Welcome to my home, Bali.

Central Bali, in and around Ubud

Sacred Monkey Forest sanctuary

A forest temple in the middle of Ubud with more than a thousand long-tailed macaques, mossy statues and huge banyan trees. Keep sunglasses and snacks in your bag.

Tegalalang rice terraces

Steep green terraces just north of Ubud, watered by subak, the shared irrigation system Bali has used for over a thousand years. Best early, before the crowds.

Ulun Petanu waterfall

A jungle waterfall on the Petanu river east of Ubud, with a pool at the bottom to cool off before lunch.

Tirta Empul holy water temple

A spring temple in Tampaksiring, founded in 962 and just down the road from where I live. Balinese come here to purify themselves under the fountains, and you can join in a sarong.

Bali coffee plantation with free tasting

A small family plantation where you can try Bali coffee, cocoa and herbal teas for free and see beans roasted by hand.

Kintamani and Bangli, in the highlands north-east of Ubud

Kintamani volcano viewpoint

A ridge about 1,500 m up, looking straight across the Batur caldera: the volcano, its black lava fields and Lake Batur. The air is cooler up here, and it's a good place for lunch.

Penglipuran traditional village

A village in Bangli with matching family gates along one stone street, a bamboo forest behind it and no cars. It's often named one of the cleanest villages in the world.

Coffee plantation with free tasting

A stop on the way up to Kintamani. The tasting is free, and you're welcome to just enjoy it.

Gunung Kawi temple & river valley

Eleventh-century shrines carved straight into the cliffs of a river valley near Tampaksiring, reached by a few hundred steps through rice fields.

Gianyar, the craft villages south of Ubud

Art village of Batuan & Celuk

Batuan is known for fine black-and-white paintings, Celuk for its silversmiths. Both are family workshops where you can watch the work up close.

Barong dance performance

A morning dance drama in Batubulan about the fight between good (Barong) and evil (Rangda), with a live gamelan orchestra.

Silver gallery workshop

In Celuk you make your own ring or pendant with a local silversmith and take it home the same day.

Traditional wood carver studio

The village of Mas has carved wood for generations. You'll see masks and statues made from a single block.

East Bali and Ubud

Besakih, the mother temple on Mount Agung

Bali's largest and holiest temple complex, more than 80 temples on terraces about 1,000 m up the slopes of Mount Agung.

Lempuyang gates & sunrise view

In the far east of Bali. The split gate frames Mount Agung perfectly at sunrise, and early morning brings the softest light.

Ubud royal palace and traditional dance

Puri Saren in the centre of Ubud. In the evening the courtyard becomes a stage for Legong and Kecak dances.

North Bali and the central highlands

Sekumpul & Fiji twin waterfalls

Often called the most beautiful waterfall on the island: several falls dropping up to 80 m into a jungle valley in north Bali. The walk down takes about 20 minutes.

Jatiluwih rice terraces

Huge terraces at the foot of Mount Batukaru in Tabanan, part of Bali's UNESCO World Heritage site. There are walking paths right through the fields.

Munduk highland waterfalls

A cool mountain village surrounded by clove and coffee gardens, with several waterfalls close to each other.

Bali Botanical Garden

In Bedugul, about 1,250 m up, next to Lake Bratan and the Ulun Danu water temple. Good for a slow walk among orchids and old trees.

Mount Batur and the Ayung valley

Mount Batur sunrise trek

We start around 4 am and walk about two hours to the 1,717 m summit, then watch the sun come up over Mount Agung and Lake Batur.

White-water rafting on the Ayung

About two hours down the Ayung river near Ubud, through jungle gorges and past small waterfalls. The rapids are grade II to III, fine for beginners.

ATV quad through jungle & rice fields

Jungle trails, rice fields and muddy streams near Ubud on a single or tandem quad. Helmet and boots are provided.

An island off the south-east coast, about 45 minutes by fast boat from Sanur

Kelingking Beach viewpoint

The famous T-rex shaped cliff above a white beach. The viewpoint is easy to reach, and for the adventurous a steep path leads all the way down to the sand.

Diamond Beach

Steps cut into a white limestone cliff lead down to a bright beach on the east coast.

Broken Beach & Angel's Billabong

A stone arch over a round bay, and right next to it a natural rock pool on the cliff edge, at its most beautiful at low tide on calm days.

Snorkelling with manta rays

At Manta Point, reef manta rays with wings up to three metres across come to feed in clear water.

The quiet north coast

Sunrise dolphin watching boat trip

Wild spinner dolphins gather off Lovina in the early morning. We leave very early so you're on the water when the sun comes up.

Traditional outrigger canoe with local skipper

A wooden jukung steered by a local fisherman, the same kind of boat used on this coast for generations.