Below, we’re sharing our week-by-week Bali itinerary: part travel guide, part memory book, and 100% proof that soul-led adventures make for the best kind.

For travelers chasing magic, Bali is one of those places you hear about long before you get there — whispered in travel blogs, seen in dreamy reels, and bookmarked under “someday.”

But being there? It's something else entirely.

Over one unforgettable month, we soaked in surf town sunsets, joined sacred ceremonies, snorkeled with manta rays, and found ourselves in the unplanned moments — over jackfruit stew, lychee martinis, and spontaneous tattoos.

We went during the month April, right after the rain season. It was hot and humid, but beautiful. We hear the best time (but most crowded) is around August.

OVERVIEW:4 Weeks in Bali

Week 1: Canggu – Spas, Brunches, Beach Bars

Canggu is the perfect starting point for a mix of pampering and party.

Week 2: Uluwatu, Balangan & Bingin – Surf Towns & Sacred Rhythms

A coastal, surf oasis dream. A much needed slower pace after a week in Canggu. We surfed, meditated, and danced barefoot beneath cliffside sunsets.

Week 3: Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida – Island Adventures & Ocean Magic

Island Life! Picture snorkeling with manta rays, sacred cave ceremonies, scooter joyrides, and secret cafés where the iced lattes hit different. These islands brought us closer to nature and reminded us that plans are best when they’re flexible.

Week 4: Ubud – Ceremony, Community & Soulful Living

Bali’s spiritual heart. Ubud gave us cacao ceremonies, kirtan nights, rice terrace adventures, and a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to a Galungan family celebration.

***

Getting there…

Travel Days

Our first two days of April consisted of two long flights: New York - New Delhi, India and India to Bali. The first flight was 14 hours. We dreaded the thought of this, and in an attempt to try to make ourselves comfortable, we booked the emergency exit row.

This was an absolute game changer, and we rested like babies during this flight. Our layover was 10 hours in the New Delhi airport, where we lounged, worked a bit, and tried a ridiculous amount of Indian food (and loved every moment.)

We landed in Bali ready to brunch and rejuvenate.

***

Week 1:

Canggu

Canggu was our first base; a mix of the cutest cafes, spontaneous beauty appointments, and beach bars. One of the more touristy spots in Bali.

• Eats & Coffee Spots: Koloni (the best smoothie bowls), Urban Bites, Kai Cafe (the cutest cafe, try their halloumi avocado toast)

• Self-Care Stops: Din Nails (amazing prices, high-quality work), lashes (Moolan), massages (Beach House), and night swims. When in Canggu…

• Our First Nights Out: The Lawn, Lola’s Cantina, Tarot Bar, and beach bars like Old Man’s and Mexicola.

• Highlights: Meeting Pedro (our guide for a few nights, the dog who adopted us), surviving a classic Bali beach party saga, and ABBA perfectly playing while Genevieve was getting a tattoo at the kindest studio: Bali Shadow.

• Lowlight: Bali belly hits. We rot. We revive with Thai food at Bangkok Hustle and Love Island marathons.

***

Week 2: Uluwatu, Balangan, and Bingin

Uluwatu

Arriving at Uluwatu, we checked into a little surf hostel, LoTide. A youthful spot filled with surfers and daily breakfasts together.

Tip: if traveling with others, definitely recommend getting an airbnb if you’re not passionate about meeting new people. The price ends up being the same, and there are some really cool stays on the island.

• Kecak Fire Dance at Uluwatu Temple: Our first night, we headed to the iconic Uluwatu Temple to witness the traditional Kecak Dance at sunset. Set against the crashing waves, this wild, hypnotic ritual was unforgettable — tribal chanting, fire, and one of the best sunset views on the island.

• Morning Light Yoga: The next morning, we woke up early for yoga at Morning Light Yoga Studio, hidden inside Uluwatu Surf Villas. Surrounded by jungle and overlooking the ocean, this 7:30 AM class is a must — just show up, no booking needed.

• Breakfast at Manu: After yoga, we indulged in a late breakfast at Manu, located inside the same surf villa as Morning Light. Absolutely gorgeous setting.

• Beach Day at Suluban: We wandered down to the surf-heavy Suluban beach (aka Blue Point) to swim and explore the cliffside cafes and surf shops.

• By The Cliff & Sunset at Single Fin: We stopped by By The Cliff for lunch and some stunning surfer views, then ended the night at Single Fin — tacos, beers, and the epic Uluwatu coastline.

• Dessert at Teja: We finished the evening at Teja Home Stay & Café — decadent, cozy, and an incredible space itself.

After a few nights at the hostel, we moved up the coast to…

Balangan Beach

We found an Airbnb, located on the second floor above a beach shack. Our view here genuinely couldn’t have been better, nesting right on the beach. Waking up to an ocean filled with surfers, and staying in this area of mainly locals and cows roaming the streets.

If you want a more local experience with less people and looking to slow down, take some surf lessons— then this place is for you!

Our last two days in Balangan were spent in the coziest Flowebud bungalow, just a walk away from our surf shack. We kept saying that this place gave us heavy early 2000s energy, in the best way.

Balangan:

• Explored the quiet surf town: We wandered the mellow streets of Balangan, passed cows, chilled in our room, and ate plenty of nasi goreng and mie goreng. During sunset, we walked to a more secluded part of the island, and meditated in silence surrounded by distant waves.

• Café stop at Jimmy’s: Grabbed iced lattes and chilled — though a solo traveller we met, Laura, may or may not have had a worm incident with her food.

• Met Paul, who loved the didjeridoo: An inspiring soul who moved to Balangan from Australia around 25 years ago and never looked back. His genuine love for life radiated through him, and stuck with us.

• Surfing: Angga taught us how to surf through crashing waves, with beach puppies running around during training. We were soaked and smiling.

• Local sunset + street food: Discovered a gorgeous hidden sunset point with the locals and tried homemade tempeh from a sweet woman selling it out of a cooler — 10,000 IDR of perfection.

• Evening at Flowerbud: Wandered into Flowerbud Bungalows, met Leo, the evening’s entertainment who persuaded Roberta to sing a karaoke version of “What’s Up” by the 4 Non Blondes. That night ended in laughter, a lovely barbecue dinner, and of course, pisang goreng.

• Pool day & sunset drinks at Bombora: lounged by the pool, sipped 2-for-1 piña coladas, and truly exhaled.

• Dinner at Joya: Had lemongrass curry and more mie goreng under the stars.

The final pitstop in this area was our one lovely evening in Bingin beach, which we said felt straight out of a barbie town.

Bingin

• Lunch and poolside recharge: Savory jaffles (aka grilled sandwiches) followed by hours of reading and lounging by the pool.

• Explored Bingin (aka Barbie dreamland): Took a golden hour walk through town — every café and shop looked like it belonged in a doll house.

• Alchemy Studio & Café: This evening, we signed up for a heart centered concert & kirtan at Alchemy. We sipped on cacao while singing along with the most angelic voices. Capped the night with vegan desserts, and felt blown away by how much this place embodied all our wildest dreams for Siela, a space consisting of absolutely everything, a hub for community — brought to life in front of us.

***
Week 3: Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida

Time to slow down (or so we thought). We decided it was time for a change of scenery, and headed to the smaller, nearby islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida. These islands gave us nature, adventures, and new friends.

Nusa Lembongan

• Mushroom Beach & Devil’s Tears: We kicked things off with a lazy day at Mushroom Beach, despite there being very little “beach” to actually lounge on, but we got lucky and secured some chairs for the day. We caught some incredible views of the powerful ocean before sunset at Devil’s Tears.

• Snorkeling with manta rays: One of the best mornings of the trip — we snorkeled through Manta Bay, Crystal Bay, and Mangrove Point, surrounded by glowing reefs and giant rays. Make sure to bring and re apply sunscreen. Spots snorkeling spots did get crowded but there was plenty to see for all.

• Final moments & farewells: On our last day, we walked to a plant-based spot called Pisang-Pisang Café for a productive morning, tried jackfruit nuggets (amazing) and of course a pisang goreng at a place named after them! Booked our boat with our favorite guy from the corner mart, and cried actual tears when he and his friend waved us off while we drove away.

***

Nusa Penida

• Arrival in jungle paradise: The transport from Lembongan to Penida was chaotic in the best way — felt like swampy Florida meets Balinese jungle. We settled in, had dinner at Penida Colada with a wild view, and watched Love Island to close the night.

• Rainy day reset & massages: Gloomy skies didn’t stop us — we enjoyed a lovely brunch at Coco Penida, wandered for sour candy (felt like mission impossible), and ended the day with village walks, facials, and foot massages at the nearby spa, just a minute walk from our bungalow.

• Scooters: Rented scooters from the nicest woman ever, who gifted us her personal “special” helmets because “we are girls and we have to look cute.”

Tip: Learn how to scooter in quiet towns and areas. Take it slow and easy— let people go around! We were nervous at first but it is a lot of fun.

• Temples: Planned to go to Diamond Beach but got invited to join an Melukat water cleansing ceremony during our pitstop at the Goa Giri Putri temple with Maya and her family. Unreal experience. You have to crawl through a tight space to get into this temple, which is underground, in a cave.

• Dinner, martinis & reggae night: Lychee martinis at Coco Penida, cute musicians at a local reggae bar, and yes — manifested cigarettes from strangers (it’s a skill). Haha

• West coast adventure: Early morning scooter ride through dense jungle and hills took us to Kelingking Beach and Garis Langit, where the views looked genuinely unreal. It was blazing hot and absurdly beautiful.

• Sunset snacks & joyrides: Ended the day with sushi at a Sushi Island, searched for a swim, and landed at St Tropiz — where we accidentally ordered nachos, rice pudding, and a banana split (no regrets).

• Photoshoot & ocean swim: Wrapped up our time in Penida with a dreamy morning photoshoot, followed by one last swim at St Tropiz Beach — absolutely stunning.

• Coffee at The Secret: Discovered our favorite café of the entire island. A hidden gem with great vibes and even better lattes.

***

Week 4:

Ubud, Bali

• Sayuri Café: Our go-to for vegan eats, kirtan nights, and cacao ceremonies. Healing central, with wholesome energy. One night even involved a spontaneous Indian music concert.

• Yoga Barn: Another community hub that felt like a playground for hippies. Their schedule is absolutely filled with all types of classes: yoga, breathwork, kirtans, meditation, dance, philosophy, language, etc. Not to mention a delicious vegetarian friendly cafe, and tons of space to simply chill out. All in one place!

• Monkey Forest: Went early. Saw a monkey couple get freaky. Nature!

• Galungan Ceremony: Once every 210 days, the Balinese celebrate Galungan: a celebration of good winning over evil. The most heartfelt day. Woke up to angelic birdsong and were dressed by our host family in traditional Balinese attire. Escorted by scooter to their family temple where we lit incense, prayed to the Earth, ate breakfast with our hands (jackfruit stew = divine), and felt truly part of their sacred celebration. Warmest people, deepest smiles, two best-friend dogs who joined us for the day. Unforgettable.

• Psychic Pilgrimage: Spent a morning lining up to meet Nyoman, the son of Ketut Liyer from Eat Pray Love. The vibe was worth it, the reading… less so. But we had great pisang goreng at a remote café nearby.

• Day Trip: Accidentally hired private drivers and hit Taman Sari Waterfall, a nearby coffee plantation, and Tegalalang Rice Terraces (go early!). Finished the evening with the most delicious tofu pepes at a tiny warung called Bintang Bali.

• Mount Batur Sunrise Hike: Booked our guide Ketut on Airbnb experience. The hike was pretty difficult and done in the dark to make it up for sunrise. Dress warm! It is truly so chilly up there. They fed us some eggs and banana sandwiches at the top. We choose the slightly longer, but easy way down after sunrise and no regrets doing so. The trail is crowded on the way down.

• Honorable Mentions: Some of our favorite eats in Ubud: Kasaba for Azerbaijani cuisine, Dharma for the most delicious vegan burgers, Atman Kafe for the vibe, Ithaka for a quieter, yet delicious dinner, and Bintang Bali for the most flavorful of all the local warungs we were at.

***

Bali gave us everything — surf towns, sacred temples, snorkel spots, and soul moments — and we did it all on a budget and on our terms.

Thank you Mama Bali!!

We learned that it’s totally possible to splurge on what matters (like 6 lychee martinis or a bombshell blonde transformation) and save on what doesn’t (local warungs, free beaches, and planning our own daily excursions).

We also learned that we did not have to plan every detail, and often planned our adventures the night before. The magic’s often in the unplanned days, the back-alley cafés, the temple you weren’t looking for.

Transportation was surprisingly simple to organize on the ground — chatting with locals or the nearest minimart guy got us further than any app ever could.

For popular tourist spots, going early was key. But what made Bali truly special were the spontaneous, quieter discoveries — the village ceremonies, remote cafés, unexpected friendships, and jungle drives to nowhere.

And finally, be open — from Melukat ceremonies to reggae bars, Bali invites you in if you say yes.

Siela’s Guide to Bali