Bali trip: Day 4 (22 October 2025)

Hey there loyal readers! A few of you told me that yesterday was a bit too laid back for your tastes, so don’t worry, Day 4 was once again a jam-packed marathon of different activities. For those of you who recently read about Day 3, you probably remember that I had booked the Bali/Nusa Penida: East & West Highlights Full-Day Tour for today through GetYourGuide for a cost of 5277 INR ($59.77 USD) including hotel pickup and drop off from Kerobokan.

At 5:36 AM I was picked up by my driver Kadek right outside Dikubu Bali Villa and Suites and we were on our way. It was an easy and comfortable ride, with us pulling up outside Sanur Harbor at 6:37 AM. Kadek showed me where to sit and told me that he would take care of getting my ferry tickets etc . . . It looked like there were quite a few people waiting, so I wondered about just how many people would be on this “small group tour”.

We had a fifteen-minute wait before departure, so I just wandered around a bit until 7:00 AM, when Kadek walked me over to the boarding area and told me that he would be waiting when I got back.

The ferry departed at 7:19 AM, with the uneventful ride ending at 8:06 AM. This however was when things started to get confusing. I hadn’t realized it, but there were actually people from several different groups on the ferry, as well as daily independent travelers. Upon disembarking at 8:11 AM, I just followed a group of people who sort of looked like they were also tourists (and they were) but it turned out that they were not actually part of my group. This was an important detail which nobody has shared with me. Fortunately, my guide and driver on the island, Yogi, realized that something was wrong and called me via WhatsApp; I was really happy that I had an active internet connection on my phone! By 8:20 AM I was with the other three member of the tour, and we were off on our adventure.

Similar to what I had encountered in the morning, the car was very comfortable, and there seemed to be very little traffic. I passed the time watching the beautiful scenery and speaking to the charming Romanian couple who were on their honeymoon and a very interesting gentleman from Poland. I am not really sure where it was, but our first stop was at 9:07 AM.

The pictures really don’t do it justice, and at 9:55 AM we were back in the car heading to our next stop, arriving to Kelingking Beach at 10:31 AM.

If any of these photos look familiar, it’s because this is probably one of the most photographed spots in Bali. Supposedly the one rock formation there in the distance looks like the open mouth of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but I didn’t really see it. Regardless, once again, the views really were absolutely spectacular. Unfortunately, here we had a bit of a conflict because despite Yogi having clearly said that it was a bad idea, the other solo traveler on the trip decided to walk all the way down to the beach. We were supposed to have left at 11:00 AM, but due to this problematic snafu, we ended up not leaving until 11:53 AM. This caused a great deal of tension in the group, with the guide being at a bit of a loss about how to proceed, and the honeymooning couple being particularly annoyed at the delay. Again, if you go on a small group tour, please be considerate of the announced timings!

Despite me also being rather annoyed, I tried to take the role of peacemaker as we arrived at our nearby lunch spot at 12:02 PM. We had originally been scheduled to spend a full hour there, but I suggested that we could make up some of the time by eating quickly and then just focusing on enjoying the rest of the day. We all agreed to the plan, but lunch was still rather tense. Food was not included in this particular trip, and my simple, but adequate meal of rice, fish and an ice sorbetto popsicle had a cost of 149000 IDR ($8.89 USD) which I paid for with my credit card.

As the food took some time to come out, we weren’t able to make up as much time as we had hoped, but at 12:46 PM we were back in the car once again. I really enjoyed the views as we were driving to our next destination.

I had really enjoyed the drive; however, I was also happy when we came to our next stop at 1:43 PM. Here we would see Atuh and Diamond Beach. Yogi said that we had until 3:00 PM to explore here. Atuh beach looked very welcoming, but the path also looked very slippery. Despite having very good walking shoes, I had almost fallen down once at this general site (Yes, I know . . . slipping and falling seemed to be a recurring risk during this trip.), so I decided to stick to the view from afar, especially as I had not brought swimming gear.

The way down to Diamond beach, while still a bit of a challenge, appeared to be much less risky than the other spot, so I decided to take a chance, going down at 2:01 PM. No doubt if I had come with someone else, I would have at least got my feet wet. But as it was, I just didn’t want to deal with the sand etc . . . I did however definitely enjoy seeing it, even though I didn’t feel any need to actually walk on the sand or get in the water.

The path down to Diamond beach seemed far more secure than the way down to Atuh beach, but it definitely wasn’t “easy”. The stone stairs were steep, uneven and at times a bit slippery due to the sand on them. It was clear that this would be a very rather difficult trek for anyone who had even minor issues with mobility. I noted that even several average looking visitors in their twenties seemed to be having some problems with the route. In summary, before walking down to Diamond Beach, consider the possible downsides.

So yes, it was very beautiful, but at 2:22 PM I decided to slowly make my way back up the stone steps, arriving back to the car at 2:58 PM with two minutes to spare! Thankfully, the others arrived soon after and we headed off towards the ferry. As we were driving, I reflected on how that despite still not being a completely simple walk down to Diamond Beach, it really was an impressive feat how they had carved the stairs into the side of the rocky cliff. The drive was uneventful, with us arriving at the dock at 4:17 PM.

I forgot to mention this earlier, but when we had first taken the ferry, we were each given a paper that we had to keep until the end of the day. I hadn’t been sure of the purpose of this paper until Yogi said that he needed it so he could pick up our return tickets while we hung out in the waiting area . . . so, don’t lose that paper! The waiting area was not fancy, but well-apportioned with restrooms, changing rooms and I think maybe even showers; however, I am not certain of the last one. Yogi said his goodbyes, and we were ushered onto the final ferry of the evening at 5:00 PM.

Just as we were starting off, I got a text message from Kadek with a picture of where he would be waiting for me. True to his word, upon arriving back to Sanur at 5:35 PM, it was a short walk from the pier to bright yellow storefront which he had indicated and at 5:44 PM we headed back to Kerobokan.

At least along this particular route, the traffic was moving better during evening rush hour than would be typical in Bengaluru, but it was still very busy. In contrast, the car was very comfortable, and Kadek was an excellent driver. So even though we didn’t pull up in front of my hotel until 7:00 PM, I had not felt that it was an especially tedious drive. After resting a bit, at 7:49 PM I decided to go get some food at that food court I had seen the previous day. However, I quickly realized that I wasn’t actually sure of where to go, so I opted to just try a tiny local stall close to my hotel. Looking at the portion sizes, at 8:00 PM I decided to get two bowls of Bakso Sapi for a total cost of just 30,000 IDR ($1.80 USD).

I liked it, but I think it is meant to be more of a snack than a meal. Still, with the two bowls, it was fine for my needs, and I was glad to have tried something new. Despite dragging things out for as long as was reasonable, I was completely finished at 8:41 PM and decided to try to stop by a bakery I had also seen the day before, but once again realized I didn’t actually know where it was. Thus at 9:18 PM I was back in the room for the night with no sweets but having eaten two very satisfying bowls of Bakso Sapi.

And with that, the day had ended. Looking back, I think I should have brought along some swim gear and a large towel for this day tour. Certainly, I think most people would have been better off with those, but given my aversion to sand, it was probably fine that I had not realized just how long we would be spending at possible swimming sites. I would however definitely advise the tour operators to make this clear for future groups, as it would have been very disappointing to not have had them if I had wanted to get in the water either at Atuh or Diamond Beach.

So, what do you think of the Bali trip so far? If you hadn’t thought of visiting earlier, do you think it is now a destination to put on your list? For those of you who have already been there, is there something important that you think I have left out? If so, maybe I will mention those things later on. If you are curious about how it all finishes up, I encourage you to subscribe in order to make sure you don’t miss a single day. Finally, thanks for reading along, and please leave your comments and questions below.