Solo travel · Ubud · Indonesia
Solo travel in Ubud
How to enjoy Ubud at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Merbabu, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Ubud is one of the easiest places in Asia to travel alone: yoga classes, cooking schools, walking tours and café culture make it simple to meet people, and the homestay scene puts you inside family compounds with friendly hosts. Many solo travellers base themselves in Central Ubud.
Key facts
- Base
- Central Ubud
- Getting around
- Walking
- Emergency number
- 112 (general emergency); police 110, ambulance 118
- Language
- Indonesian and Balinese
Solo travel tips
- Drop-in yoga classes and community events at the Yoga Barn and similar centres are an easy way to meet other travellers.
- Homestays in central Ubud and Penestanan offer private rooms at prices close to hostel dorms elsewhere.
- Join a shared Mount Batur trek or temple tour to split transport costs.
- Walk back from the centre with a torch at night; streets are poorly lit and pavements uneven.
- Book drivers through your homestay rather than accepting offers on the street.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for first-timers, culture, budget and solo travellers
Central Ubud
The streets around Ubud Palace, Ubud Market and Pura Taman Saraswati hold most of the restaurants, dance venues and guesthouses. Side lanes such as Jalan Kajeng, Jalan Goutama and Jalan Bisma are quieter, with family-run homestays set inside traditional compounds. Everything in town is walkable from here, including the Monkey Forest about 15 minutes south.
- Good
- Walk to dance shows and restaurants; Wide choice of homestays; Rice-field walks start a few minutes away
- Watch out
- Heavy traffic on Jalan Raya Ubud; Narrow, uneven pavements
- Nearby
- Ubud Palace, Ubud Art Market, Pura Taman Saraswati, Museum Puri Lukisan
Great on your own
Nature · Tegallalang
Tegallalang Rice Terraces
Arrive before 8am for soft light and empty paths; by mid-morning the rim car parks fill with tour minivans.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
- Nature
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Palace · Central Ubud
Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung)
Buy a dance ticket from the sellers outside earlier in the day and arrive 20 minutes early for a seat with a clear view of the gate.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes; 1.5 hours with a show
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- After dark
- Architecture
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Religious site · Tampaksiring
Tirta Empul
Go at opening or late afternoon; skip the spouts reserved for funeral rites, which staff will point out.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Photo spot
Experience · Central Ubud
Kecak and Legong performances
Kecak shows often end with a trance dancer kicking through burning coconut husks; sit to the side rather than in the front row.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- After dark
- History
- Kids
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Religious site · Central Ubud
Pura Taman Saraswati
Lotus flowers are at their fullest in the morning; come before the cafés along Jalan Raya fill up.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Architecture
Nature · Campuhan
Campuhan Ridge Walk
Start at sunrise to avoid the heat; continue to Karsa Kafe in Bangkiang Sidem for breakfast before walking back.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours return
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Views
- Active
- Couples
Meeting people
- Market-to-kitchen cooking class — Classes in family compounds around Ubud start at a village market and teach the base genep spice paste that underpins Balinese cooking, ending with a shared lunch of everything you made.
- Babi guling lunch — Join locals at a babi guling warung around midday, when the pig comes off the spit; the plate of pork, crackling, lawar and sausage is the island's signature feast.
Sensible precautions
The main risks are traffic and scooter accidents, broken pavements and monkey bites at the Monkey Forest and nearby temples; seek medical advice promptly after any bite or scratch. Petty theft and money-changer short-changing occur, so count cash at the counter.
- Emergency number
- 112 (general emergency); police 110, ambulance 118
- Staying connected
- Wi-Fi is fast and free in most guesthouses and cafés; local SIM cards and eSIMs are widely sold at the airport and in town.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Ubud good for solo travellers?
Ubud is one of the easiest places in Asia to travel alone: yoga classes, cooking schools, walking tours and café culture make it simple to meet people, and the homestay scene puts you inside family compounds with friendly hosts.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Ubud?
Central Ubud: Palace, market and the crossroads of Jalan Raya Ubud and Monkey Forest Road.