Ubud at dawn: Tegallalang before the buses, purification at Tirta Empul

Ubud, Tegallalang, Tampaksiring

1. 5:45 am1

   Driver pickup on Jalan Raya UbudUbud

   A car and driver for the whole day is 550,000-650,000 IDR and covers all three sites plus waiting time, which is cheaper than three Grab rides and the only way to make a 06:00 arrival at Tegallalang. Agree the itinerary and the price the night before in writing; a driver who wants to add a coffee-luwak plantation is being paid commission, and you can just say no.

   11 min by train or taxi · 6.7 km
2. 6:20 am2

   Tegallalang Rice Terrace before the coachesTegallalang

   Entry is 25,000 IDR plus parking at the main Ceking gate. Then be ready for the honesty boxes: individual farmers charge 10,000-20,000 IDR each to cross their own terrace, and it is legitimate — carry a stack of small notes. Walk DOWN into the valley and up the far side rather than photographing from the road; the far side is where the light lands at seven. Tour coaches start landing at 09:00 and it is over by 09:30.

   3 min walk · 0 m
3. 8:15 am3

   Breakfast over the valley at Alas HarumTegallalang

   Coffee and nasi goreng on the terrace edge. The swings and the glass floor here are an extra 100,000-300,000 IDR and are entirely skippable; the point of stopping is a table and a bathroom before the temple.

   9 min by train or taxi · 5.3 km
4. 9:20 am4

   Melukat at Tirta Empul, TampaksiringTampaksiring

   75,000 IDR includes the sarong, which is compulsory in the inner courtyards and handed to you at the gate. If you enter the bathing pools: bring a change of clothes and a sarong you can get wet, use the lockers (20,000 IDR), and move left to right under each spout in order, washing face and head at each. Skip the last two spouts of the main row — those are for funeral purification and are not for visitors. Women who are menstruating may not enter the temple at all; the rule is posted and taken seriously. Arriving at 09:20 puts you in the pools before the Kintamani day tours arrive at 11:00.

   13 min walk · 950 m
5. 11:35 am5

   Gunung Kawi rock-cut shrinesTampaksiring

   Ten minutes from Tirta Empul, 50,000 IDR with sarong. Three hundred-odd steps down through a rice-terrace ravine to eleventh-century shrines cut straight into the cliff face. The steps back up in midday heat are the real ticket price. Almost nobody comes here and it is the better temple of the two.

   17 min by train or taxi · 11 km
6. 1:20 pm6

   Babi guling at Warung Ibu Oka 3Ubud

   One dish, ordered as the 'special' if you want the crackling and the sausage. They roast a fixed number of pigs and stop when it is gone, usually between 14:00 and 15:00. Branch 3 has seating; the original by the palace is standing room.

   8 min by train or taxi · 1.9 km
7. 2:45 pm7

   Massage at Karsa Spa on the Campuhan ridgeUbud

   Held rather than booked because it depends on how the morning has gone. Reached on foot along the Campuhan Ridge Walk — twenty-five minutes through elephant grass, no cars — or by scooter along the back lane. Book a slot by phone in the morning; walk-ins on a Saturday do not get one.

   8 min by train or taxi · 2.0 km
8. 7:30 pm8

   Legong in the Ubud Palace courtyardUbud

   100,000 IDR, sold at a table by the gate from about 18:00 for a 19:30 start; different troupes on different nights and the Legong is the one to pick. Plastic chairs, no raised stage, so sit in the first four rows or you watch the back of a head. The gamelan is live and loud and that is the whole reason to go.