Today you will be picked up from the airport and transferred to your beach hotel with the rest of the day free to relax or explore.

Parigata Resort, Sanur

The day will start with an exploration of three villages near Ubud each known for their specialised arts and crafts. Your first stop is at Mas, which is renowned for its intricate wood carvings. Next visit the village of Celuk, a centre for Balinese silver and goldsmiths where both traditional and modern methods of crafting ornaments and jewellery can be observed. Then continue to Tohpati, where the batik fabrics for which Bali is famous are painstakingly created by hand using traditional techniques.

Next, take a 1.5hr walk along the Campuhan ridge, arguably one of the best trekking routes around Ubud. Enjoy the peaceful scenery while you walk between the tall green grasses and visit one of the Balinese compounds where you can learn about traditional house building and interact freely with the inhabitants assisted by your guide.

Tjampuhan Hotel, Ubud

Breakfast

Today, leave Ubud and escape into the heart of Balinese countryside to learn the art of Balinese cooking. Begin with a visit to the local market in order to select the fresh ingredients, before heading to the traditional kitchen where you will grind, mix and prepare abundant herbs and spices which add the unique texture and flavour to Balinese dishes. Enjoy your own home cooked meal before exploring the rest of the house and compound.

In the evening, you may like to browse around the art galleries and craft shops as well as chose to dine in one of the many local restaurants.

Tjampuhan Hotel, Ubud

Breakfast and lunch

After breakfast, you will start your journey to the amazing rice terrace near the village of Tegalalang before continuing to Tirta Empul Temple, famous among Balinese Hindus for its holy waters which are believed to wash away any bad spirits.

Continue to the village of Kintamani, the best spot, weather permitting, for views of Mount Batur, an active volcano which sits alongside Lake Batur. Scanning the horizon from left to right, you will observe that Kintamani sits on the caldera rim of a huge volcano, and Mount Batur, directly in front of you, is merely a ‘small’ mountain by comparison.

Enjoy a buffet lunch served in a local restaurant overlooking the volcano while you ponder on the mighty forces of Mother Nature that created this vista. Afterwards, the journey continues north to Lovina. After checking in to your hotel, enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

The Lovinia, Lovina

Breakfast and lunch

Head off this morning for the sacred hot springs at Banjar. The naturally heated water from the springs is believed to have healing properties and the nourishing effects on the skin mean that people from all over the island come here to soak in the pools. The series of pools are lined with beautifully carved stone nagas (serpent deities) and the largest, the main pool, is two meters deep.

After a refreshing soak, proceed to a Buddhist temple Brahma Vihara for a blessing and meditation to calm and balance the senses. Afterwards, return to the coastal town of Lovina where lunch is served at a beachside restaurant.

The Lovinia, Lovina

Breakfast and lunch

You will head out to the East coast town of Candidasa with a stop en route at the jungle waterfall of Gitgit. Continue on to the attractive mountain resort of Bedugul where you will see the serene Lake Bratan and the delightful temple of Ulun Danu, dedicated to the Goddess of Water. If the water level is high it appears as thought this 17th century temple ‘floats’ on the lake.

Candi Beach, Candidasa

Breakfasts and lunch

Enjoy breakfast in the morning before heading east to the Hindu Besakih temple, known as the ‘mother temple of Bali’. Over one-thousand years old, the temple is situated at around 1,000 metres on the volcanic slopes of Mount Agung, the island’s largest mountain.

After returning to your hotel, you can enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Candi Beach, Candidasa

Breakfasts and lunch

There is free time this morning before transferring to the airport or extending your stay at any of Bali’s beautiful beach resorts.

Breakfast