Ubud Cooking Class and Rice Terrace Tour: Make Balinese Dishes

Cook four dishes, eat what you made, walk a rice terrace and meet monkeys

A private cooking class and sightseeing tour in Ubud where you shop at a traditional market, prepare a four-course Balinese meal with your guide's instruction, eat lunch overlooking rice paddies, then visit the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, all entrance fees and lunch are included in an 8-hour day.

The Experience

The day starts at your hotel, where a driver picks you up and takes you to Pejeng traditional market. You walk the stalls with your guide, choosing fresh ingredients and learning how local farmers grow and sell what goes into Balinese cooking. This is not a tour of the market—you are there to gather what you will cook, and the guide explains what each ingredient does and where it comes from.

Back at the cooking class space, you prepare a four-course meal with your own hands: a chicken soup with mushroom, spiced fried tempe, tofu curry with Balinese spices, and your choice of fish or soybean skewers, along with sambal and other sides. The guide teaches you the technique for each dish—how to grind the spice paste, how to wrap and grill in banana leaf, how the flavors build. You are not watching a demonstration; you are making every plate. Once everything is ready, you sit down and eat lunch overlooking the rice paddies, tasting what you built.

After lunch, you drive to the rice terraces in Tegalang village to photograph the landscape and see how the paddies are worked. The final stop is the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, where you walk among the monkeys and temples. The whole day—market, class, lunch, both sites and transport—is arranged; you show up at your hotel and the guide handles the rest.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• English-speaking guide for the market, cooking class and both sightseeing stops.
• ingredients and cooking instruction.
• lunch of the dishes you prepared.
• entry to the rice terrace and the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary.
• bottled water.
• parking fees.

Good to know

Stroller friendlyInfant seats availableNot for heart conditions

Operated by Online Bali Driver

Is this one for you?Book the full-day tour if you want to cook, eat and see the landscape in one trip—the guide handles the market stop and both sites, so the day stays on track without you planning the route or timing. The cooking-class-only option works if you want just the market and kitchen instruction without the sightseeing stops.

Traveler reviews

4.98★★★★★★★★★★

47 verified traveler reviews

5 ★46

4 ★1

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What Balinese dishes do I actually cook in the class?

You prepare a four-course meal: chicken soup with mushroom, spiced fried tempe, tofu curry with Balinese spices, and either fish or soybean skewers, plus sambal and other condiments. You choose a vegetarian or non-vegetarian menu at booking, and you make every dish yourself under your guide's instruction.

Do I shop for the ingredients myself, or are they already there?

You go to Pejeng traditional market with your guide at the start of the day and select the fresh ingredients together. The guide explains what each item is and how it is used, so you understand what you are buying before you cook with it.

What happens after I finish cooking—do I eat alone or with others?

You eat the lunch you cooked yourself, sitting with a view of the rice paddies. The meal is part of the class experience, and you enjoy it in the setting where the ingredients are grown.

How much time is spent at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary?

The Sacred Monkey Forest is the final stop after the rice terrace visit. The full day is 8 hours from hotel pickup to return, with the cooking class and market taking the main portion of the morning and early afternoon, followed by the two sightseeing stops.

Is the guide with me the whole time, or do I have different people for the market and the cooking class?

Your English-speaking guide leads you through the market, teaches the cooking class, and accompanies you to both the rice terrace and the Sacred Monkey Forest. The same person is with you for the entire day.

What if I have dietary restrictions or allergies?

You choose a vegetarian or non-vegetarian menu at checkout. If you have specific allergies or restrictions beyond that choice, contact the operator before your booking date so they can adjust the ingredients and recipes.