Which island should you visit from Bali?

Every Bali trip reaches the point where someone says "we should do an island". These are the realistic options, ranked by how much effort each takes.

The easy ones, under an hour away

Nusa Lembongan. 30 minutes by boat from Sanur. Small, calm, good snorkelling, decent food, easy. Two to three nights. The best first island.

Nusa Ceningan. Attached to Lembongan by a bridge, an afternoon rather than a destination.

Nusa Penida. 30 to 45 minutes from Sanur. The most dramatic coastline in the region, with rough roads, cliff staircases and simple accommodation. One long day or, much better, two nights.

The medium ones, two to four hours

The Gili Islands. 1.5 to 2.5 hours by fast boat from Padang Bai. White sand, turquoise water, no cars, turtles off the beach and cheap diving. Three nights minimum. Choose Air for balance, Trawangan for life, Meno for silence.

Lombok. A 30-minute flight or a 2 to 4-hour boat. Empty white-sand bays in the south, Rinjani in the north, half the prices. Four nights minimum, a week if you want Rinjani.

The big ones, a flight away

Komodo and Flores. 90 minutes by plane to Labuan Bajo. Dragons, Padar, pink sand and the best diving in Indonesia outside Raja Ampat. Three nights minimum, and expensive once park fees and boats are counted.

Sumba. An hour by plane. Empty beaches, megalithic villages, a living ancestral religion. Five nights and almost no infrastructure.

Java. An hour by ferry, or a short flight. Ijen's blue fire, Bromo's caldera, Borobudur and Prambanan. Three days minimum for the volcanoes, a week with Yogyakarta.

Raja Ampat. A day of flying. The best reef diving on earth and the most expensive trip in this list.

Chosen by what you want

|---|---|

How much time each really needs

• Nusa Lembongan or Ceningan: 2 to 3 nights.
• Nusa Penida: 1 long day, or 2 nights.
• Gilis: 3 nights.
• Lombok south coast: 4 nights.
• Lombok with Rinjani: 7 nights.
• Komodo: 3 to 5 nights.
• Java volcanoes: 3 to 4 days.
• Sumba: 5 to 7 nights.
• Raja Ampat: 10 nights.

The rules that apply to all of them

Do not cross back on the day of an international flight. Boats cancel and flights are missed.

Take the morning boat. Calmer sea, and the afternoon crossings are where the seasickness stories come from.

Bring cash. ATMs on every one of these islands are unreliable.

Check medical access, particularly if you dive. Several of these places are hours from a hospital.

Book boats ahead in July and August, when the early departures sell out.

What each one costs, roughly

Per person, excluding your Bali accommodation, for the minimum sensible stay:

• Nusa Lembongan, 3 nights: boats 300,000 to 800,000 rupiah return, rooms from 25 USD, food cheap. Under 250 USD all in at the simple end.
• Nusa Penida, 2 nights: similar boat cost, a driver at 600,000 to 800,000 a day, simple rooms. Around 250 to 400 USD.
• Gilis, 3 nights: boats 800,000 to 1,800,000 return, rooms 25 to 120 USD, diving extra. 400 to 700 USD.
• Lombok, 4 nights: flight 30 to 70 USD each way, rooms from 25 USD. 400 to 800 USD.
• Komodo, 4 nights: flights around 150 USD return, boats and park fees the expensive part. 900 to 2,000 USD.
• Sumba, 5 nights: flight around 120 USD return, driver 700,000 to 1,000,000 a day. 700 to 1,500 USD.

The one most people should pick

For a first Bali trip with a spare three nights, take the boat from Sanur to Nusa Lembongan. It is the cheapest, easiest and least weather-dependent of all of them, and it delivers the clear water that Bali's own beaches do not have.