Hayley's Travel Journal
Hi, I'm Hayley. Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in ravel, lifestyle and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
Heading to Bali soon but only have a limited amount of time? Here is the rundown of a day-trip Dom and I did and highly recommend to those that want to squeeze as much sight-seeing as possible into one day:
8am – Kadek (our Mount Batur taxi driver) picked us up from our hotel in Legian, after we made arrangements a few days previously. For 500,000 IDR (less than £30), he offered us a full day of transport to wherever we wanted to go.
9am – Wanting to explore more of Ubud, we began by doing the Campuhan Ridge Walk about an hours drive from Legian. Kadek dropped us off and we did a 45 minute walk along the sprawling mountain valley. The views here are breathtaking with a single paved track snaking through the lush green hillsides.
Difficulty – Relatively easy but very open and exposed so gets very hot.
Accessibility – Easy if you have a local driving you! For all other directions, this blog sums it up nicely.
Fee – Free entry
Rating – 4/5 – Beautiful scenery, a gentle walk and not many tourists.
10:30am – Next on the list was Tegallalang Rice Terraces, about a 30 minute drive. A well-known place in Ubud, this is a tourist hotspot and bustling with visitors. It’s one of those places you just have to see to believe – glorious views of layered vegetation carved into the cliffs and scattered with giant palm trees. If you didn’t want to go down into the paddies, there are plenty of great photo spots from the main street.
Difficulty – The entrances and walking paths are very narrow and steep in parts so it can be quite a slow and slippery walk.
Accessibility – Easy access from the main street. There was a small fee to use the car park (about 10,000 IDR) but from there it was a 10/15 minute walk following signs/the crowd.
Fee – Free entry, however the terraces are owned by individual farmers who ask for small donations to enter so its good to carry some small change. Same goes for the locals who are happy to pose for photos but may also ask for a small donation.
Rating – 4/5 – Definitely one to witness with your own eyes. Busy with tourists but absolutely worth the trip.
11:30am – On the way to our next location, our driver asked if we wanted to stop off at a coffee plantation. I wasn’t too bothered as I’m not a coffee drinker but as it was barely two minutes from the rice terraces, we decided to pop in.
Thank goodness we did!
This ended up being one of the highlights of my entire trip. The plantation (Uma Pakel) was really quiet with hardly any other visitors. We had a private guide who spoke excellent English and was really informative. We learnt how the civit cat partially digests the coffee bean and then poops it out. This is then cleaned (phew) to make Luwak coffee, the most expensive coffee in the world!
Of course we had to try some and it was so strong and tasty, despite not being a coffee lover. This cost us less than £3 which is nothing considering it can sell for £75 a cup!
Fee – Free entry, free tour and 14 complimentary samples of the coffee and tea grown at the plantation (plus free plantain chips)!
They also have a swing overlooking the beautiful green gardens. There is a fee attached to this and often a small queue. There are plenty of other viewpoints for prime photo opportunities and also a little shop that sells a variety of coffees, teas and gifts.
Rating – 5/5 – Amazing experience, delicious tasting board and an engaging guide that really made the tour interesting and fun!
1pm – Our next stop was a 40 minute drive to Teganungun Waterfall; another spot highly favoured by tourists. And its easy to see why.
If you are a person that likes to chase waterfalls like me, then this should be top of your Bali Bucket List. This stunning body of water cascades into the pool below where you can wade out and feel the cool spray lingering on your body.
Difficulty – A steep and rocky descent but there are places to rest along the way. Shallow waters and a barrier stops you getting too close to the waterfall so it is fine for weak swimmers.
Accessibility – Easy to access from car park. Lots of signs and tourists heading in the direction. Narrow in parts as you descend.
Fee – 10,000 IDR entrance fee (50p). Lots of nice stalls and cafe’s in the surrounding area.
Rating – 4/5 – Very busy and can be difficult to get a photo without someone else being in it (This one had to be heavily cropped)! Scenery is spectacular though and worth a visit despite the crowds.
3pm – After a jam-packed day, Kadek took us to one of his favourite local restaurants where we sampled some more delicious Balanese cuisine.
5pm – Full of food and exhausted from our activities, we were dropped back off at our hotel after spending a wonderful day sightseeing.
Final tip
When you only have 7 days to explore, its really important to plan and make the most of each day. The one thing I would recommend to anyone visiting Bali is to make a daily deal with a local taxi driver. This saved us a lot of money and meant that we had someone showing us round who knew Bali a lot better than we did. We visited some places that only a local would know about. Most of the taxis we got offered this service so its definitely worth bartering a deal that suits you both.
I hope this insight has given you some ideas and information on places to explore on a day-trip!