8-Day Private Authentic Bali Discovery Tour

To the uninitiated, Bali might seem just like any other popular tourist destination, but for anyone who visits its shores, it is impossible not to be touched by a certain magic from the 'Island of the Gods' It is an island paradise, with lush rice field terraces, stunning volcano and lake views and beautiful beaches, but it is often the warmth and friendliness of the Balinese people, that make any stay on the island so memorable.

After meeting with your English-speaking guide, you will be transferred to your hotel in the Ubud area in an air-conditioned vehicle. Enjoy a welcome massage in the hotel to relax your body after the long flight to Indonesia and have the remainder of the day to settle in at your leisure.

Begin in the morning with a short lecture at the private house of Bapak Enong Ismail, curator of the Sukarno Museum and the leading expert on the recently-World-Heritage-listed Pakerisan River Area with its ancient temples and monuments.

We would then invite you on an exclusive visit to three heritage temples and monuments that trace the creation of the Balinese Hindu religion "Hindu Dharma" from the 8th to the 12th century, when three religions finally became one. Go back through time as your experienced guides walk you through temples rarely seen by tourists.

We end with a lunch of local favorites, with delicious food ready for you to enjoy, accompanied by rice and traditional side dishes, over good conversations with your friendly local hosts, who will be happy to provide you with further insights into their culture and customs.

Take a dip in the sacred pools at Pura Mengening

The action starts when you launch into an 8-km (5-mile) river rafting experience, navigating through 27 class II and III rapids set to a backdrop of wild unspoiled rainforest, towering gorges and magnificent rice paddy terraces. End the action-packed 1½-hour journey with hot showers, or swimming in the riverside pool of Royal Pita Maha, before lunch at this 5-star hotel owned by the Royal Family of Ubud.

Journey on to Mambal, where a hidden gem awaits the intrepid. Beginning in the afternoon, as the sun slowly sinks over the hills and bathes the area in a dazzling light, visitors will be treated to a sublimely picturesque high tea experience.

Enjoy your Bali rafting ride!

In the morning you will visit a Brahman family who live in the village of Mas near the former royal residence and artist town of Ubud. They are all descendants of the holy priests who brought Hinduism to Bali in the 9th century and will welcome you into their traditional Balinese home. There you would have the opportunity to learn about and participate in one of the most unique, yet for Balinese most common, daily activities — the making of the traditional offerings called the canang sari.

The local Balinese traditional offerings - Canang Sari

After that, a very short drive will bring you to another Brahman house of the pedanda, the high priest of Mas village, where you will see how the larger gebogan (flower, fruit, and cake offering) is carried to the temple to be blessed. A donation is then given with prayers to the ancient family temple that serves around 800 people of the village.

Once all rituals are concluded, the women will take the gebogan back home and the food is shared amongst family and friends — including you. Enjoy the traditional lunch, which includes chicken, rice, sambal (a flavorsome chili paste), and fruits before you say goodbye to your new Balinese friends and return to your hotel.

How the larger Gebogan is carried to the temple

After breakfast, we would transfer your luggage to your next hotel in Seminyak.

You will be invited to board a vintage Volkswagen car that will bring you to Amlapura, the regency seat of Karangasem District in the east of Bali, where you will arrive at a charming restaurant with scenic views over rice paddies and the majestic Mt. Agung for coffee and refreshments. Then, we drive on to the Puri Agung, the Palace of Amlapura, once the residence of the royal family of Karangasem. An exclusive tour behind the scenes awaits you there, which gives a vivid impression of how local royals used to live.

Sightseeing by vintage VW

Continue to Budakling Village, where you will visit a blacksmith whose family makes the traditional blades used for ceremonies. Via scenic back roads along rice paddies and tropical forests, you will reach Tirta Gangga Royal Water Palace, a favorite retreat in the regency of Karangasem, built in 1946.

Next, visit Lontar Museum, showcasing palm-leaf manuscripts inscribed in Sanskrit with spiritual mantras, historical events, or religious lore of ancient Balinese traditions. Witness this ancient skill and try writing your own manuscripts in the traditional way.

Then, explore Taman Ujung Water Palace, the sister site of Tirta Gangga built by the same Raja.

Afterwards, transfer to Seminyak for check-in and a good rest.

Lontar - the ancient wisdom of Balinese

In the early morning, you will be driven to Tabanan Regency, where you will meet your local food expert. His cooking class embodies his philosophy of introducing local produce to a wider audience. He has been developing relationships with local farmers and utilizing their produce in his restaurants for years. In honoring these relationships, we would like to invite you to be a part of authentic Balinese life for a day.

Enjoy a morning coffee and briefing at a traditional Balinese House in Belayu, an idyllic village in Tabanan Regency with beautiful rice terraces, lush coconut groves, an old palace, and the authentic laid-back atmosphere of a traditional Balinese village.

The Rice Terraces in Bali

Then, hop on your mountain bike and start cycling through the regency's rice terraces, bordered by mountains and rivers, with fresh water flowing through the irrigation system to water the paddy fields.

Upon arrival at the Mengwi morning market, your expert chef will guide you through the traditional market and explain all the different spices, fruits, and vegetables, as well as typical local snacks. Afterwards, you will enjoy a real Balinese breakfast before you continue by car to the chef's private pool villa in Canggu for your hands-on street food experience.

Take part at a short course of how betutu (Balinese spicy chicken) is made before you begin the cooking class with the chef himself, who will lead you through five different Balinese recipes. You can even steal a few secrets from the master as you prepare your lunch together!

Following an invigorating lunch, tasting all the specialties you cooked together, we will transfer you back to your hotel. Optionally, you can choose to spend some additional hours in the villa and relax at the private pool.

Join in the Betutu cooking course and become a chef!

Enjoy a leisurely morning relaxing at the beach, or explore the countless shops and boutiques of Seminyak. In the afternoon, you will be transferred from your hotel in South Bali to the famous beach of Jimbaran Bay, where your 2-hour private cruise experience will begin.

Take off your sandals, walk down the beach and hop on a fiberglass speedboat inspired by the local fishermen' boats, capable of mooring in shallow waters. Your captain will sail you through the calm waters by the white Jimbaran beaches and follow the impressive coastline of Bali's Bukit Peninsula to the southernmost end of the island.

Sit back, relax, and soak in spectacular views of the remarkable cliffs of Uluwatu, seen from an angle that even the most avid Bali travelers haven't witnessed yet.

At Uluwatu Temple, seated high above on the cliffs and regarded as one of the most important temples in Bali, join the captain for a traditional Balinese blessing ceremony. You can place a floating canang sari — a small palm-leaf basket filled with colorful flowers, rice, and incense — into the ocean by the temple.

The Uluwatu Temple on the cliff

Take a dip in the refreshing water before you slowly cruise back. Explore the beauty of the Indian Ocean as the sun goes down over Jimbaran Bay. Stop for a while during the remarkable sunset's climax to indulge in the color-changing sky and the evening light. It would be the perfect moment to make a toast with your beloved and sip a refreshing glass of champagne (available at additional charge).

Back at the beach in Jimbaran, you will disembark and be transferred back to your resort for a good rest.

Sunset at Jimbaran Beach

The day is free until your guide meets you for your airport transfer in good time to catch your onward flight. We hope the authentic Bali elements in this journey refresh you and make your holiday memorable.