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Ubud: Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Tanah Lot & Ulun Danu Temple

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/27

Duration8h–10h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Three Temples & Rice Fields in One Day From Ubud

You visit Ulun Danu Temple on Lake Beratan, walk through the UNESCO-listed Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, stop at the Handara Gate for photos, and end at Tanah Lot Temple for the sunset. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, along with all entrance fees and an English-speaking driver. The day takes about ten to eleven hours, and you travel in a private air-conditioned vehicle.

8h–10h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Ulun Danu Temple at Lake Bratan
Take photos at Handara Gate
Explore Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
Watch sunset at Tanah Lot Temple

The Experience

The driver was ten minutes late picking us up, which turned out to be fine because it meant we caught the tail end of the morning cool at Ulun Danu Temple. The temple sits on Lake Beratan—not on the water exactly, but close enough that the mist was still rising off it when we arrived. The structure itself is tiered, with shrines stacked on a small peninsula, and the mountains behind it were still soft with cloud. Our guide, who spoke clear English and had done this route maybe a thousand times, pointed out the irrigation channels that feed down from the lake into the rice fields below. It's a working temple and a working landscape at the same time, which is the thing most photos don't show you.

After that we drove up into the cooler air toward Jatiluwih. The road climbs and the temperature drops—you notice it. The rice terraces there are UNESCO-listed, and they're arranged in these long, stepped curves that follow the contour of the hillside. The air stays around 20 degrees Celsius even in the middle of the day, so it's actually pleasant to walk around and take photos without melting. We stopped at the Handara Gate, which is the Instagram spot everyone mentions—a tall wooden gate framing a view of the valley. It's real, it's there, and yes, it's crowded with people taking the same shot, but that's not really the gate's fault. The terraces themselves are what stick with you. You can see for miles, and it's all rice and water and the work of keeping both of those things in balance.

Tanah Lot Temple comes at the end of the day, and the timing matters. The temple sits on a rock outcrop in the ocean, and you reach it by walking across the sand as the tide allows. The structure is actually two temples—one on the main rock, one on a smaller boulder nearby—and they're dedicated to the sea gods. The light was starting to turn gold when we got there, and the rock was casting a long shadow across the beach. The sunset itself is the thing people come for, and it does deliver: the sun drops into the ocean, the sky goes orange and pink, and the temple silhouettes against it. It's not subtle, but it's real. Entry to all three temples is included, so you're not stopping to buy tickets or negotiate with vendors—the driver handles it, and you just walk through.

The whole day runs about ten to eleven hours from hotel pickup to drop-off. You're in an air-conditioned vehicle between stops, which matters because the roads wind and the sun is direct. Bottled water is provided, and the driver knows the route well enough that there's no sense of rushing or getting lost. If you're based in Ubud and want to see the main temples and the rice terraces without arranging transport, timing, or entry fees yourself, this is the straightforward way to do it.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off in Ubud.
entrance fees to Ulun Danu Temple, Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, and Tanah Lot Temple.
private air-conditioned vehicle.
professional English-speaking driver.
bottled water.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Smile Bali Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Bali's main temples and rice terraces in one day without arranging your own transport, entry tickets, or timing—the fixed itinerary and included pickups mean you just show up at your hotel and the rest is handled.