Bali first. Then the other 17,000 islands.

Six bookings fill most Bali itineraries: a volcano before sunrise, a fast boat to the cliffs of Nusa Penida, the waterfall circuit inland, the temples that sit on water, the gorge swing above Ubud and the quad-bike run through the mud.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0· 1,927 travellers on the most-booked climb

Pickup is around two in the morning and the summit is genuinely cold. Sunrise comes up over the caldera with Abang and Agung on the far rim. These three carry the most travellers; the jeep runs suit anyone who would rather not walk up in the dark.

• 1Mount Batur Sunrise Hike and Natural Hot Spring Optionfrom $33
• 2Mount Batur Sunrise Hike with Breakfastfrom $30
• 3Mount Batur Sunrise Jeep Tour with Optional Activitiesfrom $24

The climb

Two hours up, breakfast on the rim

2am pickup· from $30· guided the whole way

Head torches on at the trailhead in Toya Bungkah, volcanic grit underfoot the whole way, and eggs cooked in the steam vents while the cloud sea fills the caldera below.

The soft option

Jeep to the viewpoint, hot spring after

5–7 hours· from $24· no climbing

A 4x4 up the black lava field from the 1963 eruption, then an hour in the mineral pools on the lake shore at Toya Devasya while the walkers come back down.

Volcano plus temples

Batur first, then the water temples

10–12 hours· from $39· car and driver

Sunrise on the volcano, coffee among the Kintamani plantations, and Ulun Danu floating on Lake Beratan by early afternoon.

Compare every Mount Batur morning →

The whole catalogue by price, and what each band actually buys you.

Under $40

185 tours

Waterfall circuits, temple runs, a cooking class in Ubud, a Kecak ticket on the Uluwatu cliff. Most of Bali sits in this band.

• 1Monkey Forest, Jungle Swing, Rice Terrace, and Water Templefrom $31
• 2Ubud Palace Legong Dance Show Ticketfrom $6
• 3Uluwatu Sunset, Kecak Dance, and Dinner Jimbaran Beachfrom $35

$40–100

243 tours

The full-day classics: Batur before sunrise, Nusa Penida by fast boat, a car and driver for twelve hours with the fuel included.

• 1All-Inclusive Ubud Private Tourfrom $100
• 2Best of Ubud Full-Day Tour with Jungle Swingfrom $56
• 3Nusa Penida by Private Boat – Snorkeling 4 spots, Swim with Mantas + Land Tourfrom $100

$100 and up

127 tours

Komodo speedboats, Bromo and Ijen overland, orangutan houseboats on the Sekonyer. The trips that need more than one day.

• 1Bali Instagram Tour: The Most Famous Spots (Private & All-Inclusive)from $114
• 2Mount Bromo Sunrise Tour from Surabaya or Malang – 1 Dayfrom $153
• 3Nusa Penida Snorkeling Adventure (Private & All-Inclusive)from $129

More travellers take these than anything else in the country, and each one earns the day it costs you.

1

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 14,344 reviews

All-Inclusive Ubud Private Tour

Explore Ubud’s monkey forest, rice terraces, holy springs, waterfall, Balinese home, and jungle swing on a private day tour.

From · $100

Read our review →

2 ★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 8,571 reviews Best of Ubud Full-Day Tour with Jungle Swing from $56 3 ★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 7,160 reviews Monkey Forest, Jungle Swing, Rice Terrace, and Water Temple from $31 4 ★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 6,424 reviews Nusa Penida by Private Boat – Snorkeling 4 spots, Swim with Mantas + Land Tour from $100 5 ★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 4,451 reviews Best of Ubud 1-Day Private Tour from $54 6 ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 · 3,979 reviews Ubud Palace Legong Dance Show Ticket from $6 7 ★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 3,681 reviews Uluwatu Sunset, Kecak Dance, and Dinner Jimbaran Beach from $35 8 ★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 3,620 reviews Tanah Lot and North Bali Tour: Scenic Journey from $100

Beaches and temples you can find all over Asia. The monitor lizards of Komodo, the orangutans above Bukit Lawang and the Kecak circle on the Uluwatu cliff belong to Indonesia alone.

Flores, and nowhere else

The Komodo Dragon

Around three thousand of them live on Komodo and Rinca and on no other islands on earth: three metres long, venomous, and entirely unbothered by the boats that arrive each morning from Labuan Bajo. Rangers walk every group. The early speedboats leave the harbour before six so Padar is empty when you climb it.

1. 1Exclusive Early Bird Komodo Tour: Beat the Crowds by Speed Boat★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 1,038 reviews
2. 2Explore Komodo and Swim with Whale Sharks★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 138 reviews
3. 3Full Day Trip to Explore 6 Destinations in Labuan Bajo and Komodo★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 116 reviews

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Bukit Lawang, north Sumatra

Wild Orangutans

The rainforest above Bukit Lawang holds one of the last wild Sumatran orangutan populations. The treks that go in sleep in camps beside the Bohorok river and raft back out on lashed inner tubes. Two days is the shortest trip that gets past the stretch of jungle the day visitors walk.

1. 13-Day Ethical Orangutan Jungle Trek | Bukit Lawang, Sumatra★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 401 reviews
2. 2Monkey Business 3 days – 2 nights Jungle trekking (including rafting)★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 294 reviews
3. 32 Days and 1 Night Ethical Jungle Trek★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 229 reviews

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Bali, at sunset

The Kecak Chorus

No instruments and no orchestra: a hundred men in a circle chanting chak-chak-chak while the Ramayana plays out in the middle and the fire goes up at the end. Uluwatu times it against the sunset on the cliff edge; Ubud runs a smaller version in the palace courtyard most evenings.

1. 1Uluwatu Sunset, Kecak Dance, and Dinner Jimbaran Beach★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 3,681 reviews
2. 2Ubud Kecak and Fire Dance Show Tickets★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 · 2,631 reviews
3. 3Uluwatu Sunset Tour: Kecak and Fire Dance with Jimbaran Dinner★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 597 reviews

See all 11 →