1 h 15 by car · Gede drives you Things to do in Ubud, Bali, guide from our Canggu villa
Temples, terraces and the ridge walk, Ubud rewards a full, well-planned day. It's 1 h 15 from the villa with Gede driving, which means you can do the terraces before the tour buses and still be back for a sunset swim.
Last updated: 11 June 2026
Worth your time
Tegalalang rice terraces
The sculpted valley of terraces north of Ubud town, steeper, older and more dramatic than the flat paddies around Canggu. Early light makes the green glow.
💡 go before 8am to beat the tour busesSacred Monkey Forest
A temple forest where several hundred long-tailed macaques live among moss-covered shrines. Entertaining, photogenic and entirely on the monkeys' terms.
💡 leave sunglasses and snacks in the carCampuhan Ridge walk
A paved path along a grass-covered ridge between two river valleys, ten minutes from Ubud's centre. An easy hour there and back.
💡 walk it at 7am before the heat buildsUbud Palace and the art market
The royal family's compound sits across from the market's maze of baskets, paintings and woodcarving. Evening dance performances are held in the palace courtyard.
💡 bargain with a smile, start near halfTirta Empul
The thousand-year-old water temple where Balinese queue to bathe under spring-fed spouts. Visitors may join the purification ritual respectfully.
💡 bring a change of clothes for the poolsEat & drink
Locavore
Fine dining
Ubud's famous tasting-menu kitchen built on Indonesian produce, reserve well ahead.
Bebek Bengil
Balinese restaurant
The original crispy-duck institution, eaten in pavilions facing a rice paddy.
Sari Organik
Farm cafe
Reached on foot through the fields north of town; the walk is half the meal.
How we make it easy
- Gede's air-conditioned 7-seater, day rate from $45, no meter anxiety
- Chef Wayan packs a picnic or books the table you actually want
- Tickets, guides and timings arranged before you finish breakfast
- Cold towels and water waiting in the car on the way home
Why stay in Canggu and day-trip to Ubud?
Should you stay in Ubud instead? Plenty of guests ask, and our honest answer is: visit it brilliantly, sleep by the coast. Ubud’s centre is busy with tour traffic by mid-morning and the jungle valleys hold their humidity into the night, while a planned day trip gives you its best hours, terraces at dawn, the ridge walk before the heat, and returns you to a quiet rice-field lane, the 16-metre pool and an evening breeze off the paddies. At 1 h 15 each way, it’s a day trip that earns its place on any Bali itinerary.
We’ve turned that day into a routine. Gede’s day rate starts from $45; he’ll have the 7-seater cool and ready before sunrise, sequence the stops so you stay ahead of the crowds, and handle every entrance ticket and sarong along the way. Ask the night before and Chef Wayan packs a picnic from his 6am Pasar Canggu run, so lunch happens wherever the view is best. Tell Sarah on WhatsApp which day you’d like Ubud, and she’ll have Gede at the gate before first light.
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