One of the most popular areas in Bali, Ubud is a lad-back town known for arts and culture. It is located between the rice fields and far enough from the busy nightlife scene in Kuta. Here is where Western spirituality and Balinese traditions live side by side.
DAY 1
– Arrival at Ngurah Rai International Airport
– Accomodation: Pondok Naya Villa
– Dinner at Sri Uma Warung
DAY 2
– Tegallalang Rice Terraces
– Kanto Lampo waterfall
– Tibumana waterfall
– Tukad Cepang waterfall
DAY 3
– Ulun Dana Beratan temple
– Munduk waterfall
– Breakfast at Warung Makan Banyumala
– Banyumala Twin waterfall
– Leke Leke waterfall
– Ice cream at Gelato Secrets
DAY 4
– Bukit Cinta viewpoint
– Blue Lagoon beach
– Dinner at Dapur Malabar
DAY 1
On a Thursday afternoon we both arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Florian from Munich and Bibi from Brisbane. The airport so you can expect modern facilities. At arrival you will be bombarded by sales people offering SIM cards, taxis etc. We ordered a SIM card beforehand on Klook.com and at arrival we could pick it up and skip the long lines. We also arranged a taxi beforehand so after searching for our names on a sign with hundreds of other signs, we finally made our way to our hotel. We stayed at the Pondok Naya Villa in Ubud with our own little pool. The accommodation is situated through small streets where cars have no access so our taxi driver dropped us off on the main road. Luckily the hotel has an office on this road and they dropped us off at our villa with a golf cart. The villas are situated a bit outside of Ubud so you will definitely need a scooter. We rented one at the accommodation and paid 60.000 IDR per day. Since it was already late in the afternoon we drove through Ubud, eyed all the restaurants, got some fuel for the scooter and drove back to our villa. On the way we stopped at the restaurant Sri Uma Warung. This family owned restaurant is in a small side street and only accessible by scooter or walking. We ordered fried rice and curry and unfortunately the Soto Ayam was not available anymore, but that didn’t stop us. The meals were delicious and reasonably priced. The cute puppy walking around was also a nice treat to the evening. We went straight to bed after since our alarm would go off at 5 AM..
DAY 2
The alarm clock went off at 5AM and after 15 minutes we hopped on our scooter. Our first destination was the Tegallalang Rice Terraces which are about 30 minutes from Ubud. These are the most popular rice fields in Bali and are a must visit. We decided to go for sunrise since it would limit the amount of other tourists and the temperature would still be pleasant. One of the advantages of being early was also that parking and entrance was for free. The ticket office opens at 7AM and when you arrive before, the door is already open to walk down to the terraces. Around 6 o’clock it was already very humid so we can only imagine how it feels walking around the terraces when the sun is up. There is a path that takes you down and from there you can go left or right. We went left and ended up on a terrace with an amazing view. But be careful, it had rained the night before so the path was slippery. We walked around for an hour, took some pictures and saw the sun come up behind the palm trees.
After a sweaty walk it was time for a refresher. We hopped on the scooter and drove towards the Kanto Lampo waterfall. This 45 minute drive takes you past other beautiful rice terraces and jungle. The entrance to this waterfall costs 20.000 IDR per person and it is a steep walk down. However, from all the waterfalls we visited, this was definitely the easiest path down. Once we arrived at the waterfall we noticed this once ‘secret’ waterfall is now packed with tourists. That didn’t stop us from walking in our bathing suits and with our bags through the water to the other side. It is best to have water shoes for this waterfall since the rocks are very slippery. The water was warmer than we expected and we enjoyed the water on our sweaty bodies. The waterfall is 15 meters high and the black stones below make for an impressive sight. After 10 minutes a big group of young tourists arrived and took over the site so we decided to head off to our next waterfall. Only 15 minutes away is Tibumana waterfall, this favorite among locals is a short walk down from the car park and costs 15.000 IDR per person. The road towards the car park is beautiful with a long road covered by palm trees, we couldn’t help ourselves shooting a drone video here. When we arrived at the waterfall there was a wedding photo shoot going on. And after 10 minutes there was even a proposal by another couple. Apparently this is a popular spot for everything related to a wedding. We went into the water for a short dip and after some pictures we made our way to our last waterfall of the day. Tukad Cepang is 40 minutes further and has risen to fame by Instagram. This waterfall hidden in a cave presents amazing photo opportunities when the light shines through. The walk towards the waterfall is through a stream and some rocks. The entrance is 15.000 IDR and in line with other waterfalls in Ubud.
On the walk we noticed the amount of tourists returning and we were already afraid of what to witness at the waterfall. And we were right, the waterfall was packed with tourists all wanting to take a picture. The waterfall was indeed very beautiful but it didn’t provide the swimming possibilities the other waterfalls had, so we have to say this one was the most disappointing of the day. Nevertheless, if you are in the area, it is still nice to visit Tukad Cepang. After this waterfall we were exhausted, the rice terraces and three waterfalls later, it was time to head back to the villa. We stopped at the supermarket to stock up on some snacks and spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool.
DAY 3
Another sunrise mission. This time we headed to the north for our first destination, the Ulun Dana Beratan temple. This temple is situated on a lake surrounded by mountains. Unfortunately the drive, which was supposed to be 1.5 hour, took us a bit longer and therefore we missed the sunrise. However, we still managed to be one of the only ones walking around the temple. The entrance is 50.000 IDR per person and will give you access to the entire complex. Unfortunately, because of the drought, the temple was not surrounded by water anymore. Instead, some mud and trash were next to it. With disappointment we walked through the gardens and after 15 minutes already made our way back to the scooter. Since we went to Bali in the rain season we expected there to be more water, but also Indonesia has to deal with the drought. So make sure to know what to expect when visiting the temple, it could be dry like we had or when you are lucky, water surrounding it.
Next our search for the Munduk waterfall started. This waterfall is close to the famous Hidden Hills Wanagri where you can take pictures on swings, in cocoons and much more. Thirty minutes away from the temple and passing amazing mountains, we still didn’t find the waterfall. After 15 minutes we gave up our search and instead went for breakfast at Warung Makan Banyumala. This small restaurant has amazing seating outside with a beautiful view of Lake Buyan. Some noodles, fried rice and omelets later we made our way to the Banyumala Twin Waterfalls. To our surprise the path towards these waterfalls was next to our breakfast place. The small path towards the waterfalls fits one car so if there is an oncoming car, it is a challenge to make way. This was already the start of an adventure and when we arrived at the car park we were excited to walk down. This walk was definitely the hardest walk down from all the waterfalls we visited. However, when you arrive you are treated with an amazing set of waterfalls. We were so impressed and this was definitely our favorite waterfall from our entire trip. The size of it, the chilly water to swim in, the amount of rocks to sit at, the sun on our skin, it was all perfect. But then we started the drone.. It was still in cinematic mode and flew right into a tree and fell down at least 10 meters. Our poor drone was laying on a rock surrounded by water barely surviving. Then Florian had a Tarzan moment and climbed 5 meters down on rocks to save the drone. After some cleaning we realized the drone was still working and we could enjoy the waterfalls again. You can seriously spend hours here and the 30.000 IDR entrance fee was definitely worth it. We were also spending so much time there because we dreaded the walk back up. However, in the end it wasn’t as bad as we thought. We still had enough energy to include one more waterfall to our itinerary.
After a 50 minute scooter ride we arrived at the Leke Leke waterfall parking. The entrance is 50.000 IDR and it includes a small bottle of water. At this point it was the afternoon, which meant it was extremely hot and humid. The walk down to the waterfall is well maintained and mostly shaded. Along the way there are a lot of photo opportunities since you will find bamboo huts and bridges, cocoons and a swing. It should only take 15 minutes down and you are treated with a beautiful sight. The waterfall is between two rocks and behind the waterfall you will find a cave. You can go for a swim, chill on the rocks or shoot your pictures. Unfortunately we were not the only ones and we had to share the waterfall with at least four other couples. Nevertheless it was a great stop for our last waterfall of our trip. In the end, the entrance fee was a bit excessive compared to the other waterfalls we visited.
Exhausted from the day we went back to our villa, went for an ice cream at Gelato Secrets and had a relaxing night.
DAY 4
Our last day in North/Central Bali. We had a special mission today. See the sunrise with Mount Agung in the background. This was the longest scooter trip we had to do and also the most uncomfortable. We had rented a small Honda Scoopy and after an hour our butts started to hurt really bad. We had to make a couple of stops on the way to take a break. The overall trip took two hours and including the stops, we unfortunately missed the sunrise. However, once we arrived at the Bukit Cinta viewpoint we were blown away. The combination of the rice fields, Mount Agung and the sun was just magical. We were fortunate enough that there was only one other couple, because this gave us time to enjoy the view and shoot amazing pictures and drone videos. We were so happy we decided to do this long drive because it was worth it!
On the way back to Ubud we stopped at Pondok Mina for brunch. This cute restaurant is surrounded by koi ponds. We arrived just when they opened and we were the only ones. We ordered two plates of noodles and nasi, one with peanut sauce and one with sambal. The one with sambal stood out and was delicious! This dinner made us ready to jump on the scooter again (our poor butts). Since the last days had been super intense, we opted for a beach afternoon. We headed towards Blue Lagoon Beach. This beach is about an hour from the viewpoint and really lives up to its name. At the parking lot you will be asked to pay 2000 IDR for your scooter. The one thing we noticed in Bali is that locals will try to get money out of tourists everywhere. Once we went for an ice cream to McDonalds and at their parking lot locals even asked for parking money.. We refused to pay. Keep in mind when going to Bali, don’t get scammed by the parking ‘maffia’. The walk down to the beach was easy and when we arrived we were surprised by the amount of people already at the beach. The beach is known for its possibility of snorkeling and that is the first thing we tried. As a lot of beaches in South East Asia, also this water was filled with trash. Once you swim through the first two meters, you will be in clear water and snorkeling can begin. The once so colorful coral is now grey and dead. But there are still colorful fishes in the water, so it is still a nice swim to spot some. In the cafe on the beach you can buy fresh coconut or some other refreshments and food. We stayed here for a couple of hours before driving back to our villa for one hour.
For our last night we were craving Indian food. First we strolled around the Ubud Market, then we had dinner at Dapur Malabar and afterwards an ice cream at Gelato Secrets.