Section
Nusa Penida, the Gilis, Lombok and beyond
Nusa, the Gilis, Lombok, Komodo, Java and the rest of the country, and how to reach them.
The islands around Bali, and the rest of Indonesia most visitors never see. How to reach Nusa Penida and what a day trip really involves, which Gili suits which traveller, Lombok and Rinjani, Komodo from Labuan Bajo, Flores, Sumba, Raja Ampat, and the Java overland route through Bromo and Ijen. Boats, flights, seasons and the honest version of each.
Every answer in this section
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What is Nusa Penida like to visit?
The most dramatic coastline in the region, an island of bad roads and cliff staircases, and a day trip that half the people who do it regret rushing.
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Is a Nusa Penida day trip worth it?
A 6am start, a 40-minute boat, four sights on rough roads and a boat back at 4pm. Spectacular and rushed. Here is how to do it well, or why to stay two nights instead.
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What is Nusa Lembongan like?
Eight square kilometres, no traffic to speak of, good snorkelling, mangroves and a bridge to Ceningan. The most relaxed island trip you can make from Bali.
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Is Nusa Ceningan worth visiting?
A narrow island joined to Lembongan by a yellow bridge, with a blue lagoon, cliff jumping, seaweed farms and about two hours of sights. Worth an afternoon, not a trip.
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How do you get to Nusa Penida from Bali?
Fast boats from Sanur take 30 to 45 minutes and run all day. Which port, what it costs, how rough it gets and what to do about cancellations.
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Which Gili island should you visit?
Three car-free islands off Lombok with the same turquoise water and completely different characters: party, balance, and almost nothing at all.
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What is Gili Trawangan like?
The biggest and busiest Gili, with the best dive infrastructure, a lively east strip and a completely quiet west coast fifteen minutes away.
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Should you stay on Gili Air or Gili Meno?
Air has the best balance of quiet and dinner options. Meno is nearly empty with turtles off the beach. Neither has traffic, nightlife or reliable ATMs.
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What is Lombok like to visit?
Bali's neighbour with a fraction of the visitors: white-sand bays in the south, a 3,726-metre volcano in the north, and the Gilis off the west coast.
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What is Kuta Lombok like?
A small town on the south coast with a dozen white-sand bays within half an hour, the best beginner surf in Indonesia, and a MotoGP circuit that has changed the area fast.
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What is the Mount Rinjani trek like?
Two to four days, a crater lake, hot springs and a 3,726-metre summit climb on loose scree. The best trek in Indonesia that ordinary travellers do, and much harder than Batur.
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How do you get from Bali to Lombok?
A 30-minute flight, a 2 to 4-hour fast boat, or a cheap 5-hour public ferry. Which to choose depends on where you are going and how much the sea bothers you.
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Is Komodo worth visiting from Bali?
Dragons, pink sand, Padar's viewpoint and some of the best diving in Indonesia, an hour and a half by plane from Bali. Expensive, permit-heavy and worth it.
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Should you do a Komodo liveaboard?
Two to four nights on a boat reaches the sites the day trips cannot, and puts you at Padar at sunrise. What they cost, what to check, and the safety questions that matter.
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What is there to see in Flores?
Three coloured crater lakes, traditional villages, hot springs and one of the great drives in Indonesia, on an island most visitors only use as the airport for Komodo.
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Is Sumba worth visiting?
Rolling savannah, waterfalls, some of the emptiest beaches in Indonesia, megalithic tombs and a surviving ancestral religion. Expensive at the top end and very cheap below it.
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Is Raja Ampat worth the trip?
The most biodiverse reefs on earth, at the far end of Indonesia and the far end of most budgets. What it takes to get there and what you actually see.
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Is Yogyakarta worth visiting from Bali?
A 90-minute flight to the cultural capital of Java, the largest Buddhist monument in the world and a Hindu temple complex to match. The best three days in Indonesia outside the water.
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How do you visit Bromo and Ijen from Bali?
A caldera at sunrise and a sulphur mine with blue flames burning in the dark, both reachable from Bali in a three or four-day loop by ferry.
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Can you travel overland from Bali to Java?
Ferry from Gilimanuk to Ketapang, then Ijen, Bromo, Yogyakarta and onward by train. One of the best overland routes in Asia, and entirely doable by public transport.
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Is Lake Toba worth visiting?
The largest volcanic lake in the world, with an island in it the size of Singapore, Batak culture, and cool air. Three days from Bali and worth it if you have the time.
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What is there to see in Sulawesi?
Wall diving at Bunaken, empty islands in the Togeans, and the funeral culture of Tana Toraja. The most interesting island in Indonesia for travellers who have done the others.
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Where are Indonesia's best surf trips?
Beyond Bali: boat trips in the Mentawais, the points of Sumbawa, Java's G-Land, and what each costs and demands.
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How do you island hop in Indonesia?
Seventeen thousand islands, a handful of sensible routes, and the flights, ferries and fast boats that connect them without wasting a week in transit.
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Which island should you visit from Bali?
Nusa Penida for scenery, Lembongan for ease, the Gilis for turquoise water, Lombok for space, Komodo for diving. Distances, costs and who each one suits.
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Should you go to Bali or Lombok?
Bali has the infrastructure, the food and the culture. Lombok has the beaches, the space and lower prices. The right answer depends on whether you want things done for you.
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Where is the best snorkelling in Bali?
A protected island inside a national park with 30-metre visibility and a wall that drops into blue, plus a village with a coral restoration project on its house reef.
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Is Komodo or Raja Ampat better for diving?
Komodo is closer, cheaper and has stronger currents. Raja Ampat has the highest marine biodiversity on earth and costs twice as much to reach. Which one suits which diver.
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