Things to Do in Ubud: Complete 2026 Guide
The complete guide to things to do in Ubud. From rice terraces to monkey forests, yoga retreats to art galleries, discover Ubud like a local.
Experience Highlights
- 2. Explore the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
- 4. Discover Pura Gunung Kawi: Bali's Ancient Rock Shrines
- 6. Explore the Ubud Art Market and Surrounding Galleries
- 8. Attend a Traditional Kecak or Legong Dance Performance
- 10. Day Trip to Mount Batur for Sunrise Trekking
- Plan Your Ubud Experience with DK Bali Tour and Travel
The Experience
The Ubud Monkey Forest is one of those places that delivers exactly what it promises and then surprises you anyway. Home to over 1,000 Balinese long-tailed macaques living across 12.5 hectares of lush forest, this sanctuary is also a genuine Hindu temple complex with three temples inside: Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal, Pura Beji, and Pura Prajapati.
Cut directly into a volcanic rock cliff face above the sacred Pakerisan River, Gunung Kawi is one of the most dramatic archaeological sites in all of Southeast Asia. The ten candis (shrines) carved here date to the eleventh century and are believed to be memorials to King Anak Wungsu and members of his royal family.
Ubud has been Bali's artistic centre since the 1930s when Western painters like Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet arrived and began collaborating with local Balinese artists. That creative legacy continues today in the Pita Maha style, the Young Artists movement, and a thriving contemporary scene that sits alongside traditional craft.
Ubud is one of the best places in Bali to see traditional Balinese dance performed in a genuine ritual context rather than a commercial hotel setting. The Kecak fire dance, performed at Pura Dalem Taman Kaja or Pura Uluwatu, features a chorus of over 50 men chanting cak rhythmically while dancers enact scenes from the Ramayana epic. No instruments -- only the human voice.
Mount Batur is an active volcano about 45 minutes north of Ubud and one of Bali's most rewarding physical challenges. The trek takes roughly two hours up and starts around 4am to reach the summit in time for sunrise. At the top you stand at 1,717 metres above sea level watching the sky turn orange and pink over Lake Batur and Mount Agung.
Ubud things to do in 2026 span everything from sunrise volcano treks to evening temple rituals, from morning markets to sound healing sessions. The challenge is not finding things to do -- it is knowing which version of each experience is worth your time, and which guides and operators will actually show you Bali as it is rather than a polished version built for photographs.
