Guide · Rice terraces

Tegalalang, the rice terrace near Ubud: when and how to go

The most photographed rice terrace near Ubud is a green valley of paddies watered by channels that go back centuries. Here is how to reach it, walk it and see it at its best.

Check availabilityfrom $14 · free cancellation possible

Editorial team, ubuddaytour.comUpdated October 24, 2026read in 6 minutes28 sources

The tour this guide is about Ubud private day tour: three waterfalls, a water temple and the rice terraces 5.0 (6,668 reviews) 6 to 10 hoursPickup and drop-off includedThree waterfalls and a rice terrace from$14 Check availabilityCancel for free up to 24 hrs ahead

In brief

01How far: About a 20-minute drive north of Ubud.¹
02Time to walk: About 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.²
03Best hour: Early, before the heat and the tour buses.³
04Bring: Water, sunscreen and small cash.⁴ ⁵
05On a tour: The private waterfall day stops here first.

A valley of paddies north of the town

Tegallalang, also spelled Tegalalang, is a village north of Ubud whose rice terraces drop in curving steps into a river valley, framed by coconut palms. It is the rice terrace near Ubud on the classic day loop, and Indonesia Travel names it, with the terraces at Pejeng and Campuhan, as one of the three finest terraced landscapes of the Ubud area.⁶

The terraces are farmland first. Families plant, weed and harvest the paddies by hand, and the walkways you follow are the dikes between their fields. That is why the paths are narrow and muddy in places, and why it matters to stay on them and to leave the young rice alone. Walk in single file where the dikes are thin, and step aside for anyone carrying tools or sacks of rice.

It is also a place of cafes, viewpoints and swings along the rim of the valley. Some find that busy edge distracting; it helps to remember that the best of Tegallalang is below it, down among the paddies, where the noise of the road fades and only the water in the channels is left. Give yourself time down there; the valley sounds and feels completely different once you leave the road behind.

A visit

A morning at the terraces

Early

Leave Ubud

About 20 minutes north by car.¹
Arrival

The viewpoint

See the valley from the road before you go down.
Next

Down the steps

Cross the small stream to the far fields.⁷
Middle

Walk the dikes

Allow 30 minutes to 1.5 hours in all.²
Last

Back to the rim

A drink with the view, or the swing at the entrance.⁵

The subak: water shared for centuries

Every terrace you see is fed by the subak, Bali's system of shared irrigation, which Indonesia Travel says was handed down by the sage Rsi Markandeya in the 8th century.⁸ Water is led from springs and rivers through channels and tunnels, and the farmers of a subak decide together who gets it and when. It is a cooperative idea as much as a technical one, and it has shaped village life on Bali for generations.

The same legend runs through Ubud itself. An 8th-century story tells of a Javanese priest, Rsi Markandya, who meditated at the river junction of Campuhan below the town and founded the Gunung Lebah Temple there.⁹ Whether you take it as history or as story, it explains why water, temples and rice are so tightly woven together here.

Look for the small shrines at the corners of the fields and at the points where channels split. Offerings left there are part of how the water is shared, and they are the easiest way to see that the terraces are a living system and not a backdrop. Ask your guide to point out the inlet where water enters a terrace and the outlet where it leaves for the next one.

Time on the terraces

Minutes each tour gives Tegallalang

minutes

Time at the terraces as each listing gives it: 1.5 hours riding, 75 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour and 30 minutes.

On a tour

How long tours stay at Tegallalang

Tour	Time at the terraces	Other stops	Price
Private waterfall day	Guided walk, free time	Tirta Empul, 3 falls	from $14
Town and terraces day	1 hour	Monkey Forest, palace	from $21
Shared or private day	1 hour	Tirta Empul, Tegenungan	from $23
Shared half day	30 minutes	Monkey Forest, Kumulilir	from $18
Photo walk with swing	1 hour	Jungle swing	from $14
E-bike half day	1.5 hours riding	Lunch	from $32

Stop lengths from each GetYourGuide listing; prices are from-prices, and private days show your party's total at checkout.

Three ways to see it

Tour, photo walk or e-bike

Ubud: Waterfalls, Water Temple & Rice Terraces Private Tour

This page's pick

Private waterfall day

Terraces, temple, 3 falls

Hours: 6 to 10
Car: Private
Pickup: Included

See the tour

Ubud: Tegalalang Rice Terrace Instagram Tour & Jungle Swing

Shortest

Photo walk

Terraces and a swing

Walk: 1 hour
Swing limit: 100 kg
Meet: Kumulilir, Sebatu

See the tour

Ubud: Rice Terraces & Villages Half-Day Fat Tire E-Bike Tour

Most active

E-bike half day

Villages and paddies

Hours: 4 hours
Group: Up to 10
Pickup: Within 5 km of Ubud

See the tour

Decision helper

How should you see the terraces?

Choose the line that fits your day.

I want terraces and waterfalls I want photos on a swing I want to ride, not walk I want quiet fields I have only an hour

Private waterfall day

Tegallalang first, then Tirta Empul and three falls.

Photo walk

A 1-hour walk with a jungle swing, limit 100 kg.

E-bike half day

1.5 hours of riding around Tegalalang in a small group.

Pejeng or Campuhan

Terraces Indonesia Travel ranks with Tegallalang.⁶

Taxi and the viewpoint

About 20 minutes each way from Ubud, plus time at the viewpoint.¹

The system is said to have been passed down by a sage named Rsi Markandeya in the 8th century.

Indonesia Travel (Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia)Source 8

Getting from Ubud to Tegalalang rice terrace

The drive from Ubud to Tegalalang rice terrace takes about 20 minutes heading north, and keen walkers can cover it on foot in about two hours.¹ Indonesia Travel suggests a rented car or motorbike, or a taxi, and notes that the terraces are relatively easy to reach.¹

Inside Ubud, ride-hailing pickups are not permitted, so a taxi fare is agreed with a member of the local cooperative.¹⁰ That makes a tour or a driver who waits for you the easier option, especially if you want to go on to waterfalls or a temple afterwards. A driver also solves the question of parking on the narrow road along the rim.

The private tour sold on this page makes Tegallalang its first stop, with a guided walk and free time, after a transfer of about 1 hour from the pickup area. Shared days give the terraces 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the operator.

Map

Ubud, the stops of the day and the trips beyond

First the town between the palace and the forest, then the terraces and the waterfalls around it, then the volcano, the north and the harbour for Nusa Penida.

Map of central Ubud with the palace, the art market, Museum Puri Lukisan, the Monkey Forest, Campuhan and ARMA — The town

Map of the country around Ubud with Tegallalang, Tirta Empul and the Tukad Cepung, Tibumana, Kanto Lampo and Tegenungan waterfalls — Around Ubud

Map of Bali from Ubud to Mount Batur, Sekumpul, the Kusamba harbour and Ngurah Rai airport — Day trips

1
Ubud Palace
Puri Saren Agung, the royal residence at the corner of Jalan Raya Ubud and Jalan Monkey Forest; evening dances in the courtyard.¹¹ ¹² ¹³
In Google Maps ↗
2
Ubud Art Market
Stalls of handicrafts made in Bali, beside the palace.¹⁴
In Google Maps ↗
3
Museum Puri Lukisan
The town's art museum, opened in 1956.¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
4
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
About 12.5 hectares of forest in Padangtegal, home to about 1,054 long-tailed macaques; open 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.¹⁶ ¹⁷ ¹⁸
In Google Maps ↗
5
Pura Gunung Lebah
The temple at the Campuhan river confluence, tied to an 8th-century legend of Rsi Markandya.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
6
Campuhan Ridge Walk
A walk suggested for the cooler afternoon hours.¹⁹
In Google Maps ↗
7
ARMA
The Agung Rai Museum of Art, one of the town's museums and a Kecak venue.²⁰
In Google Maps ↗
8
Tegallalang Rice Terrace
Subak terraces about a 20-minute drive north of Ubud; the site tour's first stop.¹
In Google Maps ↗
9
Tirta Empul
The water temple on the site tour, where guests can join the bathing ritual.
In Google Maps ↗
10
Tukad Cepung
A fall inside a rock cleft, reached by about 200 steps and shallow water.
In Google Maps ↗
11
Tibumana
A single fall into a pool where the site tour allows a swim.
In Google Maps ↗
12
Kanto Lampo
A broad fall in Beng village, Gianyar; busy at peak hours.²¹
In Google Maps ↗
13
Tegenungan
A fall in Gianyar with a pool where visitors swim.²² ²³
In Google Maps ↗
14
Mount Batur
A 1,717 m volcano in Indonesia's first UNESCO Global Geopark.²⁴ ²⁵
In Google Maps ↗
15
Sekumpul Waterfall
A waterfall in the north of Bali, a private 10-hour hiking day.
In Google Maps ↗
16
Kusamba harbour
The harbour for the speedboat to Nusa Penida, 30 minutes across.
In Google Maps ↗
17
Ngurah Rai airport
Bali's airport, closed for the 24 hours of Nyepi.²⁶ ²⁷
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

What to bring to the paddies

Bring

Water for the walk
Sunscreen and a hat
Small notes for donations
Shoes with grip for mud

Respect

Stay on the dikes and paths
Ask before photographing farmers
Leave offerings untouched

Party price

Price a terrace tour for your group

Add your party to compare a walk, a ride and a half day.

Photo walk with swing1 hour walkfrom $14 E-bike half day4 hoursfrom $32 Half day with forestUp to 6 hoursfrom $18

People 2

Total from$27

per head from $14

Check availabilityfree cancellation

This sum multiplies a listing's GetYourGuide starting price by the number in your party and converts it with the day's ECB rate; checkout shows the binding amount.

Video

A walk through the Tegallalang rice terrace

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Walking the terraces

Start at the viewpoint on the road, then go down. Indonesia Travel suggests crossing the small stream at the bottom to reach the fields on the far side, and puts a full exploration at about 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.⁷ ² The steps are steep and the dikes narrow, so shoes with grip matter more than anything else. Take the descent slowly and use your hands on the steepest steps if you need to; there is no prize for speed.

Shade is scarce once you are among the paddies. Bring water and put on sunscreen before you start, as Indonesia Travel advises, and a hat if you burn easily.⁴ After rain the paths turn to mud, and a shared-tour operator warns that the terraces can be muddy or slippery.

Expect to pay small sums along the way. At the entrance swing with the LOVE BALI sign, local children look after the sign, so carry some cash.⁵ Pay with a smile; it is their land, and their work keeps it green.

When the terraces look their best

Indonesia Travel's own advice is to see the Tegalalang fields while the sun is still young, then go on to the Monkey Forest.³ Early light is softer, the paths are emptier and the heat is bearable, and the private tour's operator also recommends an early start to beat the crowds. By late morning the light flattens and the rim fills with people, so the early start pays off twice.

The look of the fields depends on where the rice is in its cycle. Freshly planted paddies hold water like mirrors, growing rice is a deep green, ripe rice turns gold, and after the harvest some terraces are bare mud. One reviewer of the private tour found a field just harvested and was taken to quieter terraces instead.

Rain changes the experience too. At Ngurah Rai airport on the coast, the nearest long record, January averages 350.7 mm of rain and July 27.6 mm.²⁸ The wet months bring the most vivid green; the dry months bring firmer paths and clearer views.

Rice paddies around Ubud beyond Tegallalang

Tegallalang is not the only terraced valley. The valleys around the town include the terraces at Pejeng and Campuhan, which Indonesia Travel ranks with Tegallalang among the area's three finest.⁶ They see far fewer visitors and suit a quieter morning.

A short private half day visits the Abian Desa terraces for an hour before a waterfall. An e-bike half day spends 1.5 hours riding through the Tegalalang area, in a small group of up to 10. Both reach paddies the tour coaches skip. If you have already seen Tegallalang, either makes a good second look at Balinese rice farming.

In town, the Campuhan ridge on the west side is the classic walk, best in the cooler afternoon.¹⁹ One guided walk lists an hour on the ridge, with a few uphill parts and stairs. It looks down on fields rather than through them, but it needs no car at all, and you can start it straight from your guesthouse.

Swings, cafes and the busy rim

Along the top of the valley, swings launch visitors out over the palms for photos. One photo walk at Tegalalang includes a jungle swing with a weight limit of 100 kg. Swing parks are a separate business from the terraces, with their own tickets and safety rules, so ask what is included before you pay.

The cafes on the rim are the best place to see the whole valley in one frame, and a cold drink there is a fine way to end the walk. Pick one with a view across the steepest terraces, and come back up to it after your walk rather than before. Order a coconut and take your time; the view is the reason to be there.

If you only want the photo, the viewpoint and a swing are enough. If you want to understand the place, go down into the paddies, watch the water move from terrace to terrace, and let the farmers' work set the pace of your walk.

Your day in Ubud