Nestled in the mountains of Bali, Ubud is a perfect place to serve as a base to explore the island. Temples and lush green rice terraces surround the area and staying in the region provides a closer look at every day life.
Before flying to Australia, we wanted to spend a few days up north, so we booked a driver to take us from Jimbaran to Ubud. The drive is approximately 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. Based on a recommendation of a friend, we opted to stay at the Junjungan Ubud Hotel and Spa, located a little bit outside of town. The rooms include verandas overlooking a beautiful rice terrace and canopy style beds.
After settling in, we spent the next couple of days shopping at local markets and visiting temples in the area such as Ulan Denu Beratan and Tirta Empul. At Tirtu Empul Temple (also known as the Water Temple), visitors can wade into the water and be ritually purified by the holy spring water if they wish.
One of the active volcanos on the island, Mount Batar, is also located north of Ubud. While we wanted to hike Mount Batar, based on the time we had, we took a scenic drive up past the volcano and along the way, stopped to walk through the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces.
At the end of long days of touring, the hotel was an ideal place to relax and get away from it all. In the evenings, we enjoyed massages at the small hotel spa. Massages in Bali are inexpensive and they were some of the best massages we’ve had.
During our final day on Bali on the way to the airport, we stopped at Tengenungan Waterfall. It’s a bit of a trek down to the bottom, but it’s a fun place to cool off at the base of the waterfall.
Our time on Bali exceeded our expectations in many ways and was a terrific way to spend the first leg of our trip. While we still had a lot to see in Australia, we left Bali not wanting to leave and of course, hoping that we could return again soon.
Popular places to see in or around Ubud:
- Tirta Empul Temple
- Ulan Denu Beratan Temple
- Pura Taman Kemuda Saraswati (Ubud Water Palace)
- Jatiluwah Rice Terrace
- Tegallang Rice Terrace
- Mount Batar
- Tengenungan Waterfall
- Monkey Forest
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