7 Awesome Things To Do in Ubud

Made uber famous by Julia Roberts where she did the majority of her loving from “Eat Pray Love,” Ubud is a gorgeous part of central Bali that can’t be missed. Besides it being the greenest place I’ve ever been, it also boasts elements of relaxation and peace that are seldom found elsewhere. Watch the monkeys cause trouble at The Monkey Forest, attend a traditional Balinese dance performance, explore the many surrounding rice fields, or trek Mt. Batur at sunrise to get the most out of your stay.

Where to stay: I spent my three nights in Ubud at Dewa Bharata, a small resort a little outside of the touristy center that I really liked. At only $18 per night for a private room with complimentary breakfast, a beautiful pool, and really lovely staff, I was happy with my decision to stay here. Although the grounds were well maintained and very pretty, the rooms were very outdated and definitely lacked the luxurious factor – but for the money, location, and pool alone, it was surely worth it. One staff member Dewa, was incredibly friendly and offered to drive me around to see some surrounding areas for a very good price. He also offered me food and invited me to have a drink with him and some other staff members when their shift was over. He was a lovely person and made my stay even that much better.

1. Explore the surrounding rice fields: As is with any new place I travel, my favorite thing to do is to walk around and get a feel for where I am. This typically involves getting lost at some point. Ubud is an excellent place to wander, because chances are you’ll stumble upon some hidden rice fields in the process of your wandering, like the one below. There’s something about rice fields that are so peaceful and calming to the soul and you have to experience it to feel it!

   

   

2. Watch the mischievous monkeys get into trouble in the Monkey Forest: With a small entrance fee (about $1.50), you can take a walk through Ubud’s Monkey Forest and watch hundreds of monkeys (including lots and lots of baby monkeys hehe) play and occasionally swipe some belongings from unguarded tourists. I saw one monkey steal a woman’s makeup bag out of her purse, unzip the makeup bag, and take out a tube of mascara and lip balm. They are super sneaky and have no qualms about taking any unprotected items, so keep your stuff close! The man collecting tickets urged me to tuck in all of the key chains on my backpack, as to deter the monkeys from trying to steal them! It may be a touristy thing to do while in Ubud, but I’d encourage any first-timer to take a stop here. I certainly enjoyed it!

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

3. Stop by The Elephant Café for lunch with a view: This all vegetarian eatery may offer some pretty delicious veggie meals, but the real star of this café is the views. The dining area acts as a balcony overlooking surrounding rice fields. Sip on your Balinese coffee and gaze out into the greenest greenery for ultimate tranquility.

   

   

   

4. Attend a Balinese dance performance: If you walk around Ubud’s center, you will see many people selling tickets to different Balinese dance performances. The ones at the Grand Palace and Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati are more traditional Balinese where the one I saw at Pura Batu Karu was called Kecak Fire Dance. A few different locals recommended I see the fire dance instead of the traditional Balinese dance, and I’m happy I did. The temple where the dance took place was a bit off the beaten path and the performance was more theatrical with a narrative vs a choreographed dance. There’s chanting and fire dancing, incredible costumes, and it takes place in a gorgeous setting with a Hindu temple as the backdrop. I loved how Balinese dance puts so much emphasis on and so much emotion into the smallest of movements. From shifting eyes to curling toes, it’s beautiful and creepy all at the same time.

   

   

   

5. Hire a driver to take you to Tegalalang Rice Terraces, Tirta Empil, and Gunung Kawi: One major downside to visiting Bali is that getting around via public transit is virtually impossible. You either need to rent a motorbike or hire a private driver. (I used Uber a lot in Bali, but it is extremely frowned upon, so you need to be careful where you request. There are huge signs in certain areas that forbid Uber!) Since I value my life and don’t trust myself on or near a motorbike, I hired a local man to take me to the three main sites outside of Ubud center that I really wanted to see for about 300,000IDR (or $22), which took about 4 hours.

Tegalalang Rice Terraces – I wasn’t expecting the entrance to these terraces to be so touristy, but once I started to venture deeper into the terraces, it got quieter and became more of an adventure for me. It’s absolutely gorgeous once you sneak away form the tourists posing with rice farmer baskets or “I <3 Bali” signs that you need to pay in order to take a picture with. Once you cross over to the other side, you can find tranquility within the terraces. To end my day, I splurged on a meal at The Rice Terrace café. The view was okay… : – )

Pura Gunung Kawi – After descending down what seemed like a thousand steps, I came to the entrance of the ancient temple grounds where a sign asked visitors to sprinkle the holy water on yourself before entering. Once you walk through the stone walkway, you become surrounded by lush rainforest and ancient stone temples. I’m not sure if it was the time of day, but there weren’t too many other people there, which made wandering the mysterious grounds of this temple extra special. There were so many paths leading off into the jungle that took you to more hidden gems, as well as to lush rice terraces.

Pura Tirta Empul – As my third and final stop on my private tour, I visited Pura Tirta Empul, a Hindu-Balinese water temple built upon what Balinese people believe to be a sacred spring holding water that has spiritual and healing properties. Balinese worshipers have been coming here for thousands of years to experience this holy water; I even saw people filling up water bottles to take home with them. Although most people stepped directly into the pool, I only splashed some water on my head – I figured my driver would appreciate that.

6. Take a minute to gawk at Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati: During one of my wandering days, I stopped by this temple on a whim and was blown away by its beauty! I wasn’t able to enter the temple, but just having a look around the outside is reason enough to stop by.

   

   

   

7. Take a sunrise trek to the top of Mt. Batur: There’s nothing quite like watching the sunrise from the top of an active volcano. It was my first time hiking in the pitch black darkness of the night with only a flashlight and the incredible night sky above to guide me (well, and a local guide, but you get the picture). Tour companies organize pickup right from your accommodation in Ubud, and the drive to the base of the volcano is only an hour and a half away. Read the full story on my sunrise trek here. This was most certainly a highlight of my trip to Bali!

   

   

   

   

   

Wander On,

Wanderluluu xx