Bali, Lombok, Gili & Flores: The Island Sampler — Self-Launched

Land at Denpasar (DPS) and take a Grab/Gojek or airport shuttle up to Canggu (~£8-12). Check into a Canggu hostel — The Farm Hostel or Lay Day Hostel are solid, sociable and cheap. Spend the afternoon walking Batu Bolong and Echo Beach, rent a soft-top board for a beginner session (~£4/hour) and watch the sunset from a beach-bar beanbag. Book tomorrow's surf lesson or a scooter directly rather than through an agency.

🚌Grab/Gojek or shuttle from DPS airport, ~£8-12

🛏Canggu hostel, dorm bed £8-12/night

• →Check in to Canggu hostel
• →Sunset walk at Batu Bolong/Echo Beach
• →Optional beginner surf board rental

Take a 2-hour beginner surf lesson at Batu Bolong — book via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£18 with board and instructor) or just walk up to one of the beach schools. Afternoon is for Canggu's café scene and the rice-field shortcut walk between Berawa and Pererenan. If you want wheels for the Bali leg, rent a scooter (roughly £5/day, bring an international driving permit).

🚌Walking / local scooter taxi

🛏Canggu hostel, dorm bed £8-12/night

• →2-hour beginner surf lesson
• →Café-hopping and rice-field walk
• →Optional scooter rental setup

Today you move toward the mountains. From Canggu, book a shared shuttle to Ubud or straight to the north via a Perama-style shared bus (~£10-14). If you're doing the northern homestay stretch, settle into a family-run guesthouse near Munduk (~£12-16/night). Evening is cool, quiet and cheap — warung dinner for £3-5.

🚌Shared shuttle from Canggu, ~£10-14

🛏Family guesthouse/homestay, £12-16/night

• →Shared shuttle ride north
• →Check into mountain guesthouse
• →Waterfall or rice-terrace stroll

Rent a scooter or hire a local driver for the day (~£25 split between two) and tick off Munduk's waterfalls, the Wanagiri hill swing viewpoints and Lake Tamblingan. This is the kind of day the guided version covers by private vehicle — doing it yourself costs a fraction. Dinner back at the guesthouse; most homestays cook for guests for a few pounds.

🚌Scooter rental (~£5) or shared driver day

🛏Family guesthouse/homestay, £12-16/night

• →Scooter/driver day to waterfalls and viewpoints
• →Lake Tamblingan viewpoint
• →Guesthouse dinner

Mirror the homestay highlights without the group markup. Arrange a cooking class directly with your host (many charge £8-12, roughly matching the operator's optional 'Bulian Cooking Class'), cooking local recipes then eating the results buffet-style. If you're an early riser, ask your host to hook you up with a local fisherman for a sunrise boat trip and breakfast on the water (~£10-15).

🚌Walking / short local transport

🛏Family guesthouse/homestay, £12-16/night

• →Village cooking class with homestay host
• →Optional sunrise fishing trip
• →Sunset walk through rice paddies

The original tour includes a lunch with a women's community enterprise. You can replicate the spirit by eating at, or volunteering with, one of the women-run warungs or cooperatives in the area — most welcome visitors and a meal costs £3-5. Afternoon is free for a waterfall swim or a cooking/coffee stop. Keep it flexible: this is the day to just hang out with locals.

🚌Walking / local bemo

🛏Family guesthouse/homestay, £12-16/night

• →Women-run warung / cooperative lunch
• →Waterfall swim
• →Free afternoon in the village

The tour's Medahan Village 'Happy Local Family Adventure' can be done independently: hire a local guide through your guesthouse for a half-day walk (~£10-15) covering the traditional market, village temples, rice paddies and a spring, finishing with Balinese cake and tea at a family home. A local guide is the best way to do this respectfully and put money straight into the community.

🚌Walking with local guide

🛏Family guesthouse/homestay, £12-16/night

• →Guided village walk via guesthouse
• →Traditional market visit
• →Temple and spring visit

Shuttle south to Ubud (~£6-9 shared). Check into an Ubud hostel — Puri Garden or similar, dorm ~£10-14. Spend the afternoon on the Campuhan Ridge Walk (free) and wander the Ubud market. In the evening you can join an independent Balinese cooking class (~£20) or a traditional dance performance at the palace (~£6) — both easily booked direct or via Klook.

🚌Shared shuttle, ~£6-9

🛏Ubud hostel, dorm £10-14/night

• →Shared shuttle to Ubud
• →Campuhan Ridge Walk
• →Ubud market
• →Optional Balinese dance performance

Do the Ubud classics your own way: Sacred Monkey Forest (~£5), Saraswati Temple (free), and a 'spiritual' session where you learn to make canang sari prayer offerings — many local guides and cultural centres run this for £5-10. This replaces the operator's Widya Guna spiritual tour with a self-booked equivalent. Evening: cheap warung dinner and a Bintang on Jalan Hanoman.

🚌Walking in central Ubud

🛏Ubud hostel, dorm £10-14/night

• →Monkey Forest
• →Saraswati Temple
• →Canang sari offering workshop
• →Warung dinner

Rent a scooter (~£5) or take a local driver to the Tegallalang rice terraces at dawn before the tour buses arrive (~£3 entry). Then head to a weaving village — several near Ubud welcome visitors and demonstrate ikat and songket weaving for a small donation or a purchase. Bring cash; a piece of handmade cloth makes a great souvenir and supports local artisans.

🚌Scooter rental (£5) or shared driver

🛏Ubud hostel, dorm £10-14/night

• →Sunrise Tegallalang rice terraces
• →Traditional weaving demonstration
• →Scooter or driver day in the rice fields

Two options: a quick 40-minute flight from Denpasar to Lombok (Lion/Wings Air, £25-45) or the slower public ferry from Padangbai to Lembar (~£4-6, 4-5 hours, plus buses to Padangbai). Flying buys back a day; the ferry is the rugged backpacker classic. Once on Lombok, get to Kuta Lombok or Senggigi by bemo/shared car (~£4).

🚌Flight £25-45 or public ferry £4-6 plus connecting buses

🛏Lombok guesthouse/hostel, £8-14/night

• →Fly or ferry to Lombok
• →Settle into Lombok guesthouse
• →Beach sunset

Kuta Lombok is the laid-back surf-and-beach base. Rent a scooter (~£5) and explore Tanjung Aan, Mawun and Selong Belanak beaches. Beginner surf lessons are cheap here (£12-18 with board). Tonight, eat at a local seafood grill on the beach for a few pounds. Keep the day slow — you've been moving fast.

🚌Scooter rental ~£5/day

🛏Lombok guesthouse/hostel, £8-14/night

• →Scooter day to Tanjung Aan/Mawun/Selong Belanak
• →Optional beginner surf lesson
• →Beach seafood dinner

Head north toward Senaru for the green hill country and waterfalls that the guided tour covers. Take a shared car or local bus (~£6-8, 2-3 hours). Walk to Sendang Gile and Tiu Kelep waterfalls with a local guide (~£5-8). This is also the gateway for Rinjani treks — a 2-day crater-rim trek runs £90-140 with a local operator if you fancy it, but it's optional.

🚌Shared car/local bus, ~£6-8

🛏Senaru guesthouse/homestay, £8-12/night

• →Shared transport to Senaru
• →Sendang Gile & Tiu Kelep waterfall walk
• →Optional Rinjani trek briefing

From Bangsal or Teluk Nare harbour, take a public boat or fast boat to Gili Trawangan (£3-15 depending on speed). No cars or motorbikes here — it's bicycles and cidomos (horse carts) only. Check into a Gili T hostel (dorm £10-16), rent a bike (£3/day) and find a sunset spot on the west side of the island.

🚌Public/fast boat from Bangsal, £3-15

🛏Gili Trawangan hostel, dorm £10-16/night

• →Boat to Gili Trawangan
• →Bike rental and island explore
• →West-side sunset

The tour's included Gili snorkel trip can be booked independently — every dive shop on Gili T runs a 3-island snorkel tour (£15-25) taking in Turtle Point, Gili Meno's underwater statues and Gili Air's reefs, with gear and lunch often included. Book the night before at a local operator to keep the money on-island. Evening: beach barbecue and live music at one of the beach bars.

🚌Boat tour included in activity price

🛏Gili Trawangan hostel, dorm £10-16/night

• →3-island snorkel tour (Turtle Point, Gili Meno, Gili Air)
• →Underwater statues at Gili Meno
• →Beach bar evening

Use the morning to dive (a discovery dive is £35-45), kayak or just float. Then start the long haul toward Flores: take the boat back to Lombok and position for a flight to Labuan Bajo (Lombok–Labuan Bajo via Bali, £50-90) — most travellers fly since the overland/ferry route takes days. Book flights a few weeks ahead for the best fares.

🚌Boat to Lombok (£3-15) + flight to Labuan Bajo (£50-90)

🛏Lombok transit guesthouse or early flight, £10-15/night

• →Optional discovery dive or kayaking
• →Boat back to Lombok
• →Flight prep for Flores

Fly into Labuan Bajo (LBJ), the gateway to Komodo. Check into a hostel (dorm £10-16) and spend the afternoon at the harbour watching the phinisi boats. Arrange your Komodo boat trip now — 2-night/3-day liveaboard trips run £120-220 per person depending on comfort, and park fees (~£30-40) are usually extra. Book direct with an operator at the harbour or via a reputable local agent.

🚌Local flight into Labuan Bajo

🛏Labuan Bajo hostel, dorm £10-16/night

• →Fly to Labuan Bajo
• →Harbour walk and boat trip booking
• →Sunset at Bukit Amelia viewpoint

Head inland to Denge village and trek (~2-3 hours) up to Waerebo, the remote village of conical mbaru niang huts. Homestay stays here are arranged through the village cooperative (£20-30 including meals) and can include a coffee-garden walk — exactly the tour's included coffee experience, but booked direct. Nights are cold and basic: bring a warm layer and a torch.

🚌Shared car/bemo to Denge village (~£8) + trek

🛏Waerebo mbaru niang homestay, £20-30 incl. meals

• →Trek to Waerebo village
• →Mbaru niang homestay stay
• →Coffee garden walk with a local

Trek back down from Waerebo in the morning, then return to Labuan Bajo by shared car (~£8-10, 4-5 hours on winding jungle roads). En route, stop at the Cancar spider-web rice fields if your driver can swing it. Get an early night — tomorrow the Komodo boat departs and you'll be up before dawn.

🚌Shared car/van back to Labuan Bajo, ~£8-10

🛏Labuan Bajo hostel, dorm £10-16/night

• →Trek down and return to Labuan Bajo
• →Optional Cancar spider-web rice fields stop
• →Prep for Komodo boat trip

Board your phinisi liveaboard. Day 1 typically covers a hike on Kelor Island for the viewpoint, snorkelling Strawberry Rock, a ranger-led trek on Rinca Island to spot Komodo dragons (~£30-40 park fee, pay separately), and anchoring off Kalong Island at dusk for the famous bat exodus. Meals and simple deck/berth sleeping are included on the boat.

🚌Phinisi liveaboard boat (2 nights included)

🛏Phinisi boat, shared berth/deck

• →Kelor Island hike
• →Strawberry Rock snorkelling
• →Rinca Island Komodo dragon trek
• →Kalong Island bat flyover

Sunrise hike up Padar Island for the iconic three-bay viewpoint, then snorkel at Pink Beach and, on many routes, at Manta Point where you have a real chance of swimming with reef mantas. Afternoon often includes Komodo Island itself for a second ranger walk to see dragons in the wild. This is the headline day of the whole trip — have your camera ready.

🚌Phinisi liveaboard boat

🛏Phinisi boat, shared berth/deck

• →Padar Island sunrise hike
• →Pink Beach snorkelling
• →Manta Point snorkelling
• →Komodo Island ranger trek

Cruise back to Labuan Bajo through the morning, stopping for a final sail/snorkel if the trip schedule allows. Check back into a hostel, shower properly, then hit the beach bars and rooftop spots around the harbour for the trip's big night out — the operator's 'Big Night Out' is easy to replicate once you and your boat-mates are onshore. Dinner and drinks for a few pounds.

🚌Phinisi boat return + walking

🛏Labuan Bajo hostel, dorm £10-16/night

• →Sail back to Labuan Bajo
• →Beach bar night out
• →Compare photos with your boat crew

Last morning for the harbour market and a final coffee. Fly out of Labuan Bajo (connections usually via Bali) or, if time is on your side, extend into the rest of Flores — Bajawa's traditional villages and the Kelimutu crater lakes are worth the extra days. Airport transfer by shared car ~£4-6. Trip done — 23 days, almost entirely on your own schedule.

🚌Shared car to Labuan Bajo airport, ~£4-6

🛏Departure day (no night included)

• →Market breakfast
• →Optional Flores extension planning
• →Airport transfer and departure