2-day Balinese cooking class and village stay in Ubud
You work alongside villagers in the jungle, then cook your own dinner in a Balinese kitchen.
A 2-day immersion in Manggis Village, Ubud, where you cook traditional Balinese dishes, learn to make brown sugar and arak, and stay overnight in a family's traditional house. The itinerary pairs hands-on cooking with village work (cutting grass, feeding cattle, bathing in the river), and includes all meals, accommodation and a coffee plantation visit. Available once a week to preserve the village's authenticity.
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Explore Manggis Village and Traditions
- Pick up from hotel
- Drive to Manggis Village
- Enjoy traditional Balinese breakfast
- Waterfall trekking and scenery
- Learn Arak making and tasting
- Return home for lunch
- Enjoy traditional Balinese lunch
- Afternoon break and river bath
- Trek jungle back to house
- Learn Balinese offering making
- Praying
- Balinese cooking class for dinner
- Enjoy Balinese style dinner
- Learn culture with Arak
- Q&A with local family
- Rest for the night
Day 2: Village Life and Farewell
- Early morning traditional breakfast
- Work in jungle cutting grass
- Feed the cow
- Make traditional brown sugar
- Shower in river or bathroom
- Enjoy traditional Balinese lunch
- Farewell villagers and depart
- Visit coffee plantation
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off.
- two nights in a traditional Balinese house.
- all meals including traditional breakfasts, lunches and a Megibung communal feast dinner.
- hands-on cooking class where you prepare your own traditional Balinese food.
- instruction in making arak and brown sugar (the brown sugar is yours to take home).
- arak tasting.
- coffee plantation visit with tasting.
- live English-speaking guide throughout the two days.
Times
- Every day 06:00
Before you book
Operated by AWay Wanderlust
Prices and times updated 9 days ago
Traveler reviews
The experience
The day starts with a one-hour drive from your hotel to Manggis Village in Karangasem, where a local family welcomes you with a traditional Balinese breakfast. You'll trek through East Bali's waterfall landscape, then learn how arak, the local spirit, is made and distilled, with a tasting included. After lunch at the family's home, you bathe in the river and trek back through the jungle before the evening's main event: a hands-on cooking class where you prepare your own traditional Balinese food for dinner. The meal happens Megibung-style, a communal feast, and afterward you sit with the family to learn about local culture and traditions while drinking fresh arak they've made themselves.
Day two begins early. You wake in the remote village and eat another traditional breakfast, then work as the locals do: going into the jungle to cut grass for the cattle. Once that's done, you help feed the cows and learn to make traditional brown sugar by hand, which you take home. After refreshing yourself in the river or the in-house bathroom, you share a final traditional lunch before saying goodbye to the villagers. The tour ends with a visit to a coffee plantation and tasting before your return to the hotel.
You stay in a traditional Balinese house: a simple room roughly 2.5 by 2.5 meters with a bed, pillow and sheet, no air conditioning or wardrobe. There's a bathroom available, though most washing happens in the river. The operator does not provide dietary accommodations like gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian meals, and you'll encounter insects and creatures common to a working village. The tour runs once a week only, which keeps the village experience genuine and limits the impact on the families who host it.
Is this one for you?Book this if you want to work alongside villagers and cook your own meal rather than watch a demonstration: the hands-on cooking and the village labor (cutting grass, feeding cattle, bathing in the river) are the core of the experience, not side activities. The basic traditional house with no air conditioning and river bathing is authentic, not a downgrade, and it's essential to the immersion. If you need comfort or privacy, look for a different cooking class closer to Ubud's center.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 9 years); Infant (under 3): free.
What's included in the 2-day Balinese cooking class and village stay?
The package includes two nights' accommodation in a traditional Balinese house, all meals (traditional breakfasts, lunches and a Megibung feast dinner), the hands-on cooking class, instruction in making arak and brown sugar, a coffee plantation visit with tasting, hotel pickup and drop-off, and a live English-speaking guide throughout.
What do you actually do on the first day in the village?
Day one includes a waterfall trek through East Bali, learning how arak is made and tasting it, bathing in the river, and a hands-on cooking class where you prepare traditional Balinese dishes for your own dinner. You also learn about making Balinese offerings and spend the evening with the family discussing local culture and traditions.
What happens on the second day before you leave?
You wake early and work with the villagers (cutting grass in the jungle to feed the cattle), then learn to make traditional brown sugar by hand, which you can take home. After refreshing yourself and eating a final lunch, you visit a coffee plantation with a tasting before heading back to your hotel.
What is the accommodation like in Manggis Village?
You stay in a traditional Balinese house with a basic room about 2.5 by 2.5 meters containing a bed, pillow and sheet. There's no air conditioning, wardrobe or furnishings beyond the bed. A bathroom is available, though most bathing happens in the river. The simplicity is part of the authentic village experience.
Will I encounter insects and wildlife in the village?
Yes. The operator notes that bugs, insects, worms and spiders are common in a working village environment. If you're uncomfortable with creatures, this tour is not a good fit. The village also has no air humidifiers or essential oils. You'll experience the fresh air of a remote, rural setting.
How does the tour handle dietary needs?
The operator does not provide dietary specialties such as gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian meals. All guests eat the traditional Balinese food prepared during the cooking class and the communal meals. If you have specific dietary restrictions, this tour is not suitable.
2-day Balinese cooking class and village stay in Ubud
2d · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 189 per person
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