Bali on land activities

[Shasta_man]

We're interested in what activities to do on land in Bali. Besides the Monkey Forest, temple visits and silver, wood, and stone craftsmen... What other activities are there to do? Thanks!

 

[Wingy]

Popular Bali activities - Elephant safari Park (kiss a baby orangutan, ride an elephant, have dinner in a restaurant surrounded by lions) Ulu Wati temple and cliffs which is near Jimbaryn where many people like to go and have the seafood bbq dinner on the beach (very smoky) Ubud for your silver and wood craftsmen, Waterbom Park (never been but seems to be a must do esp in you have kids) Rice Paddy and Mt Agung tours up to the Tulumben area going through Candi Dasi is a pretty drive, White water rafting...and you can always get a tattoo and have your hair braided

 

[highdesert]

1) We've done two bike tours, one starting near Bedugul, and one near Kintamani. Both end near Ubud, and take you through little villages on back roads, with the guide stopping to explain what you're seeing. Both routes are slightly downhill for the entire route, making the cycling very easy.

The first one, from near Bedugul, was enjoyable. The second one, starting at Kintamani, was great, and I highly recommend it! The company is Bali Hai Bike Tours, here:

Bali Hai Bike Tours, Bali Adventure & Cycling Tours through Bali?s Unspoiled Countryside

Here is a Youtube video about their operation:

Bali Hai Bike Tours - YouTube

The equipment is very nice, the pace is relaxed, and you stop often to rest or learn about the local attraction. The traditional village they tour, Penglipuran, is quite beautiful, and the temple, Pura Kehen, was really interesting, and that's after having seen a good number of Balinese temples. The breakfast view looks out over the volcano Gunung Batur and the lake below it, and the afternoon meal (which is excellent) looks out over the ocean from a high point near Ubud. Some bike tours are cheaper, but the combination of meals, equipment, route, attractions, and length of time make this a hot ticket, IMHO.

2) Find a good guide/driver and tour the rice terraces at Jatiluwih and the temple Pura Luhur Batu Karu beyond it. This temple is well off the beaten path, and the drive getting there is worth it.

3) Just west of the crossroads in Ubud, start walking north up Jalan Kajeng, and just keep walking. You'll end up in beautiful rice fields, and continue walking a several kilometer counterclockwise loop right back to the middle of Ubud. Lots of locals, lots of smiles, and you're out of the craziness of the center of Ubud.

4) Spend a couple nights in a traditional wooden room (upstairs is better) at Tegal Sari in Ubud. You can sit on the porch and look out over the rice field, listening to the monkeys and gamelan music from the temple beyond it.

PM me for more; I also take donations for my Bali retirement fund.

 

[chillyinCanada]

OK, you did say you intend to visit temples, so be sure to include Tanah Lot, in the mix. I also recommend at least one evening spent at a dance performance centre. Go to a batik factory but perhaps don't buy there. I was able to get beautiful sarongs for a, um, song, from vendors at a temple.

At Ubud, purchased a large batik picture that hangs on the wall in my bedroom. It never fails to thrill me with its beauty and artistry.

You may have many opportunities to see fabulous sites, just walking or driving around. Some of my very best pictures are of people on their way to temple ceremonies, in their cultural dress best, and many delicately carrying large/tall fruit and food offerings on their heads - many of those with a fully cooked chicken dangling in the center of the arrangement. Stunningly gorgeous spectacle.

Stop at a road side stand and have a taste of durian. It's like eating peaches and cream in an outhouse. There are also other quite lovely tasting and exotic looking fruits that don't have the pungent aroma of durian, so don't let that scare you off.

Check out some shops for Balinese shadow puppet wood carvings. Some of them are quite extraordinary when hung in a pair on your wall at home. Myself, I prefer the smoother carvings vs those more intricately carved.

 

[Will Rogers]

High Dessert and Chilly give great suggestions Shasta. Whether you have kids may matter when making your decisions. I really enjoyed some of the temples near Tampaksiring, especially Guning Kawi and Tirta Empul. Not far from Ubud, and easy to get a driver to take you. Go early to avoid the crowds. The rice fields near Jatiluwih (see image), as HD notes can be breathtaking, though I'm not sure the Batukaru temple is worth the effort. The road is terrible!

If you have time, maybe spend a few nights over near Sidemen - very lovely, as is the Tirta Ganga water palace not too far away. If you can get invited to a local ceremony (wedding, cremation, etc.), it can be most memorable and colorful. Often times the staff where you are staying will invite you if you let them know you are interested.

Have fun!
Will

 

[Darnold9999]

A couple of memorable stops we made.

Stopped at a gong maker's retail shop. (Not a tourist place.) Out the back they were constructing gamelon's and other metal instruments. Ended up spending a good hour taking a tour of the foundry, the owner's temples and house. Seems like a gong maker does very well in a country where every village has at least one temple. A very pleasant afternoon.

Similar experience looking for a Balinese flute. Wanted a real instrument not a tourist POS. Drove into the mountains to another "factory". The
factory was a largish building with a foundry where they made a number of different instruments. Similar experience. Memorable in that there was a very old gambang (a xylophone with metal resonating tubes) This old instrument was sitting on the floor and I got the impression that this was what they used for their reference pitch. Anyway I got permission to try it - and the sound was incredible. A single note filled the entire room with a gorgeous sound. Came away with a set of three flutes and some bells that cost us virtually nothing - and another pleasant afternoon.

Not suggesting that you do the same as music is my hobby, but I did find that outside of the regular tourist spots the people to be extremely friendly and interesting to talk to - even though we did not share a common language.

 

[chillyinCanada]

So cool, Darnold!!

 

[Grocio]

... and when you've finished doing all these exciting and nice activities referred to above, you'll be tired. It means it'll be time to get any of the fantastic body massages offered here and there in the marvellous island!

 

[jake11]

Climb one of the volcanoes! Best land activity we did! We were up top for the sunrise!

 

[Golo]

As it wasn't mentioned yet... what I enjoyed as well was a market tour by a local, followed up by cooking lessons, and then eating what we had prepared.

We also mentioned to our hotel manager that we really loved the various sweet green rice cakes they had at the market, and from that day on every morning we got some together with our breakfast, complimentary