u/Disproving_Negatives

Hi all!

I'm flying to DPS in a few weeks and have done some research and talked to people who have been there before and came up with the following preliminary schedule. I mostly enjoy nature (hiking, cycling, snorkeling etc.) and cultural sites and do not care for partying or yoga. I will not be renting a scooter or car. The basic idea is to spend the first ~10 days on surrounding islands and the remainder on Bali.

Day 1: Arrival in DPS + ferry to Nusa Penida (or one of the smaller islands closeby)
Days 2-4: Nusa Penida, ferry to Lombok
Days 5-11: Lombok, ferry or plane back to Bali

Days 11-14: Uluwatu
Days 15-19: Ubud
Days 20-21: Sanur + Departure from DPS

Some of my key questions:

• Is it worth it to spend 1-2 nights on Lembongan and/or Nusa Ceningan, instead of more nights on Nusa Penida / Lombok?
• Lombok is a huge island. What are good places to stay in your experience, and for a ~5 night stay is it worth it to change locations or just chose one?
• Return from Lombok via ferry or plane? I've heard that ferries can be unreliable due to sea conditions so plane might be better overall?
• For Uluwatu, how bad is the traffic in June? I found a quiet resort a bit further up north of the area which is however quite a distance away from the beaches to the west and south, so I'm thinking a hotel further south may be better overall to reduce travel times?
• Have I overlooked something obvious in my plan that I should change?

Many thanks advance for your input!