Craft, ceremony and cooler air
Ubud and the central highlands
Where Bali's arts have lived longest, among river gorges and rice fields.
The place, in short
Ubud is where Bali's arts have lived longest: carvers, painters, dancers and the families who keep the offerings going, set among rice fields and river gorges. It is busy in the middle and quiet ten minutes out.
About 200 m; a GPS reading gives 210 m and sources vary for the wider district.
Who it suits
- First-timers who want culture before beaches
- Anyone who likes to walk, cook or learn a craft
- People happy to take the evening slowly: the dances start at dusk
Not for: A trip built round the beach. Stay by the sea and visit Ubud for a day.
What to do
Walk the Campuhan Ridge
About 2 km each way along a grassy ridge between two river valleys. Go before the heat; campuhan means the meeting of rivers.
See a Legong at the palace
Ubud Palace stages dance most nights at 19:30, for about 90 minutes, and the programme changes by night of the week. Tell us which dance you most want.
Learn a craft, or cook
Offering-making, silver, carving and Balinese cooking classes all start in the morning. The craft day and the cooking class are the two we run.
Visit the terraces, early
Tegallalang's terraces are close and busy by mid-morning. Go at first light, or choose Jatiluwih if you want space.
How long, and when
How long to stay: three nights
Three nights gives two full days and an evening of dance. A fourth is for a day trip to Sidemen or to Lake Batur.
The best time of day: early morning, then evening
Walks and markets are best before 09:00, when it is cool and the light is low. Dance and dinner belong to the evening.
In the year. Works in every month. In the wet season keep walks for the morning and let the dance be your evening; the performances are under cover and run in the rain.
Good to know
Each fact was checked on the web on the date shown. Where one source stands alone, we say so. Advice, such as how long to stay, is ours.
- Height
- About 210 m by GPS reading; other sources give 200 to 700 m depending on which part of the district they meanChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Date and Time GPS reference; Ubud guides
- Ubud Palace
- Puri Saren Agung, the residence of Ubud's royal family. The present palace dates from the 19th century, was repaired after the 1917 earthquake and opened to foreign visitors in 1928.Checked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Wikipedia, Ubud Palace
- Campuhan Ridge Walk
- About 2 km one way; campuhan means the meeting of two riversChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Campuhan Ridge Walk and several Ubud guides (agreeing)
- Legong at Ubud Palace
- Nightly at 19:30, about 90 minutes, with a different programme on different nightsChecked 6 Oct 2026. Source: Bali Holiday Secrets; Viator and GetYourGuide listings
Days that start here
Culture · Food and craft
Ubud craft, dance and offerings
A day in the hands: the offering you make, the wood and silver you watch, the Legong you end on.
- Time
- Full day
- Group
- Small group, up to 6
- Fitness
- Easy
- Meeting
- Hotel pick-up
fromUS$95per person
Food and craft · Culture
Balinese cooking, from market to banana leaf
Start with a mortar and a heap of spices, and end by eating everything you made.
- Time
- Half day
- Group
- Small group, up to 8
- Fitness
- Easy
- Meeting
- Hotel pick-up
fromUS$55per person
Culture · Nature
Water temples and the highland lakes
A private day on the trail of one idea: that water is sacred, and everything below it depends on it.
- Time
- Full day
- Group
- Private, 2 to 4
- Fitness
- Easy
- Meeting
- Private pick-up
fromUS$85per person
