Ubud Tours I: Up to Kintamani

An often recommended tour from Ubud is to get up to the village of Kintamani to have breakfast at a restaurant overlooking Lake Batur and Mount Batur. The first glimpse of this active volcano will take your breath away even more if you have managed to take one of the organised Tours offered by the local Padma Tours in Jl. Kajeng, central Ubud or the International Sobek with its tour office on the Sayan river. You can start the day with an early breakfast at 3 a.m. in Ubud's Ladybamboo Villa and other participating Ubud Accommodations and returning back to Ubud for an early lunch and a good siesta. The strong ones with little time let the morning roll out with one of the lovely bike downhills of Bali, others might do that on a seperate day - or not at all:)

Balinese in the mountains look differently shows photographer ©Ingo Jezierski

The bike route from Kintamani to Ubud winds down through farmland, fields and tiny villages where ordinary Balinese go about their lives. Little children run out as you pass, waving and calling "Hallo." The guide stops frequently to acquaint you with local crops, including coffee, cacao, turmeric, ginger and taro.

Bali is so gorgeous, you can't help but gasp and stop from time to time when a hillside terraced with rice paddies or a thousand-year old temple comes into view. Read more!

Ubud-Impressions I: Ladybamboo Villa

Greens in the Ladybamboo Villa in Ubud ©Ingo Jezierski

Still dreaming from those days in 2006 in Ubud... After many years I got the chance to visit Bali again, one of my favorite travel destinations in the world. Some of you might remember to have seen photos of my earlier visits in the Apa Guide books.

This time I was especially lucky as a friend was recommending me the newly opened Ladybamboo Villa as a cozy place to stay. And the Villa really fits my needs. With its central location directly in the center of Ubud it's an perfect place to explore Ubud by walking, which comes especially handy for those like me, who do not drive a car.
I like to share with Ubud.com some of the photos I made while rediscovering your beautiful artists village. Let's start here with a shot from the Ladybamboo gardens. Read more!