Bali
Jatiluwih
A UNESCO-listed irrigation system that has been running since the ninth century. Walk the ridge path in the morning, before the tour vans.
Region 03 / 07
Bali & Nusa Tenggara
The long arc from Bali to Flores: rice terraces, limestone coasts, a volcano with three coloured lakes, and the only place on earth with dragons.
12 days
Denpasar to Labuan Bajo
April to October
The shape of the trip
One chain of islands, four different trips
Bali is the gateway and the busiest island in the chain. To the east, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores and Sumba each change the light and the language. The sea between them is crossed by fast boats, slow ferries and a handful of short flights.
The mistake is trying to see all of it in ten days. Pick two: Bali and Flores, or Bali and Lombok. The route below keeps moving east, with enough time in each place to unpack.
Don’t miss
Four places along the chain
From the rice terraces to the dragon islands, in the order the route reaches them.
Bali
Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida
Half an hour by fast boat from Sanur and a world away from Seminyak. The road is steep, the beaches are at the bottom of cliffs, and the manta rays are real.
Lombok
Lombok’s south coast
Dry headlands, surf and fishing bays. Mandalika brought MotoGP; twenty minutes west, the villages still set their own hours.
Flores
Kelimutu
Three crater lakes that change colour with the mineral balance. Drive up before dawn from Moni and walk the last kilometre in the dark.
Practical
When to go, how to move
01
When to go
April to October is the dry season across the chain. Komodo and the Flores coast are hot and brown by August, which is exactly when the water is clearest. Bali’s wet season runs November to March, with heavy afternoon rain rather than all-day drizzle.
02
Getting there
Ngurah Rai (DPS) is the international gateway. Labuan Bajo (LBJ) has direct flights from Bali and Jakarta. Ende (ENE) and Maumere (MOF) serve central Flores. Ferries link Lombok, Sumbawa and Flores, but the schedules are slow and not always daily.
03
Getting around
A scooter is the default on Bali and Lombok if you have a licence. Fast boats run Sanur–Nusa Penida and Padang Bai–Gili. On Flores, hire a car with a driver: the roads are good but the distances are longer than they look. Fly the long hops.
A route that works
Twelve days, Bali to Flores
01
Ubud & Jatiluwih
Land in Denpasar, climb to the rice terraces, and use Ubud as the base for three nights. Skip the monkey forest if you have seen enough monkeys.
02
Nusa Penida
Fast boat from Sanur. One day for the west coast, one for the east, and a snorkel stop if the swell allows.
03
Lombok
Fly or take the fast boat. Base in Kuta for the south coast and the surf, then move north if you want the Gilis.
04
Labuan Bajo
Fly to Flores. One day for Komodo and Padar, one for the reef, one for doing nothing at the harbour.
05
Moni & Kelimutu
Fly or drive east. Sleep in Moni, climb to the lakes before sunrise, then back to Ende for the flight out.
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