Sumatra to Nusa Lembongan: Self-Launched Wild Islands & Zen Beaches

Fly into Kualanamu International Airport (KNO) and take the Railink airport train to Medan city station (~£1.20, 30 min) or a Grab car (~£5). Check into a budget guesthouse near Jalan Sisingamangaraja or the Kesawan old town. Spend the evening wandering Kesawan's Dutch-era streets, grab a cheap nasi padang dinner and sort out cash and a local SIM (Telkomsel Tourist SIM ~£6 for 30GB). No group welcome meeting needed — you're in charge.

🚌Railink airport train ~£1.20 + walking/Grab

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel dorm or private room, Medan (~£10)

• →Kesawan old town evening wander
• →Nasi padang dinner
• →Buy local SIM card

Do your own Medan city tour. Hire a becak (motorised cycle rickshaw) for a couple of hours (~£4-5 for half a day, negotiate up front) and hit Al-Mashun Grand Mosque (Masjid Raya), Maimun Palace (Istana Maimun, ~£1.20 entry), the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple and Vihara Gunung Timur Chinese temple. Wander the Pajak Ikan Lama market — a fish market turned fabric street — and eat a family-style Padang lunch at a local rumah makan (point at dishes, pay per plate, ~£2.50).

🚌Becak hire ~£5

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Medan (~£10)

• →Al-Mashun Grand Mosque
• →Maimun Palace
• →Pajak Ikan Lama fabric market
• →Temple visits
• →Padang lunch

Take a shared minivan or tourist shuttle from Medan to Bukit Lawang (~3-4 hrs, £6-8; book via your guesthouse or at the Medan bus terminal). Arrive by early afternoon and check into a riverside guesthouse — the classic Bukit Lawang move is a room overlooking the Bahorok river for £8-12. Book your 2-day/1-night jungle trek with a licensed local guide this afternoon (guide association rates ~£65-85 per person all-in for trek, meals, camping and tubing; book direct through the guesthouse or the local guide association office). Evening: chill by the river or join a Batak cooking class at a local family (~£10).

🚌Shared shuttle Medan–Bukit Lawang ~£7

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Bukit Lawang (~£10)

• →Riverside swim
• →Book jungle trek with local guide
• →Optional Batak cooking class

The big one. Head out at 8am with your guide into Gunung Leuser National Park — one of the richest rainforests in Southeast Asia and home to wild Sumatran orangutans. Expect 5-7 hours of trekking with a picnic lunch, scanning the canopy for orangutans, Thomas's leaf monkeys, long-tailed macaques, giant monitor lizards and hornbills. Your porters set up camp by a river; dinner is cooked over the fire by your guide. Sleeping under a tarp with the jungle soundtrack is the whole point — bring a headtorch and leech socks if you have them.

🚌Walking

🛏Jungle camp, tent/tarp with mattress provided by guide (included in trek price)

• →Full-day orangutan trek
• →Wildlife spotting
• →Riverside camp dinner

Breakfast at camp, then hike out on a different trail for more wildlife spotting. After a riverside lunch you float back to Bukit Lawang on an inner tube down the Bahorok river — the classic final leg of every Bukit Lawang trek. Shower, nap, then head to one of the riverside bars for the Bukit Lawang version of a big night out (bintang and jungle reggae, ~£8).

🚌Walking + river tubing (included in trek)

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Bukit Lawang (~£10)

• →Morning jungle hike
• →River tubing back to village
• →Optional Bat Cave trek
• →Riverside night out

Your day, your rules. Options: full-day white-water rafting on the Sei Bingei river (~£22-25), a half-day cycling tour through bamboo villages and rice fields (~£14), a short Bat Cave trek (~£11), or simply a slow day swimming in the river and eating at warungs. Book any of these direct through your guesthouse the night before — no agent needed.

🚌Local transport included in activities

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Bukit Lawang (~£10)

• →Optional white-water rafting
• →Optional village cycling tour
• →Optional Bat Cave trek

Take the morning shared shuttle back toward Medan (~£7). If you want the cultural stop, ask your driver to drop you at a village en route for a home-cooked lunch and a coconut-leaf weaving session with local families (~£10 arranged locally) — Indonesian villages along this road are a mix of Malay, Javanese and Batak communities. Arrive Medan in the evening and crash near the station for an early flight.

🚌Shared shuttle Bukit Lawang–Medan ~£7

🛏Budget guesthouse near Medan city/airport (~£11)

• →Village lunch stop en route
• →Coconut-leaf craft session

Fly Kualanamu (KNO) to Denpasar (DPS) — book early on Citilink, Lion Air or Batik Air and pay £35-50 one way with a cabin bag. From DPS, take a Grab/Gojek car to Canggu (~45-60 min, £8-10) or the cheaper Kura-Kura bus if timings suit. Check into a Canggu hostel (The Farm Hostel, Lay Day or similar — £10-14 dorm, £25+ private). Evening: sunset at Batu Bolong beach, a cheap warung dinner, then Canggu's beach bars.

🚌Flight KNO–DPS ~£42 + Grab to Canggu ~£9

🛏Canggu hostel dorm (~£12)

• →Sunset at Batu Bolong
• →Warung dinner
• →Beach bar evening

Book a 2-hour beginner surf lesson with a local school in Batu Bolong or Echo Beach (Pro Surf School, Odysseys or a local instructor — ~£20-25 including board and rash vest; book via Klook or walk in). Batu Bolong's mellow longboard waves are ideal for first-timers. Afternoon: rent a board (~£4/hr) and keep practising, or beach-hop to Echo Beach and grab a beer at a warung. Optional evening yoga class in Canggu (~£8).

🚌Scooter rental ~£4 or walking

🛏Canggu hostel dorm (~£12)

• →2-hour beginner surf lesson
• →Board rental
• →Echo Beach sunset

Hire a private driver for the day (Canggu–north Bali with stops, ~£40-45 total — split with a hostel mate via Grab or a local driver) and head north via Bedugul. Stop at Ulun Danu Beratan temple on the lake (~£3 entry), then continue to Munduk/Bulian for a guesthouse stay among rice terraces and clove plantations (~£12-15). Afternoon: walk the village with a local guide arranged by your guesthouse (~£8), learn to make a canang sari offering and join a simple temple ceremony at dusk.

🚌Private driver Canggu–Bulian with stops ~£22 (shared)

🛏Family guesthouse, Bulian/Munduk (~£14)

• →Ulun Danu Beratan temple
• →Village walk with local guide
• →Balinese offering-making
• →Temple ceremony

Do the Lemukih Village trek independently — hire a local guide at the village (~£12-15 per person for a half-day) to walk through rice terraces, coffee and durian plantations to the Sekumpul/Fiji waterfalls area, with a natural rock waterslide on the way (bring quick-dry clothes). Alternatively rent a scooter (~£4) and ride the northern Bali backroads through Munduk's clove forests and Wanagiri lakes. Evening back at the guesthouse — a home-cooked dinner is usually £4-5.

🚌Scooter rental ~£4 or walking

🛏Family guesthouse, Bulian/Munduk (~£14)

• →Lemukih village trek
• →Rice terrace & plantation walk
• →Natural waterslide

Free morning in Bulian — optional sunrise fishing trip on the sea (~£15) or a Balinese cooking class (~£12) if you're keen. Late morning, take a shared shuttle or private driver south to Kintamani (~2 hrs, £12-15 shared) at the base of Mt Batur. Stay at a guesthouse or glamping spot with a hot spring pool near Toya Bungkah (~£15-20) — the volcanic springs are included with your stay or ~£4 to enter. Cook dinner over a campfire, or eat at a local warung.

🚌Shared shuttle Bulian–Kintamani ~£14

🛏Kintamani guesthouse/glamping with hot spring (~£18)

• →Optional sunrise fishing
• →Optional cooking class
• →Hot spring soak
• →Campfire evening

Walk out at 3:30-4am with a local guide (mandatory — book the night before, ~£25-30 including guide, breakfast and headtorch) to summit Mt Batur (1,717m) for sunrise over the caldera and Lake Batur. Descend by 9am, soak in the hot springs, then take a shared shuttle to Ubud (~1.5 hrs, £8). Check into a Ubud hostel/guesthouse (£10-14). Afternoon: lunch at the Pusat Kegiatan Perempuan (PKP) community kitchen in Banjar Selasih — a Planeterra/G-Adventures-supported women's catering enterprise — for a home-cooked Balinese lunch (~£6). Evening on Jalan Monkey Forest.

🚌Shared shuttle Kintamani–Ubud ~£8

🛏Ubud hostel/guesthouse (~£13)

• →Mt Batur sunrise hike
• →Hot springs
• →PKP women's community lunch
• →Ubud evening wander

Book a morning offering-making and temple visit experience through GetYourGuide or Klook (~£18-22) — or contact the Widya Guna Foundation-style local foundation direct. Spend the afternoon walking the Campuhan Ridge at golden hour (free), browsing Ubud market and eating at a warung. Optional: Balinese cooking class (£20 via Klook), North Ubud bike tour down through villages and rice paddies (£15), or Medahan Village visit (~£12). Evening: traditional Balinese dance performance at Ubud Palace (~£6).

🚌Walking + Grab ~£3

🛏Ubud hostel/guesthouse (~£13)

• →Offering-making & temple experience
• →Campuhan Ridge walk
• →Ubud market
• →Balinese dance performance

Take a shared shuttle to Sanur harbour (~40 min, £5), then the fast boat to Nusa Lembongan (~30 min, ~£12-15 return via Rocky Fast Cruise, Eka Jaya or Scoot — book on Klook or direct). On arrival, check into a beach guesthouse (Jungutbatu or Mushroom Bay, £14-18). Afternoon: rent a scooter (~£5/day) and ride to Dream Beach and Devil's Tear for the sunset — waves crashing over the cliff and a genuinely spectacular view. Dinner at a seafood warung on Jungutbatu beach (~£6).

🚌Shuttle to Sanur ~£5 + fast boat ~£14

🛏Beach guesthouse, Nusa Lembongan (~£16)

• →Fast boat crossing
• →Scooter rental
• →Dream Beach
• →Devil's Tear sunset

Nusa Lembongan's seaweed farming is the island's traditional livelihood — walk or scooter out at low tide to see the plots and chat to farmers (free, or a small tip/£3 for a local guide). Optional: join a mangrove tour by kayak or traditional jukung boat through the mangroves of Nusa Ceningan (~£8-10). Cross the Yellow Bridge to Ceningan for Blue Lagoon. Afternoon swim and sunset drinks at a cliffside spot.

🚌Scooter ~£5

🛏Beach guesthouse, Nusa Lembongan (~£16)

• →Seaweed farm walk
• →Mangrove kayak tour
• →Yellow Bridge & Blue Lagoon
• →Sunset swim

Choose your adventure: a day trip to Nusa Penida (fast boat from Lembongan ~£15 return, or a guided GetYourGuide tour with Kelingking Beach, Diamond Beach and Angel's Billabong, ~£38-45), or a snorkelling trip to Manta Point to swim with manta rays (~£25-30), or simply a slow day on Mushroom Bay with a book. Last-night dinner on the beach.

🚌Boat transfer to Penida ~£15 (or tour boat included)

🛏Beach guesthouse, Nusa Lembongan (~£16)

• →Optional Nusa Penida day trip
• →Optional manta snorkelling
• →Beach day

Take an early fast boat back to Sanur (10:00 recommended — ~30 min, included in your return ticket), then a Grab to Denpasar airport (~40-60 min, £8-10). Allow 4 hours before an international flight. If you have a late flight, leave bags at Sanur and have a lazy breakfast on the beach. Note the £7.50 Bali tourist levy — pay it online via the Love Bali system before you arrive to skip the queue.

🚌Fast boat to Sanur (return ticket) + Grab to airport ~£5

🛏None (departure day)

• →Ferry back to Bali
• →Optional Sanur beach breakfast