Originally Posted by
abmj-jr
I'd switch things around a bit, taking a day from Shimabara and adding it to Nagasaki. If you go to Nakasaki first, you could follow that with the drive over to Shimabara. When done there, I would take the car ferry across to Kumamoto, continuing the trip from there.
I also agree with the suggestion to add a day or two to Fukuoka/Hakata. It is an interesting city, with some hidden gems.
Thanks. However, I'm not sure how I could go Nagasaki-> Shimabara -> Kumamoto due to the festivals based in Saga?
I would quite happily add a day to either of the islands and remove it from Shimabara but I'm limited with the festivals.