Nature · Culture
A subak walk with a farmer
Walk the channels with someone whose family has shared this water for generations.
The day, in short
A slow morning in the Jatiluwih terraces with a member of the local subak: how water is divided between farms, why the order is argued over and settled, and what the rice goddess has to do with it.
- Led by a farmer from the subak
- The weirs, channels and a field shrine
- Red rice lunch with a farming family
Who it suits
Anyone who likes to understand a place. Families with children from 6 (sample rule). The path is not suitable for wheelchairs.
How demanding
Three to five kilometres on level or gently rolling paths and field edges, in the open. Wear a hat. Some bunds are narrow and can be slippery after rain.
What happens
- 08:00
Pick-up and the drive to Tabanan
Up through the villages of Tabanan towards Mount Batukaru. The terraces start to appear well before the village does.
- 09:45
Meeting your farmer-guide
He or she belongs to Subak Jatiluwih, one of the subaks of the Catur Angga Batukaru landscape, part of Bali's UNESCO-listed cultural landscape of subak.
- 10:00
Following the water
You walk the telabah (the channels) and stop at the weirs where one farm's share is separated from the next. This is the heart of it: nobody owns the water, and the order is agreed by the members.
- 11:15
The field shrine
A small shrine at the edge of the fields, where farmers make offerings to the water and to Dewi Sri, the rice goddess. You see it from the path; you do not walk in.
- 11:45
Work in the field, if there is any
Planting, weeding or harvest depends on the week and on the farmers, not on us. If there is work and you are invited to help, you can. If not, you watch.
- 12:45
Lunch with a farming family
Rice from the terraces (Jatiluwih is known for its red rice), vegetables from the garden, and the questions you saved up.
- 14:00
Back to your hotel
By mid-afternoon you are home, and you will not look at a rice field the same way.
Included and not
Included
- Included: Hotel transfers in an air-conditioned vehicle
- Included: A farmer from the local subak as your guide
- Included: Entry fee to the Jatiluwih terraces
- Included: Red rice lunch with a farming family
- Included: Water and fruit on the walk
Not included
- Not included: A tip for your guide (it goes to the farmer)
- Not included: Travel insurance
- Not included: Souvenirs and the rice you will want to take home
Bring and wear
Tick things off as you pack. The ticks stay on this device.
Where we meet
Hotel pick-up from Ubud (about 08:00) or Canggu (about 07:45).
Or meet your guide at the Jatiluwih ticket gate at 09:45. The drive is about an hour and three-quarters from Ubud, slower in traffic.
Pick-up around 08:00 from Ubud or Canggu
In the fields
- These are working fields, not a park. Stay on the path your guide uses, never walk into a paddy, and do not pick or take rice.
- If you pass a shrine, offerings or a small ceremony, keep your distance and keep your camera down unless your guide says it is welcome.
- Ask before photographing anyone at work.
When it works best
The terraces change through the rice cycle: mirror-flooded and pale when the fields are planted, deep green in the middle, gold near harvest. The timing is set by each subak and differs from one to the next, so ask us what the week looks like. Jatiluwih is cooler and wetter than the coast and is often misty in the early morning.
Cancellation. Sample policy: free changes or cancellation up to 48 hours before. If heavy rain makes the paths unsafe we will rebook you or refund you in full.
Good to know
Each fact was checked on the web on the date shown. Where a fact comes from one source only, we say so.
- UNESCO
- The cultural landscape of Bali Province: the subak system, inscribed in 2012. Its Catur Angga Batukaru component includes Jatiluwih.Checked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Jatiluwih village site and UNESCO summaries
- Elevation
- About 700 m above sea levelChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Jatiluwih village site
- Entry fee (foreign adult)
- IDR 75,000 as of January 2026. It changes, and is included in your price.Checked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Bali Holiday Secrets, citing January 2026
- Walking routes
- Marked trails from about 1.5 km to 8 kmChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Bali Holiday Secrets
Sample price. Includes the farmer-guide, entry fee and lunch.
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