Now that we’re back at home, here’s our usual post summarizing the various places and activities we covered, with approximate admission prices and our recommended period of stay.
Day 1
Kemenuh Butterfly Park (SGD30, 1 hr): small but beautifully done up butterfly park. Not as dense as the other similar parks we’ve seen, but the inhabitants look happy. Make sure you visit the larvae incubation area for a very informative talk.
Tegenungan Waterfall (SGD5, 1 hr): congested, with the usual vanity crowd selfie posing in bikinis for their Instagram accounts. The waterfall requires a fairly steep descent that’s doable for most ages, but the ascent back to the car-park can be exhausting: but there are several points for you to rest and catch your breadth. Go only if you really are looking for places to populate your itinerary.
Day 2
Waterbom Bali (SGD141, 3hrs+): very clean, modern and lovingly landscaped water theme park. Visually at least, this is the prettiest water theme park I’ve been to. As in these places, go early in the morning before the tourist crowds start descending from about 11AM onwards. Also book online to get a discount.
Jenggala Café Paint A Pot (2 hrs+): A fun and rather different thing to do if you’re in the Jimbaran area. The mugs after firing do look prettier too – even if you make a mess of things! Appointments can be booked; keep trying their email address or online query form to get through.
The Pirates Bay (free admission if you’re having meals, 1 hr+): dinner in a unique setting – treetop platforms! The prices for fare are broadly the same as what you’ll pay for in Nusa Dua, so this place is worth checking out over dinner for the views and setting. This restaurant didn’t respond to email bookings, but it was fairly empty of crowds at about 5PM the day we went.
Day 3
Bali Treetop Adventure Park (SGD76, 2 hrs): very highly recommend! If our four year old boy can handle the junior challenges, so can anyone else – unless you have the same kind of fear of heights as I do haha. The trees where the challenges are built around are magnificently tall and reach for the skies, and also provide plenty of shade from the sun. The area is also cooler, since it’s at an elevated height. Like the other parks, go in the morning – not only to enjoy the early admission discount (book online!), but also that once the crowds arrive, what is normally a serene experience being one with trees turns rambunctious and noisy.
Ulun Danu Bratan (SGD12, 1 hr): we visited only because we were in the Lake Bratan area and it’s a long drive back to Ubud. You do get a picture-seque setting: temple structures against a lake. But the place was extremely crowded the afternoon we stopped by, though one of our drivers also remarked that the place isn’t normally nearly so congested. Visit and tick this off your bucket list if you must, but don’t feel compelled to go by again if you’ve already seen it once.
Day 4
Jatiluwih Rice Terraces (SGD10, 2 hrs+): well worth the long-drive from Ubud for the magnificent and uninterrupted panoramic vistas. Paths are easy to walk with gentle inclines, and there are a few restaurants to dine with great accompanying views of the area. The area is very large too, so while it’s ideal to go early in the morning, a peak-hour visitation when the tourist buses arrive should still be manageable.
Tanah Lot (SGD14, 1 hr): a lot more congested than when we visited 10 years now. Place feels like a huge tourist trap, as you have to get past very long rows of shops with vendors pushing their wares in your face. And past that, crowds abound – all for the sake of visiting a somewhat unique temple setting. The temple itself isn’t accessible to tourists, so be mindful. The sunset view should still be incredible though (it was at least in 2008). Still, skip and go buy a post-card of the temple instead.
Ubud Monkey Sanctuary (SGD17, 1 hr): definitely worth a visit, and even more so if you’re staying in Ubud. The locals will recommend that you visit in the late morning or early afternoon, as past that time the monkeys would had been well-fed and just lazing around without much activity. The place can still get busy, but there are enough monkeys around so that you give all those selfie and wefie stick wielders plenty of room.
Campuhan Ridge Walk (SGD0, 1 hr+): one of the few totally free attractions on the island. The downhill walk is easily doable by young kids, and I even saw someone on crutches attempt the uphill version of the walk. You get beautiful 360 degree panoramic views of the forests at the top of the gentle hill. The downhill walk is about 30 minutes for a stroll-pace, and the uphill one can be fairly long depending on where you ask your driver to be pick you up again.
Day 5
Bali Quad Discovery Tour (5 hrs): fairly large expense, but it also depends on the specific package you’ve signed up for. Buggy driving is fairly easy and the vehicles powerful enough to navigate the frequent steep up-slopes. Be mindful of any passengers who’re prone to motion sickness though – the ride is extremely bumpy and I doubt they’d survive! Book online for a discounted package too.
Day 6
Bali Zoo/Breakfast with Orang Utans (5 hrs): felt this was a significant letdown, especially considering the expense – we paid SGD205 for the family package in our online booking. The Zoo is small, with the main areas easily congested by even small crowds, and the enclosures not particularly special. More seriously though is that you’re not actually eating with Orang Utans (yes for Elephants: but you’ll have to pay extra), and the whole experience felt mass-market. The saving grace were that the livelier Orang Utan provided plenty of visual entertainment with his antics, and the super cute support animals that the keepers brought out elicited the squeals of excitement from the young kids. Still, our recommendation is to skip both the Zoo and the Breakfast event unless you have money to burn and not enough activities to fill your itinerary with other activities.
Day 7
Traditional Gastronomy Immersion (SGD119, 5 hrs): very highly recommended! This workshop was super hands-on – you literally have to work to get your lunch. Don’t worry even if you can’t cook for your life, or are bringing along kids. Everyone will get engaged – either by doing the simpler meal preparation stuff, or just menial labor – like me and the Russian guy in the morning session ended up doing hahaha.
The Silver Jewelry Artesan (SGD112, 3 hrs): mixed feelings about this. I found the experience largely un-involving with too much waiting. The artisan was very kind though, and we finished the workshop with pieces that we’ll actually use and remember. Place is a little hard to find, so do your usual map preparations before hand.
Day 8
Taksu Photography Trip (SGD171, 5 hrs): fairly expensive outing, but the experience is at least helpful- as in you might find it hard to do street photography deep among the locals unless you’re accompanied and guided by one of their own. This was especially true for me since I’m very new to street photography. The tour seems more appropriate though for persons who’re just starting on digital photographer or at the intermediate level. Without sounding presumptuous, I reckon the local photographer guide got as much out from me about advanced exposure techniques as I did about street photography!
Taro Village Tour (SGD155, 5 hrs): I had to skip this one when an old condition flared up, rendering me bedridden for several hours. Ling felt that the tour was done with great earnestness and enthusiasm, and it helped that we were the only persons on the trip that afternoon. However, a lot of what was covered in the tour we already seen and experienced as part of the Balinese Cooking class on Day 7, so we recommend you do either one but not both.
And the final itinerary (click for a larger version):
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