Heart of Bali 2D/1N

DAY 1: Artisan villages (silver, wood, batik) – Batuan temple – Goa Gajah cave – Saraswati temple - Monkey Forest – Campuhan Ridgewalk - hotel

Your journey today will begin at 9 am in the morning. The car will pick you up at your hotel, and drive you straight to the famous artisan villages Celuk, Mas and Tohpati, home to local artists and craftsmen, who have learned these ancient trades, skills, and traditions from their fathers, passed on from generation to generation and still very much alive today. The next stop will be the temple of Batuan of which the exact construction date is unknown. Following the Balinese traditions, each village should have at least three temples: the temple of origin, the village temple and the temple of the dead. Batuan temple is one of these three temples of the village and is the most central one. Next, you will visit the elephant cave Goa Gajah. This sacred place was heavily protected by the locals up until 1923 when for the first time, a white man was allowed to set foot on these sacred grounds. The entrance to the cave is shaped like a huge demon face, protecting the cave from unwanted outsiders. We continue our travels to the heart of Ubud where you will visit the Hindu temple of Saraswati, considered one of the most beautiful places in this cultural town. The temple is adjacent to a beautiful park with lots of tranquil lotus ponds. Then, you will experience close encounters with the inhabitant of Ubud’s Sacred Monkey Forest. You will be able to feed them with your hands and take photos but do be careful and watch your belongings - they are skilled little thieves and they can sometimes behave aggressively. The day has come to an end and it is now time to relax at the hotel.

DAY 2: Tirta Empul temple – Gunung Kawi temple – Tegalalang rice terraces – coffee, cocoa and tea plantations – volcano Batur

At 9:00 am, our guide will pick you up from your hotel for another day of adventure and enchantment on The Island of the Gods. Today, you will first visit the temple of Tirta Empul - a sacred water temple with holy spring water of which the healing properties were discovered in 962. The temple consists of a number of courtyards and spring pools. The spring water is always clean and cold and the Balinese people come to this sacred place for a cleansing ritual under the spring fountains. You are welcome to experience this ritual of cleansing and purification if you wish. Then, we will visit one of the oldest (11th century) and the mysterious monuments of Bali – the temple of Gunung Kawi. This ancient monument features ten huge funeral altars carved into the face of a rock. Gunung Kawi is a UNESCO world heritage site and truly impressive to see. On the way to Batur volcano, you will visit the emerald rice terraces of Tegalalang and a coffee and cocoa plantation, where various spices, coffee, and cocoa beans are grown. Next thing you know, you are standing at the edge of an observation deck, gazing at the dramatic crater of volcano Batur. The cool mountain wind and the stunning views will stay in your memory for a long time! Here, you can sit down to enjoy a cheap and tasty lunch at one of the restaurants with stunning views of the volcano and the crater lake but there's more! To make your journey even more interesting, choose to visit pay a visit to the hot thermal springs located at the foot of Mount Batur in the Caldera of an ancient volcano. Your body will be grateful to you for this bliss, and your soul and spirit will revive to the stunning surroundings.