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I spent 8 days 7 nights in Bali in August 2018 with my bud Sneha. I could divide my trip into two parts Ubud and Kuta. You can experience my trip here and it may help you in planning your next visit to Bali as well.
Our plan was very simple, spend the first half of the week in Ubud and the rest in Kuta. Ubud is in the center of Bali, so that meant from Ubud we easily explore the north of Bali.
Day 1 : Reaching Ubud
We reached Ngurah Rai International airport at around 12 in the noon and the first thing I noticed was how hot the weather can be and we had already booked a room at a place called Ubud Backpacker House for 2 through AirBnb for around $10(Rs.745) a night for 2 people including breakfast. At the time of booking, we requested the host Ari to send someone to pick us up from the airport. It costed us 300K IDR (1500 INR , 20 USD ). This is a standard fee that hotels charge for airport pickup to Ubud.
Our driver John picked us up from the airport. We were happy that we had arranged for pickup, because it would have been very difficult for us to find the place on our own. The rooms were good, and tall trees surrounded us, but it was about 10 mins walk from Ubud center. It would have been better if the place was much closer to the Ubud palace, because that’s the actual center. The owner had listed it as ‘5 mins away from the city center’ but I guess he meant by car. Beware of the dogs and the geckos here!
Stop 1: Ubud Palace
It’s a small palace. Not much of an attraction. But the city center is located here.
Recommended Visit Rating : 3/5
Stop 2: City Center
This is simply awesome. Filled with roadside shops and restaurants, you will love it here. Do not forget to enjoy the coconut icecream and coconut water here.
Recommended Visit Rating 5/5.
Day 2 : Touring Ubud
John, who had picked us up from the airport, agreed to take us around Ubud for 600K IDR( around 3000 INR, 40 USD). We started in the morning after a breakfast prepared by Ari.
Stop 1: Coffee Center
John took us to a touristy place, where they showed us how ‘LUWAK’ coffee is made from the shit of an animal. Don’t worry, it’s totally clean. You can sample and buy lots of coffee.
Recommended Visit Rating : 3/5
Stop 2: Tegalalang Rice Terrace
We proceeded to Tegalalang rice terrace. As the name suggests, these are simply rice terraces, and if you plan to visit the more awesome Jatiluwih rice terrace in north Bali, like we did, you can totally give this a miss.
Recommended Visit rating: 4/5
Stop 3: Goa Gajah
We went to Goa Gajah, which is a temple which will give a peaceful feeling. It’s spread over a large area with a pond and a huge tree.
Recommended Visit Rating: 4/5
Stop 4: Tegenungan Waterfall
This is just a waterfall, pretty crowded if you ask me.
Recommended Visit Rating: 3/5
Stop 4: Ubud monkey forest
Monkey Forest: This is an awesome place. The monkeys can be naughty. A must visit.
Recommended Visit Rating: 5/5
We visited two more temples, the names of which I can’t remember.
Day 3 : North Bali
John agreed to take us sightseeing to North Bali for a fee of 800K IDR (4000 Rs or 54$ ).
Stop 1 : Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal
‘Pura’ means temple. Each temple is different, and you will find a lot of them in Bali.
Recommended Visit Rating : 4/5
Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal
Stop 2 : JetiLuwih Rice Terrace
We made a stop at the JetiLuwih rice terrace which is recognized by UNESCO as part of world cultural heritage. It includes 300 hectares of paddy fields which make for an awesome viewing.
Recommended visit rating 5/5
JetiLuwih Rice Terrace
Stop 3 : Tabanan Hot springs
One can swim in the hot water brought in by the natural springs here. Honestly could have given it a miss.
Recommended visit rating: 3/5
Stop 4 : Ulun Danu Beraten temple
This is a beautiful temple located on lake Beraten. When we are up here, we were totally surrounded by clouds with light drizzle which offered an amazing view. Look out for the strawberry fields nearby.
Recommended visit rating: 5/5
Ulun Danu Beraten temple.
Stop 5 : Twin Lakes
This is a spot where two lakes Tamblingan and Buyan meet. It offers for some good views, but one can certainly give this a miss, if pressed for time.
Recommeded visit rating: 3/5
Twin Lakes
Stop 6 : Nungnung waterfall
This was our last stop for the day. It was getting dark by the time we reached, but the view here was really beautiful. We wished we had more time to spend here.
Recommended visit rating: 5/5
Nungnung waterfall
Day 4 : Mount Batur
We decided to go on a trip to the famous Mount Batur. For this We signed up with a company that organizes such excursions for 300K IDR per person (1500 Rs or $20). Though we were exhausted from our trip to north Bali but still decided to stay awake for our pickup at 2 in the morning.
A van came to pick us up. We were taken to a restaurant where we were offered a breakfast of coffee and mini pancake. We were taken to an assembly spot that consisted of more such vans. It was pretty cold. We were assigned guides and handed a torch along with a box consisting of banana, bread and jam.
We started trekking where we observed a long line of people who were climbing ahead of us. Once we reached the top, it was difficult to climb because of the volcanic ash. In about 2 hours, we finally made it to the top in time to watch the sunrise. The view was totally worth the trek.
The descend down was very easy and we finally reached our rooms by 10.
Recommended Visit Rating: 4/5
Day 5 : Ubud -> Tanah Lot -> Kuta
Stop 1 : Campuhan Ridge Walk
We woke up early morning and went to Campuhan ridge walk for a morning walk.
Recommended visit Rating : 3/5
Stop 2: Tanah Lot
John agreed to take us to Tanah Lot and then drop us at Kuta for 600K IDR (3000Rs or 40$). Tanah Lot is a beautiful temple near the sea and offers one mesmerizing views. It is also one of the more famous tourist destinations in Bali.
Recommended visit rating: 5/5
Stop 3: Kuta
We finally reached Kuta. Kuta can be described as a place to party whereas Ubud is more serene and peaceful. Small lanes define Kuta. The lanes are so small, that John did not have place even to park his car while dropping us off.
We had booked a room at Palm Garden through AirBnb for 800Rs. ($ 10). This time the location was perfect, 5 mins walking from the beach and the rooms were good too, with a swimming pool and breakfast.
For our Kuta itinerary visit the next part here
