Five Slow Days in Ubud, Bali
Ubud is the green heart of Bali, all rice terraces and river gorges and temples half-swallowed by jungle. I keep to the eco stays here, the ones built from bamboo and set into the valley, and let the days move at the pace of the place.
I stay at Bambu Indah, the bamboo eco lodge above the Ayung River, with Bali Eco Stay as the other lovely option. Then it is temples, the famous rice terraces, the Monkey Forest, a beach for sundown, and a motorbike to reach whatever is left. Here are five slow days in Ubud.
Your Ubud Itinerary at a Glance
- Day 1 Day 1: Arrive in the valley
- Day 2 Day 2: Temple and rice terraces
- Day 3 Day 3: The Monkey Forest and a slow afternoon
- Day 4 Day 4: A motorbike and the back roads
- Day 5 Day 5: Sundown by the sea
Where to Stay in Ubud
Bambu Indah
Home for the week is Bambu Indah, a cluster of antique and bamboo houses set into the jungle above the Ayung River, with natural swimming pools and food from its own gardens.
Bali Eco Stay
Bali Eco Stay is the other option, bamboo bungalows in the hills with its own waterfall and hydro power.
What to Do in Ubud
A water temple
Start at one of Ubud's temples, the Saraswati water temple in town or Tirta Empul's holy springs a little further out.
The Tegallalang rice terraces
The Tegallalang rice terraces just north of town are the ones everyone photographs, stepped and impossibly green down the valley sides.
The Sacred Monkey Forest
Walk the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in the middle of Ubud, a temple set in old jungle full of long-tailed macaques.
Hire a motorbike
Hire a motorbike and enjoy it, carefully.
Sunset at the beach
Drive down to the coast for your last evening and take the sundown from the beach by the DoubleTree, feet in the sand, the hills behind you.
Where to Eat in Ubud
Eat plant based in Ubud
Ubud is one of the easiest places on earth to eat well and plant based.
How to Get to Ubud
Fly to Bali, drive up to Ubud
Fly into Denpasar, then it is about an hour and a half up into the hills to Ubud.
Head home
Back to Denpasar for the flight, salt in your hair and a phone full of rice terraces.
Your Day by Day Ubud Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in the valley
Getting to Ubud and settling into a bamboo house above the river.
Fly to Bali, drive up to Ubud
Fly into Denpasar, then it is about an hour and a half up into the hills to Ubud. The traffic thins and the green thickens the whole way.
Bambu Indah
Home for the week is Bambu Indah, a cluster of antique and bamboo houses set into the jungle above the Ayung River, with natural swimming pools and food from its own gardens. It is one of the loveliest eco stays anywhere, and the reason to come to Ubud slowly.
Bali Eco Stay
Bali Eco Stay is the other option, bamboo bungalows in the hills with its own waterfall and hydro power. Either one keeps the whole trip close to the land.
Day 2: Temple and rice terraces
The water temple, then the rice terraces everyone photographs, for good reason.
See the full day-by-day itinerary.
This is your only free pass. A free account gives you 3.
Day 3: The Monkey Forest and a slow afternoon
The sacred forest in the morning, the pool and the gardens after.
Day 4: A motorbike and the back roads
Hire a motorbike and go and find the parts of Bali the tours miss.
Day 5: Sundown by the sea
Down out of the hills for a last night by the water.