Digital Nomad Guide for Ubud, Bali
Ubud is a place in the middle of Bali, renowned for it’s beautiful rice terraces, lush nature and Balinese art and culture.
And of course, it is very famous for all the yogi’s that gather from all around the world to practice yoga in this serene and spiritual place.
Aside from Canggu, it’s also a relatively popular place for Digital Nomads from all over the world to stay here and come work for a few months.
I’ve been to Ubud already a number of times to visit, but in 2024 I went for a month to see how it is working from this digital nomad hotspot. Read below about my experiences and other tips for Digital Nomads in Ubud, Bali!
Quick links:
Things To Do
There are a lot of amazing things to do in Ubud and I would definitely recommend you to get out into the nature to experience the lush and tropical scenery of Bali. Here are a few top things to do in Ubud, Bali:
Visit The Ricefields
There are quite a few beautiful rice fields in Ubud that are worth visiting, and even just by hopping on a scooter and driving around Ubud, you’ll see a lot of them.
Perhaps the most famous one is the Tegallalang Rice Terraces, which are stunning. It’s also the most touristic one, so when walking through these rice fields, be prepared to pay “donations” to a few people.
Another beautiful rice field is located at the Campuhan Ridge Walk, which is a hike through some gorgeous rice fields. It’s also quite close to the centre of Ubud, so it’s very accessible.
Do Yoga
There are many great places to do yoga in Ubud, as it’s a bit of a mecca for Yogi’s. There is The Yoga Barn and the Ubud Yoga Centre (among others) both of which offer a myriad of different yoga classes and schedules.
Visit the countless waterfalls
There are really a lot of waterfalls around Ubud so it is quite impossible to visit them all. A few ones can be quite touristy and busy so make sure you read the reviews when planning your route.
We visited these ones and they were very beautiful and it wasn;t too busy:
Visit Balinese Temples
There are a number of amazing Balinese temples in and around Ubud that are worth visiting. Within Ubud Town, there is the Ubud Palace, which is the most famous one.
Also close to Ubud town is Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal, which lies within the Monkey Forest.
Another temple is Goa Gajah, to the east of Ubud town, which is known for it’s Hindu gods stone carvings.
Chill at a pool club for the day
There are quite a few nice pool clubs where you can chill for a day, use the pool and eat and drink. For most of them you need to pay a fee, but then you can use it as credit for getting food and drinks. Here are a few nice pool clubs:
Tis Cafe - this Pool club is right next to the famous rice terraces, so you can chill by the pool while enjoying the stunning view on the rice fields.
Bambu Indah - This is an eco luxury hotel nestled in the Ubud Jungle. You can get a day pass for around US$30 and spend the day at the resort, where they have natural pools and a riverside restaurant that serves delicious food and drinks. It’s a super peaceful getaway, and the hotel itself is very special - it’s designed by famous jewellery designer John Hardy, and prides itself with being a sustainable, eco-luxury hotel.
Visit the Monkey Forest
If you can handle (extremely) cheeky monkeys, then have a look at the monkey forest, where you’ll find countless monkeys waiting to steal your stuff! Jokes aside, the monkey forest is a cool place to visit and you’ll spot a lot of monkeys hanging and goofing around.
Go to Kintamani and enjoy the view on Mt. Batur and Agung
Kintamani is an area about an hour drive north of Ubud and is higher up in the mountains. There are a few nice cafes and restaurants located there that allow you to sit right at the cliffs and enjoy the marvelous view on Mt. Agung and Mt. Batur.
I quite liked Paperhills cafe, which also serves some really good coffee.
Another great activity (if you are up for it!) is hiking the mountain and witness the sunrise from the top. There are many tours that offer this, for example this one on GetYourGuide:
Do a cooking class
Another fun activity is doing a Balinese cooking class. We did this one: Cobek cooking class, which was super fun and we made a lot of different types of Balinese and Indonesian dishes. The woman who taught us was extremely nice and it was a really fun afternoon. If you take the morning class they will also take you to the market first.
Where To Eat
Specialty Coffee & Brunch
RUSTERS, $$, my favourite restaurant in Ubud was this beautiful place, which sits right next to a ricefield, so you can enjoy your breakfast and coffee with a beautiful green view.
Old Friends Coffee, $$, A cute little coffee shop that serves excellent specialty coffee. Make sure to bring cash.
Livingstone Holyground, $$, A very nice brunch place with amazing pastries and other brunch specials.
☕ For the complete list of the best specialty coffee places in Ubud, check out this blog post.
Indonesian Cuisine
Nusantara by Locavore, $$, This beautiful Indonesian restaurant serves authentic dishes from all over Indonesia. One of my favourite dinners in Ubud!
Laka Leke Restaurant, $, This restaurant is famous for it’s “Bebek” dishes, which means duck.
This is Bali, $$, A more modern restaurant that serves delicious Balinese dishes. It’s also fun to create your own Nasi Campur, by stamping your preferred side dishes on a card.
Waroeng Bernadette, $$, An Indonesian restaurant that’s a little fancier and also serves delicious and authentic food.
Leker Life, $, An easygoing Balinese restaurant close to the Outpost Co-working space.
International Cuisine
RUSTERS, $$, On top of being a breakfast place, this restaurant also serves really good dinner food - on some nights they even have jazz nights!
Sage, $$, For Vegan food go to this restaurant, which serves very healthy bowls. Also try their vegan coconut cake which is one of the best I’ve ever had!
Ciao Nonna, $, a lovely little Italian place that serves pretty good pasta.
Kagemusha, $, A cute little Japanese restaurant that serves a variety of Japanese dishes.
Locavore To Go, $$, This burger place serves some pretty good burgers, in case you’re craving them!
Where To Stay
I wouldn’t recommend you to stay right in the centre of Ubud unless you really want to be in the hustle and bustle of the town. Instead, stay close to the Sacred Monkey Forest, which is also where the Outpost Co-living is located.
The area north of Ubud, especially in and around the street “Jl Cempaka”, is also a great place to base yourself in. It is quiet yet there are still plenty of restaurants around, and it’s fairly close to Ubud town as well.
Another area that I liked is more in the North West of Ubud, called “Penestenan”, and is also slightly more quiet, but there’s still lots to restaurants and shops. You’re also close to some beautiful rice fields.
Where To Work From
While in Ubud, we worked at Outpost Ubud Coworking, a lovely coworking space with two locations in Ubud (and one in Canggu) that also organises a lot of social events for its members. Social events include lunches, dinners and also weekend trips to other places in Bali or outside.
They also have meeting rooms (private booths) that you can book (20 hours per month) and both locations in Ubud have pools.
The price of a one month subscription is $195 and it includes the social events, 20 hrs meeting room, work from any Bali Outpost location as well as a private locker.
Accommodation
Probably the best way to find cheaper housing is to find it on Facebook groups, like Ubud rental groups or Digital nomad groups.
You can also have a look on Airbnb, to see what you find. However, my last experiences with Airbnb where not super great, and it’s really a hit or miss that is not easy to predict.
You can also check out Co-living spaces, such as the one that Outpost offers. It might be a little more expensive, but it also includes the co-working space subscription, which is already around $200.
Another option is Booking.com - they also list apartments and I think the quality and accuracy of the listings is often better than Airbnb.
Sim Cards & Internet
The easiest option is to get an e-Simcard right after you get out from the airport. We got one from Smartfren; they have a stand a bit towards then end of the arrival hall. They installed the eSim card for us, and it was about 250,000 IDR (around 15 euros) for 25 GB, which is very cheap.
An even more convenient option is going with the eSim app Saily. You can download the Saily app and then purchase an e-Sim card via the app which you can then easily install on your phone from there. Make sure your phone is compatible with e-Sims first!
When To Go
Bali had hot weather all year round, but the raining season is from November to April, while the rest of the year it is dry season.
High season is June to August and November to December, which is when it will likely be more crowded then usual and accommodation more expensive.
The best months to go is therefore April, May, September & October when weather is dry and it’s not peak high season.
That being said, I went to Ubud in January and February and yes, it did rain once in a while, but never more than a couple of hours a day (if at all), so I would say rain season is definitely not as bad as some people think it is.
How To Get Around
In Ubud, as public transportation really is non-existent, the easiest transportation method is the motorbike. It’s easy to rent one for around 70-80 euros a month from many different vendors. Make sure to get a helmet too of course.
If you’d rather not drive yourself (which makes sense because the traffic can be pretty bad), you can also use GoJek and Grab - which are basically motorbike taxis and are very cheap to get around. You can also use those apps for car transport.
Ubud is not really walk-friendly, so don’t expect to get around easily by walking.
Gyms
We went to this gym during our stay in Ubud: Titi Batu Ubud Club. It was a super cool gym with a big swimming pool, fitness classes, a gym of course, a cafe and restaurant as well as a sauna and steam sauna. It’s probably the best gym I’ve ever been to 😄.
The cost of a one-month subscription is about 60 euros, and a day-pass is around 10 euros.
Visa for Bali
With a tourist visa on arrival, you can stay in Bali for 30 days, and you can also extend it once for another 30 days. After this, you need to get out of the country and come back if you want to stay longer.
For a longer stay for up to 6 months, you can apply for the Tourist visa B211A, which is a visa for 2 months, and can be extended twice more.
Travel Insurance
Make sure that you have a solid travel insurance before going on your Digital Nomad adventure in Ubud, Bali. It’s important, because you never know what might happen on the road and by having one, you’ll have a peace of mind and can travel worry-free.
I highly recommend Safety Wing, as I think the customer experience is really good and the value for money is very high. You can also buy additional add-ons to your insurance policy, for instance, electronics theft.
You can purchase your Safety Wing insurance via this link.
Final Thoughts on Ubud as a Digital Nomad Destination
Ubud is a beautiful place in Bali, and some of the views over the rice fields and rainforests are absolutely breathtaking. Also for Digital Nomads, I think it’s a lovely place to focus on work while also enjoying the nature and the Balinese culture, whilst also meeting likeminded people.
If you’re more of a city person, then maybe Ubud is not really your kind of destination, and you should opt instead for places like Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok.
Hope you liked this blog post! Check out my other Digital Nomad Guides and other posts on the digital nomad lifestyle.
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