Self-Launched Bali Solo Adventure: Ubud, North Bali Villages & Nusa Lembongan
10 days · Bali
G Adventures charges £1,049
No-markup version: ~£585 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 10-day solo-friendly, self-launched version of G Adventures' "Solo-ish Bali" (AEUN), covering the same route — Ubud's temples, waterfalls and craft markets, a village homestay in Bulian/Kubutambahan, a Mt Batur sunrise trek, then fast boat to Nusa Lembongan for manta snorkelling and island time before finishing in Sanur. Instead of a CEO, private vehicle and twinshare hotel rooms, you book the same experiences yourself through GetYourGuide/Klook or directly with local operators, use private drivers, scooter/short transfers and the Sanur–Lembongan fast boat, and stay in hostels, guesthouses and one village homestay. Expect similar quality of experience for roughly a third of the tour price. Costs are approximate and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Ubud — solo welcome dinner and cooking class
Ubud
Land at Denpasar (DPS), pay/receive your Bali Tourist Levy QR check and complete the All-Indonesia arrival card online before you fly. Take a Grab/Gojek from the airport (~IDR 250,000-300,000, £13-16) or a prepaid airport taxi to Ubud (~1.5-2 hrs). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in central Ubud (Puji Homestay, Pondok Massa Homestay or a hostel dorm near Jl Raya Ubud). In the evening join a small-group Balinese cooking class (GetYourGuide/Klook, £20-25) which doubles as your icebreaker — you'll cook pepes, sate and dadar gulung with a local family. Pre-book a Mt Batur sunrise trek and Nusa Lembongan fast boat for later in the week.
🚌Grab/Gojek or prepaid airport taxi from DPS to Ubud (~£15)
🛏Central Ubud guesthouse or hostel dorm (approx. £14/night)
- →Airport transfer to Ubud (Grab or prepaid taxi)
- →Balinese cooking class and welcome dinner
- →Overnight Ubud guesthouse/hostel
Ubud Palace, market food crawl and two waterfalls
Ubud
Walk Ubud Palace (free, arrive before 9am to avoid crowds) then graze Ubud Market for street food: babi guling, nasi campur, jajan pasar sweets (£4-6). Hire a scooter (£4/day, bring an IDP) or book a half-day driver (~£25 split if you team up with hostel mates) and head to Goa Rang Reng waterfall and Kanto Lampo waterfall — both have small entry fees (IDR 20,000-50,000, £1-3). Swim, then back for sunset drinks on Jl Hanoman. Optional evening: Kecak dance at Ubud Palace (~£6).
🚌Scooter hire (~£4) or shared private driver (~£12 per person)
🛏Central Ubud guesthouse or hostel dorm (approx. £14/night)
- →Ubud Palace visit
- →Ubud Market street-food crawl
- →Goa Rang Reng waterfall
- →Kanto Lampo waterfall swim
- →Optional Kecak fire dance
Canang offerings, Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul
Tegalalang / Tampaksiring
Book a temple half-day or a local guide direct (£25-35 for a driver-guide, easily shared). Start by making a canang sari offering at a small workshop or with your guesthouse host, then visit Gunung Kawi's 11th-century rock-cut shrines (IDR 50,000, £3) and Tirta Empul's 14 sacred spouts (IDR 50,000, £3 — rent a sarong, and respect that menstruating visitors don't enter the purification pools). Coffee stop at a Tegalalang-area plantation on the way back. Evening free in Ubud — cheap warung dinner (£3-5).
🚌Private driver half-day (~£18 per person if shared)
🛏Central Ubud guesthouse or hostel dorm (approx. £14/night)
- →Canang sari offering-making
- →Gunung Kawi Temple visit
- →Tirta Empul Temple and purification
- →Coffee plantation stop
Transfer to Bulian — village cycling, river swim and homestay night
Bulian / Kubutambahan, North Bali
Take a Grab/Gojek or a pre-arranged driver from Ubud to Kubutambahan/Bulian in North Bali (~2.5-3 hrs, £30-35 by car, good value shared). Base at a family-run village guesthouse such as Bulian Homestay or an equivalent in nearby Tejakula — book direct by WhatsApp/Booking.com (£10-14/night). In the afternoon hire a bicycle locally (£4-6) or book a village cycling tour and pedal through Pakisan village: temples, local market, rice fields and spice gardens, with a riverside picnic and swim stop at Tukad Daya, then teak forest and a dragon fruit farm. Evening: home-cooked Balinese dinner with live music or gamelan practice if the family are hosting.
🚌Private car Ubud-Bulian shared (~£15 per person); bicycle hire (~£5)
🛏Bulian village homestay/guesthouse (approx. £12/night)
- →Scenic transfer to North Bali
- →Village cycling through Pakisan
- →Riverside picnic and swim at Tukad Daya
- →Dragon fruit farm visit
- →Family homestay dinner
Lemukih village trek, natural waterslide and waterfalls
Lemukih, North Bali
Ask your homestay to arrange a local guide for the Lemukih trek (£15-20) — this is the same route the tour walks. Walk rice terraces, durian and coffee plantations, slide down the natural rock waterslide at the river, and stop for lunch at a local warung (£3-4). Continue to Fiji and Sekumpul waterfalls for a swim (£2-4 entry; bring grippy shoes). Return to the homestay for dinner and an early night — tomorrow starts very early.
🚌Local guide/transport to Lemukih (~£8 per person)
🛏Bulian village homestay/guesthouse (approx. £12/night)
- →Guided Lemukih village trek
- →Natural river waterslide
- →Durian and coffee plantation walk
- →Fiji & Sekumpul waterfalls swim
- →Warung lunch
Mt Batur sunrise trek, then fast boat to Nusa Lembongan
Kintamani → Sanur → Nusa Lembongan
Pre-book a Mt Batur sunrise trek on GetYourGuide/Klook (£25-35 including guide, headtorch, breakfast and hotel pickup in the Kintamani/Ubud area — confirm pickup from the north coast, or overnight nearer Kintamani). 2am start, summit for sunrise, watch for the resident monkeys, then descend. Head south to Sanur (2.5 hrs) and buy a Sanur–Nusa Lembongan fast boat ticket with Rocky Fast Cruise, Scoot or D'Stars (£10-13 return, buy one-way now, one-way later). Arrive on Lembongan, check into a beach guesthouse or hostel along Jungutbatu (£12-18). Sunset at Jungutbatu beach bar.
🚌Trek pickup + transfer to Sanur (~£15) and fast boat one-way (~£7)
🛏Nusa Lembongan beach guesthouse or hostel (approx. £16/night)
- →Mt Batur sunrise summit trek
- →Transfer to Sanur harbour
- →Fast boat to Nusa Lembongan
- →Jungutbatu beach sunset
Lembongan island day: mangroves, underground house and Devil's Tears
Nusa Lembongan
Hire a scooter (£4-5/day — roads are rough, ride carefully) or take a car charter (~£20) to loop the island. Ride the mangrove forest on a local jukung boat (£6-8), visit the quirky underground house/museum and a seaweed farm where locals still dry crops, and stop at Dream Beach and Mushroom Bay for a swim. Finish at Devil's Tears for sunset spray and a cold Bintang. Cheap seafood grill dinner in Jungutbatu or Mushroom Bay (£5-7).
🚌Scooter hire (~£5) or shared car charter (~£10)
🛏Nusa Lembongan beach guesthouse or hostel (approx. £16/night)
- →Mangrove forest jukung boat ride
- →Underground house visit
- →Seaweed farm visit
- →Dream Beach and Mushroom Bay swims
- →Devil's Tears sunset
Nusa Penida day trip or manta ray snorkelling
Nusa Lembongan / Nusa Penida
Choose one: (a) a Nusa Penida day trip by local boat plus driver, hitting Kelingking Cliff viewpoint, Angel's Billabong and Broken Beach (~£30-40 booked on Lembongan or via Klook); or (b) a three-stop snorkel trip to Manta Point, Crystal Bay and Mangrove Point (~£25-35, manta sightings likely but never guaranteed — travel insurance for water sports is worth it). Keep the afternoon free for hammock time. Honestly, doing both over two days is cheap enough if you skip a night out.
🚌Local boat and shared transport to Penida (~£6) or snorkel boat included in tour
🛏Nusa Lembongan beach guesthouse or hostel (approx. £16/night)
- →Nusa Penida Kelingking Cliff viewpoint
- →Angel's Billabong and Broken Beach
- →OR snorkelling at Manta Point, Crystal Bay and Mangrove Point
- →Free afternoon on Lembongan
Slow morning on Lembongan, boat back to Sanur
Nusa Lembongan → Sanur
Tropical fruit breakfast at a beach cafe (£3-4), a last swim, then take your return fast boat to Sanur (£6-7). Check into a Sanur guesthouse or hostel a few streets back from the beach (£15-20). Hire a bicycle or walk the beachfront promenade, see the sunset from Sanur beach with a drink in hand, and have a final seafood dinner at one of the warungs on Jl Danau Tamblingan (£6-8).
🚌Fast boat return (~£7) plus local taxi/Grab on Bali (~£4)
🛏Sanur guesthouse or hostel (approx. £18/night)
- →Beach morning on Lembongan
- →Fast boat back to Sanur
- →Sanur beachfront promenade walk
- →Sunset drinks and farewell seafood dinner
Sanur departure
Sanur → Denpasar Airport
Breakfast, a final dip or a morning yoga class (£8-10) if you have a late flight, then transfer to Denpasar airport — Grab/Gojek will run you about £8-10 and take 25-40 minutes depending on traffic. Leave 3 hours before an international flight. If you're extending, Uluwatu, Canggu or the Gili Islands are easy onward hops from here.
🚌Grab/Gojek to DPS airport (~£9)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Morning free in Sanur
- →Optional yoga class
- →Transfer to Denpasar airport
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£585 | £1,049 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £464 per person (44%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£585
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.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Bali Solo Adventure: Ubud, North Bali Villages & Nusa Lembongan cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £585 per person for 10 days in Bali. 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 £1,049 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £585 — a saving of roughly £464 (44%) per person.
How long is the Bali trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through Bali.
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, 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.