Things to Do in Ubud

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is a Balinese Hindu site at the bottom of Monkey Forest Road and populated by cheeky long-tailed macaques. It's a popular site with visitors to Ubud who come to see the monkeys and the temples within the sanctuary.

There are hundreds of monkeys living in and around the monkey forest. You can purchase food for them at the entrance gate but be warned that the monkeys are aggresive opportunists - particularly in their pursuit of food. They will think nothing of climbing on you or raking through your bag in search of something edible.

There are 3 temples within the forest, Pura Dalem (death temple), the Holy Bathing Temple and Pura Prajapati (funerary or cremation temple). All 3 of these temples are sacred, as is the forest and the monkeys, who are believed to protect the area from evil spirits.

One of Bali’s holiest Hindu sites (and one of its most popular attractions) is a grotto with a history dating back more than 1,000 years. Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) has uncertain origins, but it's believed that it once served as a sanctuary for Hindu priests to meditate or even sleep.

Goa Gajah's entrance makes a menacing first impression, carved in the likeness of a gaping mouth of a demonic creature. The façade of the cave entrance features several relief carvings of various mythological creatures, and while no one is sure what they represent, local lore says that an elephant was the protagonist of the drama depicted in the carvings; hence, the nickname Elephant Cave.

The courtyard just outside the cave has more recently excavated decorative bathing pools, adorned with carvings of partially clad females pouring water from urns. The cave itself is rather small, a T-shaped space with several small ledges and a statue of Ganesh, added after the cave was excavated.

The Bali Bird Park has a large collection of rare and unusual Indonesian birds and birds from other countries that roam free throughout the park or are contained within lush avaries. Located in the Batubulan stone carving village and next door to the reptile farm, the Park is a popular day trip from the surrounding tourist towns of Kuta, Sanur and Ubud. Divided into regions that attempt to recreate the birds natural habitats, the Bali Bird Park takes you on a trail through the Indonesian archipelago, Latin America and South Africa. The Bird Park plays a key role in protecting and conserving Indonesia’s endangered wildlife and has successfully bred many species, including the rare Pesquet’s Parrot, Birds of Paradise, Hornbills and Bali Starlings.