Bali Ubud – Luwak Coffee / Tegallalang Rice Terrace / Tirta Empul / Elephant Cave / Saraswati Temple

We got a drive and went to explore Ubud! The town of Ubud, in the uplands of Bali, Indonesia, is known as a center for traditional crafts and dance. The terraced rice paddies, dotted with Hindu temples and shrines, are among Bali’s most famous landscapes.

We first visited a Luwak Coffee planation, to see how the coffee and Tea is made. The coffee being made from the Luwak’s poo, and seasoned with other herbs and fruits.

After that we went to the Tegallalang Rice Terrace, the perfect place for photos and to take in some epic scenery. They have paths to walk round, which has swings and other areas to take pictures.

After a quick lunch (none satisfying for Luke though!), one of the main highlights, was Tirta Empul which is a Hindu Balinese water temple located near the town of Tampaksiring. The the most famous part of Tirta Empul temple is the Jaba Tengah. The water in the pools is believed to have magical powers and people go there to purify themselves under the 30 water spouts that flow into 2 pools.

You get changed into specific robes and then enter the water, and after washing your face as well as submerging your head in the water from the spouts 3 times, move onto the next spout. It was a very unique experience and thankfully was not too busy when we went.

From there next stop was the the Elephant Cave Temple of Goa Gajah which dates as far back as the 11th century. Built on a hillside where two streams met to form a river junction, the site was deemed sacred and the temple was built for prayer and enclosed meditation.

The last stop was the Saraswati temple which is dedicated to honor the goddess of learning, literature and art. This temple is very beautiful and artistic, famous for the lotus pond.

It was full day out! Ubud has plenty to enjoy and it worth a visit for sure! While we did everything in one day, it would have also been nice to spend a night over and enjoy at a slow pace also.