Bali and Komodo private tour: 18 tailor-made days from Ubud to Padar

The three bays of Padar island in Komodo national park — Padar island

This Bali and Komodo private tour takes you from the temples of Bali to the islands of Komodo National Park in 18 days, and it is entirely private. You travel as a couple, a family or with friends, with your own driver on Bali. There is no group and no tour leader travelling along. You start with a night in the old city of Denpasar and three nights in Ubud, move to the rural east below the mother temple of Besakih and the cool mountains of the north, and sail to the small island of Nusa Lembongan with a trip to the cliffs and manta rays of Nusa Penida. Then you fly to Labuan Bajo on Flores for a day by private speedboat: Padar at first light, Komodo dragons in the wild and snorkelling at Pink Beach.

This is my recommended route. You can change whatever you like.

At a glance

Recommended length: 18 days (can be cut to 12 or extended to 24)
Style: fully arranged private trip, from 1 traveller
Start date: any day you choose
Transport: private car with English-speaking driver on Bali, fast boat to Nusa Lembongan, domestic flights Denpasar – Labuan Bajo return, private transfers and a private speedboat with crew in Komodo
Indicative price, per person for 2 travellers, excluding the international flight: Budget from €1,500 · Comfort from €1,930 · Premium from €2,910
International flight: not included; allow approx. €700–1,180 pp, depending on the month
4 travellers together: about 12% less per person · solo traveller: about 68% supplement
Best months: April to October

Prices are indicative estimates and may change once quotes from local partners are in.

Best time to travel

April to October is the best time for this Bali tailor-made tour. Bali's wet season runs from November to March, with afternoon storms and rougher seas for the boats to Nusa Penida. In Komodo the dry season runs roughly from April to November, with the calmest, clearest seas from May to September; January and February bring the roughest seas, when boat trips are often cancelled. You pick your own start date; my advice is to stay within April to October. Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence in spring, closes the airport for 24 hours, so I never plan an arrival, departure or transfer on that day. July and August are busier and hotels cost more, especially in Ubud.

The cliffs of Kelingking on Nusa Penida — Kelingking on Nusa Penida

My recommended route and why it runs this way

Your private driver meets you at Denpasar airport and stays with you for your whole time on Bali. The first night is in Denpasar itself, for a good reason: after the long flight it is only a short drive to your hotel, instead of another hour and a half in the evening traffic to Ubud. The next morning, when the market is at its liveliest, you see the city most visitors skip: the flower sellers of Pasar Badung, the red-brick gates of Pura Maospahit, Puputan Square, where the king of Badung and his court chose death over surrender to the Dutch in 1906, the Jagatnatha temple and the Bali Museum. Then on to Ubud for three nights, with temples rather than rice fields: the holy spring of Tirta Empul, the rock-cut royal tombs of Gunung Kawi, the elephant cave of Goa Gajah and the lotus temple of Taman Saraswati, with just a short stop at the Tegallalang terraces. You also cook with a Balinese family. If you like, you climb Mount Batur for sunrise (optional; a licensed mountain guide is compulsory there).

Green rice terraces in the Sidemen valley on Bali — Rice terraces near Sidemen

Then east to Sidemen below Mount Agung, with an early visit to Pura Besakih, Bali's mother temple, a songket weaving workshop and the water palace of Tirta Gangga. Across the interior (about 3.5 hours, past the royal temple of Taman Ayun and Ulun Danu Beratan on Lake Bratan) you reach the mountain village of Munduk. From there your driver takes you to Sanur and a 30 to 45 minute fast boat to Nusa Lembongan, an island without cars, for three nights: a day trip to the Nusa Penida cliffs and Manta Point, then a free beach day.

On day 13 you fly from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo on Flores (about 1h15, same time zone as Bali) and watch the sunset from Bukit Sylvia. Day 14 is a full day by private speedboat in Komodo National Park: Padar's view over three bays at first light, Komodo dragons in the wild with a compulsory licensed park ranger, snorkelling at Pink Beach, Manta Point with some luck, and the Taka Makassar sandbank. Day 15 is free for Kanawa, Rangko cave or the Cunca Wulang canyon, and doubles as a spare day if the boat could not sail. On day 16 you fly back to Bali for the Uluwatu cliff temple and kecak at sunset; for dinner I recommend seafood on Jimbaran beach. Your driver drops you at the airport the next day.

Why three nights in Labuan Bajo? The harbour master only lets boats sail when the sea is safe, and domestic flights between Bali and Labuan Bajo are occasionally cancelled or retimed. The spare day protects your day in the park.

See the full day-by-day itinerary

Self-drive or private driver?

On Bali we only offer the private driver. Traffic drives on the left and is busy and unpredictable, with thousands of scooters; the mountain roads are narrow and steep; and in an accident the foreign driver is usually held liable. A car with a driver costs barely more than a rental car. Your driver is available for about 10 hours a day, fuel, parking and tolls included, and you stop wherever you like. There are no cars on Nusa Lembongan, and on Flores and in Komodo you travel with private transfers and a private boat with crew.

Besakih temple with Mount Agung in the background — Besakih, the mother temple

What I arrange for you

Your Komodo National Park entry, which works with a daily cap of 1,000 visitors since April 2026, quotas per site and timed sessions: I book it through the SiOra system on a fixed date, together with the compulsory rangers, and the entry fee (IDR 250,000 pp per day for foreigners) is included. Small, locally run places to stay in Sidemen, Munduk, on Lembongan and in Labuan Bajo, chosen per level. The cooking class and the songket weaving visit, with families at home. Licensed boat operators with life jackets and insurance, with the Penida or Komodo day moved if the sea is too rough. And one point of contact: a personal intake conversation, a WhatsApp line with me before and during the trip, a personal 24/7 number and a call-back after you return.

Budget, Comfort or Premium

The programme is the same; the difference is where you sleep. All prices are indicative. Budget (from €1,500 pp) means well-kept guesthouses and simple hotels, often with a pool. Comfort (from €1,930 pp) means boutique hotels and small resorts with a pool, including a bay view in Labuan Bajo. Premium (from €2,910 pp) means the finest address in each place, such as a private-pool villa in Ubud, a beach villa on Lembongan and a seafront resort in Labuan Bajo.

Practical tips

Visa (Belgian passport): visa on arrival or e-VOA online in advance (IDR 500,000, about €25), valid 30 days. Your passport must be valid at least 6 months. Complete the digital All Indonesia arrival card beforehand. Bali's tourist levy and the Komodo park entry are included.
Health: no mandatory vaccinations when travelling directly from Belgium. Hepatitis A is recommended; ask about typhoid, rabies and Japanese encephalitis. Dengue occurs, so use insect repellent. Malaria risk is low on Bali and in West Flores; anti-mosquito measures are enough there. See wanda.be or a travel clinic.
Komodo dragons: they are wild animals. Stay with your ranger and the group, keep at least 5 metres away, never run and carry no food on the trail.
Money: Indonesian rupiah. ATMs in Ubud, Sanur and Labuan Bajo; bring cash for villages and the islands.
Flights and time: 16 to 20 hours with one or two connections. Bali and Flores are 6 hours ahead of Belgium in summer, 7 in winter.
Meals: breakfast is included every day, as is lunch on board in Komodo. For the other meals I give you my favourite warungs and restaurants, and you choose freely where you eat.
Temples and Padar: cover shoulders and knees at temples (a sarong is provided at most); wear sturdy shoes for the 30 to 45 minute climb on Padar.

Travel advice

The Belgian FPS Foreign Affairs (update 9 September 2026) says Indonesia is generally safe with the usual precautions. Non-essential travel is advised against only in the six Papua provinces, far from this route. Indonesia lies on the Ring of Fire: volcanic eruptions can close the Bali or Labuan Bajo airports for days, so we build in flexibility. For all boats we only use licensed operators with a harbour-master sailing permit and life jackets for everyone, and we never sail against the harbour master's decision. Read the latest advice on diplomatie.belgium.be.

Frequently asked questions

Can I drive myself on Bali?

We advise against it and don't offer it: left-hand traffic, dense scooter traffic, narrow mountain roads and a high risk if you have an accident. You get your own car with an English-speaking driver instead.

Does a guide travel with us the whole time?

No. You travel privately with your own driver on Bali, and there is no guide by default. Only where a guide is compulsory is one included: the temple guide at Besakih (part of the ticket) and the park ranger on Padar and Komodo. Prefer a guide? I can add a local guide to any activity, for example for the temples around Ubud or a village walk in Sidemen.

Do I need to book Komodo National Park myself?

No. Since April 2026 the park admits at most 1,000 visitors a day, with quotas per site and timed sessions. We book your entry through SiOra on a fixed date, along with the rangers, and the entry fee is included in the price.

Do I need a visa for Indonesia?

Yes, but it's simple: a visa on arrival or an e-VOA online in advance.

Can we spend a night on a boat in Komodo?

Yes. Instead of the speedboat day you can sail for two days and one night on a phinisi sailing boat with a cabin. It comes with a supplement.

What if a volcano erupts or the sea is too rough?

Eruptions can close airports for days, so we keep flexible terms on domestic flights and ask you to have good travel insurance. If the harbour master keeps the boats in port, your Komodo day moves to the spare day.

Can we change the route?

Yes. Bali only, Komodo with Munduk or Sidemen left out, a first night by the sea in Sanur instead of Denpasar, Amed instead of Lembongan, an extra night in Labuan Bajo for diving, or an extra beach day with children.

Plan your trip

Interested? Plan an intake call via the interest list or email info@steennot-travels.be. Before we start selling trips, we take out the legally required insurance against financial insolvency. Prices remain estimates until then.

Sources

Last updated: 19 October 2026. Prices are indicative estimates and may change.