Our adventure to Bali lead us to visit the beautiful town of Ubud. The original plan was to stay in Denpasar city for a day but we made a spontaneous decision of going to Ubud instead. Did we regret this decision? Absolutely… NOT! Our time spent in Ubud was one of the most memorable parts of our entire trip to Bali.
We hired a private driver to take us around Ubud for the entire afternoon. You may think that we spent a fortune but in fact the driver charged us only about $35. Yep, we are not joking. If you are planning to visit Ubud, definitely check out Online Bali Driver on TripAdvisor. They are the best!
Here are some places that we visited and LOVED in Ubud:
1. Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
Walking around this beautiful forest which is a home to more than 1000 Balinese long-tailed monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) is an experience we will never forget. The fact that the monkeys are roaming around freely makes you experience this world in a whole different perspective. Humans are not used to living in harmony with wild beings. A lot of people find the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary scary or just unappealing because of the fact that they are surrounded by wild animals who are free to walk around and do whatever they want. To us, this experience was absolutely cathartic. It has made us realize how small we actually are and how we are all part of the same universe. The monkeys can sense when someone means them no harm so they were all pretty friendly with us. There was a moment when I kneeled down on the ground and extended my hand to a tiny baby monkey and she gently put her little hand in mine. It brought tears to my eyes to experience so much trust from such a small and fragile creature. I will never forget this moment.
2. Tegenungan Waterfall
The sight of the Tegenungan Waterfall is out of this world. The water flows down very heavily creating beautiful rainbows and magical sparkles on its way down. We could have stayed there forever watching all the colors of the rainbow that form when sunlight shines through water droplets. If you are eager to avoid the crowd, this should be the first place you visit in the morning. We made a mistake of visiting Tegenungan Waterfall at around 11am so the place was pretty crowded at that time. It wasn’t so bad though because everyone was super understanding and kind. We were still able to take lots of beautiful pictures and enjoy the time there like we were the only people at the location.
3. Tegallalang Rice Terraces
You have not been to Bali if you haven’t seen the famous rice terraces. Tegallalang Rice Terraces are one of the biggest and most beautiful rice terraces they have in Bali. The sight of endless shades of green is something you will never forget.
It was so incredible to witness how the rice is being made organically and to just sit back and enjoy the view. Being there truly made us feel like one with the universe.
It is so important to be reminded that we are all beings of nature and this visit certainly helped us realize that.
4. Jambe Asri Agrotourism- Luwak Coffee plantation
We’ve never heard of Luwak coffee before coming to Bali but we were lucky enough that our driver told us about this place. Luwak coffee is super popular in Bali and it is absolutely delicious. They say it is the most expensive coffee in the world! The process of making Luwak coffee may turn someone down but in fact it is all clean and organic. The coffee is made from defecated coffee beans that were previously eaten by Luwak animal. The beans are then cleaned, roasted and ground into fine powder. Of course, some plantations in Bali take advantage of this business and treat the Luwak animals like slaves that make them money. The plantation that we visited is completely organic though and they treat the animals very well.
5. Alchemy restaurant
After a long day of walking around Ubud, we needed a good place to rest and recharge.
If you’re a vegan, this is the perfect place for you! The setup of the restaurant is very boho and laid back. Everyone brings their laptops and comes to chill there.
The food is super delicious, vegan and raw! They also have a shop where you can buy some raw goodies to take home with you such as organic cocoa powder! Yum!
Of course, there are many other amazing places to visit in Ubud and we would definitely recommend that you stay there for at least 2-3 days if you can. The town is an epitome of Bali culture and tropical vibes. It is a must-place to visit if you are going to Bali. 😉
