Having previously stayed in Ubud 7 years ago, I knew it would be nice to visit again. Ofcourse it has become much more popular as a tourist destination now. The town itself is far busier, with many more restaurants, tourist shops and international brands. These days every guy on the street is holding up a ‘taxi’ sign to get some tourist business.

However the main attraction is still the fantastic scenery outside the town, with views of rice fields and countryside views. Perhaps these days if you want a more peaceful visit stay further out of the town amongst the rice fields.

A good short tourist tour is to visit Bali Pulina. Here they give a brief explanation of how Kopi Lewak is made. It is said to be one of the worlds most expensive coffees. The coffee beans are digested by the Asian Palm Civet, which is said to enhance the flavour of the coffee beans. They then give a free tasting of a selection of coffees and you can buy Kopi Lewak. I did taste it and thought it was a good cup of coffee, worth trying out. There is also amazing views from the cafe across the valley.

There are numerous temples to visit in surrounding towns and villages. The most pleasant I stopped at was Gunung Kawi Sabatu shown below. It is not far from the popular Tirta Empul but much quieter and peaceful.

A short walk from the centre of Ubud is the Campuan Ridge walk, which is an easy short walk. Ideal at sunrise or sunset it does not take long to reach the ridge for excellent views across the forest.