Ubud with kids

Best things to do with kids

Nature · Padangtegal

1.Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

About 12 hectares of rainforest at the bottom of Monkey Forest Road hold several hundred long-tailed macaques, mossy stone statues, a ravine with giant banyan roots and three temples including Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal. The forest is run by Padangtegal village as a conservation and spiritual site, and the paths take about an hour at a gentle pace.

Leave sunglasses, hats, food and loose bags in your room; the macaques grab anything that looks edible or shiny and will open zips.

Time needed

1–1.5 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Iconic
• Kids
• Nature
• Photo spot

Experience · Central Ubud

2.Kecak and Legong performances

Each evening several venues stage traditional dance: Legong and Barong with gamelan orchestras at the palace, and the Kecak fire dance, performed by a circle of chanting men, at Pura Dalem Ubud on Jalan Raya Ubud and in nearby villages. A programme board at the tourist office on Jalan Raya lists who is performing where.

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

Zoo · Singapadu

3.Bali Bird Park

About 12 km south of Ubud in Gianyar, the park keeps hundreds of birds from Indonesia and beyond in walk-through aviaries, including birds of paradise from Papua and the rare Bali starling. Free-flight shows and feeding sessions run through the day.

Visit in the morning when the birds are most active, and combine it with Tegenungan Waterfall on the same road.

Time needed

2–3 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Kids
• Nature
• Outdoors

Nature · Kemenuh

4.Tegenungan Waterfall

A broad waterfall on the Petanu river about 10 km south of Ubud, reached by a long stairway down from the car park. Swimming in the plunge pool depends on water levels, and the falls are at their most powerful in the wet season.

Go early on a weekday; swimming is unsafe after heavy rain, when the water turns brown and strong.

Time needed

1.5 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Nature
• Outdoors
• Kids
• Active

Experience · Ubud villages

5.Balinese cooking class

Morning classes start with a visit to a local market to buy spices and vegetables, then move to a family compound or farm kitchen to grind base genep spice paste and cook several dishes such as sate lilit, lawar and pepes. Most include hotel pick-up and finish with the meal you cooked.

Choose a class with a market visit; tell the school in advance if you are vegetarian, as most can adapt every dish.

Time needed

4–5 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

Book ahead

Reserve a day or two ahead in July, August and December, when classes fill.

• Food
• Kids
• Rainy day

Museum · Pengosekan

6.ARMA (Agung Rai Museum of Art)

A museum and cultural centre set in gardens and rice fields off Jalan Raya Pengosekan, with works by Walter Spies and Raden Saleh alongside Balinese painters. It also runs classes in dance, offering-making and gamelan, and stages performances in its open-air pavilion.

Check the noticeboard at the entrance for workshops; a hands-on offering-making class suits children too.

Time needed

1.5 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Art
• Rainy day
• History
• Kids

Rainy-day ideas

• ARMA (Agung Rai Museum of Art) — Check the noticeboard at the entrance for workshops; a hands-on offering-making class suits children too.
• Balinese cooking class — Choose a class with a market visit; tell the school in advance if you are vegetarian, as most can adapt every dish.

Where families should stay

Family travel tips

• Keep snacks out of sight in the Monkey Forest and explain to children not to stare at or touch the macaques.
• A baby carrier works far better than a stroller on Ubud's pavements and rice-field paths.
• Barong performances, with a comic lion-like creature and monkey characters, hold children's attention better than the slower Legong.
• Ask your villa about babysitting; many arrange trusted local nannies.
• Plan outings for the morning and pool time in the afternoon, when the heat and rain peak.

Day trips for families

• Jatiluwih rice terraces (About 1.5–2 hours by car) — Part of the UNESCO-listed Cultural Landscape of Bali Province, Jatiluwih's terraces cover a much wider area than Tegallalang and have marked walking trails of different lengths.
• Ulun Danu Beratan Temple (About 1.5 hours by car) — The water temple dedicated to the lake goddess Dewi Danu appears to float on Lake Beratan in the cool highlands at Bedugul.
• Sanur (About 45 minutes–1 hour by car) — The nearest beach town to Ubud has a calm, reef-protected lagoon, a long seafront path for walking and cycling, and the fast-boat harbour for Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida.

When to go with children

The best months overall are April–June and September. July–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.

Questions travellers ask