Choosing Our Adventure

Time flies when you’re on vacation, and after a week in Ubud it was time to move on to our next location. Our next Airbnb is in Seririt, up on the North shore of the island. While its only about 50km from Ubud, its about a three hour drive in the best of times.

Our driver, Putu, from the next Airbnb picked us up at 11am and was happy to show us some sights on the way up north. Putu is a hilariously gregarious man. Never a dull moment, always making a joke, and able to answer all of our questions.

Our first stop was at Jatiluwih Rice Terraces. Tucked underneath the mountains of the Batukaru mountain range, this UNESCO World Heritage site is unique for its “subak” or water management cooperative, which dates to the 9th century and is considered part of the Balinese cultural fabric.

At peace

The pace was wonderfully slower than at the more touristy Tegalalang, with the views rivaling anything we’ve seen yet. We spent a nice, leisurely hour walking the fields chatting with Putu about the areas history.

Our next stop took us to Danau Beratan, and possibly the most photographed place in Bali, Ulun Danu Beratan temple. The temple is situated on the shores of the lake and many an Instagram has been grammed from here. As with many insta-worthy places, the photos do not show the real place. This is very much a tourist attraction and even in the off season this place was crowded. Getting the shot without people is challenging, and most photos of the place have probably photoshopped out all the people.

The final stop for the day was one of Putu’s favorite waterfalls in Bali, Banyumala Twin Waterfalls. A bit more hidden than many of the waterfalls in Bali, this one was the perfect choice. From the main road, we turned down an nondescript road and followed it for a good ten minutes, at which point we parked and walked for another 15 minutes down a decently maintained trail, where we were greeted by one of the most picturesque natural scenes I’ve ever witnessed.

Absolutely stunning

The lush green foliage surrounded the area with the waterfalls running down over the vegetation. This beautiful spot was the perfect end to another adventurous day.

Upon reaching Villa Largo, we enjoyed a welcome dinner of fried rice and chicken sate, took a dip in the pool and settled into bed for the night.