3 Eco-friendly Days in Ubud

I felt in love in Bali this summer. It’s a real love story, and since this travel, I am sure about one thing: I absolutely want to go back, for holidays, or for living there. I went there in august to discover what were the possibilities and opportunities in terms of sustainable development, and ecofriendly activities. It was a different way to discover the island of gods. I wanted something far from the traffic jam, the crowded road, or even far from the spa care where you could find THE t-shirt “I love Bali”. That’s why I would like to share with you my tips and my program for an ecofriendly trip in Bali.

Lot of people think there is to many tourists in Bali, that is not the same than before: this is true. But, even if Bali is the new place to be and with too many traffic, the island is trying to develop more and more original et ecofriendly places that could be interesting to attract a new king of tourism.

“Go local or go home”, this is what I want to say when I am thinking about people that are no respecting the places they visit.

The best way to discover Bali is by scooter… but it’s really dangerous so it’s better for you to have a driver at your disposal.

After 20 long hours of plane, we finally arrived at Denpasar Airport.

DAY 1 IN UBUD

TIRTA EMPUL TEMPLE

I suggest you to begin with one iconic temple: the first one we visited was Temple Tirta Empul: around 30min from Ubud to go. You will spend approximately 1h inside.

Okay… I assume, this temple is not a secret place, it’s often very crowed, that’s why I suggest you coming here in the early morning.

The Tirta Empul is located in the village of Manukaya, near Tampaksiring. Its name means "sacred source" in Balinese. Dedicated to the gods, it is considered one of the most sacred temples in Bali.

The + :

- Considered as one of the most sacred temples in Bali

- Discover the rituals of Balinese people, how they purify themselves

- Discover the of the temple

- Discover not only the temple, but also the source for eternal youth

The - :

- Touristic place, but too legendary for missing it

TEGALALANG RICE TERRACE

You absolutely should go this rice terraces. This place is so beautiful, and you can’t miss it. As I said before, you will also go there early in the morning so it’s okay. I was surprised by the few number of people when I came. People are so nice, don’t be surprised, lot of Balinese guides will come to you to help you and show you the place around.

The + :

- One of the most famous rice terraces

- Amazing view

- Very calm and relaxing place

- Lots of spots the take pictures

- You should try the swing: nice experience, I was so afraid at the beginning but it’s so funny finally

The - :

- Often very touristic

- Better when is the sun is out

- You have to pay for all the extra activities: such as pictures in the instagrammables places like this : , or for the swing

- Be careful with your belongings

For lunch: I suggest you to eat in the Restaurant Basanta Agro Organic. This place is dedicated to preserve organic gardens looking at plants &animals in all their functions in order to produce best quality products.

After this long morning we’ve booked an afternoon spa.

We went the Swasti Eco Cottage Spain Ubud. The thing that is good with this place is that the massages & treatments available are intimately related to nature & all products used are 100% organic. And most of them are from their own organic garden.

We had a special massage that was named “Welcome to bali”, it was so good. Here is the description:

“You’ve just arrived in Bali, you’re tired and still drained by jet lag. You’ve accumulated numerous tensions, and a long trip like the one you’ve just made often causes some stress.Our skilled therapists will reveal and dispel all your tensions, insisting on the feet, back, shoulders, neck and head (a real treat). This treatment will help you recover from jet lag and travel fatigue, immersing yourself, body and soul, in Balinese culture. A must try!”

Link: https://www.baliswasti.com/spa

At the end of the day, ask your driver to bring you to your hotel. I can promise you that you will be tired, and full of beautiful memories for the day.

The hotel: FIVELEMENTS RETREAT (Link: https://fivelements.org/en/)

This hotel is such a good place, and I was completely in love. This hotel is guided by Balinese philosophy and tradition to facilitate positive change in the world.

This hotel was perfect for me because I was searching for a place where I could relax and have a personal wellness, but also a hotel respectful of the environment.

Their current efforts are focused on measuring their impacts in the following categories:

- Site Sensitivity and Natural Habitat

- Water

- Energy

- Materials

- Waste

- Indoor Environmental Quality

I am sure you will love this place. You can enjoy the swimming pool and the restaurant during the night that offers variety of food such as for example plant-based cuisine, dining detox…

We took the 2 nights relaxing holidays which means that we had lots of things that were included such as:

· Accommodation in one of our exclusive riverside suites

· Daily Breakfast

· A 5-Course Gourmet Chef’s Tasting Dinner

· 1 Welcome Bathing Ritual

· 1 Balinese Massage

· Village and rice field walk

· Complimentary use of bicycles

· Daily Shuttle to Ubud

· Round trip airport transfer

· Welcome drink & fruit basket

This night we tried the 5-Course Gourmet Chef’s Tasting Dinner. It was amazinnnnng.

DAY 2 IN UBUD

The best way to begin the day is to discover the street of Ubud, that are so special for it atmosphere and its smells.

Then you should visit the Ubud Palace…

… And continue walking along the street. Look at the picture just here: this is the real atmosphere of Ubud and Bali in general. Lots of scooters everywhere, this is the life here.

You will finally discover Pura Taman Saraswati Templeand just near from that: the famous market of Ubud. This not a luxury or sustainable experience but you should visit it, it’s special.

For the lunch, we choose to eat at the Locavorerestaurant in the center of Ubud. Dishes were small such as a gastronomic restaurant, but It was so delicious, and originally presented. Girls like me, if you like taking pictures of your food like me: this is the perfect place for you. And I especially choose this restaurant for those reasons: this is an eco-responsible restaurant.

In the afternoon: we were back at the fresh air in Ubud. A local Balinese suggested us to go to Campuhan wish walk.

This is a place I felt in love. We are far from the noisy roads, far from all the tourists and it’s soooooo good. The weather was good, but it was so hot. We were lost in the enchantment of the jungle.

After this walk, we were back in the center of Ubud to refresh with a juicy juice. We found a pretty nice place: the Juice Ja Café. This is a cozy Café that respect the soul of ecological food and coffee. Everything was really tasty and great.

We take advantage of this break to regain some energy. After this, you could have a walk around and discover all the nice & traditional shops in the area.

For the dinner, we suggest you to eat at Soma Café, this is the perfect place for those whom wish to "be the change we want to see in the world". The restaurant offers a casual dining experience with the opportunity to escape the business of Ubud in a peaceful courtyard garden.

The water we serve and use to make everything comes from a spring and is purified with a carbon filter and a UV light sterilizer keeping the life and memory of the water intact.

About 90% of our ingredients are local, organic and sustainably grown. Many of our herbs and vegetables are grown in our own gardens and we also support all the other organic growers on Bali. We look forward to meeting you soon!

This sounds perfect for an eco and luxury trip.

DAY 3 IN UBUD

The third day, we planned to leave this hotel and to discover another place of Bali because there is too much things to discover on the island of gods.

As we took the package “relaxing holidays”, we decide to take time to make our Balinese massage included in the price of the hotel just after our daily breakfast.

Then we just relaxed around the swimming pool for our last hours here before we tried the “Detox with plant-based cuisine”. It was a real culinary experience. I recommended it.

In the afternoon our driver dropped us off to the hotel we’ve booked then.

The Green Village: Luxury bamboo villas and houses, exotic properties built in harmony with nature, sustainable homes.

The + :

- a tranquil and peaceful compound that hosts spectacular bamboo houses and villas.

- Green Village has been recognized as one of Bali’s most remarkable communities in sustainable living and housing

- Each luxury villa and house in Green Village is constructed almost entirely from bamboo, custom-designed by hand.

- Green Village is not a collection of individual houses, but a living community of globally connected individuals who care about Nature and appreciate its magnificence.

- Green Village has attracted nature lovers, entrepreneurs, and celebrities from all over the world.

- Green Villagestands for a community of individuals who share similar values, passion, and outlook for sustainable housing and living.

- Residents of Green Villageappreciate the luxury of being connected to an established community of like-minded people.

In the afternoon, we decided to improve our impact on the environment, so we decided to visit the Kul Kul Farm that provides permaculture courses. We were invited to join an Eco-Experience-Learn about the pleasures and benefits of home gardening, eco-living, regenerative farming and sustainable leadership.

It was soooooo funny, and so interesting. I don’t give you more information because it’s better the keep the surprised, and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

I hope you enjoyed my article about this amazing city. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or any feedbacks about the places we proposed here.

And one last thing, if you hesitate of going to Bali, you should go!!!! People are so kind, if you are a bit patient you could find some secret places…

My article about our next destination in Bali: Canggu will be soon available.

*Count around $2 000 for each person for 3 days in Ubud including accommodation and food, no flight.

MARY