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Rice terraces below Mount Agung in the Sidemen valley, Bali.
Land Tour

Sidemen Valley Day

Rice terraces without the coach park, an hour past Ubud

Duration
9 hours door to door
Group
Private car, up to 5 guests
Difficulty
Easy · optional walking
Best time
Morning, for Agung

The trip

What You're Signing Up For

Sidemen is the valley Ubud was forty years ago: terraced rice, a river, a handful of losmen, and Mount Agung filling the end of the view. It is roughly ninety minutes east and it gets a fraction of the traffic, which is the entire point of going.

There is nothing to queue for here and no headline attraction, which is why we sell it as a day rather than a stop. Walk a terrace path, visit a hand-weaving workshop, eat somewhere with a view, and drive back the long way through Rendang.

Highlights

Why People Pick This One

  • Terraces and Mount Agung with almost nobody else there
  • Hand-weaving workshops still working songket and endek by hand
  • Walking paths through the fields, as much or as little as you want
  • The Rendang ridge road, one of the better drives on the island
  • No entrance queues and no ticket booths anywhere on the route

Full description

The Whole Thing

Sidemen sits in the valley of the Unda river between Agung and the sea, and it grows rice, cloves and the silk for songket weaving. Walter Spies moved here in the 1930s when Ubud got too busy, which tells you how long this comparison has been running.

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.

    Included

  2. Drive east

    Ninety minutes from Ubud through Klungkung and Selat, climbing as you go.

  3. Sidemen viewpoint

    The first proper look down the valley with Agung at the end of it.

  4. Weaving workshop

    Songket and endek woven on backstrap looms. Small, working, and not a showroom.

  5. Walk and lunch

    A terrace path at whatever pace suits, then lunch looking down the valley.

  6. Back the long way

    Through Rendang and the ridge road, or straight home if the day has been enough.

    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
  • Every stop on the route, with no ticket booths anywhere
  • A visit to a working hand-weaving workshop
  • Walking paths through the terraces, at your pace
  • The Rendang ridge road on the way home if you want it

Not included

  • Lunch, and anything you buy at the weaving workshop
  • Personal spending, tips and anything you buy on the day
  • Travel insurance, which we strongly recommend you carry

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 who wants landmarks

There is no headline sight here. That is the appeal, and it is not for everyone.

Anyone in a hurry

This is a slow valley and a slow day. Lempuyang or Besakih will suit you better.

Anyone travelling right after harvest

The terraces are brown for a few weeks. Ask us about your dates.

Come prepared

What To Bring

Shoes for the terrace paths

The walking is flat but it is on earth bunds between paddies, which are slick for a day after rain.

A light rain layer

Sidemen sits under Agung and catches afternoon cloud. Short heavy showers are normal.

A sun hat

There is no shade on any of the walking loops through the fields.

Cash for the weaving workshop

The pieces are woven by the family showing you the looms, and they take cash only.

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.

Is there anything to actually see?

Not in the ticket-booth sense, no. This is a valley, a drive and a walk. Guests who love it love it precisely for that; guests who want landmarks should book Lempuyang or Besakih.

How much walking is involved?

As much as you want, from a ten-minute look to a two-hour loop through the terraces. All of it is flat to gently sloped.

Can we add Besakih?

Yes. Besakih is forty minutes further up the same road and there is no extra charge for the car. Tell us and we will build the longer day.

Is lunch included?

No. The warungs here cost a few dollars and we would rather not mark them up. Your driver knows the ones with the view.

When is Agung visible?

Mornings, mostly. Cloud builds through the afternoon. An early start is worth it here.

Pairs well with

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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.