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Best time
June-Sept
Ideal length
9 days
Flight time
16hrs 30 min
Currency
Indonesian rupiah
Language
Indonesian
Put the spiritual aura of Bali and the remote wildness of Komodo National Park together and you’ve got a match made in heaven. This itinerary unearths two islands that showcase Indonesia at its riveting best.
Your trip begins in Bali’s most renowned town, Ubud. This is somewhere that seems to exist in a dream-like state, where traditional Balinese culture is on display with its population of skilled artisans and creative artists, prayer flags strung between streets flutter in the breeze and gamelan music softly soundtracks day-to-day life. Explore its spiritual atmosphere by taking a walk through the Ubud Monkey Forest and visiting a pair of its most atmospheric temples. You’ll witness a purification ceremony at Pura Tirta Empul, before admiring the ancient shrine reliefs of Gunung Kawi among lush paddies and an emerald valley.
Following your time in Ubud fly over to Flores in Komodo National Park, where you’ll head off on a full-day sailing trip in search of this region’s most famous residents: Komodo dragons. Growing up to three metres in length, these primeval beasts are a formidable sight and will have you gripped by their presence. As soon as you’ve unfixed your gaze, you can flop on the blush-coloured sands of Pink Beach and snorkel among its pastel-hued coral gardens. Now that’s given you a little appetiser of Indonesia’s mesmerising underwater worlds it’s time for the main course, where you’ll hop around a trio of islands to spy its pristine crayon-coloured reefs and abundant marine life.
Then, it will be time to head back to Bali, where you’ll wind down on the palm-pocked beaches of Sanur on the island’s south-east coast. Wake up early one morning for a sunrise cycle to the local Sindhu market to pick up some breakfast, before observing morning prayer offerings taking place at the Campuhan Windhu Segara temple. We’ve left it up to you to decide how to spend your last couple of days in Bali, but we trust you’ll feel comfy with the Balinese rhythm of life by then…
Experience highlights
- Land in Bali and travel to the jungle-wrapped Maya Ubud, where you’ll stay for the next three nights.
- Enjoy a full-day tour of Ubud and its surrounds with a private guide. Begin by walking among the vine-wrapped Hindu temples, mossy statues and troupes of mischievous long-tailed macaques of the Ubud Monkey Forest.
- Witness a purification ceremony at the bathing pools of the holy Tirta Empul water temple, before gasping at the cliff-carved shrines at Gunung Kawi that are hidden among pea-green rice terraces.
- Relax among Maya Ubud’s tranquil gardens before flying to Labuan Bajo in Flores, staying three nights at Plataran Komodo Resort & Spa.
- Set sail for Komodo Island, where you’ll embark on a forest trek to Banunggulung to spy its iconic Komodo dragons. To cool off afterwards, relax on Pink Beach and snorkel its iridescent coral.
- Enjoy an island-hopping snorkelling trip around the three islands of Kanawa, Bidadari and Sabola, gliding among its crayon-coloured reefs and exotic fish.
- Fly back to Bali and snuggle down on the cashmere-soft sands of Sanur, with four nights at Maya Sanur Resort & Spa.
- Head out on a sunrise cycle along the beach to the morning Sindhu market, where you’ll try some breakfast snacks and pick up some prayer offerings to give at the ocean-facing Hindu temple Campuhan Windhu Segara.
- Relax at Maya Sanur Resort & Spa, either on the golden beach or with a luxurious treatment in its decadent spa.
Experience highlights
Arrive in Bali and stay at Maya Ubud in the heart of Bali's steamy rainforest
Maya Ubud's thatched villas embrace the heritage of past colonial explorers
Walk past mossy temples in Ubud Monkey Forest with your own guide
Meet the mischievous macaques of Ubud Monkey Forest
Observe a traditional Balinese purification ceremony at Pura Tirta Empul
Admire the shrines carved directly into the cliff face at Gunung Kawi
You can also walk among the rice paddies and emerald valley that surround Gunung Kawi
Your last day in Ubud is at leisure, where you could visit Ubud and see local artisans at work
Catch a flight to Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores, where you'll bed down at Plataran Komodo Resort & Spa
Kick back on Plataran Komodo's beach for some downtime
Set sail for Komodo Island, where you'll go hiking with a guide in search of its iconic Komodo dragons
You'll also spy buffalos and rusa deer along the trail
Cruise to Pink Beach and lounge on its flamingo-tinged sands
You can also snorkel its iridescent coral gardens straight from the shore
Set sail for your three-island snorkelling cruise, first stopping at Kanawa Island to glide among its stingrays, sharks and fish
You'll also pause at Bidadari and Sabola islands, both of which have pristine coral reefs
Fly back to Bali, where you'll relax among the honey-hued sands of Maya Sanur
The resort's ocean-facing pool is a dreamy place for a soak at any time of the day
Wake up early for a sunrise cycle along Sanur beach
Visit the local Sindhu market to sample some breakfast snacks
Pick up some prayer offerings for your visit to the Hindu temple Campuhan Windhu Segara
You have two days at leisure to round off your holiday, where you could go cycling through Sanur village or take on a cooking class at Maya Sanur
Maya Sanur is big on wellness and their regular yoga and pilates classes are surrounded by calming jungle foliage
Request your tailor-made cultural Indonesia itinerary
Where you’ll stay
Maya Ubud, Ubud
Sitting high above the Petanu River Valley and encased within ten hectares of parakeet-green hillside gardens, Maya Ubud Resort & Spa has classic Bali written all over it. It presides over Peliatan’s sprawling rice paddies, lush jungle and the snaking Petanu River, an emerald oasis of tranquillity you can’t help but be swept up by. A stay here is a bath-like immersion into Balinese culture, with an eclectic display of Indonesian heritage antiques and thatched villas suitably minimalist so not to distract from the spellbinding view.
Plataran Komodo Resort & Spa, Flores
Set a little way from the nucleus of Labuan Bajo in Flores on the peaceful shores of Waecicu Beach, Plataran Komodo Resort & Spa is a gentle way to introduce yourself to Komodo National Park. Its villas, firmly Indonesian in style with their terracotta roofs, Balinese murals and Javanese-inspired interiors, are scattered through the leafy hillside to give them a prime view over the sparkling azure bay. Life here seems blissfully care-free, where the greatest pleasures can be found on the slender beach ogling the burnt orange sunset dipping beneath the horizon.
Maya Sanur Resort & Spa, Sanur
Watching over caramel-coloured sands on the spot where a sleepy fishing village once stood, Maya Sanur Resort & Spa embodies those same unhurried vibes today. This is where the languid and the luxury go hand in hand with the deep-soak baths, shaded terraces, ocean-facing pool and soothing water features. There’s an environmentally sensitive side to Maya Sanur, too, something that’s best highlighted by its foliage-covered rooftop, which also acts as a natural coolant for the resort.
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