A Day in Ubud, Bali

 

Ubud is a town in Bali located in the uplands which is known for its arts and traditional dance. Ubud is a famous destination for waterfalls, rice paddies and rich culture. It’s one of the must-see places when you travel to Bali. Ubud has its own charm that a traveler would fall in love with.

There are a lot of tourist attraction in Ubud that it will be difficult to complete all of it in just one day. We just selected the places that we would like to visit. However, if you plan to really explore all of Ubud, it’s better to book a place to stay in the area. There are a lot of hotels and Air BnB located in Ubud. Some of them are even located in Tegalalang rice terraces.

Our one-day itinerary in Ubud includes Tegalalang rice terraces, Campuhan Ridge Walk, Ubud Royal Palace and Coffee plantation.

Our first destination was the Tegalalang rice terraces. The Tegalalang rice terraces is located at the north area of Ubud. The best time to visit Tegalalang rice terraces is early morning when the sun gives a golden glow on the lush green rice field. Entrance fee on the eastern side of the valley along Jalan Raya Cebok is 10,000 IDR. If you are coming from Ume Ceking the fee is 50,000 IDR. Ume Ceking is the common point of entry for the rice terraces. This is also the area where you can experience the swing with the rice terraces as the backdrop. However, when we went there it seemed that most establishments that offer the swing is closed. From above, you can take a picture of the rice terraces, but you can also go down and explore the rice terraces. Exploring the rice paddies need stamina. There are steps that are steep and sometimes slippery.

Our second destination is the Campuhan Ridge walk. Campuhan Ridge walk is also best to visit early in the morning when it is not too hot. It is a scenic trail and very easy to trek. The trek will take you 20 to 40 minutes depending on your pace. In our case we were able to reach the end of the trek in 20 minutes. At the end of the ridge is a village with cafes. There are also some art and souvenirs that you can buy. We decided to have our brunch at Karsa Kafe. It’s another 10-minute walk from the end of the ridge but the food and view at Karsa Kafe is worth the extra walk. A must-try is their local Balinese pancake and Bali coffee. Karsa Kafe is surrounded by lotus pond and a rice field.

After having our brunch at Karsa Kafe we went to Ubud Royal Palace. The Ubud Royal Palace is just near Campuhan Ridge Walk. It is just a five-minute travel by car, however there is usually traffic near Ubud Royal Palace. There is no entrance fee for Ubud Royal Palace. You may wander around the compound and take pictures. Ubud Royal Palace is also just near the Ubud Art Market.

Our last destination in Ubud is the coffee plantation. From Ubud Royal Palace, it took us around 30 minutes to reach the coffee plantation. Once you arrive at the coffee plantation, a staff will immediately usher you inside and will give an informational tour about the coffee, cacao, tea, and other fruit-bearing plants that they have in their compound. The staff will explain the difference between Arabica and Robusta. The staff will also show you the civet cat and the process of the luwak coffee. Luwak coffee is considered the most expensive coffee in the world.  Luwak is a coffee that consists of partially digested coffee cherries, which have been eaten and defecated by the civet cat. After the tour, the staff will take you in an area where you can have a free taste of their coffee and tea selection. However, if you want to try the Luwak coffee, you must pay 50,000 IDR. The coffee plantation has a shop inside their compound where you can buy coffee including luwak coffee. They also have other teas and other souvenirs.

There are other places in Ubud that you may visit aside from what we included in our itinerary. Some other must-visit attractions in Ubud are the Ubud Monkey Forest, Saraswati Temple, Ubud Art Market and Tibumana Waterfalls to name a few.