Green as far as the eye can see, rolling hills of rice plants swaying in the wind, swirling paddies marking your path along the way. Cinematic, relaxing and timeless, the Tegalalang Rice Terrace is one of the most beautiful and famous sights in all of Indonesia.
The Tegalalang Rice Terrace is world renowned for its gorgeous scenic rice paddies that use an ancient and ingenious architectural irrigation system called “subak.” The subak system is so impressive that it and the Tegalalang Rice Terrace were added as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012.
Just a 20-minute ride outside of the town of Ubud, this terrace can be visited within a tour of the area or on your own via motorbike or taxi. To see the fields at their greenest, visit in March, August or September. They're also green in December and February but are slippery due to the rainy season. Sunrise and sunset are very popular visiting times for the terrace. For the least amount of crowds, we recommend visiting before 9am or before 4pm.
There are no tour / guide requirements for these fields so you may walk through the rice paddies at your own pace. Walking, photo taking and overall just enjoying the epic-ness of the fields are the main activities at this destination. But there is also a Tegalalang Rice Terrace swing which is 100,000 IDR ($6.51 USD) for a short ride of few minutes. We passed on this activity, since we previously rode the Terrace River Pool swing at another Ubud location.
There are also surprise gems throughout the fields that you may encounter. At one of the many donation booths throughout the terrace (see section below on entrance fees) we stumbled upon a D.I.Y café off the beaten path. At this tiny bamboo seating area overlooking the terrace we learned about and enjoyed native teas and coffees, such as Ginseng, Pandanus and Mangosteen tea. This was a lovely surprise and a great way to rest our weary feet from all the walking! Other surprises include various "Love Bali" picture props and other eateries throughout the fields.
Address
Jl. Raya Tegallalang, Tegallalang, Kec. Tegallalang, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561, Indonesia
Hours & Entrance Fees
Hours: 8 AM – 6 PM
Entry:* 10K IDR (65₵ USD) (Multiple payments)
*The entrance fee to the Tegalalang rice terrace is 10,000 IDR per person, which is collected at the parking lot. However to access different areas of the fields you are encouraged to pay at various donation booths. Generally, no minimum donation is specified, but the locals insist on a minimum donation of 10,000 IDR (65₵ USD)
Helpful Travel Tips
1) Bring small change for donation booths throughout the fields.
2) Unlike our last destination, these fields are wide open walking plains with no tour guides around to take photos of you! I suggest bringing a tripod to this location for couples photos.
3) Wear proper footwear! Wearing adorable open-toed shoes with a long-flowing dress for your rice field glamour shots is a tempting idea, however I recommend proper footwear instead! Not only is there a lot of mud around the rice patties (as seen by my unfortunate fumble at timestamp 4:09), BUT there are also snakes and other critters that live in the rice paddies.
Despite its attractiveness to tourists, this place has remained one of the more chill famous destinations to visit in Indonesia. With a minimal fee and large square footage, there's enough space to enjoy the stillness of the nature and beauty of the Tegalalang Rice Terrace. I believe it's a must-see if you are visiting Bali.
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