Eating through Bali Mary Lou Davis

Your Welcome Dinner tonight is included at Bebek Tepi Sawah Ubud. For dinner you will be enjoying crispy duck, which features succulent duck meat with a perfectly crispy skin. Slow-cooked with a blend of traditional spices, this dish captures the essence of Balinese cuisine, delivering a delightful combination of flavors and textures. Water is included. Additional drinks and food are at your own expense. Restaurants are subject to change based on availability.

Overnight in Ubud.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/American, or buffet style. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

In the morning, you’ll be picked up from the hotel for a short 20 min transfer (traffic dependent) to Kayun Restaurant in Ubud for an exciting cooking class in a traditional Balinese kitchen. First, you and the group will head to the local market where, under the guidance of a professional local chef, you will handpick fresh ingredients for your class. Then, you’ll head back to the kitchen to learn traditional Balinese cooking methods before trying your hand at crafting dishes such as as sayur urap (steamed vegetable salad), pepes ikan (banana leaf wrapped side dish), sate lilit (minced meat satay skewer) with red and white rice, and kolak for dessert (sweet potatoes and coconut sugar). Then you’ll enjoy what you have cooked for lunch before a 20 minute transfer back to the hotel.

You will enjoy the dishes you've just crafted during the cooking class for lunch. Water is included.

Experience one of the best fine dining restaurants in Ubud - possibly all of Indonesia! Consisting of 18-courses served during a 4 hour long meal, you'll experience a celebration of the farmers, fishermen, and food artisans of Indonesia using modern cooking techniques.

Dinner at Locavore, or similar, is included. Dinner will be a set menu showcasing traditional Indonesian Cuisine in a contemporary experience. Water is included. Additional drinks and food are at your own expense. Restaurants are subject to change based on availability.

Overnight in Ubud.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/American, or buffet style. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

After breakfast, you will be picked up from the hotel and take a 30 minute private bus transfer to Kanto Lampo Waterfall. This waterfall is renowned for its distinctive rock formations and the refreshing experience of standing beneath the cascading water. It offers an environment for visitors to immerse themselves in nature, surrounded by lush tropical scenery. To reach the waterfall, you will start from the parking lot and walk down a set of cement stairs, which takes about ten minutes. Please note that the climb back up the stairs can be more challenging. You’ll then walk in about ankle deep water for another 10 minutes to reach the waterfall where you'll have the opportunity to stand beneath the falling water for a refreshing experience and snap some pictures. The total walking/hiking distance is about 400m (0.25 mi). The terrain is beginner friendly with a set of stairs, some dirt trails with rocks, and walking through ankle deep water. For this activity, it is advisable to wear a swimsuit, carry an extra set of clothes, and wear water shoes or sturdy sandals with traction to prevent slipping.

After the waterfall, you’ll take a 30-minute private bus north to Mengening Temple. For thousands of years, Balinese people believed that the water that comes from these springs heal and purify the inner and outer self. You will learn about the purification ritual and get to participate in it yourself. You’ll present offerings, that will be prepared for you in advance, and then get into the pool under the flowing fountains for the purification. Then you’ll finish off with some guided prayer. You can wear your swimwear underneath a provided sarong for the purification ritual. Note that you’ll want to dress conservatively (sarongs will be provided at the temple if needed). If you are menstruating or bleeding from an open wound, you will be prohibited from entering the temple under Balinese tradition.

After visiting the water temple, you’ll take a 40-minute private bus transfer for lunch at The Kawi Resto Pool and Bar overlooking the beautiful rice terraces in Ubud. You’ll enjoy a set menu sampling Indonesian cuisine with water included. Restaurants are subject to change based on availability.

Overnight in Ubud.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/American, or buffet style. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

Vegan cooking and raw foods has become an ever growing trend and staple in Bali over the last few decades. You will conduct it at the restaurant's workshop area where local, female chefs will host a private cooking demonstration, teaching you how to make plant based dishes such as their famous Jackfruit Rendang, an Indonesian curry, Balinese satay but made with oyster mushrooms in a sweet and spicy peanut butter sauce, Bubur Injin, a traditional coconut black rice pudding, and more! This is also an opportunity to engage in lively discussions about the raw and healing food industry, its history, incorporating plant based habits to your daily life, giving back to the local community, and so much more. You’ll leave with printed recipes to take home, but you may also want to pack some pen and paper to take notes during this experience! Note: if they have regular class at the restaurant, Discova will provide another venue for activity.

Lunch is included after the healing food demonstration.

Take a private transfer from your cooking class to your hotel in Ubud. Stops for bathrooms will be made along the way as needed. Note that there is typically heavy traffic in Bali during peak season so expect delays.

Once you’ve checked into the hotel, you’ll have a chance to refresh and join the group at Genius Cafe Sanur for a cocktail hour overlooking the serene beaches of Sanur. One cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage of your choice is included. Additional drinks at your own expense.

Overnight in Sanur.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

In this optional tour, you will be taken for a fun stand up paddle board session at Sanur Beach just in front of your hotel. The course will invite you down wind with flat water paddling up a mangrove and beach lined lagoon. This trip is led by a certified instructor who will teach you to use the equipment.

In the late afternoon, a Go-Jek motorbike driver will pick you up at the hotel to take you on a culture and food tour. Each person will have their own motorbike driver and a helmet is included. Begin your journey at Sanur Beach where you will indulge in a coconut drink by the sea and engage in lively conversations with the welcoming locals. You’ll then hop back on the bike for about 15 minutes and make a stop at Bajra Sandhi, a monument commemorating soldiers, which adds a touch of history and culture to your exploration. Then, you’ll venture another 10 minutes on the back of the motorbike to one of Bali's liveliest night markets, where your taste buds are free to explore a wide array of street foods, each offering a unique culinary experience. The main course you will be trying is the legendary Babi Guling or Suckling Pig. This traditional dish holds profound symbolism in Balinese Hinduism, representing fertility and prosperity. To finish off your tasty adventure, savor the comforting flavors of ronde, a Javanese sweet delicacy. This mochi-like sticky rice cake, filled with peanuts and served in a bowl of warm ginger soup, brings a delightful close to a day well-spent exploring Bali's culinary treasures. Finally, the motorbike will take you on a 30 minute ride back to the hotel.

Dinner is included as a part of the Go-jek Evening Tastecapes Tour.

Overnight in Sanur.

Enjoy the recipe passed down to generations in this 40-year old warung. Crispiness of the fish combined with the rich taste of the fish broth will elevate your morning.

Skip breakfast at the hotel today as we head out on a 15 minute transfer to a 40-year-old warung: Ikan Goreng Mak Beng, Sanur. They are famous among locals and international visitors for their plain rice (nasi putih) with fried fish, fish soup, and sambal.

Take a transfer to the included Farewell Dinner at Byrdhouse. Dinner will be a Balinese set menu with an alcoholic beverage included. Additional drinks and food are at your own expense. Restaurants are subject to change based on availability.

Overnight in Sanur.

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/American, or buffet style. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.