Indonesia Enchanted Bali - Itinerary
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Day 1: Ubud - Arrivals and Welcome Dinner On your arrival at the Denpasar International Airport, you will be met by our chauffeur for your private transfer to your upscale hotel in Ubud, in the mountainous center of Bali. On arrival at the hotel, you'll enjoy a welcome drink, then you can rest after your flight or, depending on when you arrive, you may have time to explore the town of Ubud with its New Age atmosphere, organic cafes and unique shopping. In the evening, we'll meet the rest of the group and celebrate our upcoming Bali adventure with an elegant welcome dinner. Day 2: Purification at Mengening Temple, Coffee Plantation, Tegalalang Rice Terraces, Legong Performance at Ubud Palace This morning, we’ll start our exploration of the Balinese culture with a purification ceremony at Mengening Temple. Once we are purified, we'll continue on a scenic drive towards Lake Batur, stoping for a brief visit at a coffee plantation to learn about, and taste, Balinese coffee varieties, including the famous luwak coffeee. We'll enjoy al fresco lunch, accompanied by the stunning views of Mount Batur, the most active volcano in Bali, surrounded by an impressive caldera. In the afternoon, we'll take a stroll along the beautiful rice terraces in the iconic Tegalalang village, before arriving back in Ubub, where we'll enjoy a traditional Legong dance performance inside the Ubud Palace, built in the 16th century and still home to Ubud's royal family. Day 3: Elephant Cave, Pengelipuran Village, Mother Temple Today, we'll continue our journey through the visually stunning and culturally rich central Bali. We'll start withe the mysterious Elephant Cave at Goa Gajah, an 11th century Hindu temple, surrounded by gurgling fountains, photogenic rice terraces and mossy stone bridges leading to a waterfall on the shady Petanu River. From here, we'll continue to Pengelipuran village to get a close-up look at the beautifully preserved traditional Balinese architecture, including private homes, a very unique feature of the local style of building. We'll top the day with a visit to the lofty Besakih Temple, often referred to as Mother Temple, the most sacred and powerful of the island's innumerable temples. Beyond a magnificent split gate, Pura Besakih is built on on six levels, terraced the up slopes of Mount Agung and consists of 23 separate but related temples. On our return to Ubud in the evening, we'll enjoy a festive, traditional Balinese dinner. Day 4: Yoga, Spa, Balinese Dance Workshop, Legong Performance After two busy days touring and absorbing the Balinese culture, today we'll be able to catch our breath, as we indulge in Balinese sacred healing arts. Inspired by the ancient Tri Kaya Parisudha philosophy, the sacred healing arts encourage aligning the heartfelt goodwill with consistent actions, and the resulting spiritual growth promotes a deeper connection with the inner self and empowers new ways to balance the external life choices. We'll start the day with a private yoga and meditation session on a terrace above the Campuhan River. We'll follow with an exclusive spa session and a catered lunch, served with the emerald green background of the primeval Balinese jungle. In the afternoon, we'll enjoy a Balinese dance lesson with a renowned Ubud dance teacher, complete with traditional dress and makeup. Day 5: Ubud's Visual Arts, Batik Workshop After breakfast today, we'll continue acquiring an appreciation for the Balinese visual arts. We'll start with a guided tour of Ubud's ARMA Museum, whose permanent collection features paintings by Balinese artists as well as foreign artists inspired by Balinese painting style, ranging from traditional to contemporary and including the classical Kamasan paintings on tree bark. Afterwards, we'll try our hand at batik painting, as we are taught by one of the museum's docents, and learn about the batik's form, motifs, techniques, use and history. We'll have lunch at the museum's shady cafe, then continue with a visit to the renowned Rudana Museum for a broader overview of different Balinese art forms. In the evening, we'll enjoy a colorful local dinner at one of the city's most famous restaurants. Day 6: Day at Leisure Today, we'll be able to spend the day according to our individual interests. Some of the options include a private excursion to the secluded beaches and water palaces in the eastern part of the island, visiting more temples and learning about Balinese religion, visiting more of Ubud's museums and art galleries, attending a woodcarving or basket weaving workshop, visiting Bali Safari and Marine Park (komodo dragons), shopping for that unique gift in the innovative boutique shops in the center of Ubud, exploring Monkey Forest with its resident Balinese long tail monkeys, or enjoying the serenity of our resort hotel. Day 7: Taman Ayun Temple, Ulundanu Temple, Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Tanah Lot Temple This morning, we'll leave Ubud and travel to the southern part of the island, where we'll be staying for the remainder of our time in Bali at an ocean-side resort in Sanur. Our first stop will be the Taman Ayun Temple, built in the Mengwi Empire and featuring intricately designed temples set among several water features and gardens. From here, we'll continue to the Bedugul Lake Temple, one of the most photographed in Bali for its location on Lake Bratan with the background of the towering Bedugul Mountains. Built in 1633, the temple is used for ceremonies dedicated to the Balinese water, lake and river goddess Dewi Danu. Afterwards, we'll continue to the Jatiluwih rice terraces, where we'll take a walk along the rice fields, then relax during lunch at a private Balinese house. In the afternoon, we will arrive at the magical setting of Tanah Lot Temple right before sunset to admire this postcard view of Bali, before arriving at our Sanur resort in the afternoon, and after some time to rest or to take a walk along the beach, we'll get together in the evening and enjoy an ocean-side dinner. Day 8: Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Uluwatu Temple with Kecak Dance After a free morning, we'll meet in the early afternoon and travel to visit the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu and the mythical bird Garuda, who became his companion. The enormous statues are the tallest in Indonesia and are inspired by a Hindu myth about the search for Amerta (the elixir of life). Afterwards, we'll continue to Uluwatu Temple, an exquisite 11th century monument perched on a cliff above the Indian Ocean on a headland at the westernmost tip of the peninsula. After touring the temple itself, at sunset we'll witness a dramatic Kecak dance at the temple. Originating in the ritual Sanghyang dance, where dancers entered a trance to communicate with deities and ancestors, the Kecak dance is accompanied by a choir of seventy men and boys, sitting in concentric circles and slipping into a trance as they chant “chak-a-chak-a-chak”, imitating a troupe of monkeys. In the evening, we'll enjoy a relaxing dinner together. Day 9: Nusa Penida Island Today, we'll venture out to a small island off the coast off Bali: Nusa Penida. This hidden gem of outstanding rugged beauty affords both great snorkeling and dramatic beaches resulting from its volcanic activity. After a short transfer by a hydrofoil, we'll board our 4WD vehicles and travel to some of the world's most spectacular beaches: Kelingking, Broken Beach, Angel's Bilabong and Crystal Bay. After lunch at a local restaurant, we'll enjoy snorkeling at 4 different locations from a private boat. The underwater coral gardens off Nusa Penida offer a chance to see the elaborate coral reefs, a magnitude of colorful fish and if we're lucky, even manta rays. We will return to Nusa Dua in late afternoon, and the evening will be at leisure. Day 10: Barong Performance, Artisanal Villages, Farewell Dinner Today, our focus will be on Balinese visual arts, both traditional Balinese dance and the artistic output of the Balinese people. Our first stop will be in the village of Sahadewa, where we'll enjoy a Barong performance, a dynamic and intensely expressive ancient dance telling a story with gestures of the dancers’ fingers, hands, head and eyes. Afterwards, we'll stop at several artisan villages which are the island's vibrant artistic hubs, where generations of skilled craftsmen and artists meticulously create traditional handicrafts, textiles, and woodcarvings, preserving centuries-old techniques and cultural heritage amidst the island's lush landscapes. Each village specializes in producing one special article: wood carvings, masks, puppets, colorful batiks, Balinese paintings, or is home to the island's best silversmiths and goldsmiths. After returning to our hotel, we'll gather in the evening to celebrate our Balinese adventures during a farewell dinner at an elegant Seminyak restaurant. Day 11: Departures Sadly, we must say goodbye to Bali today, as we travel back home, taking with us memories of its temples, arts, rice terraces and beaches. Depending on your flight departure time, you may have some time today to further enjoy the beautiful beaches of Sanur, before your private airport transfer in accordance with your flight departure time.
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