ITINERARIES - The Rough Guide to Bali and Lombok - page 38

3 Ubud Bali's artistic, musical and cultural hub, laidback Ubud has an array of tempting
boutique hotels, restaurants, shops and spas that makes it an easy place to linger.
4 Gunung Batur There are stupendous views from the summit of this volcanic cone, espe-
cially at sunrise - and after descending, you can sink into one of the hot springs beside the
turquoise Danau Batur lake.
5 Gunung Agung and Besakih Bali's highest peak, the dramatic, 3142m Gunung Agung
volcano, is home to a number of important religious sites, most notably Besakih, the Mother
Temple.
6 Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida Off Bali's southeastern coast, these two easily ac-
cessible, relaxed islands have a quite different feel to the mainland. From Gunung Agung,
grab a boat from Padang Bai, or drop further south for more frequent services from Sanur.
7 The Gili Islands From Nusa Lembongan hop on a fast boat to the Gili Islands, or for a
smoother ride head back to Bali for a flight to Lombok followed by a taxi ride and boat out
to the islands. This trio of blissfully traffic-free islands boasts beautiful beaches and reefs.
Choose between pumping nightlife on Gili Trawangan, sheer tranquility on Gili Meno, or the
more local feel of Gili Air.
8 Gunung Rinjani The climb up the 3726m Gunung Rinjani is the most challenging and re-
warding trek on either Bali or Lombok.
9 Kuta and south-coast Lombok This stunning stretch of coastline, with its white-sand bays
and forested hills, remains - for now - largely undeveloped.
SAND, SCUBA AND SURF
You'll need around three weeks to visit all of these destinations, though many people end up
staying longer in the Gili Islands, in particular, than they originally planned.
1 South Bali Learn to surf on Kuta Beach or - if you're more experienced - head to the
adrenaline-pumping breaks at Uluwatu, Dreamland, Bingin and Padang Padang.
2 Medewi From south Bali's beaches, travel via Denpasar to this off-the-beaten-track western
Bali black-sand beach - a good place for novice surfers to brush up their skills.
3 Liberty wreck Just off the coast of Tulamben, the wreck of the Liberty , a US steamship
torpedoed in 1942, is Bali's most popular dive site.
4 The Gili Islands From Bali, catch a boat from Padang Bai or Sanur, or hop on a flight
to Lombok and travel from there. The dive sites surrounding the Gili Islands are the best in
Lombok - turtles, sharks, moray eels and manta rays are all common - and there are some
great beaches too.
5 Kuta, Lombok Back on the mainland, Kuta is the main tourist centre in south Lombok and
the surrounding region is a surfing hot spot.