For our final day in Ubud we had booked a private car tour to take us to some of the places that we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to get to. While they have a default itinerary they are very happy to adjust it to guests’ preferences.

Bali Swing

Thanks to Instagram, Bali Swings have become a thing and the “official” one near Ubud is the first and best (and most expensive). There are actually 15 swings there and (spoiler alert) they aren’t actually that high up, they are just photographed to look that way. You can hire a long flowing dress for ultimate instagram appeal but Debbie didn’t want to – and she wouldn’t let Steve either – we just went on the swings in our normal clothes, which does mean the safety harnesses are also visible. Anyway, our professional photographs…

…and a few other silly poses!

Banyumala Twin Waterfalls

It is a 20 minute trek through the jungle to the pool below the twin waterfalls. We really should have taken our swimmers so that we could cool off in the pool.

Handara Gate

in Balinese Hindu culture, gates signify passing from the secular world into the sacred and spiritual world. So is the Handara Gate an entrance to a particular temple? No, it is just an entrance to a golf resort that photographs well! When we arrived it had been raining so we had the bonus of a puddle giving a nice reflection, but it probably wasn’t worth the queue for our moment of Instagram glory – especially as we forgot to post the photo to Instagram.

Pura Ulun Dana Beratan

In contrast, this temple on the shores of Lake Beratan was both genuine and spectacular. “Pura” is Balanese for a Hindu temple and it is an open air space with three courtyards separated by low walls. The three storey shrine was built in 1633 and is dedicated to the Balinese water, lake and river goddess Dewi Danu.

The taller 11 storey shrine is dedicated to Shiva and his consort Parvathi.

Unusually there is also a Buddhist stupa in close proximity to the Hindu temple, although outside the main temple complex.

Jatiluwih Rice Terraces

Our final stop was the village of Jatiluwih, a UNESCO World Heritage site and absolutely breathtaking. We were lucky that it wasn’t misty and we were able to see across the vivid green rice fields to Mount Batula in the distance. We had a short walk along a few of the footpaths, chatted to one of the locals and admired her Banteng cow. It would have been lovely to have had more time to explore and do a longer hike around the footpaths, but maybe we will be able to next time.