Ten days in Bali is enough for two village nights without hurrying. Spend three nights in Ubud, one in the Sidemen valley in the east, two by the sea in Sanur, one in the Munduk highlands and one on the north coast, then a last night near the airport.
This is the 10 day Bali itinerary we would plan at Five Pillar Experiences: two village tours near Ubud, our Sidemen and Munduk 2 Days 1 Night journeys, and a rest day between them.
Bali itinerary, 10 days at a glance
- Day 1: arrive and settle into Ubud.
- Day 2: the Living Heritage Village Walking Tour in Bedulu.
- Day 3: A Village Gastronomic Journey in Bedulu.
- Day 4: Sidemen, day one: market, cooking class and a temple blessing.
- Day 5: Sidemen, day two: cycling and the weavers, then on to Sanur.
- Day 6: a free day on the coast.
- Day 7: Munduk, day one: cooking class, coffee plantation and cupping.
- Day 8: Munduk, day two: waterfall trek, then down to the north coast.
- Day 9: a morning by the sea, then back to the south.
- Day 10: fly home.
Why the route runs this way
Bali is small but slow to cross, and the two village nights lie in different directions from Ubud: Sidemen to the east, Munduk to the north. Rather than linking them directly, the route comes back to the south in between, which gives you a rest day by the sea and keeps each drive manageable. The highlands and the north coast link naturally, so after Munduk you carry on down to the coast instead of driving straight back.
Days 1 to 3: Ubud and two village tours
Arrive, transfer to Ubud and keep the first day free. On days 2 and 3, join two Curated Tours in Bedulu, an old royal village 15 minutes from Ubud. The Living Heritage Village Walking Tour spends two to three hours among shrines, family compounds and the banjar adat, the traditional council that runs village life, with a stop at Puri Agung Bedulu, the old royal palace. A Village Gastronomic Journey takes three to four hours: a session with 15 to 20 traditional spices, base gede made by hand, dishes cooked by local mothers and a village walk for snacks, cakes and fruit.
With cooking classes in both Sidemen and Munduk later on, you may prefer to swap the food tour for the Royal Palace Heritage Walk in Peliatan, five minutes from Ubud, where you dress in traditional clothes, learn palace etiquette and share tea with a royal family representative. All three run by arrangement, are priced on request and are designed for groups of five or more; smaller groups, couples included, can often be arranged, so ask our team first. Transport to the tours isn’t included.
Days 4 and 5: a night in Sidemen
Sidemen is rice and weaving country under Mount Agung, roughly an hour to an hour and a half from Ubud. The Sidemen journey picks you up in Ubud and spends day one at a traditional market, in a hands-on cooking class, making canang sari and at a temple blessing with a local host, followed by a walk through the terraces. Day two is a cycle to Gembleng Waterfall with a stop at an arak plantation, lunch in Sidemen and a visit to a traditional weaving house.
At the end, you can be dropped at your hotel in Sanur rather than back in Ubud for an extra transfer fee; mention it when you book. The valley is two hours or more from the south coast. Our two-day Sidemen guide has the detail, and our East Bali journeys are worth a look if you would rather swap Sidemen for Amed, Candidasa or Klungkung.
Day 6: a rest day in Sanur
You’ve had two full days, so take this one slowly. A reef offshore keeps Sanur’s sea calm, the beachfront path is flat and car-free, and the town faces east, so the sun comes up over the water. Plan swims around high tide. Our guide to things to do in Sanur covers the rest, from the mangroves to the Le Mayeur Museum.
Days 7 and 8: Munduk and the highlands
Munduk sits high on the ridges of North Bali, in a valley of clove trees, coffee and waterfalls, and the air is cool. The road from the south climbs past the lakes of Bedugul, and from the southern beaches you should allow about three hours. The Munduk journey picks you up from your hotel in Sanur.
Day 7: cooking, then coffee
Day one starts with a hands-on Balinese cooking class with a local host, and lunch is what you cook. In the cool of the afternoon you walk through an organic coffee plantation and finish with a specialty cupping, tasting the same beans brewed side by side. Then you check in, and the evening is quiet, with dinner on your own.
Day 8: waterfalls, then the north coast
After breakfast, a guided trek follows plantation trails through the clove groves to Munduk’s waterfalls, and lunch looks out over North Bali’s green ridges. The journey is listed as active because of the walking, so wear shoes with grip.
Here the route leaves the usual return: instead of driving back south, you can be dropped on the north coast, which our North Bali guide puts within a few hours of Munduk. The drop-off costs an extra transfer fee, so mention it when you book. Lovina, a gentle beach town west of Singaraja, works well for a single night.
Our guide to things to do in Munduk has more on the waterfalls, the coffee and the lakes.
Day 9: the north coast, then back south
The north coast is drier and calmer than the south, with black-sand beaches and a sea that is at its calmest early in the morning, the best time for a swim or a snorkel. Then comes the long drive: from Ubud, Lovina takes around two and a half to three hours, and the south coast adds another hour, so spend your last night near the airport rather than flying the same day.
If one night up north isn’t enough, our North Bali journeys in Pemuteran and Tejakula each spend two days with the coast’s salt farmers and reefs, and we can stitch one to Munduk into a single route with one guide. The North Bali tour guide compares them. Prefer a shorter day? Skip the coast, let the Munduk journey take you back to Sanur on day 8, and spend day 9 by the sea.
Day 10: departure
From Sanur the airport is a short drive. If your flight leaves late, the beach path is there for one more sunrise walk.
What the two village nights include
Both 2 Days 1 Night journeys are private and include a local English- and Indonesian-speaking guide, private transport for both days, the activities on the itinerary and two lunches. Dinner is on your own. The hotel night isn’t included: you can add a room with breakfast as an option when you book, or stay where you like.
When to go
Our month-by-month guide covers the dry season, roughly April to October, with the island at its driest from June to September. The highlands, Munduk included, are cooler and cloudier than the coast all year, and their mornings are almost always clearer than their afternoons. In April and May, Munduk has green rice and few people. In July and August, when the south is at its busiest, leaving it pays off most: the north is calmer and far less crowded. October is a fine month for Munduk too, when the waterfalls may start to pick up after the first rains.
Online booking needs at least three days’ notice, but in July and August a few weeks is wiser. Bring a warm layer for highland mornings, which can be cold.
Changing the route
Every part of this plan can move. Run it the other way round, swap Sidemen for another East Bali journey, add a second night in the hills or turn the north-coast night into a journey of its own. Mention it in the booking form, or send us the journeys you like and we will stitch them into one route with a single guide.
Only have a week? Our 7 day Bali itinerary follows the same route as far as the free day in Sanur.
Questions travelers ask
Can I visit Munduk as a day trip?
Many people do, but it’s around two and a half hours each way from Ubud and about three from the south, which leaves little time in the hills. With a night, you get an afternoon for coffee and cooking, a quiet evening and a fresh morning for the waterfall walk.
Is Munduk cold at night?
Evenings are cool enough for a jacket, and dawn in the hills can be properly cold. Pack a warm layer, shoes with grip for the trails and, in the wet season, a rain jacket. Umbrellas or raincoats are provided on the journey when the weather turns.
Do the two journeys have to be booked separately?
Each journey has its own page and can be booked on its own. If you’d like them joined into one trip, say so when you send your request, and we will look at the route and the drop-offs with you.
