10 Must-Do Activities In and Around Ubud, Bali, Ubud, Indonesia

Ubud is the cultural and spiritual heart of Bali. There’s so much to see and do that it can get quite tough to pick the best things, especially during a short stay. I’ve stayed in Ubud for 5 days and packed as many activities into my schedule as I could. The below activities were my absolute favorite and I’d love to share them with you. If you’re planning a shorter stay, check out this 2-day Ubud itinerary.

One of the first places I visited when I was in Ubud was the iconic Monkey Forest. You see pictures of this location all over Instagram so you know it’s a must visit. The forest is quite easy to get to as it’s close to the center of Ubud. What many don’t know is that the sanctuary is also part of a Hindu temple. Therefore, the Ubud Monkey Forest describes its mission as conservation of the area within its boundaries according to the Hindu principle of Tri Hata Karana (“Three ways to reach spiritual and physical well-being”), which seeks to make people live harmoniously during their lives. Currently, there are over 600 Balinese long-tailed monkeys, a type of macaque, living in the forest.

By this point, you probably already want to get your fingers onto some delicious local Balinese food. I stumbled upon this gorgeous place in the center of Ubud called Nomad that offers Western comfort food as well as local Balinese, Indonesian and Asian fusion dishes. As I had never had Balinese food before, I went with the Balinese Tapas platter to be able to try as many different dishes as possible. The dish consists of 12 tapas, including tofu goreng, spring rolls, chicken satay and grilled fish, to name a few. At 135,000 IDR or $9.45, this is an absolute steal. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).