Explore Ubud

Ubud Palace, officially Puri Saren Agung, is the residence of Ubud's royal family in the centre of the town, built in traditional Balinese style under Tjokorda Putu Kandel (1800–1823) and restored after the 1917 earthquake. Visitors enter its outer courtyards with stone carvings by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, and Balinese dance is staged there in the evening.

The Ubud Art Market, Pasar Seni Ubud in Indonesian, fills the lanes and halls of the market complex in the centre of Ubud, next to the royal palace. Its stalls sell Balinese souvenirs and handicrafts, while the traditional market in the building's lower level sells fruit, vegetables and local snacks.

Pura Taman Saraswati is a Balinese Hindu temple in the centre of Ubud, dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts. It was built in 1951–1952 to a design by the sculptor I Gusti Nyoman Lempad for the prince of Ubud. A path lined with stone figures crosses its lotus pond to three red-brick gateways.

The Puri Lukisan Museum on Ubud's main street holds Balinese paintings and woodcarvings from the 1930s onwards, from the Ubud, Batuan, Sanur, Young Artists and Keliki schools. It grew out of the Pita Maha artists' association of Tjokorda Gede Agung Sukawati and Rudolf Bonnet and opened in 1956; four pavilions stand in a garden with lotus ponds.

The Campuhan Ridge Walk is a paved footpath along a grassy ridge in Campuhan, on the western edge of Ubud. From the hill you look down on the point where the Yeh Wos Kiwa and Yeh Wos Tengen rivers meet, the confluence where, according to an 8th-century legend, the Javanese priest Rsi Markandya meditated.

The Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) is an art museum on Jalan Pengosekan in south Ubud, founded by the art dealer Agung Rai and opened on 9 June 1996. Its galleries show classical Kamasan painting, works by Batuan artists of the 1930s and 1940s, and paintings by Raden Saleh and Walter Spies; the grounds also hold dance performances and workshops.

Ubud Monkey Forest, formally Mandala Suci Wenara Wana, is a sanctuary of about 12.5 hectares in Padangtegal on the southern edge of Ubud, run by the village. Paths and a bridge lead through ravines and old banyan trees to a holy spring and three Hindu temples dating from around the 14th century, among more than a thousand long-tailed macaques.

The Neka Art Museum on the road between Campuhan and Sanggingan, about 2 km north-west of central Ubud, was founded by the art dealer Suteja Neka and opened in 1982. Its pavilions, set around a garden like a Balinese family compound, trace Balinese painting and show works by Arie Smit, keris daggers and 1930s photographs by Robert Koke.

Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave, is a rock-cut sanctuary at Bedulu, south-east of Ubud, probably from the 11th century. Its entrance is carved as a demonic face; inside are a Ganesha figure and lingam-yoni symbols of Shiva, while a bathing pool, excavated in 1954, has statues of women holding water vessels. Buddhist carvings lie by the river below.

Tegenungan Waterfall drops into the gorge of the Petanu River at the village of Kemenuh in Sukawati, Gianyar, south of Ubud. Unlike most waterfalls on Bali it lies in the lowlands; from a viewpoint at the entrance, stairs lead down to the pool and the rock ledges at its foot. The flow is strongest in the rainy season from November to March.

The Tegallalang Rice Terraces line a steep valley beside the main road through Tegallalang, about 8 km north of Ubud. The paddies are watered by subak, the Balinese cooperative irrigation system, and footpaths lead down across the terraces and up the far side, past cafés and swings built along the valley rim.

Bali Zoo in Singapadu, Gianyar, south of Ubud, opened in 2002 as the first zoo on Bali; it was founded by Anak Agung Gde Putra. It keeps more than 600 animals of about 60 species, and its programmes include animal encounters and activities with its Sumatran elephants.

Bali Bird Park (Taman Burung Bali) lies in Batubulan, Gianyar, on the road from Denpasar to Ubud. Its 2-hectare grounds hold more than 1,300 birds of over 250 species in aviaries and two large walk-in enclosures, set among palms and three lakes; Komodo dragons are also bred here, and bird shows run during the day.

Pura Taman Ayun is a royal temple in Mengwi, about 10 km south-west of Ubud. King Gusti Agung Putu of Mengwi built it in 1634 as a temple for his ancestors. A wide moat surrounds three courtyards; the inner one, reserved for worshippers, holds tiered meru shrines. Since 2012 it is part of Bali's Subak World Heritage Site.

Gunung Kawi is an 11th-century temple and funerary complex at Tampaksiring, north-east of Ubud, on both banks of the Pakerisan River. Ten candi shrines are cut in relief into sheltered niches about 7 m high in the cliff face; they are thought to commemorate King Anak Wungsu of the Udayana dynasty and members of his family.

Tirta Empul is a Hindu water temple at Tampaksiring, about 12 km north of Ubud, founded around a spring in 962 during the Warmadewa dynasty and dedicated to Vishnu. The spring feeds the Pakerisan River and fills stone pools lined with spouts, where Balinese Hindus bathe in the melukat purification ritual.

Bali Safari and Marine Park (Taman Safari Bali) is a safari park of about 40 hectares in Gianyar, on Bali's south-east coast road about 17 km from Denpasar, run by the Taman Safari group. A tram takes visitors past animals from Indonesia, India and Africa; there are animal presentations, the Bali Agung show in its theatre, a night safari and a lodge.

Pura Kehen is the former royal temple of the Bangli kingdom, at the foot of a wooded hill about 2 km north of Bangli town and some 13 km north-east of Ubud. Copper inscriptions from the 9th to 13th centuries name it. Stairs lined with Ramayana figures climb terraces to the outer courtyard, where a banyan tree at least 400 years old stands.