Denpasar airport - Ubud

• Upon arrival at Denpasar International Airport, transfer to Ubud, a small town amidst emerald green rice paddies and steep ravines in the stunning Central Balinese foothills. Ubud is known as the cultural centre of the island. Despite tourist expansion, this town has preserved its peacefulness and beauty. Free afternoon. Overnight at a hotel.

• Day to discover Ubud and to stroll in its surroundings. In Ubud, elegantly carved temples and palaces flourished in the past. Walking down its streets, you discover Puri Saren and its richly carved doorways, the superbly chiselled Pura Saraswati, the delightful sculptures of Pura Puseh, and numerous museums and galleries… Another major sight of Ubud is the so-called Monkey Forest Temple. Around Ubud, you are surrounded by breathtaking vistas and surprising glimpses of unspoilt rural landscape. Overnight at the same hotel.

Ubud - Tampaksiring

• Warm-up walk through the rice fields of Tampaksiring. There, a family of Balinese artists welcomes us, serving a delicious typical lunch in their traditional home. They later perform typical Balinese dances.

Tampaksiring - Ubud

• Back to Ubud in the afternoon.

Ubud - Belimbing

• Transfer to Belimbing, a small village among paddy fields. On this trip, we discover the most beautiful terraced rice fields on the island. We also meet with local people to get better acquainted with their culture.

Belimbing - Pemuteran

• After a night in a typical local accommodation, we travel to a seaside resort on the northeast coast of Bali, far from crowded tourist areas. We enjoy wonderful beaches, marine wildlife and underwater coralline landscapes, surrounding the Mejangan Island. You may also rent a boat for further exploration.

Pemuteran - Munduk

• Early transfer to Munduk, where we are accommodated in beautifully restored colonial houses.

• The day ends with a gorgeous walk discovering local flora in full bloom around the town. This area is a picturesque region of coffee and clove plantations, nearby forests, waterfalls and some of the most beautiful views of the island.

Munduk - Lake Bratan

• Today’s walk brings us to Candi Kuning, along Tamblingan and Buyan volcanic lakes. These twin lakes were formed in 1818, after a major landslide divided the existing lake in two. This very scenic trek is a great opportunity to learn about local people and agriculture while walking along the edge of beautiful tropical forests.

• We visit the famous Hindu-Buddhist temple complex of Ulun Danau, an absolutely charming site with its huge banyan tree standing near the entrance. One of the temples, isolated on a small island, reflects its 11-tier pagoda on the still waters of the lake.

Lake Bratan - Bedugul

• We have time to contemplate this beautiful landscape before continuing to the picturesque market of Bedugul, then on to village of Catur, located halfway between Lake Bratan and Mt Batur.

Bedugul - Toyabungkah

• We then head to the huge Batur caldeira, passing through Catur area, renowned for its orange and coffee plantations. We reach Batur volcano (1,717 m) and enjoy from Penelokan (literally meaning ‘look-out’) a superb view over the lake lying at its foot. The large size of its crater (14 km across) implies that Mt. Batur used to be a much larger mountain (certainly as tall as Mt. Agung), which blew its top thousands of years ago. Now, this old crater is half-filled with a huge lake, the largest of Bali. Its other half is cultivated and covered with lava fields. The blackened cone of Mt. Batur sits in the middle of this stunning panorama. We carry out our ascent of Mt. Batur through its old lava flows, and skirt around its four craters.

  Overnight at a local inn (losmen)

Toyabungkah - Mt Batur

• We start to climb Mt Batur before the end of the night. We first hike up towards the oldest crater. Then we walk our way down along the adjoining craters before resting at a close but safe distance from the latest and most active crater.

Mt Batur - Kehen Temple

• The afternoon, we visit the second temple, Kehen (often considered to be the most attractive temple in Bali), in the vicinity of Bangli. This temple is said to be one of the most aesthetic in Bali.

Kehen Temple - Tirtagangga

• Then, we set off to Tirtagangga, officially known as Tirta Ayu (‘lovely waters’). We discover its cool, spring-fed pools (which literally means ‘Ganges’ water’) pleasure palace of a former king of Karangasem. These dip pools, surrounded by captivating terraced rice fields, are particularly refreshing after our long drive in. Overnight at a local inn (losmen).

Tirtagangga - Tenganan

• We walk through fields until the Bali Aga (or ‘original Balinese’) village of Tenganan. This village has preserved its traditional Balinese culture as it was prior to the influence of the Majapahit Hindu kingdom. It is also famous throughout Bali for the magical textiles its artists produce (including the famous double ikat cloths, which rank among the masterworks of Southeast Asia), which are also used by other Balinese communities in their worship. The concept of territorial and bodily purity and integrity plays a main role in the culture of this village. For this reason, outsiders are welcome from noon until evening, at what point they are kindly asked to leave. Some say that footprints of visitors are literally erased after they leave.

Tenganan - Sidemen

• Our next stop is Sidemen. Traditional varieties of Balinese rice are grown in Sidemen and the scenery is indeed gorgeous.

• The ultimate hike of our trip: walk on a track with stunning views over both Mt. Agung and the Indian Ocean. In the afternoon, transfer to Sanur’s heavenly beaches (South Bali).