Bali, Nusa Penida, and Gili Islands in 12 days — Aug 2024 trip report from Chennai

August 2024. 12 days. Chennai → Denpasar → Ubud → Nusa Penida → Gili Trawangan → Bali → Chennai. Total ₹95,000 for one person. This was my second time doing Bali, but the first time I left the main island. Penida and Gili changed my mental model of Indonesia — Bali itself is the gateway, the islands are the trip.

The flight: Chennai → KL → Denpasar on AirAsia, ₹21,800 round-trip booked 8 weeks out. (May 2026 equivalent is closer to ₹24,500 — fuel has been kind.)

The visa-on-arrival: $35 USD at Denpasar airport. I applied for the e-VOA online 48 hours before flying via molina.imigrasi.go.id, paid $35 by card, got a PDF, walked straight to the regular immigration line on arrival. 30-second process at the counter. In 2026 this is still the same — the e-VOA is now slightly better integrated into the IndoVoA portal.

Bali tourist levy: IDR 150,000 (~₹820) one-time. Paid online via lovebali.baliprov.go.id. They check this at airport exit — keep the QR code.

Ubud, 4 nights: stayed at a homestay near Monkey Forest for IDR 380,000/night (~₹2,100). Walking distance to everything. Did the Campuhan Ridge walk at sunrise, the Tegallalang rice terraces, Tirta Empul water temple (you can do the purification ritual — go in the morning, fewer tourists). Food at warungs: nasi campur ₹150-200, smoothie bowls at the bougie cafes ₹400-600.

Bali scooter rental — the warning: rented a scooter in Ubud for IDR 70,000/day (~₹400). Three days in, hit a police checkpoint near Tegallalang. They asked for my International Driving Permit (IDP). I had a regular Indian licence. Fine: IDR 250,000 (₹1,400). Always carry an IDP — get one from your home city RTO before flying for ₹1,000. Or use Gojek/Grab for everything. The fine isn't the worst of it; you don't want to deal with police negotiation in a country where you don't speak the language.

Nusa Penida, 3 nights: ferry from Sanur to Toya Pakeh, IDR 200,000 (~₹1,100) round-trip. Stayed near Crystal Bay at a guesthouse, IDR 350,000/night (~₹1,950). Hired a scooter on the island for IDR 80,000/day. Penida is rough — roads are bad, distances feel longer than they look on Maps.

Kelingking Beach: the T-Rex-shaped cliff you've seen on Instagram. It's exactly as dramatic in person, and the descent to the actual beach is genuinely dangerous — bamboo ladders, near-vertical for the last 100m. I went down halfway, didn't reach the beach, was fine with that. Sunrise is the move. 6 am gets you the cliff alone for 30 minutes before tour buses arrive.

Diamond Beach: opposite side of Penida, 1-hour scooter ride from Kelingking. Newer staircase, easier descent. Empty in the morning. The water is genuinely Caribbean-blue.

Gili Trawangan, 2 nights: fast boat from Sanur to Gili T, IDR 350,000 (~₹1,950) one-way. The fast boat is small and rough — take Avomine if you get motion sick. Gili T has no cars, no scooters, no police. Bicycles, horse carts (cidomo), and walking. The island is 3km across.

You can walk around the whole island in 2 hours. North end is quiet, west side has the sunset bars, east side faces Lombok and Rinjani volcano. I did one snorkel trip (IDR 150,000, saw turtles 4 times), ate at the night market every night (whole grilled fish ₹400), and otherwise just walked. The no-police thing is the entire point of Gili T — it's a 3km island where rules don't really apply and Western backpackers come specifically for that. Fine if you set your own limits, dangerous if you don't.

Total spend ₹95,000 for 12 days: - Flight Chennai-DPS round-trip ₹21,800 - VOA $35 ₹2,950 - Bali tourist levy ₹820 - 4 nights Ubud homestay ₹8,400 - 3 nights Nusa Penida guesthouse ₹5,850 - 2 nights Gili T budget hotel ₹4,200 - 2 nights Bali Canggu return ₹4,500 - Ferries (Sanur-Penida-Gili-Sanur) ₹6,200 - Scooter rentals + petrol ₹3,800 - Scooter fine (the mistake) ₹1,400 - Food (35 meals) ₹16,500 - Activities (Kelingking sunrise driver, snorkel, temples) ₹8,500 - Sim card + misc ₹3,500 - Souvenirs ₹6,500

Things I got right: started in Ubud not Kuta (much better intro to Bali), booked Penida + Gili ferries in advance through GiliGetaway (saved ₹600 vs walk-up), ate at warungs not Westernised cafes, slept early on Gili T.

Things I got wrong: the scooter without an IDP, didn't carry enough cash on Penida (one ATM, often broken), took the cheap fast boat to Gili instead of the slightly more expensive Wahana — paid for it with motion sickness, packed too much (I'd halve my luggage now).

What I'd add in 2026: skip Canggu (overrun), add a 2-night trip to Munduk (waterfalls in north Bali, much quieter), do the Mt Batur sunrise hike (3 am start, ₹2,500 with guide).

Plan your own Bali + islands trip in Architect — we now route the ferries automatically. See the Bali tourist levy 2026, best month for Bali from India, the Indonesia destination guide, and the Chennai origin pillar for current AirAsia routings.