A 12-Day Bali Itinerary, Costed to the Rupiah -
Kuta, Nusa Penida, Ubud, Kintamani, Tulamben, Uluwatu — the full route, and what every day of it actually cost

This is the whole thing: twelve days, six bases, from the airport to the last surf before the flight home. Where I stayed, what was worth doing, how I got between places, and what each day cost.

The costs are the part most itineraries get wrong, because they are written from memory months later. These are not. I pulled the GoPay statement, both credit card statements and the bank account, and matched every line against a note written during the trip. Every figure below is an amount that actually left an account.

The route

Six bases in twelve days. It moves quickly, and that is the trade-off — you see the island’s range, from party beach to volcano to wreck dive, but you unpack a lot. If you have fewer days, cut Kintamani and Tulamben and keep the rest.

Going solo the whole thing came to RM 3.246,69 a head, or about RM 271 a day. With two people sharing rooms and splitting rides it drops to RM 2.510,08 each. Flights are not included in either.

What it costs, however you’re travelling

Switch between going solo and two people sharing — rooms, scooters and drivers are one bill split two ways, while dorm beds, tickets and food are per head, so the difference is not simply half. Then filter by category or by day to see where the money actually goes.

Day by day

Day 1 — Mon 6 Jul, Arrive, Kuta

Land at Ngurah Rai in the evening and stay in Kuta. It is the closest base to the airport, the cheapest place to start, and it gives you a day to adjust before the trip gets going. Angkul Angkul is a no-frills beach inn a few minutes’ walk from the sand. First meal was a roadside bakso stall, which sets the tone for the whole trip: the cheapest food in Bali is usually the best food in Bali.

• 19:00 — Land at Ngurah Rai — in from KL via the airport express
• 20:00 — Check in at Angkul Angkul Beach Inn, Kuta
• eve — Roadside bakso stall — plus cireng and avocado

Ate and drank: Roadside bakso stall · MMJP4 · Hotel order via GoPay · Juice Buah 21
Slept: Angkul Angkul Beach Inn, Kuta — private room, 2 nights
Day total: RM 296,52 solo · RM 235,52 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: Book the Nusa Penida fast boat before you land. I booked mine the same evening through 12Go and it turned out to be the single biggest transport cost of the trip.

Day 2 — Tue 7 Jul, Kuta

A full day in Kuta. Morning surf lesson — the beach break here is forgiving and it is where more or less everybody learns. Afternoon back at the hotel, then a walk down to Discovery Mall in the late afternoon and dinner at Boardwalk on the beachfront, followed by the sunset everyone comes for.

• 09:00 — Semi-private surf lesson with Up2U on the beach break
• 12:00 — Lunch on the beach — nasi lalapan, mi goreng, avocado, es teh
• 13:00 — Back at the hotel
• 17:30 — Walk to Discovery Mall
• 18:30 — Dinner at Boardwalk
• 21:30 — Photos on the beach, then back by ten

Did: Surf lesson — Up2U
Ate and drank: Boardwalk — dinner · Alfamart · Juice Buah 21 · Cemilan Bandung · Lunch on the beach
Day total: RM 88,91 solo · RM 88,91 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: Kuta gets a bad reputation and mostly deserves it. For two days at the start, while you are jet-lagged and cheap, it is exactly the right call.

Day 3 — Wed 8 Jul, Nusa Penida

Check out early and take the fast boat across to Nusa Penida. Rent a scooter the moment you land — the island has no useful public transport and the roads are half the appeal. Brunch at Secret Penida, then an afternoon snorkelling trip out of the harbour covering three or four spots, with an underwater camera hired for the day. Evening at The Farm, which is a party hostel and makes no secret of it.

• 07:00 — Check out, head for the harbour
• 08:00 — Fast boat across
• 10:30 — Reach The Farm — rent a scooter for two days
• 11:30 — Brunch at Secret Penida
• 14:00 — Snorkelling from the harbour — three to four spots, underwater camera hired
• 18:00 — Back at the hostel

Did: Snorkelling, 3–4 spots + camera hire · Tri Rent Scooter — 2 days
Ate and drank: The Farm — bar tab · Secret Penida — brunch · Nome Beach
Slept: The Farm Nusa Party Hostel — bed in an 8-bed mixed dorm, 1 night
Day total: RM 316,55 solo · RM 280,58 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: The scooter was Rp 206.000 for two days. Everything on Penida is further apart than the map suggests, so this is not optional.

Day 4 — Thu 9 Jul, Nusa Penida → Ubud

The classic west-coast loop, done as a guided tour: Kelingking Beach — the cliff shaped like a T-rex, and the photograph you have already seen — then Angel’s Billabong. Lunch on the road, back to the hostel mid-afternoon, then the ferry to Bali and straight across to Ubud by evening.

• 09:00 — Check out and start the guided island tour
• 10:00 — Kelingking Beach
• 12:00 — Angel’s Billabong
• 14:00 — Lunch on the tour
• 17:30 — Ferry back to Bali
• 18:44 — Gojek across to Ubud Tropical

Ate and drank: Ubud Tropical — food · Siomay Batagor Kang Asep
Slept: Ubud Tropical — bed in a 6-bed mixed dorm, 2 nights
Day total: RM 66,96 solo · RM 66,96 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: Take the tour rather than riding it yourself unless you are genuinely confident. The descent to Kelingking is steep, busy, and unforgiving.

Day 5 — Fri 10 Jul, Ubud

A deliberate rest day, and the trip is better for having one. Nothing at all until late afternoon, then a café run up toward the Tegallalang rice terraces — Cretya first, then D’Tukad Coffee Club, both built into the valley so you are drinking coffee looking down at the paddies.

• A slow one. Nothing until late afternoon.
• 17:00 — Café run near the Tegallalang rice terraces — Cretya, then D’Tukad Coffee Club
• 19:00 — Back to Ubud Tropical

Ate and drank: D’Tukad Coffee Club · Tis Cafe · Minimart Ubi 5 · Gg Lalapan · Ln Kitchen Salad
Day total: RM 43,94 solo · RM 42,43 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: Ubud’s café scene is the reason to be in Ubud. Budget an afternoon for it and do not try to stack anything else on top.

Day 6 — Sat 11 Jul, Ubud → Kintamani

The big day. Ayung River rafting in the morning, then an ATV ride and a jungle swing after lunch — all one Klook package, which is far cheaper than booking the three separately. Late afternoon, transfer up to Kintamani for the volcano.

• 08:00 — Rafting the Ayung River
• 13:00 — ATV ride, then the jungle swing
• 16:30 — Leave Ubud for Kintamani
• 19:00 — Reach Devanora Hotel & Resto

Did: ATV, rafting and jungle swing — Klook · Dirt bike tour — deposit
Ate and drank: Nawa Tirta
Slept: Devanora Hotel & Resto, Kintamani — suite, 1 night
Day total: RM 668,95 solo · RM 536,30 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: This one package was RM 556,97 and it is the largest single card charge of the trip. It is also a full twelve-hour day, so do not plan an evening.

Day 7 — Sun 12 Jul, Kintamani

Dirt biking on the volcano — black sand, old lava fields, and views down over Lake Batur. This was the most expensive thing I did in Bali and the thing I would most recommend. Back at the hotel late, and a second night in Kintamani on a cheaper room.

• 09:00 — Walk around, breakfast at a warung
• 14:00 — Dirt biking on the volcano
• 21:00 — Back at the hotel — and a second night, on a cheaper room

Did: Dirt bike tour — balance
Ate and drank: Paperhills
Day total: RM 457,54 solo · RM 376,82 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: Kintamani sits at altitude and gets genuinely cold at night. Bring something warm; nothing else on a Bali packing list prepares you for it.

Day 8 — Mon 13 Jul, Kintamani → Tulamben

Café-hopping in the morning before checkout, then east to Tulamben on the coast. Worth knowing how the transfer actually went: I booked a Gojek, it was cancelled, and I ended up negotiating directly with a driver instead — part cash, part transfer.

• 09:00 — Café hopping before checkout
• 12:00 — Check out of Devanora
• 16:00 — Set off for Tulamben — the Gojek booking was cancelled and the driver paid direct
• 19:00 — Reach Tulamben Backpacker

Ate and drank: Pahdi Speciality Coffee · Eco Bike Coffee · Devanora — on the way out
Slept: Tulamben Backpacker — standard room, 2 nights
Day total: RM 187,67 solo · RM 103,95 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: For long inter-region runs the ride-hailing apps are unreliable. Agree a price with a driver directly and expect to pay part of it in cash.

Day 9 — Tue 14 Jul, Tulamben

Diving, which is the entire reason Tulamben exists. Two sites: the Drop-Off, for the jackfish school, and the USAT Liberty — a wrecked cargo ship lying so close to shore that you walk in off the beach with your tank on. Afternoon on a rented motorbike, which I came off, hence the repair bill in the ledger.

• 07:08 — Pay the dive deposit
• 07:50 — Pay the balance to the dive centre
• 08:35 — In the water — the Drop-Off, for the jackfish school, then the Liberty wreck
• 13:00 — Out. Rent a motorbike — and come off it
• eve — Second night at Tulamben Backpacker

Did: Diving — deposit · Diving — balance, BEST Dive Center · Motorbike hire + repair after the fall
Day total: RM 295,82 solo · RM 257,45 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: The Liberty is one of the most accessible wreck dives anywhere. You do not need a boat and you do not need to be especially experienced.

Day 10 — Wed 15 Jul, Tulamben → Uluwatu

A transfer day, and a long one — right across the island from the northeast coast down to the southern peninsula and Uluwatu. About three hours with a driver.

• A morning at the hotel
• 12:30 — Check out
• 16:15 — Pay the driver, and start the long run south
• eve — Reach Mamo Hotel, Uluwatu

Ate and drank: Es Teler Putri Sunda
Slept: Mamo Hotel Uluwatu — deluxe room, 2 nights
Day total: RM 547,37 solo · RM 276,89 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: This is the longest single journey in the itinerary. Book a car rather than trying to chain rides together, and leave after checkout rather than at dawn.

Day 11 — Thu 16 Jul, Uluwatu

Beach club day at Klive, up on the cliffs. Uluwatu is where the trip stops being cheap: this is the most expensive food day of the twelve by a wide margin.

• 11:00 — Klive Beach Club
• 19:00 — Back to Mamo

Ate and drank: Klive Beach Club · GoMart · ACK Fried Chicken · Warung dinner
Day total: RM 140,47 solo · RM 133,74 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: If you are watching the budget, this is the day to watch. One afternoon here cost more than three days of eating in Ubud.

Day 12 — Fri 17 Jul, Uluwatu → home

Last day, and the best surfing of the trip. Blue Point in the morning for the walk down through the cliff gap and the photographs, then Padang Padang for an actual surf. Lunch on the cliff at Le Cliff, back to collect luggage, and out to the airport.

• 09:00 — Blue Point — board hired for an hour or two, and photographs
• 10:30 — Back to the hotel; check out at noon
• 11:30 — Padang Padang — another board, and a surf
• 13:30 — Lunch on the cliff
• 17:00 — Collect the luggage and go to the airport
• 20:30 — Wheels up

Did: Surfboard rental — Blue Point · Surfboard rental — Padang Padang
Ate and drank: Le Cliff Bali — lunch · Padang Padang Sari
Day total: RM 135,99 solo · RM 110,53 each if sharing

💡 Worth knowing: Board rental runs about Rp 100.000 for an hour or two at either beach. Padang Padang charges a small entry fee — Rp 12.500 — and is worth it.

Practical notes

Getting between bases. Nothing here is reachable by public transport in any practical sense. Short hops inside a town are Gojek or Grab and cost almost nothing — Rp 12.500 to Rp 26.000 a ride. Long inter-region runs need a private driver: Kintamani to Tulamben was Rp 350.000, and Tulamben all the way down to Uluwatu was Rp 700.000 for about three hours. Agree the price before you get in.

Bring less cash than you think. Cash covered barely 4% of this trip. A roadside bakso stall, two surfboard rentals, half a driver’s fare and a motorbike repair — everything else went on a card or through GoPay. Set up GoPay before you arrive; it pays for rides, food delivery and a surprising number of small merchants.

Activities are the budget, not hotels. Nearly half of everything went on things to do. The volcano dirt biking, the Tulamben diving and the Klook rafting-and-ATV day cost more between them than all eleven nights of accommodation combined. If you need to cut, cut here — not by downgrading rooms.

Mix dorms and hotels. Nightly cost ran from about RM 43 at a Tulamben backpacker to RM 265 for a suite in Kintamani. Dorms in Ubud and Nusa Penida are what paid for the suite and the beach clubs later.

Watch your card’s exchange rate. Across twelve days mine settled anywhere between Rp 4.284 and Rp 4.370 to the ringgit — a spread of about 2%. No single rate would have been honest, so every figure here is the amount actually charged rather than a conversion.

What I’d change

One night on Nusa Penida is not enough. You arrive mid-morning, snorkel, do the west-coast loop the next day and leave. Two nights would let you see the east side too.

Two nights in Kintamani was one too many unless you are doing more than the dirt bike tour. The second night went on a cheaper room and not much else.

Uluwatu deserved longer. It got the last two days and the best surf of the trip, and it was the one place I left wanting more.

Two honest gaps

The guided land tour of Nusa Penida on day 4 and a warung breakfast in Kintamani on day 7 were both paid in cash and left no record anywhere. So the totals here are a floor, not a complete figure — the real number is higher by whatever those two came to. Everything else reconciles to the rupiah.