Our Perfect East Bali Day Trip Itinerary [2026]

Sitting in the shadow of Mount Agung, East Bali offers a quieter alternative to the busy south. It's our favourite place to experience a more authentic side of the island, with several majestic water palaces, hidden cultural gems, and picturesque views of Bali’s largest volcano.

Whether you’re staying in East Bali (Amed and Candidasa are great bases) or visiting from further away, we’ve put together this ultimate East Bali day trip itinerary with a mix of our favourite attractions and hidden gems.

Quick Summary

How To Use This Itinerary

The simplest way to use this itinerary is by hiring a private driver for the day. Send them the summary above and they'll organise the rest.

If you don’t yet have a driver, use this booking form (choose zone three - full day) or check our full guide with tips for hiring a private driver.

This itinerary can also be done using your own transportation, provided you have the correct licence. See our tips for renting a scooter in Bali for more information.

Travel Times To East Bali

Here are the journey times to the first stop and when we recommend setting off. The timings in this itinerary are not set in stone so adjust them as you wish.

Due to the long driving distance, we wouldn't recommend doing this itinerary from South Bali (Seminyak, Canggu, etc). Some people still choose to do this - just be prepared for a very long day out!

Full East Bali Itinerary

10am - Breakfast/Coffee at Warung Chic

If you haven't already had breakfast, start your day with a quick stop at Warung Chic. This small, casual restaurant sits right on the coast, with stunning views over the ocean.

They have a small menu of Western and local dishes for a quick breakfast, including pancakes, nasi goreng, avocado toast, and fruit bowls. It's also one of our faves for a morning pitstop as they serve proper espresso, which isn’t always a given in this part of the island.

Plus, it's only a 5-minute drive from the first stop on this one-day East Bali itinerary.

10.45am - Taman Ujung Water Palace

The first attraction we'd recommend visiting in East Bali is Taman Ujung, a majestic royal water palace commissioned in the early 20th century by the King of Karangasem.

Spread over 10 hectares, it's one of the island’s largest historical landmarks, with beautifully manicured gardens, many pools and ponds, and several floating pavilion-like buildings connected by bridges. It's all very dreamy, especially when the water reflects the surrounding mountains.

The complex has a unique blend of Balinese, European, and Chinese architecture. Bali was under Dutch colonial rule at the time, and Dutch architects helped design parts of the project. The Chinese influences reflect the Karangasem Kingdom's close connections with Chinese merchants and trading communities.

Inside the main pavilion building are some relics and photos that remain of the King of Karangasem and his family. One of the things we found most fascinating was just how many children the King had - you have to see for yourself!

Our favourite part of the visit was climbing the long stone staircase to reach several viewpoints overlooking the entire palace grounds and out to the coastline. From here, you can really grasp how big the complex really is.

We visited first thing in the morning and pretty much had the entire place to ourselves. It was also much cooler in the morning and a nicer experience than walking around the spacious gardens in the midday heat.

We'd suggest giving yourself at least an hour here to explore. Entrance costs 100,000 IDR ⓘ for an adult, and you can pay with cash or card (unusual for a historic attraction in rural Bali).

Midday - Lontar Museum

Next is one of our favourite hidden cultural gems in Bali, Museum Pustaka Lontar (also known as the Lontar Museum). The museum is around a 15-20 minute drive from Taman Ujung.

Run by locals from Penaban Karangasem Village, the museum aims to educate visitors about the Balinese language and how lontars (a type of local manuscript) are created and used for written records.

Our workshop was led by Kadek, who first explained a little about the Balinese language and how it’s different from Bahasa Indonesia, the main language of Indonesia. She then introduced us to the Balinese alphabet, known as “aksara”.

Next, we learned about lontars. Lontars are a type of ancient, traditional manuscript used by Balinese people to keep written records throughout history, including holy scripts, information about medicines, stories, poetry, and art.

Lontars are made from palm tree leaves that are soaked, pressed, and dried. They are written on using a special knife (called a pengrupak) and coloured using burnt macadamia nuts which are rubbed into the etchings.

After the explanation came the fun part - we got to try writing on the lontars ourselves. We learned how to write our names in the aksara alphabet and carved them onto two lontars - one which we left behind at the museum in a special display area and another that we took home with us.

The museum is free to visit, but you need to make a small donation to take part in the lontar writing. We paid 50,000 IDR ⓘ per person, which is the recommended amount. We didn't make a booking, we just turned up. In total, the experience took us just over an hour.

1.30pm - Lunch at Bali Asli Restaurant

Just around the corner from the museum is Bali Asli Restaurant, a great spot to stop for lunch. After learning about lontars at the museum, you can appreciate the restaurant’s unique menu, which is made from them.

The restaurant serves delicious Balinese food prepared in an authentic kitchen using traditional local cooking methods, including wood-fired mud brick stoves. Many of the ingredients are grown onsite or in their neighbour's garden, making every dish incredibly fresh.

It’s not just the food here that’s amazing; the restaurant also has a large terrace with stunning views over Mount Agung, Bali's largest volcano, while you eat.

3pm - Tirta Gangga

In the afternoon, head to the iconic Tirta Gangga, just 10 minutes from lunch. This is another water palace built by the same ruler who built Taman Ujung. He commissioned this second palace after an inspirational visit to the Palace of Versailles.

Tirta Gangga was completed in 1946 and was named after the River Ganges, which is considered sacred in Hinduism. It was once an impressive site, but unfortunately, most buildings were destroyed when Mount Agung erupted in 1963.

However, the remaining site is still a popular place to visit, where you can enjoy the beautiful gardens, ponds, and intricately carved statues and fountains depicting characters from Hindu mythology.

The most famous thing to do at Tirta Gangga is to cross the trail of stepping stones over the main pond and feed the huge koi fish that swim beneath. It's become one of Bali's most iconic photo spots, but even if you're not visiting for photos, it's still fun to wander around and feed the fish!

Entrance cost 90,000 IDR ⓘ and we spent just under an hour here in total. When we arrived, some vendors in the car park were trying to charge a highly inflated price for fish food. But once we got to the entrance, we brought a bag for just 5,000 IDR.

4:30pm - Lahangan Sweet

For the final stop of the day, head up to Lahangan Sweet for golden hour. This is a series of viewpoints that overlook Mount Agung from the top of a neighbouring mountain. It's our favourite place to watch the sunset over East Bali!

The mountain peak has multiple photo spots, including a Balinese split gate, heart-shaped benches, several treetop platforms (our favourite!), and a classic Bali swing.

There’s also a lovely little warung at the viewpoint with amazing views over the surrounding valley and coastline. We always stop here for a cold coconut or beer (and usually to use the toilets!).

Entrance costs 50,000 IDR, which includes all photo spots except the swing. There's a ticket point mid-way up the mountain. Cars can’t reach the top, so if you're travelling with a private driver, you'll need to stop here and take the return shuttle for an extra 50,000 IDR ⓘ.

We were travelling by scooter and managed to drive a little further to the upper parking area, then walk the short final stretch. But the track was steep, winding, and not in the best condition, so we’d recommend taking the shuttle anyway if you're not a confident driver.

We've visited Lahangan Sweet a few times over the last several years, and we've seen it gradually get busier. But due to its remote location, it's still nowhere as busy as many other popular photo spots in Bali.

Getting Home

Here are the journey and arrival times from the final stop back to your accommodation:

Other Attractions in East Bali

As with any of our Bali itineraries, you can easily change and personalise the day as you want. Here are a few other activities in the area you could add: