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When visiting Bali, just one of Indonesia’s 18,000 islands, some of the most beautiful landscapes and attractions are merely a stones throw away from the popular backpacking hubs of Ubud, Uluwatu and Canggu.
For a great adventure, break free from these tourists areas and head north to discover the lush rolling rice terraces of Jatiluwih, a UNESCO World Heritage site covering a massive 1,500 acres that translates from Indonesian to English as ‘real beautiful’. It’s the perfect destination for a day trip, but also an amazing region of the island to spend a few days in.
In my humble opinion, Jatiluwih is far more impressive than the world famous Tegalalang terraces near Ubud and doesn’t get the attention it truly deserves. Here, you can see the real Bali and experience local life while soaking up the fresh mountain air and epic natural landscape without going shoulder to shoulder with others.
- Country: Indonesia
- Population: Bali = 4.3 million
- Language: Both Indonesian and English are widely spoken.
- Currency: Indonesian rupees (IDR). £1/$1 = 18,500/15,000 IDR
- SIM cards: You should definitely get a SIM card for your travels in Bali. This means you can use apps like Uber or Grab for cheaper taxi fares but it also means you’re always connected to the world, never needing to rely on WiFi. Get an E-SIM here: Indonesia: eSIM Roaming Mobile Data Plan
Where is it
The village of Jatiluwih is located 700m above sea level in central Bali, approximately 1.5 hours from Ubud or 2 hours from Kuta by road.
Check it out on the interactive map below.
How to get to Jatiluwih
There are three main ways to get to Jatiluwih from anywhere in Bali.
- Rent a scooter
The first and most popular way to get there is to rent a vehicle and go on a mini road trip up north from the likes of Denpasar, Ubud and Kuta.
You can easily get there and back in half a day and with your own vehicle you also have the freedom to stop at the many amazing views along the way and take as much time as you want.
A scooter is the more popular option of the two and will cost around 70,000 IDR for the day. If there’s a group of you to split the costs, the comfort and safety of a car might be more appealing if you want to fork out around 650,000 IDR.
- Book a tour
Day tours provide a stress-free small group experience in the comfort of a private air conditioned vehicle (usually a minivan) while a local guide shows you around the highlights of your chosen region.
Companies like GetYourGuide and Viator offer great tours of Jatiluwih and are very common in Bali.
- Hire a driver
One final option I recommend is to hire a private driver for the day, for which prices start at around 500,000 IDR ($38). Book a driver through this link.
You can propose you own custom itinerary for the day (6, 10 or 12 hours) or do it the lazy way and let them take you to the spots they think are best.
I hired a driver one day because I honestly just couldn’t be bothered riding hundreds of kilometres on a bike that day. My driver was a local legend called ‘Mr Wonderful’ and I really enjoyed my day with him. We covered loads of spots including some locations I wanted to see, like Jatiluwih, and he topped up the day with some other cool places too.
Note: A hired driver is not a tour guide. They will be friendly and might feed you some information now and then in the car, but they won’t walk with you to each location like a guide would.
When to go
Although the surrounding area is beautiful year round, the absolute best months to visit the rice paddies are between February and April when the crops are ready for harvest.
Bali is busiest between April and September (the dry season), but you don’t want to visit Jatiluwih in these months because even though the weather will be nice and sunny, the rice fields will be brown and empty.
Expected costs
The entrance fee for Jatiluwih Rice Terraces is 40,000IDR plus an additional 5,000 IDR fee for parking.
Thinking of visiting Southeast Asia soon? Don’t miss these essential guides to help planning your trip:
What to expect at the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
Jatiluwih has the largest cluster rice terraces in Bali.
In Balinese, the name Jatiluwih means ‘really good’ or ‘really beautiful’, which is understandable! With a whopping 1,500 acres of lush rice fields, the photo opportunities and immense views are seemingly endless.
When admiring the beauty of the rice paddies, it’s important to be mindful of the local people.
This is where they make their livelihood and often it is all they have, so you obviously should make an attempt to not damage any crops while taking your photos. The banks not far from the path are great for this.
In total, allow at least an hour or two to wander around the looping paths and fields before dragging yourself away. During that time you’ll probably only see one or two other tourists, making an afternoon or morning here even more special as it feels like it’s all yours!
After you’re rice-paddied-out, there are a few tasty restaurants nearby for breakfast or lunch (depending on what time you visit) that are certainly worth a stop.
Where to stay near Jatiluwih
Packing essentials
Travel camera
You’ll want to remember your time at Jatiluwih, and what better way than having a compact travel camera to take nicer photos than a phone. I use this one which, for me, is an essential item everywhere I go.
Water
Make sure you pack a reusable water bottle and plenty of water as it will likely be a sweaty day.
Portable charger
You’ll be taking lots of pictures at Jatiluwih so pack a portable charger to charge your phone and devices on the move.
Hat, sunscreen and sunglasses
Gotta’ stay protected!
Drone
The DJI Mini 3 Pro is the best affordable drone currently on the market, and as you can see from my pictures, having a drone here is very worth it.
Best tours in Bali
Thank you for reading this travel guide – I hope you found it helpful! Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible 
Happy travelling!
HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Accommodation: Booking.com, Hostelworld
Tours: GetYourGuide, Viator, Klook, TripAdvisor
Transport: 12Go, Omio, Trip.com, Rome2Rio
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