Sometimes you just need a short getaway trip, especially if you live in a busy area like Canggu or Semyniak, but you don’t want to stay the night. Ubud is a great destination for a day trip, but I’m mostly focusing on places that are just a few minutes away by bike ride out of the touristy center in Ubud.
Ways to get to Ubud:
Uber
Even though there is Uber in Bali it is not really allowed in every district, which means that you might have trouble finding a driver. If you get lucky and you find one, they can bring you there for a cheap price. Just make sure you know how to get back, because in Ubud it is even harder to find an Uber. I personally wouldn’t go with an Uber to Ubud.
Motorbike
If you are experienced with your motorbike and don’t mind driving in the heat and in the dirty streets, mostly full of traffic, the bike is a good and fast choice. In less than an hour you can drive to Ubud from Canggu. I personally don’t drive there unless I am on the back of my boyfriend’s bike.
Private Driver
The easiest, but maybe not always the cheapest solution, is to go with a private driver. A private driver for a day should not cost more than 500’000 IDR (around $45) and you can also get half-day prices. Almost everyone around Ubud hands you their “private driver” business card.
What to do around Ubud:
Tegenungan Waterfall
Once you have chosen a way to get there you want to start your journey at Tegenungan waterfall, around 15 to 20 minutes out of Ubud. You arrive at a great point for taking some nice pictures for your Instagram and then you can walk to the waterfall and even swim there.
I recommend going early in the morning before all the tourist buses arrive, around 9 am.
Elephant Restaurant
After that it’s time to get some lunch in a nice relaxed area off the touristy main street. I love going to Elephant restaurant. They have amazing healthy food and an unbeatable view with the cosiest chairs.
After your healthy lunch, you will have enough energy to stop at another must-go place: Tegalalang rice terrace. This is how you picture Bali. Enjoy the stunning rice field view from this perfectly elevated spot. You can walk down in to the rice fields to explore everything and then climb up (kind of exhausting in the afternoon heat though). Don’t forget to take a lot of pictures!
If you crave a coffee you couldn’t be in a better place. The world’s most expensive and famous coffee “Kopi Luwak” is served everywhere, but if you actually want the coffee and the view, drive around 1 km up and then you will see on your left hand side a place called Bali Pulina where they show you how they make this particular coffee. You can drink your cup of coffee there with a magical view. Just on a side note: this place is made for tourists.
Monkey Forest
If you need something more in your day program you should stop at Monkey forest. If you haven’t heard about this place yet, now is the time. While you walk in to the forest you can already see them all over the place: monkeys. Tiny ones and if you are lucky (or not) some bigger ones.
Be careful: These monkeys are not afraid of people, more likely the opposite. They grab everything you have in your hand or, if you are wearing a long skirt like I did, try to eat your skirt and get very angry if you try to stop them.
Actually I don’t like monkey forest too much. Too many monkeys in one place for me ? , but I know that a lot of my friends love to go there. It is a special experience after all.
Any Questions or Tips to add?