Ubud City Tour II: Monkey Forest, Palace, Art Market, and Rice Terrace

Monkey Forest and rice terraces in one tight loop. This Ubud City Tour II hits the big highlights with Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary macaques and Tegalalang Rice Terrace views, then wraps in Ubud’s palace and art-market stops without making you plan each hop. It’s built for time-pressed days: hotel pickup, entrance tickets included, and an efficient 8-hour rhythm.

I like how the day is paced so you get real variety—religious-temple atmosphere, shopping time in the traditional market, and that signature rice-terrace viewpoint—without dragging your feet. One possible drawback: the Ubud Palace stop is brief (about 15 minutes), so if you’re hoping for a lot of palace context, you may find it feels more like a quick pass than a deep visit.

Key Points You’ll Care About Most

• Macaque time at Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary: about 340 crab-eating monkeys in a temple complex setting
• Tegalalang Rice Terrace with options: photo viewing from the roadside or a hike with a farmer donation at your own expense
• Entrance tickets and taxes included: all the key admissions are handled so you’re not hunting tickets
• A tight half-day circuit: pickup and drop-off in Ubud and many south Bali addresses, built around an 8-hour window
• Art Market for practical shopping: you’ll browse everything from batiks to jewelry and wood carvings
• Happy Swing Bali adds adrenaline: a cliff-swing stop fits well if you want at least one active moment

Why This Half-Day Ubud City Tour II Fits Real Life

Ubud is great, but it can also eat your time. This tour is designed to prevent that. You get picked up from your hotel area, you visit multiple top stops in one go, and you’re not left trying to piece together transport between far-flung sights. The tour runs about 8 hours, starting at 9:00am, which usually works well for people who still want an evening plan.

Value is a big part of why this one makes sense. The price ($65 per person) includes private tour service, hotel pickup and drop-off, an English-speaking driver, plus the entrance tickets and service/government tax. Meals aren’t included, but you’re not paying separately for admissions at each stop. If you were trying to do these independently, it’s very easy for costs (and time) to balloon.

The last “logistics win” is that it’s private—only your group. That matters at busy places like Monkey Forest and Tegalalang, where timing can make a difference and where you’ll usually want a plan that doesn’t depend on strangers’ schedules.

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary: A Temple Complex With About 340 Macaques

The tour’s first real hit is Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. It’s not just a monkey viewing area; it’s also a religious temple complex with deep local significance. You’re in for that classic Ubud scene—macaques in a jungle-like setting that people describe with a movie-adventure vibe.

You’ll spend about 1 hour here, and the key detail is the scale: it’s home to about 340 crab-eating macaques. That number helps you understand what to expect. This isn’t a “maybe you’ll spot one monkey” situation. You should expect plenty of activity and plenty of photo opportunities.

Practical tip: treat this stop as both a nature moment and a cultural-spot moment. Move at a relaxed pace, but keep your eyes open for signage and areas that feel more temple-focused. Even if you’re mostly there for pictures, a little respect and patience makes the experience smoother for everyone around you.

Also, plan your photo brain. With 340 monkeys, the views change fast. If you’re trying to get a great shot, do a quick sweep first, then slow down for the best opportunities. That simple approach saves you from rushing at the busiest times inside the sanctuary.

Ubud Palace in 15 Minutes: Worth It, But Go With the Right Expectations

Next is Ubud Palace. The stop is short—about 15 minutes—and it’s positioned in the center of Ubud Village. This is one reason the palace can be hit-or-miss: you’ll see the main idea, but you won’t have time for the kind of slow wandering that turns a quick site into a meaningful one.

Here’s the context you should keep in mind. The palace is a well-known Ubud attraction and a favorite for many first-time visits. It’s also the kind of place where the details matter—architecture, the layout, and the way the compound fits into daily life around it. If you’re the type who loves tracing design details and learning the stories behind them, you might want more time than you get here.

If you’re more interested in the day’s natural highlights—Monkey Forest and the rice terraces—then treat this as a brief culture checkbox. You’ll likely leave it feeling either satisfied or a little impatient, depending on what you personally came for.

Ubud Traditional Art Market: Souvenirs, Textiles, and Easy Browsing Time

The Ubud Traditional Art Market is your shopping and wandering break, with about 1 hour on the schedule. This isn’t a minimalist market. It’s packed with stalls that sell almost everything you might want as a souvenir, including silver jewelry, precious stones, batiks, T-shirts, beach sarongs, wood carvings, and cane work bags.

What I like about making this a planned stop is that you’re not scrambling for shopping time later. One hour is often the sweet spot: enough time to browse and compare, but not enough time to ruin the rest of your day.

Keep your expectations practical. If your shopping style is “I want one or two good items,” this works well. If your style is “I hate crowds and I don’t want to shop,” you can still use the time to people-watch and get a feel for what locals and visitors are buying—then move on when you’re done.

If you do want to buy, set a mental budget before you arrive. Markets can tempt you with lots of options fast, and an hour disappears quickly once you’re comparing designs.

Happy Swing Bali: The One-Stop Adrenaline Moment

After the market, the tour includes Happy Swing Bali. You’ll have about 1 hour 30 minutes, and the core activity is swinging from a cliff with wilderness views. It’s an “active stop” in the middle of a mostly sightseeing day, which is exactly why it works.

This is the part of the itinerary that can make the day feel less like a checklist. Even if you’re tired from travel, having one scheduled moment where you’ll move, pose, and get a dramatic view tends to break up the routine of temples and markets.

A simple way to make this worth your time: go in ready to follow instructions and take your photos promptly. The swing itself is the headline, so don’t let the waiting-around stretch your mood.

Tegalalang Rice Terrace: Viewpoints, Optional Trekking, and a Farmer Donation

The final big sight is Tegalalang Rice Terrace. You’ll spend about 1 hour here, and the viewing area is known for that wide valley outlook over the terraced paddies. It’s described as a high roadside location that’s often cool and breezy—so even on warm days, this tends to feel more comfortable than sitting in the flat heat.

You have a choice in how you experience it: you can capture photos from the scenic viewpoint, or you can take a hike. If you do trek, there’s a donation to the farmer at your own expense. That’s important to factor into your day, because it’s a cost that isn’t included in the tour price.

How to decide on the spot: if you want the famous photo angle and you’re short on energy, stick to the viewpoint. If you like walking and you want closer views, choose the hike. Either way, keep your time in mind. The entire rice terrace block is about an hour, so it’s not meant to become a long hike day.

One more practical note: rice terraces look best when you slow down. Your first look is always the “wow” moment, but the second look is where you notice the patterns—terraces, paths, and how the valley opens and narrows with the viewpoint.

Price and Logistics: What $65 Covers (and What It Doesn’t)

At $65 per person, this tour packs a lot into one package. You’re getting a private setup, pickup and drop-off from your hotel area, an English-speaking driver, and entrance tickets plus service/government tax. That combination is what makes it feel like real value rather than just a transfer service.

Where you need to plan ahead: meals aren’t included, and if you do the rice terrace trekking, you’ll need to budget for the farmer donation. That donation is tied to the hike, so if you choose only the viewpoint, you can avoid that extra expense.

Start time matters too. With a 9:00am departure, this is a morning-to-midday plan, usually returning you to Ubud later in the day. It’s not a “late start and wander at your own pace” style outing. It’s efficient, and that’s the point.

Also, this tour is the kind of thing that often gets booked ahead. It has an average booking window around 113 days in advance, which usually means it’s a popular option. If your dates are fixed, it’s smart to lock it in early rather than assuming you’ll find something last minute.

Drivers and Service Style: Friendly, Often Informative, Not Always a Full Guide

One of the biggest variables on private tours is the personality and style of your driver. In the experience of people who’ve done this tour, the driver can be a big part of what makes the day feel personal.

For example, guides/drivers like Mera and Irwan were described as friendly and full of details during the drive. One person specifically highlighted that Mera shared interesting details about the sights while you’re traveling between stops, which adds context you might not get if you’re just getting dropped off.

But there’s also a note of caution: Wena was praised as attentive and respectful, yet some people felt the role was more of a driver than a full-on guide with deep explanations for the sights along the route.

So here’s the practical takeaway: go into the tour expecting an English-speaking driver, and treat extra commentary as a bonus, not a guarantee. If you care a lot about interpretive stories—temples, palace traditions, and how daily life connects to what you see—use your time wisely. Ask direct questions during transitions while you’re in the car.

Who Should Book This Ubud City Tour II

This tour is a good match if you want a high-impact half-day in Ubud. It’s especially suitable when:

• you’re short on time and want Monkey Forest and Tegalalang as your top priorities
• you like mixing nature and culture in one outing
• you want transport and entrance tickets handled so your day stays simple
• you want at least one fun, active moment with Happy Swing Bali
• you want a reasonable window to shop at the Ubud Traditional Art Market

It might be less ideal if:

• you want the palace to be a major focus (it’s brief)
• you’re very detail-driven about cultural context and prefer a guide who is there to explain every stop deeply
• you don’t enjoy market shopping at all

In other words: this is a “get your bearings fast” Ubud option with a strong nature finale.

Should You Book This Tour?

If your ideal Ubud day includes Monkey Forest macaques plus Tegalalang Rice Terrace—and you want the convenience of pickup, tickets, and a tight route—this tour is an easy yes. The biggest reason is practical: it’s built to move efficiently while still giving you real time at the headline sights.

Make your call based on two things. First, accept that Ubud Palace is quick. Second, decide whether you’ll trek at Tegalalang, since that’s when the farmer donation comes in. If you’re good with that trade-off, you’ll likely feel like you got a lot of Ubud for your $65.

FAQ

FAQ

What is the start time for Ubud City Tour II?

The tour starts at 9:00am.

How long is the tour?

It lasts about 8 hours.

Where does the tour take place?

It’s in Ubud, Indonesia.

Is hotel pickup and drop-off included?

Yes. The tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off, including from Ubud and many south Bali addresses.

What are the main stops on this tour?

The tour includes Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Ubud Palace, Ubud Traditional Art Market, Happy Swing Bali, and Tegalalang Rice Terrace.

Are entrance tickets included?

Yes. All entrance tickets are included.

What is not included in the price?

Meals are not included. Also, if you trek at the rice terrace, there is a donation to the farmer at your own expense.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. It’s private, so only your group participates.

What ticket or travel documents do I need?

The tour uses a mobile ticket.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.