Indonesia / Ubud, Central & North Bali / UbudUbud
Rice Terraces, Temples and Bali's Cultural Heart
The hill town most people picture as Bali: the Tegallalang rice terraces, the Sacred Monkey Forest, the royal palace and its nightly dances, water temples like Tirta Empul, yoga retreats, swings over the jungle and the waterfalls around. Inland, so no beach, and the traffic in town is slow. The easiest place in Bali for Indian and vegetarian food: Queens of India opposite the palace, pure-vegetarian Mumbai Station for dosas, Sitara with Jain dishes on request.
Highlights
- Tegallalang rice terraces at sunrise
- Sacred Monkey Forest
- Purification bath at Tirta Empul
- Legong dance at Ubud Palace
- Campuhan Ridge walk
- Tegenungan and Tibumana waterfalls
- Jungle swing
- Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave)
- Yoga class
- South Indian thali and dosas
Things to do
- Tegallalang rice terraces and jungle swingMorning · 3h
- Sacred Monkey ForestMorning · 1h 30m
- Tirta Empul water temple purificationMorning · 2h
- Campuhan Ridge WalkMorning · 2h
- Tegenungan waterfall swimAfternoon · 2h 30m
- Legong dance at Ubud PalaceEvening · 1h 30m
- Ubud Art Market and Goa GajahAfternoon · 2h 30m
- Balinese cooking class with market visitMorning · 4h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: April – October
Plan around this
Nyepi: Bali Closes for 24 Hours
⚠️ On Nyepi (Monday 8 March 2027, from 06:00 to 06:00 on 9 March) all of Bali stops: Ngurah Rai airport is closed to every flight, roads, beaches and shops shut, the internet is switched off, and visitors must stay inside their hotel. Don't book a flight, boat or transfer for that day, and allow for full flights and boats on the days either side.
Heads up
Bali Wet Season
December to February are the wettest months: heavy afternoon and night downpours, humid days, and flash floods on low roads in Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and on Sunset Road to the airport. Mornings are often clear. Allow extra time for the airport, and plan beach days flexibly. Hotels are cheaper, except over Christmas and New Year.
Heads up
Peak Season Crowds
July and August are Bali's busiest months (European and Australian school holidays): villas cost 30-50% more, Ubud's rice terraces and Uluwatu's Kecak are crowded, and south-Bali traffic is at its worst. Book rooms early and visit sights at opening time.
- Nyepi (Balinese Day of Silence) and the ogoh-ogoh parades — The Balinese New Year. On the eve, villages parade huge ogoh-ogoh demon effigies through the streets and burn them, worth seeing in Ubud, Kuta and Denpasar. Then for 24 hours the whole island stops: Ngurah Rai airport closes, no traffic, no lights, beaches shut, and visitors must stay inside their hotel (hotels keep serving guests indoors). Do not plan to land, leave or travel in Bali that day.
- Galungan and Kuningan · Galungan 17 Jun, Kuningan 27 Jun — Bali's biggest Hindu festival, every 210 days: ten days when the ancestors are believed to visit. Every street is lined with tall bamboo penjor poles, families in temple dress fill the temples, and the island looks its most beautiful. Some shops and drivers take the main days off, and temples are crowded; wear a sarong and sash to visit.
- Bali Arts Festival (Pesta Kesenian Bali) · 13 Jun – 11 Jul — A month of dance, gamelan, drama and craft from every Balinese regency at the Taman Werdhi Budaya arts centre in Denpasar, opening with a big street parade. Free; evening performances are the best. 2027 dates are usually announced in spring.
- Christmas and New Year peak — Bali's dearest fortnight: villas and resorts set minimum stays and gala dinners on 24 and 31 December, and Indian, Australian and Indonesian holidays overlap. Book rooms and the Gili and Komodo boats by October, and expect rain: it is the wet season.
Part of a longer route
Ubud is a stop on 2 curated circuits through Indonesia.