What are the best day trips from Ubud?

The quick ranking

• Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi: 30 to 40 minutes. The water temple and the cliff-carved shrines. Half a day.

• Mount Batur sunrise trek: about 1.5 hours to the trailhead, from a 2am pickup. Back by late morning.

• Sidemen and Besakih: about 1 to 1.5 hours. Rice valleys under Mount Agung and Bali's mother temple. Full day.

• Jatiluwih and Ulun Danu Beratan: about 1.5 to 2 hours. UNESCO rice terraces and the lake temple. Full day.

• Lempuyang: about 2 to 2.5 hours. The 'Gates of Heaven'. Long day, long queues.

• Waterfalls south and east of Ubud: 30 minutes to an hour each. Half a day.

Ubud itself needs 3 to 4 days for the palace, the Monkey Forest, Tegallalang and the Campuhan Ridge Walk; see how many days in Ubud.

1. Tirta Empul and Gunung Kawi

Tirta Empul is a working water temple where Balinese Hindus bathe in a row of spring-fed spouts believed to purify; visitors can join, respectfully, in a sarong. Ten minutes away, Gunung Kawi is an 11th-century complex of shrines carved into the cliffs of a river valley, reached by a long stairway through rice terraces. The Tegallalang terraces are on the way back.

Getting there: 30 to 40 minutes north of Ubud by car, depending on traffic.

How long: half a day. Suits: everyone. Tip: go at opening time, before the tour buses. Tirta Empul usually includes a sarong with the ticket, but our Bali temple etiquette guide explains why bringing your own helps at smaller temples.

2. The Mount Batur sunrise trek

Mount Batur (1,717 m) is an active volcano in a huge caldera, with Lake Batur below. The classic trek starts in the dark and reaches the summit for sunrise over Mount Agung and Mount Rinjani on Lombok, with breakfast cooked in volcanic steam on many tours.

Getting there: treks are sold with a pickup from Ubud around 2am, about 1.5 hours' drive to the trailhead, then roughly 2 hours of climbing on loose volcanic gravel. You are usually back in Ubud by late morning.

How long: a night and a morning. Suits: reasonably fit walkers. Tip: it is cold on the summit before dawn, around 15°C, so bring a warm layer. We stayed 2 nights in Kintamani, on the caldera rim, rather than doing it from Ubud; that cuts the pickup to a reasonable hour. If you do it from Ubud, keep the afternoon free to recover. See our Kintamani guide.

3. Sidemen and Pura Besakih

Sidemen is a valley of rice terraces and weaving villages under Mount Agung, Bali's highest and holiest volcano. Pura Besakih, the 'mother temple', is a complex of more than twenty temples climbing the slopes of Agung, the most important in Balinese Hinduism.

Getting there: about 1 to 1.5 hours east of Ubud by car to either; they are close to each other, so one day covers both.

How long: a full day. Suits: anyone who wants rural Bali. Tip: at Besakih, buy your ticket at the official counter and use the official guides if you want one. Mount Agung is clearest early, before the clouds build. We stayed 3 nights in Sidemen after Kintamani, and that is what we would recommend over a day trip: three mornings give Agung three chances to show itself. See our Sidemen guide.

4. Jatiluwih and Ulun Danu Beratan

The Jatiluwih rice terraces, in the west of the island, are the largest and most traditional in Bali and part of the UNESCO listing for the subak irrigation system. They are far bigger and quieter than Tegallalang. On the same trip, Ulun Danu Beratan is the lake temple at Bedugul whose shrines appear to float on Lake Beratan.

Getting there: about 1.5 to 2 hours from Ubud to Jatiluwih, then roughly 45 minutes on to Beratan.

How long: a full day. Suits: walkers and photographers. Tip: the highland lakes of Munduk are just beyond Beratan. We stayed 3 nights in Munduk before Ubud for its waterfalls and crater lakes; if you are moving between the north and Ubud, stop at Jatiluwih on the way instead of making it a round trip.

5. Lempuyang: the 'Gates of Heaven'

Pura Lempuyang in the far east of Bali is one of the island's oldest and most sacred temples, and its split gate framing Mount Agung is one of the most photographed spots in Bali. The famous 'reflection' in photos is made with a mirror held under the phone lens; there is no lake.

Getting there: about 2 to 2.5 hours each way from Ubud.

How long: a long day. Suits: photographers with patience. Tip: queues for the gate photo can run for hours. Go very early, or skip the gate and climb past it to the upper temples, which most visitors never reach.

6. Waterfalls near Ubud

Several waterfalls are close enough for a half-day loop: Tegenungan, south of Ubud, is the easiest and busiest; Tibumana is a short jungle walk with a single fall; Tukad Cepung, to the east, is a fall inside a cave where light beams through in the morning. Each is 30 minutes to an hour away by car, with steps down and back up.

Suits: families and anyone with a spare morning. Tip: go early, wear shoes with grip, and expect the falls to be fuller and browner in the wet season.

Drivers, costs and planning

• Hire a driver for the day: it is the normal way to do all of these and lets you combine stops. Agree the route and hours in advance. Our Bali tipping guide covers what to give a driver at the end of a long day.

• Scooters: cheaper, but the mountain roads are steep and police checkpoints are common; read our Bali scooter guide first.

• Dress: every temple expects a sarong and sash; see the temple dress code guide.

• Order: our 18-day route ran Seminyak, Munduk, Ubud, Kintamani, Sidemen and Padangbai, which turns most of these day trips into stops on the way. See our 18-day Bali itinerary, how many days in Bali and where to stay in Ubud.

Frequently asked questions