela, Lombok's weaving village, and stay in a local guesthouse. Cook with your hosts — banana root, bamboo shoots and Sasak spice pastes — over a shared dinner (~£12).
🚌Private car/ojek between Senaru, Sembalun and Pringgasela ~£15
🛏Community guesthouse in Pringgasela (~£12)
- →Half-day Sembalun foothills trek
- →Traditional weaving demonstration
- →Sasak cooking class with guesthouse hosts
Pineapple trails to Kuta Lombok & Sasak village
Kuta Lombok
Early walk with a local guide through pineapple and cassava plantations, down to a river for a swim and up a viewpoint over emerald rice paddies with Rinjani on the horizon (~£12–15). Late morning, take a private car south to Kuta Lombok (~2 hrs, ~£22). En route, stop at a traditional Sasak village (Sade or Ende) to see thatched lumbung houses and, if you're lucky, a stick-fighting or weaving demonstration — small donation ~£3. Settle into a Kuta surf-town guesthouse and eat at a night market or beachside warung.
🚌Private car Pringgasela–Kuta via Sasak village ~£22
🛏Guesthouse in Kuta Lombok (~£15–18)
- →Pineapple and cassava plantation walk
- →River swim and hilltop viewpoint
- →Traditional Sasak village visit
Kuta Lombok free day — surf or beach-hop
Kuta Lombok
Kuta has some of Lombok's best beginner surf — book a lesson at one of the surf schools on Jalan Raya Kuta (~£18–22 for a 2-hr lesson incl. board). Or rent a scooter (~£5) and ride the coast: Tanjung Aan, Mawun, Selong Belanak. Lunch at a warung on the sand, sunset at Bukit Merese. Cheap and easy to do entirely on your own clock.
🚌Scooter rental ~£5
🛏Guesthouse in Kuta Lombok (~£18)
- →Beginner surf lesson
- →Scooter rental and beach-hopping
- →Bukit Merese sunset
Bonjeruk village cycle & lunch, then ferry to Gili Trawangan
Bonjeruk & Gili Trawangan
Hire a driver for the morning (~£20) north to Bonjeruk, the village with a weekend English Camp for local high-schoolers. Contact the camp through your guesthouse or a local tour operator to arrange a short cycle through the village and a home-cooked Lombok lunch with a host family (~£10–12 incl. bike and lunch — bring a small donation for the English programme). Afterwards continue to Bangsal harbour and take the public ferry/shuttle boat to Gili Trawangan (~£2–4, about 45 mins; fast boats ~£8). Check into a Gili guesthouse, watch the sunset from the west beach.
🚌Private car Kuta–Bonjeruk–Bangsal ~£20; boat to Gili ~£3
🛏Guesthouse or hostel on Gili Trawangan (~£18–22)
- →Bonjeruk village cycle and community lunch
- →Public boat to Gili Trawangan
- →Gili Trawangan sunset beach
Gili Trawangan — snorkelling, yoga, island loop
Gili Trawangan
Book a three-island snorkelling trip (Gili Trawangan, Meno, Air) direct at the beach or via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£20–25 with mask, fins, boat and guide — turtles are the draw). Alternatively do morning yoga at one of the beach studios (~£8–10), rent a bicycle (~£3/day) and ride the car-free loop around the island in under an hour, then laze at a beach bar. No motor vehicles on any of the Gilis, so it's blissfully quiet.
🚌Walking/bicycle ~£3
🛏Guesthouse or hostel on Gili Trawangan (~£20)
- →Three-island snorkelling trip
- →Beach yoga class
- →Bicycle loop of Gili Trawangan
Depart via Lombok or Bali
Gili Trawangan
Take the morning public boat back to Bangsal (~£3) then a driver to Lombok airport (LOP) for onward flights (~£12–15), or book a combined fast boat direct back to Bali/Serangan or Padang Bai if you're flying out of Denpasar (~£20–25). Add a buffer day if you're catching a long-haul flight from Bali.
🚌Boat ~£3 + airport transfer ~£14
🛏None (onward travel)
- →Return boat to Bangsal
- →Transfer to Lombok airport or Bali fast boat
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£443 | £735 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £292 per person (40%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£443
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Indonesia: Candidasa, Mt Rinjani Foothills & the Gilis cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £443 per person for 9 days in Bali & Lombok, Indonesia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £735 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £443 — a saving of roughly £292 (40%) per person.
How long is the Bali & Lombok, Indonesia trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Bali & Lombok, Indonesia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, beaches trip through Bali & Lombok, Indonesia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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