Bali Ubud Day Trip: Monkey Forest, Temples & Rice Terraces

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(309 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We’d barely left the car in Ubud before the first monkey tried to unzip my backpack. Our driver Wayan just grinned and handed me a handful of peanuts—“They’re clever,” he said, which felt like an understatement after watching one untie someone’s shoelace. The air was thick with that earthy smell you get in the forest after rain, and there was this weird mix of incense from the temple and something sweet I couldn’t place. The Monkey Forest is both peaceful and chaotic at once—kids laughing, monkeys everywhere, little stone carvings peeking out from moss.

After that it was a blur of green—Tegalalang Rice Terraces looked almost fake with their perfect layers. You know those photos you see online? It’s actually like that, but muddier. We did the jungle swing thing (I screamed, not sorry) and I think my heart rate only settled down once we were walking along the edge of the paddies. Wayan pointed out a farmer planting rice by hand; his feet sunk deep into the mud. There’s this soft squelch when you step off the path—I still remember that texture.

Tirta Empul Temple was quieter than I expected. Locals were lining up for blessings, water streaming over their heads while they prayed. The guide explained how each fountain has its own meaning—Li laughed when I tried to repeat one of the prayers in Bahasa Bali (probably butchered it). The smell of wet stone and frangipani flowers kind of stuck with me all afternoon. Tegenungan Waterfall was loud—like really loud—and cold enough to wake you up if you dared to swim (I just dipped my toes). On the way back we stopped at Celuk Village where everyone seemed to be making silver jewelry by hand; I ended up buying earrings for my sister even though she never wears them.