Sanur makes an easy home base for a rest day. It's calm, walkable, and close enough to some of Bali's best-known sights that you can explore without missing your practice. Whether you're between sessions on our yoga teacher training, taking a day off during a wellness retreat, or just visiting for our daily classes, a short trip out and back is easy to build around your schedule. Plenty of our students and retreat guests do exactly this, balancing a day of exploring with time to properly rest.
Planning day trips around your practice
The nicest thing about basing yourself in Sanur is that you don't have to choose between exploring Bali and keeping up your practice. Our daily yoga classes run from 8:00 am to around 6:15 pm every day, so an early start on a day trip usually leaves plenty of room to be back for an evening session, a swim in the lagoon, or simply an early night.
If you're joining our 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, you have 1.5 days off, and you're welcome to unlimited classes for two weeks before and after the course, which gives you a natural window to plan a bigger outing without missing training time. Retreat guests tend to have more flexibility built into their schedule from the start, so it's worth discussing your ideal balance of practice and exploring with your retreat coordinator before you arrive.
A simple rule that works well: pick trips that get you back to Sanur with an hour or two to spare before your next class or treatment, rather than cutting it fine on the return journey.
Nearby & easy
Some of Bali's most photographed spots are less than an hour from the studio, which makes them ideal for a single free day.
Nusa Penida & Nusa Lembongan
Fast boats to Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan leave from Sanur Harbour, a short trip from the studio. Boats generally run from early morning through to mid-afternoon, and the crossing itself takes around 30 to 45 minutes each way.
Nusa Penida is known for its dramatic clifftop views, including Kelingking Beach, Broken Beach, and Angel's Billabong. Because the main sights are spread out and a fair distance from the harbour, it's best treated as a full day out. Nusa Lembongan is quieter, with mangrove forests and calm beaches, and can comfortably be done in half a day.
Snorkelling & island hopping
Crystal Bay on Nusa Penida is a popular spot for snorkelling, and the surrounding waters are part of a protected marine area where you may spot rays, especially around Manta Point. Most boat operators can supply snorkel gear, and mornings tend to offer calmer, clearer water than afternoons.
If you'd rather stay closer to home, the lagoon by our shala is calm and easy to swim in between classes, no boat required.
For a more tailored crossing, Satya offers private fast boat transfers to both islands from Sanur. It's a unique, luxury vessel built for speed, style, and uncompromising safety, and beyond island transfers, Satya also runs customised cruises around Bali and beyond for those looking for something more exclusive than a scheduled ferry.
Culture & nature
Inland Bali offers a completely different pace from the coast, and it's an easy contrast to Sanur's beach mornings.
Ubud & the rice terraces
Ubud sits around 20 kilometres from Sanur, and the drive usually takes 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. It's a favourite for the Tegallalang rice terraces, the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, and the art market and galleries in the town centre. Tegallalang's stepped paddies are farmed using the same traditional Subak irrigation system found across Bali, a centuries-old, community-based way of sharing water between farmers that still shapes daily life in the villages around Ubud.
Inland temples & waterfalls
If you're staying closer to Ubud, waterfalls like Tegenungan are an easy add-on to a rice terrace day, and are at their best during the dry season, roughly April to October, when the paths are less muddy and easier to reach. At most temples you'll be asked to cover your shoulders and knees with a sarong and sash; these can usually be rented at the entrance if you don't already have your own.
South coast: Uluwatu
Uluwatu sits in the far south of the island, on the opposite side of Bali from Ubud, and is best treated as its own day rather than paired with the inland sights above. Uluwatu Temple perches dramatically on a clifftop and is one of the best places on Bali to watch the sunset, especially if you stay for the evening Kecak fire dance. As with inland temples, a sarong and sash are expected, and can usually be rented at the entrance.
How long each trip takes from Sanur
Traffic in southern Bali can add extra time to any road trip, so build in a buffer on either side, especially if you have a class or treatment booked for later that day.
Choosing a trip for a rest day
Not every rest day calls for the same kind of trip. If your body needs genuine rest, a short outing to a nearby waterfall or a quiet corner of Ubud is often the better choice, rather than an early boat ride followed by a full day of walking Nusa Penida's cliff trails.
Save the island trips for days when you have more energy to spare, ideally with no evening class booked so you're not racing the clock on the way back.
And if you're in the middle of a training week, it's usually worth staying close, resting by the lagoon, and saving the longer trips for later.
Practical & safety tips
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Start early. Morning departures for boats and temple visits are calmer, cooler, and less crowded than later in the day.
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Arrange transport ahead of time. A private driver for road trips, or a fast boat with hotel transfer included, takes the guesswork out of timing.
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Bring reef-safe sunscreen and cash. Small entry fees, donations, and parking charges are usually cash only.
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Dress respectfully at temples. A sarong and sash are expected at most sites and can usually be rented on arrival if needed.
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Watch the clock on your return. Build in extra time for traffic or a delayed boat so you're not racing back for an evening class.
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Check conditions in the wet season. Between roughly November and March, sea crossings can be choppier and waterfall trails muddier, so a morning departure is your safest bet.
If your rest day is part of a wellness retreat, and you're staying aboard Satya, our live-aboard retreat option moored off Sanur, your crewman can arrange a boat-taxi to shore before an early departure and have you back in time for an evening treatment, so island days and boat living fit together more easily than you might expect.
FAQ
Can I do a Nusa Penida day trip and still make it back for an evening class? It's possible, but tight. Boats typically run from around 7 am to mid-afternoon, and a full day on Nusa Penida usually means a later return to Sanur. Check our class schedule before you book, and aim for an early boat back if you want to catch a session that evening.
How far is Ubud from Sanur? Ubud is around 20 kilometres from Sanur, and the drive takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic, making it an easy half-day or full-day trip.
Do students on the Yoga Teacher Training get free time for day trips? Yes. Sundays are a full day off during our 200-hour YTT, and you can also join unlimited daily classes for two weeks before and after the course if you'd like to build in extra time to explore.
Can PONO help arrange transport for a day trip? We don't run tours ourselves, but our studio team is always happy to point you toward trusted local drivers and Satya for a boat trip, and to help you plan your outing around your class or retreat schedule.
Is a day trip included in a wellness retreat? Our retreats are fully customisable, so cultural excursions and day trips can be built into your program. Get in touch with our retreat team to discuss what you'd like to include.
Sanur makes a genuinely easy base for seeing more of Bali without losing the rhythm of your practice. If you're planning a stay with us, whether for daily classes, our Yoga Teacher Training, or a wellness retreat, get in touch and our team will help you fit the right day trips around your schedule, not the other way around.