13 places · Bali
Jungle right in the middle of Ubud: moss-covered ancient temples, banyan roots and hundreds of long-tailed macaques.
Price: IDR 130,000 for a foreign adult (since April 2026)
Insider tip: Put glasses, earrings and food in a zipped bag. Don't stare monkeys in the eye or try to grab back what they steal: call a ranger.
Bali's most famous terraces: green steps dropping into a valley between palm trees.
Price: Small entry fee; swings and photo "nests" cost extra
Insider tip: Come at 7–8 a.m.: soft light and hardly anyone around. Farmers ask for a donation to cross some plots, which is normal.
A free path along a hilltop ridge between two rivers: waist-high grass, palms and jungle views.
Price: Free
Insider tip: Go at sunrise or before sunset: there's no shade on the ridge at midday. At the end of the path there are cafés overlooking rice fields.
The royal palace with carved gates and the market opposite: sarongs, baskets, coffee and souvenirs.
Price: Courtyard entry is free
Insider tip: Legong dance is often performed in the courtyard in the evening; tickets are sold at the gate during the day. Haggle at the market, starting at half the price.
The temple of holy springs, where Balinese walk through a row of fountains in a purification ritual.
Price: Paid entry; sarongs provided
Insider tip: Visitors can bathe too, in the sarong provided and respecting the queue. Come at opening time: by noon it's crowded.
The 11th-century "Elephant Cave": an entrance carved as a demon's mouth, ancient bathing pools and a jungle path down to a stream.
Price: Paid entry; sarongs provided
Insider tip: Take the steps down behind the pools: it's quiet there and almost empty.
A temple to the goddess of knowledge right on Ubud’s main street. A path leads across a pond full of lotuses to carved gates. It is quiet during the day, and in the evening there is Legong dance in the courtyard.
Price: Free entry; the evening dance is paid
Insider tip: The lotuses open in the morning, so come before 10 am. The evening show starts around 7:30 pm, with tickets sold at the gate the same day. You need a sarong, they lend one at the entrance.
A waterfall inside a cave where sunlight falls into the water in beams.
🔒 Secret spot: details and the map pin are in the full guide
A climb in the dark and the sun rising above the clouds next to Mount Agung.
🔒 Secret spot: details and the map pin are in the full guide
The "Gates of Heaven" framing Mount Agung, and the truth about the "mirror lake" photos.
🔒 Secret spot: details and the map pin are in the full guide
UNESCO-listed terraces to the horizon, with hardly any crowds.
🔒 Secret spot: details and the map pin are in the full guide
A temple that seems to float on a mountain lake in the clouds.
🔒 Secret spot: details and the map pin are in the full guide
Bali’s mightiest waterfall: seven streams falling into one jungle gorge.
🔒 Secret spot: details and the map pin are in the full guide