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The Jatiluwih rice terraces and the Batukaru ridge behind them, Tabanan, Bali.
Land Tour

Jatiluwih UNESCO Rice Terrace

The terraces Tegallalang gets mistaken for, without the queue

Duration
9 hours door to door
Group
Private car, your group only
Difficulty
Easy · flat walking, optional trek
Best time
Green season, October to April

The trip

What You're Signing Up For

Jatiluwih is what people think they are going to see at Tegallalang. It is roughly six hundred hectares of terraces on the slope of Mount Batukaru, it is UNESCO-listed for the Subak irrigation system that has run it cooperatively since the ninth century, and on a normal weekday there is almost nobody there.

It is about an hour and a half from Ubud, which is exactly why it stays quiet, and why this is a full day rather than a morning. You can walk a marked loop of anywhere between twenty minutes and three hours, and the warungs at the top look straight down the valley.

Highlights

Why People Pick This One

  • UNESCO-listed, six hundred hectares, a fraction of the crowd
  • Marked walking loops from twenty minutes to three hours
  • The Subak system explained, which is what the listing is actually for
  • Ulun Danu Beratan, the lake temple, on the way back at no extra cost
  • Warungs with a view instead of a car park

Full description

The Whole Thing

Subak is the reason Jatiluwih is UNESCO-listed, and it is not really about the view. It is a thousand-year-old cooperative irrigation system run by farmer associations and temple priests, dividing water between fields by consensus rather than ownership.

Itinerary

The Trip, Stop By Stop

Timings are typical, not fixed. Your guide reshapes the day around your pace and the conditions.

  1. Hotel pickup

    Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, Sanur, Ubud

    Your driver confirms the time by message the evening before. An early start beats both the heat and the coach parties.

    Included

  2. Drive to Tabanan

    About an hour and a half from Ubud, longer from the south. The road climbs through Mengwi and the Batukaru foothills.

  3. Jatiluwih

    Entrance and Subak fee paid for you. Walk as much or as little of the loop as you feel like.

  4. Lunch above the terraces

    A warung at the top of the valley. Not included in the price, and cheap.

  5. Ulun Danu Beratan, optional

    The lake temple at Bedugul, on the road home. Twenty minutes further and worth it in good weather.

  6. Back to your hotel

    Same car, same driver.

    Included
Trip stop Pickup area Pickup is from your own accommodation inside these areas. Route is indicative, not the exact road taken.

The price covers

What's Included, And What Isn't

Included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off across South Bali, Ubud and Canggu
  • Private air-conditioned car with English-speaking driver
  • Fuel, parking, tolls and the driver's day
  • The full day with the car, not a fixed window
  • A stop at Ulun Danu Beratan on the way back if you want it
  • Marked walking loops from twenty minutes to three hours

Not included

  • Lunch, which is a few dollars at the warungs above the terraces
  • Ulun Danu Beratan entrance, if you stop there
  • Personal spending, tips and anything you buy on the day
  • Entrance tickets, parking charges and anything else paid on site

Before you book

Who This Trip Isn’t For

We would rather talk you out of the wrong trip than take your money for it. If any of these apply, message us and we’ll suggest something that fits better.

Anyone travelling just after harvest

Brown mud, not green terraces. Ask us about your dates and we will tell you straight.

Anyone who wants a quick stop

It is ninety minutes each way. If you want terraces in an hour, Tegallalang is the answer.

Anyone expecting lunch included

It is not. The warungs up there are good and cheap, and we would rather not mark them up.

Come prepared

What To Bring

Shoes with grip

The walking loops are earth bunds between paddies, and they are slippery for a day after rain.

A light rain jacket

Jatiluwih sits under Batukaru and makes its own weather. Short heavy showers are normal even in dry season.

A sun hat

Between showers it is completely open. There is no shade on any of the marked loops.

Cash for the warungs

Lunch above the terraces costs a few dollars and none of them take cards.

On the trip

What It Looks Like

Tap a photo to enlarge

Before you book

Questions About This Trip

Anything not covered here? Message us. We'd rather answer first than have you book the wrong trip.

How is this different from Tegallalang?

Size and crowds. Tegallalang is one photogenic gully twenty minutes from Ubud and it is full from nine until three. Jatiluwih is six hundred hectares an hour and a half away, and it is UNESCO-listed. Different keyword, different day.

When are the terraces green?

Roughly October to April. After harvest they are brown and flooded. Ask us before you book if your dates are near the edge; we would rather move you than take the money.

How much walking is there?

As much as you want. Marked loops run from twenty minutes to about three hours, all on flat or gently sloped paths.

Is lunch included?

No. There are warungs at the top with a view down the valley and they cost a few dollars. We left it out rather than mark it up.

Why is this priced per car?

Because the cost is the vehicle and the driver for a long day, not the headcount. Two of you or five of you, it is the same car on the same road, so you pay the same. It is how our Ubud and Uluwatu days work too.

Can we add the lake temple?

Yes, Ulun Danu Beratan is on the way back and there is no extra charge for the car. You pay its own small entrance fee.

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View Itinerary

Ready When You Are

Tell us your dates and how many of you there are. We'll confirm availability, pickup time and the total, usually within the hour.