Bali Classic from a Different Perspective

You’re met at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport and taken privately to your hotel in Ubud. The rest of the day is free to settle in.

Meals: None today

A late-morning start for Gunung Kawi, one of Bali’s largest and most remarkable ancient sites, where shrines are carved straight into a cliff face above a river valley.

In Tampaksiring, visit the home of the former curator of the Sukarno Museum, an expert on the UNESCO-listed Pakerisan river valley and its temples. His successor shares their work, followed by lunch at the house overlooking the rice fields and the sacred river.

Finish at Mengening Temple, dating from around 1022 AD, with its sacred springs, and take part in a traditional water purification blessing.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Discover the “old Bali” hidden in modern Ubud on a guided story walk: a royal gate by a 116-year-old sculptor, a sacred river confluence, temple shrines and the history of Ubud’s art scene.

Walk through the Monkey Forest sanctuary, home to around 340 long-tailed macaques, to lunch at a well-known local restaurant nearby. Then visit the House of Masks and Puppets, with more than 1,300 masks and 5,700 puppets displayed in antique Javanese buildings.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

A free day, then in the late afternoon head to Puri Ageng Blahbatuh, a historic palace with ancient temple art and a water-surrounded meditation temple. Receive a blessing at the royal gate, meet members of the royal family and hear the palace’s stories over a traditional royal-style dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Head up into the mountains with stops along the way. Visit Taman Ayun, the elegant 17th-century royal temple of the Mengwi kingdom, then the vast Jatiluwih rice terraces, a UNESCO site that shows Bali’s ancient subak irrigation system.

After lunch, browse Candikuning Market for fruit, spices and orchids, then see Ulun Danu Temple, which appears to float on Lake Beratan in the cool highlands, before reaching the sleepy village of Munduk.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Hike through rainforest between Lakes Tamblingan and Buyan, past old Hindu temples and an ancient banyan tree, then cross sacred Lake Tamblingan in a traditional dugout canoe. After a picnic lunch by the lake, swim in the clear pool beneath Banyumala Twin Waterfall.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Drive to Pemuteran on Bali’s quiet north-west coast, with black-sand beaches backed by green hills. In the late afternoon, glide through the mangroves of West Bali on a traditional fishing boat looking for birds and wildlife, then finish at Sunset Point with a swim, ginger tea and local snacks.

Meals: Breakfast

A short boat ride takes you to Menjangan Island in West Bali National Park, one of Bali’s best snorkelling spots, with clear water, colourful coral and plenty of fish. Great for beginners and confident snorkellers alike. Lunch box included, and the afternoon is free.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

A longer scenic drive through the mountains and along the west coast. In Melaya Village, spend time with a remarkable “family of artists”: a mother who keeps a rare traditional weaving technique alive, sons who make bamboo music and Balinese kites, and a father who farms and makes bricks. Enjoy a home-cooked lunch with them.

Continue through Jembrana, where communities of different faiths live side by side, including a Balinese Christian village with churches in local style, before reaching your beach resort.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

A free day to relax at the resort or explore the quiet coast.

Meals: Breakfast

Another day to unwind.

Meals: Breakfast

Free time until your guide collects you for the transfer to Bali airport.

Meals: Breakfast