A Guide to Ubud, Bali
Ubud “Medicine” in Sanskrit was once the centre for medicating the body and soul. To this day it still maintains some of this feel as yoga, meditation, natural surroundings and healthy places to eat. Located up in the mountains, and an hours drive north of the airport the scenery around here is just stunning.
How to get there
Ubud is located towards the middle of Bali and is around an hour and a half to two hours drive from Denpasar Airport. You can easily get a taxi at the airport, there is a fixed rate airport service otherwise most hotels offer a transfer service at a charge.
When to go
Bali has two main seasons, the wet season from October to March and the dry from April to September. Peak is usually July and August with the shoulder being May, June and September. Don’t let the wet season put you off though, I have travelled during the wet and we really only got rain late in the afternoon and at night. I’ve also had a huge amount of rain come down on me in the dry season. Bali is great any time of the year.
Getting around
Taxi
Taxis are the most expensive way to get around and Uber is banned- you need to be very discreet about using it. Bluebird is the best and should cost you around IDR 300,000 (roughly AUD30)
Hire a driver
There are plenty of drivers in Bali that you can hire for the day, a couple of days, a week or more to take you wherever you want to.
Hire a scooter
Scooters are the cheapest mode of transport in Bali, the traffic can be pretty crazy so if you don’t feel comfortable riding yourself you can ride on the back of a motorbike.
My friend Dan and I on the way to the rice fields
What to do
Back to nature
Walk Campuhan Ridge Walk
A beautiful 9km walk amongst the rice fields. The best time to start your walk would be early morning to enjoy the morning sun before it gets too hot.
Jalan Raya Ubud No.35, Ubud
Waterfalls
Tegenungan Waterfall
Tegenungan waterfall lies at Tegenungan Village, approx. 5 kilometers, south east Ubud. A short walk down some steps and you’ll reach the base of the waterfall. It is a great waterfall to swim at due to the large amount of water flow. There is also a small temple nearby.
Tegalalang Rice Terraces

Sacred Monkey Forest
The monkey forest has 3 holy temples and is inhabited by lots of grey-haired Balinese macaques. Be careful of your belongings and don’t approach the monkeys as some can get quite aggressive.
Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud
Cultural
Visit some temples
Goa Gajah isn’t full of elephants but had bathing pools and fountains, rock wall carvings, meditation cave. It was built in the 11th century as a spiritual place for meditation. Located 6 km from Central Ubud.
Bedulu Village, Jalan Raya Goa Gajah, Blahbatuh
Cooking class
Casa Luna Cooking School
With a range of daily cooking classes and market tours you won’t have any issues finding one that suits you. I particularly like the sound of a new class called New Food as Medicine Vegetarian Cooking Class
Enjoy a hands-on cooking class with a vegetarian menu of pumpkin curry, tempe with fresh lemon basil, roasted coconut banana flower salad, organic bamboo shoots, seasonal greens and red rice followed by non-dairy coconut ice cream.
Honeymoon Guesthouses, Jalan Bisma, Ubud Web / Facebook
Photo credit: Isabel (CC license)
Traditional Balinese dance
The Legong style of dance is performed by girls wearing colourful clothes and uses intricate finger movements, precise feet movements and intense facial expressions. You can watch the Legong and Barong dance performances at Ubud Palace daily from 7:30pm
Ubud Royal Palace, Jl. Raya Ubud, Ubud
Photo credit: Michael (CC license)
Adventure
Hike Mt Batur for sunrise

Kayak on Lake Batur
C-Bali Canoe Tour
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Where to stay


Where to eat


Nalu Bowls

Yoga



