Cycling
Several operators arrange mountain bike tours in the countryside northeast of Ubud. Most tours start with a drive to Kintamani, which means that you won’t have to deal with the traffic around Ubud and most of the ride will be on a downhill or on flat roads. A typical tour will include panoramic views of Mount Agung and Mount Batur and will take you through small villages, rice fields, coffee plantations and bamboo forest. Most operators include knowledgeable guides that will give some background on the landscape as you pass by.
If you are a bit more adventurous, the bike tour companies can usually arrange tours with some more uphill riding (Banyan three bike tours has a more challenging ‘extreme’ tour), or you can rent a bike in Ubud and take off on your own adventure. If you choose the latter, it is a good idea to check the condition of the bike before venturing too far, as the quality of the bikes available varies quite a lot.
Bike tours can be booked in advance through eOasia
Bike tour operators in Ubud
Below some popular bike tour operators in and around Ubud. Most of the operators will offer to pick you up at your villa or hotel and drive you to the starting point of your tour.
Bali Bike Baik Cycling Tours
A full day cycling tour with Bali Baik Bike is much more than just cycling. A visit includes an introduction to rice growing, a coffee plantation visit, breakfast, lunch and much more.
Price: Adults: 450.000 rp /Children 300.000 rp
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Bali Hai Tour
Bali Hai promises to take you on a tour off the beaten track through bamboo forest, local villages and rice fields. Choose among to packages, a premium and an ultimate package, both are all day tours, but the latter includes more sightseeing.
Price: Adults: 420.000 rp /Children 300.000 rp
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Bali Eco Cycling
Start your day with a breakfast overlooking Mount Batur and the volcanoes crater lake, before venturing downhill through the central Bali’s countryside.
Price: Adults: 360.000 rp /Children 250.000 rp
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Banyan Tree Bike Tours
Banyan Tree Bike Tours have a couple of tours to choose from. A flat cultural tour true Bali’s heartland and a more extreme tour through the Ayung river valley (650.000 rp)
Price: Adults: 450.000 rp /Children 350.000 rp
Website
Trekking
Explore Ubud’s rice fields on your own
No matter where you stay in Ubud, lush green rice fields won’t be far away. One of the way best ways to enjoy them is to venture out and find a small track leading into the countryside and see where it might take you. If you are having trouble finding a place to start, ask at your villa or hotel desk and they will certainly be able to help. Rural Bali, where tourists rarely venture, is only a few bends in the road away.
Some of the most beautiful rice paddies in Bali are found in Tegalalang, ten kilometers north of Ubud. You are unlikely to have the rice paddies to yourself, but chances are good that you will get the postcard photograph opportunities of perfectly manicured rice fields.
Campuhan Ridge walk
One of the most accessible walks around Ubud is the walk along the ridge that runs along the valley Campuhan River. The paved path will offer you views of the jungle that covers the river gorge below you and, take you through rice fields and past villages. Depending on how many stops you make to take in the scenery, the walk will take between one or two hours; that is not including stops at one of the small cafés you’ll find at the end of the path.
The path starts at the Campuhan Bridge. From the center of Ubud (the corner of Monkey Forest Road and Jalan Raya Ubud), head 800 meters west down Jalan Raya Ubud. About 100 meters before the bridge that crosses the river, turn right at the Ibah Hotel sign. Twenty meters down, there is a path on the right that leads downwards. When you come to a small bridge, take the stairs down to the path on the right, where the walk starts by ascending slowly toward the ridge.
Organized walking tours
If you prefer joining a guided walking tour, Ubud has a couple of good options. Apart from ensuring you are not getting lost, having a guide with you comes with the added benefit that a guides will to show you places you wouldn’t find yourself and usually have a deep knowledge about the places and the flora and fauna you walk by.
Bali Off Course
Wayan Sumerta from Bali Off Course will take you on a 3 hour tour through charming villages and stunning rice fields. You can choose among a morning and an afternoon tour.
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Bali Herbal Walk
Bali Herbal Walks takes you on a 3-4 walk, where you will learn about the many natural remedies that grows in the Ubud area. You will also be introduced to rice growing techniques used in Bali. Tours start in front of Museum Puri Lukisan.
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Volcano trekking
North East of Ubud are the two volcanoes Mount Agung and Mount Batur, both popular destinations for Bali trekkers. Most people climb the volcanoes early in the morning to take advantage of the relative cool temperatures and to reach the summit in time to see the sun rise over the ocean and Lombok.
Mount Agung
Rising 3013 meters above sea level, Mount Agung is Bali’s highest point and the harder climb of the two volcanoes. It has some difficult sections and it will take you between 2 and 4 hours to reach the summit and a little less to walk down, so you need to be in good shape to climb Mount Agung. The panorama from the rim of the volcano, however, makes it well worth all the effort.
Mount Batur
With a height of 1717 meters, Mount Batur is a less exhausting climb than Agung. The climb is fairly straight forward, but you need to be prepared to walk uphill for 1-2 hours. As you get close to the summit, you will see steam flowing out between the crevices in the rock. If you are with a guide, there is a good chance he has brought some eggs, so you can boil your morning egg in the steam from the volcano. If you want to climb Mount Batur on your own, you should be aware of that the local guides found at Mount Batur are infamous for hassling anyone trying to climb Mount Batur on their own.
No matter which of the volcanoes you decide to climb, it is advisable to bring water (refreshments can be bought near the summit of Batur) and both light and warm clothes, as it can get windy and cold near the summit. Also, you should check the current weather conditions, especially in the wet season, as the tracks can get very slippery and muddy.
Rafting
If you are looking for an adrenaline rush, combined with views of tropical rainforest, then rafting one of the rivers near Ubud is an excellent way to spend the day.
There are two rivers to choose from, the Ayung and the Telaga Waja River. On either you will be rafting for around two hours and, between rapids, you will be able to enjoy the scenery, consisting of rice paddies, waterfalls and ancient forests. The Ayung River is the more accessible and more popular of the two rivers in Bali. Although the Telaga Waja River tends to get a little shallow in the dry season, it is the more challenging of the two.
The best time for white water rafting in Bali is in the wet-season, between November and March, when the rapids are at their wildest. From April to September there is less water in the rivers and there won’t be too much white water on the rapids.
Several rafting companies operate in and around Ubud and the professionalism, security standards vary quite alot. The two operators below are among the more expensive, but have a good reputation.
Bali Sobek
Bali Sobek has almost 25 years rafting experience in Bali and can take you rafting on either the Ayung or the Telaga Waja River. There is pick-up in Ubud three times daily for rafting on the Ayung, while there is only scheduled a single morning trip to the Telaga Waja.
Prices: Adult USD 79 – Children (7-15 years) USD 52
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Bali Adventure Tours
Like Bali Sobek, Bali Adventure Tours has been around for a while and are among the most professional rafting companies in Bali. Bali Adventure specializes in the Ayung River where they will lead you through 33 rapids before finishing the day with a buffet lunch. Rafting trips can be combined with cycling tours and elephant rides.
Prices: Adult USD 79 – Children (7-15 years) USD 52
Website
Canoeing on Lake Batur
Surrounded by the three volcanoes Mount Batur, Agung and Abang , Lake Batur, about an hour’s drive from Ubud, makes for a great day on the lake with friends or family.
C-Bali
C.Bali arranges tours to Lake Batur where you enter the lake in a canoe. It is likely that you will only have to share the lake with a few local fishermen, so you can enjoy the spectacular views of Bali’s volcanoes that surround the lake, in complete tranquility.
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Classes and courses in Ubud
Ubud is a Mecca for arts and crafts in Ubud. Creativity is found everywhere, in the many cafés and restaurants that cook up some of Bali’s most interesting dishes, in the galleries that are found in the most unexpected places and in the numerous craft shops around town.
If you want to pick up a skill in one of the many art forms, or crafts represented in Bali, then Ubud has a myriad of opportunities.
Many of the cooking classes below can be booked through eOasia