Bali in 7 days: the itinerary the app generated, and what the ground made me change
Bali 7-day itinerary generated by PackLight, then fixed on the ground: Nusa Penida, Lovina, the real budget and mistakes to avoid.
I landed in Denpasar on a Tuesday evening in June with an itinerary generated in twenty-eight seconds and one certainty: Bali isn’t an island, it’s four different trips depending on which coast you drop your bag on. Three weeks in Indonesia later, here’s what PackLight got right, and what I fixed while driving.
What PackLight generated
The starting plan was clean: two nights in Canggu for the arrival and the surf, two in Ubud for the rice terraces and temples, three in Nusa Penida for the cliffs. The Sanur–Penida ferry was already spotted, the transfers grouped so I wouldn’t spend my days on the road. A solid base — but three details didn’t hold up once I was there.
What I changed, and why
1. Nusa Penida: two nights, not three, and no scooter. You do the west (Kelingking, Broken Beach) in one day, the east (Diamond Beach) in another, and you’ve seen it all. Above all: there’s no Grab or Gojek on Penida. You find a driver right at the port, negotiate both days at once, and forget the scooter on those roads.
2. Lovina instead of a night in Ubud. Up north I met Erik, a fisherman who takes his boat out at dawn: €25 for three, so €8 each, and the dolphins offshore without the crowd. Ubud I kept — but as a day trip from Canggu (1h15 drive), Tegallalang before 9am to almost have it to myself.
3. End in Seminyak, not Canggu. For the last morning, Seminyak is 20 minutes from the airport: you avoid doing the road again in traffic with your bags.
The final itinerary: Canggu (2 nights, including the Ubud day) → Nusa Penida (2) → Lovina (2) → Seminyak (1). In PackLight, I asked Packy to “replace the 3rd night in Nusa Penida with Lovina” and the app re-slotted the rest.
Real budget over 7 days, for one person
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 7 nights | ≈ €200 (≈ A$330) |
| Nusa Penida driver, 2 days | ≈ €25 (≈ A$40) |
| Sanur ↔ Penida ferry, return | ≈ €20 (≈ A$33) |
| Transfers Canggu → Sanur → Lovina → Seminyak | ≈ €100 (≈ A$165) |
| Meals | ≈ €105 (≈ A$175) |
| Dolphins with Erik | ≈ €8 (≈ A$13) |
| Temple entries, snorkelling, misc. | ≈ €30 (≈ A$50) |
| Total, excluding flights | ≈ €490 (≈ A$810) |
Rounded figures, June 2026, excluding international flights. The item that moves the most: transfers, if you travel solo. With two or three people, the total drops toward €400.
Three mistakes I saw people make, and one I made
- Booking Nusa Penida as a day trip: you spend more time on the ferry and in the car than in front of the cliffs.
- Taking the 50-person “dolphin” boats in Lovina: the dolphins flee, and you with them.
- Planning Ubud as an overnight when Canggu is 1h away: you lose half a day to check-in/check-out for nothing.
- Mine: underestimating the traffic. Between 4pm and 7pm, double your travel times in the south, no exceptions.
Generate yours
This plan was created in PackLight, then tuned in three sentences in the chat. Type “Bali, 7 days, road trip”, compare it with mine, and change whatever doesn’t feel like you. And if you want me to look over your itinerary before you book, that’s the point of the Tailored offer.
Nusa Penida: two nights are enough, not three. No Grab or Gojek on the island — find your driver at the port and negotiate both days at once.
Lovina for the dolphins with a fisherman like Erik (≈ €8 for three), and Ubud as a day trip from Canggu: Tegallalang before 9am to beat the crowd.
End in Seminyak, not Canggu: you're 20 minutes from the airport for the last morning, instead of doing the road again in traffic.