Sunday, July 16, 2023 – Today we scheduled a driver to take us to a number of sights outside of Ubud. Our primary goal was to see a few of Bali’s amazing waterfalls. Our first stop was the Kanto Lampo Waterfall. Still early in the morning, we opted not to get into the water and the waterfall itself, but enjoyed watching a young woman being coached by a local guide on how to pose to get the best waterfall photos.
A short drive brought us to the Tiburmana Waterfall. After walking down several flights of stairs through lush tropical plants we arrived at this powerful waterfall. At this stop we did get into the water for a few pictures. Due to the amount of water coming over the waterfall you cannot get too close to it.
We then went to the Goa Raja Waterfall, a less visited location. Again, after going down some very steep steps and walking across a couple of bamboo bridges we reached a human made infinity pool at the base of a small waterfall and saw the large Goa Raja Waterfall tucked back in a cave (Goa Raja in Indonesian means “king cave”). Because this waterfall was in a cave we could feel the force of the water coming down from the mist blowing against us as we inched closer to get a few pictures. We learned that just a week earlier there had been sturdier bridges and nicer walkways to this waterfall, but heavy rains had caused mudslides that destroyed them.
Our next stop was at Santi, a small coffee plantation. We took a short tour and sampled their coffee, tea and chocolate. We also learned about the Balinese specialty coffee, Kapi Luwak, made by collecting and roasting coffee cherries that have been eaten, partially digested and pooped out by luwaks (weasel-like animals). No thank you! Our brief visit was followed by lunch at a restaurant just down the street with an amazing view.
Our final stop on this excursion was the Abian Desa Pakudui Rice Terraces. A beautiful area of tiered rice terraces with the traditional Balinese cooperative irrigation throughout. This was definitely a tourist destination… lots of photo opp spots, a couple of ziplines, and a few famous Bali Swings that will provide a few swings over gorgeous, lush scenery for a fee.
After a quick stop back to our resort we headed out again. Ubud is a city known for being a hub for yogis. We were told the Yoga Barn was the most famous studio. Karen enjoyed a yoga class at this huge facility while Greg took a long walk. A casual dinner on our way back to our resort was the end of this busy day in Bali.
Hammond Adventures 