Sit back, relax and watch the rice grow in Ubud, Bali.
The smell of burning incense, the constant drone of motorbikes and the huge warm smiles will have you relaxing in no time, however, if you need to be busy, look no further! Below is our top list of things to see and do.
Without any further adieu, here is our list of things to do in Ubud (in no particular order):
Jambe Budaya – The Barong & Kris Dance
A cultural highlight! The fight between good and evil – Balinese mythology with traditional dance and costumes
Time: 1 hour, 5 acts; Cost: 100,000 per person / USD$6.75 /€6
Click the link above for more info and directions.
The Tegenungan Waterfall
Cost: 15,000 pp / USD$1 /€0.90
Busy place, beautiful waterfall
Tampaksiring (the town) or Pura Tirta Empul Temple – Holy Water Springs, Cost: IDR15,000 pp / USD$1 /€0.90
Be sure to take / wear your bathing suit (under your clothes)
Bathroom cost: IDR30,000 / USD$2 /€1.80
Sarong free – Must wear to enter
May not enter if menstruating
Long, winding exit through shops
Sacred Monkey Forest: Entrance 50,000 / USD$3.50 /€3
A wonderful walk through forest paths with monkeys everywhere.
Alas Harum Luwak Coffee & Swing: Free Entrance – you are given a wonderful tour of the facilities with information and tastings. Bonus: this is where you can go on one of those Instagram swing rides!
Super Extreme Swing (IDR200,000 / USD$13.50 / €12 for 15 “swings”), Extreme Swing (IDR150,000 / USD$10 / €9 for 15 “swings”) and Couple Swing (IDR300,000 / USD$20 / €18 for 15 “swings”)
Eat & Drink: Of course, part of visiting a new place is trying local foods and drinks and Ubud is no exception. Try some traditional Bebek Betutu – Balinese duck, drink Bintang Beer and try a brew at Anomali Coffee – Cool vibe with a huge variety of coffees and teas including Single Origin; expensive yes, but worth a visit. For a list of places we ate, complete with our experience, visit my travel page > Indonesia > Ubud.
Stay: Your possibilities are almost endless! From hostels, to budget rooms to full luxury. The only deciding factor is your pocketbook. We stayed at the SenS Spa Hotel and can absolutely recommend it.
Getting Around: Grab (similar to Uber) or Taxi; beware – at time of publication the taxi drivers were very angry people. We boycotted them (the taxis) based on one bad experience (overpriced, filthy old car with an unpleasant asshole driver). Grab cars are clean with very friendly drivers, at least in our experience)
We hired a man named Agung to drive us around; he actually made a 7 hour tour for us the one day at a very fair price. He drives a 7 passenger, air conditioned van and it was very comfortable. I recommend booking in advance as he keeps himself very busy!
His info – WhatsApp: 081236471884, Email: [email protected]
