Gay Group Trip: Cultural Bali

Today we’ll explore the cultural centre of Bali, Ubud. It’s a setting in Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat, Pray, Love. We’ll visit the Monkey Forest where we’ll see hundreds of macaque monkeys.

Later, we’ll visit the village of Batuan, home of a 1,000-year-old temple. We’ll also take a trip to an art gallery in the countryside.

After breakfast we’ll head to a Payuk Bali Cooking Class. You’ll learn how to make classic Balinese food and then, of course, eat it. The local cuisine is very flavoursome. You’ll learn to make Balinese 8-spice – it’ll add a kick to any dish.

This morning we’ll head to the Bangli Regency foothills and visit the stunning Kehen Temple. This temple is surrounded by stone statues based on characters from the epic, the Ramayana.

In the afternoon, we’ll head to Sribatu and visit a coffee plantation. We’ll learn about the growth and processing of Balinese coffee and then drink some. The coffee is here truly divine. With a caffeine boost, we’ll head to Kintamani and visit the Mt. Batur volcano – it’s still active!

We’ll head for dinner at a restaurant near Lovina.

Early in the morning we’ll take a boat tour around Lovina Beach – keep an eye peeled for dolphins! In the afternoon, we’ll visit Pura Beji and see the stone carvings of Hindu gods. We’ll see a number of intact statues at Pura Beji temple.

We’ll also visit Brahma-Asram Vihara, the largest Buddhist Monastery in Bali. It’ll then be time to visit the Banjar hot springs.

After breakfast, we’ll take a trip to Munduk and stop at some local markets on the way. We’ll check into our lodgings and then explore a coffee plantation in the jungle. It boasts one of the best infinity pools in the region.

We’ll spend the day exploring the Tabanan Regency of Bali. At Ulun Danu Temple, known as the “floating” temple, we’ll see an unforgettable building. Over at the Candi Kuning fruits market, we’ll see flowers and tropical fruits.

We’ll also learn about the myths and legends of the Tanah Lot Temple. It is said that a high priest “mediated” it into existence!

Today we’ll drive to the village of Wongaya Gede and explore traditional Balinese houses. Then, we’ll walk through the rice fields, meet some locals and cross the bamboo bridge on our way to the hilltop. We’ll have a traditional lunch overlooking the rice fields.

After lunch, we’ll visit Batukaru Temple. Bring comfortable shoes as we’ll cover quite a lot of ground today.

After eight action-packed days we’ll have a day to unwind, shop, enjoy the beach and wine and dine in the evening.

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your return flight.