I spent 10 days in Ubud this year from the end of February to the beginning of March. I was apprehensive about what the weather would be like as it was technically still rainy season but it ended up being the perfect time to visit. The majority of the time is was incredibly hot and sunny and the brief hour of torrential rain every other day at around 3pm was actually quite enjoyable! We stayed in an Airbnb close to the centre of Ubud, overlooking a rice field, with our own private pool and balcony. For 10 days it only cost us around £500 total which was insanely cheap for what we got!

The taxi from the airport to Ubud was no more than £20 (400,000 IDR) and took just over an hour. We quickly realised that the only way to get around as a tourist in Bali is to either rent a motorbike or hire a driver for the day. We had never ridden a motorbike before, we didn’t have a license to ride one abroad and didn’t fancy teaching ourselves on Bali’s chaotic roads so our Airbnb host offered to drive us around every day for 300,000 IDR which wasn’t bad at all considering he would wait for hours in the car park whilst we went about our daily tourist activities so it was well worth it.

On our first day we went to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. There are hundreds of monkeys there, including some really tiny babies! You aren’t really supposed to interact with them but sometimes they just jump on you and give you no choice! This place is well worth the visit, you can spend a good two hours walking around and taking pictures and it was only about £4 entry too!

The next day we visited the famous Bali swing, there are plenty of swing opportunities around the island but we went to one called Aloha Ubud Swing where you get access to about 6 different types of swing and ‘nests’. The people there are so friendly, they will take pictures for you and let you go on the swing as many times as you would like. It was about 300,000 IDR per person which was pretty expensive given the usual prices in Bali but we went with it anyway and I’m glad we did because the pictures were worth it.

The Ubud street market is also worth a visit. The street is full of small market stalls run by the locals selling souvenirs and hand made crafts. If you want to bring something back home be sure to get it here.

There is a multitude of rice terraces in Bali and they truly are amazing to see. I felt very tranquil and close to nature when I visited here, it truly is like nowhere else I’ve ever been. Oh and it was only about 50p to enter. We visited right after it had been raining which meant there was virtually no one else there!

We spent hours walking around Bali Bird one morning. You can get up close with so many different birds and the employees happily take your pictures which I liked. You get a free snack with your ticket and the Reptile Park is right next door if you fancy doing both in one day.

You’re never far from a temple in Bali. We chose to visit two that were pretty close to Ubud, the first was the Saraswati Temple right in the town centre of Ubud. It’s free to enter and it makes for a great Instagram shot! The second temple was the Batuan Temple, we only spent about 15 minutes here and we had to borrow a sarong to enter.

If you want to get some exercise or just spend some extra time in the sun do the Campuhan Ridge Walk. It will take about hour but you will be completely surrounded by nature and awesome views.

On one of our final days we visited the Tegenungan Waterfall. It was pretty touristy but nonetheless beautiful. There’s one big waterfall and one smaller one as well as a holy water shower. There are also free changing rooms, it’s worth bringing your bathing suit and taking a quick dip. There are lots of photo opportunities here but it was insanely busy when we went around midday so maybe try to visit early morning before the crowds pour in.

Overall Bali is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been, if not my favourite place of all time. There’s no doubt I’ll visit again in the next few years and most probably around the same time of year. Although we spent all our time in Ubud we never ran out of things to do, however next time I would like to explore Bali’s beaches as there were none close to Ubud. Until next time Bali, you’ve been incredible!