Bali & Gili Islands
Rice terraces, temple sunsets and the Gili Islands — Bali is our single most-booked international destination and the one we know best.
Bali is the trip we run more than any other international package, in every combination — honeymoon villas, multi-generation family groups, and the beach-plus-Gili circuit for couples and small groups who want more island time. The island genuinely works for all three, but not in the same way: honeymooners want a private-pool villa and quiet dinners, families with grandparents and children need a flatter itinerary with fewer boat transfers and a base that has a lift and a kitchen for home-style food, and groups chasing the Gili Islands need to accept a rougher fast-boat crossing and a few days with no cars, no ATMs and simpler food. We build the itinerary around which of these three trips a family is actually taking, rather than selling the same six nights to everyone.
There is no direct flight from Ahmedabad to Denpasar. The usual routing is Ahmedabad–Delhi or Ahmedabad–Mumbai, then an onward connection via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok to Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport (DPS), with total travel time of roughly 9–13 hours depending on the layover. Indian passport holders get visa on arrival at DPS — currently IDR 500,000 (roughly ₹2,500–2,800 indicative, paid in Indonesian rupiah, card or the e-visa portal in advance), valid for 30 days and extendable once for another 30 days at an immigration office in Bali. We handle the e-visa pre-registration for every group so no one is filling out forms at the immigration counter after a long flight.
What to see in Bali & Gili Islands
Tegallalang rice terraces and Ubud town
Bali's most photographed rice terraces, cut into a steep hillside north of Ubud, best visited early morning before the tour buses; combine with a walk through central Ubud's art market and the Ubud Palace.
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Ubud
A shaded temple forest with several hundred long-tailed macaques; keep sunglasses, food and dangling jewellery out of sight, as the monkeys do grab at both. Entry is about IDR 80,000 (indicative) per adult.
Campuhan Ridge Walk, Ubud
An easy 1.5–2 hour walk along a grassy ridge between two rivers on the edge of Ubud, flat enough for most fitness levels and best done at sunrise or late afternoon to avoid the midday heat.
Tanah Lot and Uluwatu sunset with Kecak dance
Tanah Lot's sea temple is best for late-afternoon photographs at low tide; Uluwatu's clifftop temple pairs a sunset view with an evening Kecak fire dance performance (entry roughly IDR 150,000 for the dance, indicative) — the two are usually combined on different evenings rather than the same one, since they are on opposite sides of the island.
Nusa Penida — Kelingking, Broken Beach, Angel's Billabong
A full-day speedboat trip (30–45 minutes each way from Sanur) to Bali's most dramatic clifftop viewpoints. Being honest about it: the fast boat crossing is choppy, the roads on Nusa Penida are narrow and pot-holed, and the descent to Kelingking's viewpoint is a genuinely steep, uneven path — we route elderly travellers and anyone with knee or back problems to the viewpoints only, skipping the climb down.
Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air
Three small islands off Lombok with no motor vehicles at all — transport is on foot, by bicycle or by horse-drawn cidomo cart. Trawangan is the liveliest with beach bars and dive shops, Air is quieter and family-friendly, Meno is the smallest and most basic. Snorkelling with green sea turtles just off Trawangan's east coast is the main draw and needs no boat — you can wade in from several beach points.
Besakih and Ulun Danu Beratan temples
Besakih, Bali's largest and holiest temple complex on the slopes of Mount Agung, and Ulun Danu Beratan, the lake temple near Bedugul whose photograph appears on the 50,000-rupiah note — both need a sarong and sash (provided free or for a small rental at the gate) and a respectful, quiet visit.
Waterfalls: Tegenungan and Sekumpul
Tegenungan, near Ubud, is an easy 10-minute walk down a paved path and works well for a group with children or seniors; Sekumpul in north Bali is Bali's tallest and most spectacular waterfall but needs a steep 30–40 minute walk down slippery steps, so we only add it for fitter, smaller groups.
Seminyak and Canggu beach clubs
Sunset loungers, pools and a DJ set at clubs like Potato Head or La Plancha (Seminyak) and Finns or The Lawn (Canggu) — a relaxed half-day for couples and groups, with mocktails and vegetarian bar snacks widely available.
Water sports at Tanjung Benoa
Bali's water-sports hub — parasailing, banana boat, jet ski and glass-bottom boat trips to a small offshore turtle sanctuary, all sold as short paid add-ons rather than a full-day tour, and an easy half-day for families with children old enough to swim.
Three ways to do Bali & Gili Islands
Every plan is customised. These are the shapes most families start from — each has a full day-by-day page and a PDF you can keep.
Classic Bali
Our bread-and-butter Bali family trip: three nights on the Kuta/Seminyak coast for beaches, sunsets and shopping, three nights in Ubud for temples, rice terraces and a cooler, quieter pace. No Gili crossing, which makes it the easiest itinerary for grandparents and young children.
Bali with Gili Islands
For couples and small groups who want beaches, temples and a proper island stretch: three nights in Seminyak, two in Ubud, and three on car-free Gili Trawangan reached by fast boat. The Gili leg needs a tolerance for a choppy crossing and simpler food — we say so upfront rather than after booking.
Bali Honeymoon
A private-pool-villa honeymoon: two nights in Ubud for a quiet, green start, three nights in Seminyak for beaches and sunset dinners. Built around romantic touches — a floating breakfast, a candlelit dinner, a couple's spa — rather than a packed sightseeing schedule.
Bali Family Villa
Built for a joint family or two Gujarati families travelling together: one large 4–6 bedroom private villa with its own vegetarian cook as the base for the whole trip, with day trips out to Ubud's sights, the coast and the temples rather than repeated hotel check-ins. This is the itinerary we recommend most often for a multi-generation group.
Getting there from Ahmedabad
Fly: no non-stop Ahmedabad–Denpasar service exists. The usual routing is Ahmedabad–Delhi or Ahmedabad–Mumbai on IndiGo or Air India, then an onward connection to Bali on Singapore Airlines (via Singapore), Malaysia Airlines (via Kuala Lumpur) or Thai Airways/AirAsia (via Bangkok); total travel time is roughly 9–13 hours including the layover. Book the international sector 8–10 weeks ahead for the best fares, especially for July–August and December departures.
Airport: all flights land at Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) in the south of the island, close to Kuta and Seminyak; Ubud is about 1–1.5 hours by road from the airport and Sanur (the usual jump-off point for the Nusa Penida and Gili speedboats) is about 45 minutes.
Internal transfers run by private car with a driver throughout the trip; Bali's roads are narrow and traffic is genuinely slow, so a Kuta/Seminyak–Ubud transfer that looks short on the map takes about 1.5 hours, and afternoon traffic around Seminyak and Canggu can add another 20–30 minutes on top of that.
Getting around. Across mainland Bali, groups travel by private car with an English-speaking driver — roughly IDR 700,000–900,000 per day (indicative) depending on the vehicle size and distance covered, which comfortably covers a family for a full day of sightseeing. Renting a scooter is common among backpackers but we do not advise it for our groups — Bali's traffic is dense and undisciplined, helmet laws are loosely enforced, and travel insurance often excludes scooter accidents. Once on Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno or Gili Air, there are no cars or scooters at all — the only options are walking, hiring a bicycle, or taking a horse-drawn cidomo cart, so pack light for the Gili nights and expect a short cart or walk from the harbour to your hotel.
When to go
| Season | Months | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Dry season | April – October | The best months to travel — mostly sunny, humidity lower than the wet season, calmer seas for the Nusa Penida and Gili crossings. July–August is also school-holiday peak season in several countries, so book hotels and speedboat seats early. |
| Peak | July – August, Christmas – New Year | Same dry-season weather as the rest of the period but the busiest and most expensive weeks of the year — Ubud's rice-terrace paths and Uluwatu's Kecak dance both get genuinely crowded, and hotel and villa rates can run 30–50% above the rest of the dry season. |
| Wet season | November – March | Humid with short, heavy afternoon downpours rather than all-day rain; mornings are usually clear enough for sightseeing. Sea conditions can occasionally cancel the Nusa Penida or Gili speedboat crossings — we build a buffer day into itineraries that include either during this window. |
| Shoulder | May – June, September | Good weather, fewer crowds than July–August, and better hotel and villa rates — often the best value window for a family trip. |
Permits, rules and packing
Indian passport holders get visa on arrival (VOA) at Ngurah Rai Airport, currently IDR 500,000 per person, valid 30 days from entry and extendable once for a further 30 days at an immigration office in Bali (Denpasar or Ubud); we pre-register the e-VOA online for every traveller before departure so it is a quick QR scan on arrival rather than a paper form. Passports must have at least 6 months' validity from the date of entry. Every visitor also pays an Indonesia Tourist Levy of IDR 150,000 per person, payable online in advance or on arrival — keep the QR receipt on your phone, as it is checked at some sights. All temples require a sarong and sash covering the knees; these are provided free or for a small rental (IDR 10,000–20,000) at almost every temple gate, so nothing needs to be carried from home. Several temples, including Besakih, post signs asking women who are menstruating not to enter the inner temple courtyard — this is a genuine local custom and our guides brief groups on it respectfully before each temple visit. Indonesia's customs department requires an electronic customs declaration (QR code) filled online before or on arrival; we send the link to every group a few days before departure.
What to pack
- Light, breathable cotton clothing — Bali is hot and humid year-round, day and night
- A sarong or long scarf for temple visits, even though most temples provide one at the gate
- Swimwear and a rash guard for beach days, snorkelling and the Gili Islands
- Comfortable closed shoes for the Tegallalang terraces, Campuhan ridge walk and waterfall paths, which can be muddy or uneven
- Motion-sickness tablets for the Nusa Penida and Gili fast-boat crossings — both are genuinely choppy
- A dry bag or waterproof pouch for phones and passports on speedboat days
- A universal adapter; Indonesia runs on 230V with European-style two-pin sockets
Veg and Jain food in Bali & Gili Islands
- Ubud and Seminyak have the island's best vegetarian and Jain-friendly options — Indian restaurants such as Queen's of India and Gateway of India style kitchens operate in Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Ubud, and several take Jain orders (no onion, no garlic) with a few hours' notice.
- Nusa Penida and the Gili Islands are noticeably harder for strict vegetarians — warungs there serve simple fried rice or noodle dishes without meat rather than a dedicated vegetarian menu, so groups travelling to these islands should expect fewer choices for a day or two.
- On our family-villa itinerary we arrange a dedicated vegetarian cook in the villa itself, which solves the food question completely for a joint family that wants home-style Gujarati or Jain meals every day rather than eating out.
- At local warungs, confirm 'no fish sauce, no shrimp paste (terasi), no oyster sauce' clearly — these appear in vegetable dishes by default in Indonesian and Balinese cooking, the same as in Thai food.
What it costs
Indicative per-person costs on twin sharing for a 5–8 night Bali trip including flights from Ahmedabad, hotels or villa share, transfers and the standard day tours. Villa-based itineraries and the Gili extension both add meaningfully to the cost; actual quotes depend on dates, room/villa category and group size.
3★ hotels in Kuta/Seminyak and Ubud, shared group day tours, economy flights booked 8+ weeks ahead, no Gili extension
4★ hotels or a shared private-pool villa, private car for all sightseeing days, the Nusa Penida day trip included, flexible flight dates
5★ resorts or a private-pool villa with a dedicated cook, private car throughout, business-class option, the full Gili Islands extension
Where the money goes
- Flights are the single biggest slice of the trip, typically 35–45% of the total cost: an Ahmedabad–Bali return via Singapore/Kuala Lumpur/Bangkok runs roughly ₹45,000–65,000 booked early, and considerably more in the July–August and December windows.
- Villa vs hotel: a 2-bedroom private-pool villa in Ubud or Seminyak runs about ₹9,000–16,000 per night total (split across the group, often cheaper per person than two hotel rooms), while a 4–6 bedroom family villa with a cook runs roughly ₹22,000–40,000 per night total.
- The Nusa Penida day trip (speedboat, driver, guide and entry fees) runs about ₹3,500–5,000 per person and is worth booking as a small private group rather than joining a large shared tour.
- The Gili fast boat from Padangbai or Serangan to Gili Trawangan runs about ₹2,500–3,500 per person one-way (indicative), and is the main added cost of any itinerary that includes the Gili Islands.
Prices are indicative for 2026 and change with dates, group size and hotel choice. We confirm every price in writing before you pay anything.
Travelling with parents and children
- The Nusa Penida speedboat crossing and the roads on the island itself are genuinely rough — we do not recommend this day trip for elderly travellers or anyone with a back or knee condition; a calmer alternative is a private car tour of Ubud and central Bali on that day instead.
- The viewpoint path down to Kelingking Beach is a steep, uneven climb of 15–20 minutes each way with no railing in places — most families are happy simply photographing the famous view from the top rather than making the descent, and this is what we suggest for anyone travelling with young children or seniors.
- The Gili Islands have no cars, and Gili Meno in particular has very few ATMs — carry enough Indonesian rupiah in cash before the boat crossing, since card acceptance on the smaller islands is patchy and ATM fees run high where they do exist.
- Every Balinese temple requires a sarong and sash covering the knees; these are provided free or for a small rental at the gate, so there is no need to buy or carry one from home, but flag this to first-time travellers so no one is turned away at the entrance in shorts.
- Jet lag is minimal — Bali is only 2.5 hours ahead of Indian Standard Time, so even young children and grandparents adjust within a day, unlike a long-haul trip to Europe or the US.
- For a joint family or two families travelling together, a private villa with 4–6 bedrooms works far better than separate hotel rooms — everyone shares a common living area and pool, and a villa cook can prepare home-style vegetarian or Jain food exactly as the family likes it, which hotel breakfast buffets rarely match.
Questions families ask us about Bali & Gili Islands
Do Indians need a visa for Bali?
Yes, but it is straightforward — Indian passport holders get visa on arrival at Ngurah Rai Airport, currently IDR 500,000 per person, valid for 30 days and extendable once for a further 30 days. We pre-register the e-VOA online for every traveller before departure so it is a quick QR scan at the airport rather than filling out paperwork after a long flight.
Is vegetarian and Jain food easily available in Bali?
In Ubud and Seminyak, yes — there are established Indian restaurants that also take Jain orders (no onion, no garlic) with a few hours' notice. It gets harder on Nusa Penida and in the Gili Islands, where warung menus are simpler; for our family-villa itinerary we arrange a dedicated vegetarian cook in the villa itself, which solves this completely for a group that wants home-style food every day.
Should we do Bali with or without the Gili Islands?
It depends on who is travelling. Couples and small groups who enjoy island-hopping and don't mind a choppy 2–2.5 hour fast-boat crossing get real value from adding 2–3 nights in Gili Trawangan or Gili Air. Families with young children, seniors, or anyone prone to seasickness are usually happier on our classic Kuta/Seminyak–Ubud itinerary without Gili, which has no open-sea crossings at all.
Is the Nusa Penida day trip worth it?
The clifftop views at Kelingking and Broken Beach are genuinely among the best in Bali and worth the effort for most travellers. Be aware going in that the speedboat crossing is choppy, the island's roads are narrow and pot-holed, and reaching the famous Kelingking viewpoint photo spot involves a steep climb down — we recommend it for fit travellers and suggest skipping the climb (the top viewpoint is still spectacular) for anyone elderly or with joint problems.
What is the best time for a family holiday to Bali?
April to June or September, within the dry season, generally offer the best mix of good weather, calmer seas for boat days, and reasonable prices — school-holiday peak weeks in July–August and the Christmas–New Year fortnight have the same weather but noticeably higher hotel and villa rates and busier sights.
What is the minimum number of nights we should plan for Bali?
5 nights works for a honeymoon or a couple focused on Seminyak and Ubud, but we recommend at least 6 nights for a family that wants to properly cover Ubud's temples and rice terraces plus Seminyak or Kuta's beaches without a rushed pace, and 8 nights if the Gili Islands are being added on.
Ready to plan Bali & Gili Islands?
Send us your dates and who is travelling. We reply with a day-by-day plan, hotel names and a price — usually within 24 hours.