Bali – in and around Ubud

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
8
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
8
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
6
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
7
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
6
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
8
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
72 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
132nd/454
Top 30%
continent
Asia
country
Indonesia
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$170 ($100-$1,000 in 2024 prices)
Time of year visited
March
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

I love the centre and north of Bali – yes the south is to an extent now “ruined” via the overcrowding and commercialisation – but the rest is a different story . . . and I dare suggest “what Bali used to be”.

Dense jungle hiding vibrantly green rice terraces, old Hindu temples, a chilled out Balinese hippy-yoga-heart-rate-so-low-you’re practically-dead vibe.  Yet all coupled with world class restaurants and accommodation.  Closest thing you can get to the (sophisticated) Jungle Book, and Ubud is the centre of it.

 

Ubud rice terraces, Bali Indonesia

 

I’ve been 4 times now, far from an expert, but a few basic tips:

  • Don’t try to squeeze Ubud into a day of a Bali itinerary – you need to at least overnight.  Its about the relaxed vibe, not a car ride 2 hours there and 2 hours back from Denpasar and cramming in some rice terrace views.
  • Ubud Town itself’s main street (Jl Raya Ubud) can be Denpasar-style busy – avoid by either branching down the side streets such as Jl Goutama Sel asap (just 20m / 50ft or so can make a huge difference) or just avoiding Ubud Town altogether.
  • For walks to see the jungle and grab food – the Campuhan Ridge Walk is worth doing and easily walked from Ubud main town; the paddy fields to the west of the area by the Huma Cafe is a fun walk; probably the classic one is the Tegalalang Rice Terrace but can be busy.
  • Some restaurant recommendations – the Herb Library was great for healthy lunch; Nusantara by Locavore Group for wow; Huma Cafe for something easy out of town; Sayan House for amazing location with views over the valley
  • For something special – visit Locavore NXT.  20 course tasting menu, all locally sourced, all housed within their labyrinth grounds, and one of the most wow food experiences I’ve had.  US$120 for the menu, plus US$40-US$90 for drinks pairing
  • Where to stay – loved Villa Kalisha, but its completely villa availability-dependant and you need to do a bit of scanning
  • Also consider a bit further away in somewhere like Sideman – greener, quieter.

 

Highlights

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#1 Walking through the steep and impossibly green rice-terraces that seem to be everywhere in Ubud, in this case the Tegalalang Rice Terrace

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#2 Chilling out in the jungle, letting the pace drop, and wanting to stay for another week in one of the many magical villas nearby, such as Villa Kalisha

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#3 Visiting some of the world-class restaurant experiences, in this case Locavore NXT and its 20 course tasting menu, all locally sourced, all housed within their labyrinth grounds, and one of the most wow food experiences I've had

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#4 That really Jungle Book vibe as you find hidden little spots through the jungle, such as the Monkey Forrest area

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#5 Heading only 20mins or so from Ubud Centre to find one of the chilled out restaurants by the paddy fields that feels like a different world, in this case Huma Cafe

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#6 Wandering through just the basic rice paddies that are typically right on your front door no matter where you stay near Ubud

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#7 Going for somewhere a bit further afield - Sideman - and renting a house in the middle of the rice fields

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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