A day trip from Bali

A day trip is the most common way people first see Lembongan, and it works: the crossing is short, the island is small, and the best sights are close together. The catch is time. Between the drive to Sanur, check-in and the boat, you spend a big part of the day getting there and back.

Is it worth it?

If you have only a few days in Bali and want a taste of the islands, yes. If you can spare a night, stay: the island is at its best early in the morning and at sunset, exactly when day-trippers are on the boat. How many days to spend.

A sample day

1. 7:00 to 7:30: pickup from south Bali, or make your own way to Sanur. Traffic decides the timing.
2. 8:30 to 9:30: check in and board a morning boat. The sea is usually calmer early.
3. 9:30 to 10:30: wade ashore at Jungutbatu or Mushroom Bay, pay the island levy if asked, and meet your driver or pick up a scooter.
4. Late morning: a snorkel trip, while the water is often clearer and calmer. Snorkelling.
5. Lunch: a beachfront warung, with your feet in the sand.
6. Early afternoon: across the Yellow Bridge to Ceningan and the Blue Lagoon, then Devil's Tears.
7. Mid to late afternoon: back on the beach in good time for your boat. Most return boats leave between roughly 3 and 5 pm.
8. Early evening: back in Sanur, then the drive home.

Timings depend on your boat company's schedule. Ask what time to be on the beach, and add a margin: boats are sometimes late.

Tour or do it yourself?

Organised day tours bundle pickup, boat, snorkelling, lunch and a short island drive. They're easy and the price is fixed. Doing it yourself gives you more freedom and can cost less, but you'll be arranging transport on the island as you go. Both are fine; just don't overfill the day. What it costs.

What to skip in one day

The mangroves only work at mid to high tide, which may not suit your timing. A trip across to Nusa Penida doesn't fit well into a day that starts in Bali. Save both for a longer stay.

What to bring

Swimwear under your clothes, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, a dry bag for your phone and passport, shoes you can carry through the water, and cash for lunch, the levy and small fees. Money and ATMs.