If you are looking for a scenic walk that’s less busy than Ubud’s more popular trails, such as the Campuhan Ridge Walk or the Sari Organic Walk, Penestanan is the place to go. Getting there from central Ubud will allow you to discover several off-the-beaten-track areas, including an amazing spot where you’ll find mossy stone carvings down by a hidden river in Penestanan village. The walk itself amongst the Penestanan rice fields is also quite beautiful and serene. We went twice and each time we had the place to ourselves (aside from a few locals and farmers working the fields). To help you plan this perfect off-the-beaten-track outdoor adventure, we put together this guide on the Penestanan Rice Field Walk and the Hidden Mossy Stone River Carvings.
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You might also be interested in these pages (coming soon):
Best Things to See and Do in Bali
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The Perfect Three-Week Bali Itinerary
Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Bali
Penestanan Rice Field Walk – Location & Map
The Penestanan Rice Field Walk trail is located in northwest Ubud (link to Google Maps).
How to get to the Penestanan Rice Field Walk trailhead from Ubud
There are many ways to reach the Penestanan Rice Field Walk trail from Ubud. We recommend making your way there on foot, as it will allow you to see some worthwhile but otherwise difficult-to-reach places. Getting to the trailhead is definitely part of the journey.
Assuming you will start your journey somewhere in Central Ubud, near the Ubud Palace (link to Google Maps) and Ubud Art Market, head west along the town’s main east-west drag, Jalan Raya Ubud. You’ll pass by the trails of several other rice field walks along the way, including the Sari Organic Walk and the Sweet Orange Walk, and will eventually go through a section of the road known as the “green tunnel”, a lovely area where the air is cooler and the large trees on either side of the road create a tunnel shape above it.
Shortly after exiting the tunnel, the road will start to curve to the right. Just as it straightens out, you’ll come across a long staircase to your left, known as the “Penestanan? stairs” (link to Google Maps).
The stairs, which lead to the calm and tranquil village of Penestanan, one of several small traditional villages that make up Ubud, are beautifully covered by lush green vegetation that will make you quickly forget Ubud’s busy streets as you ascend them.
From Ubud Palace to the Penestanean Stairs, it’s about a 20-minute mostly level walk.
Penestenan Stairs
From the top of the stairs, you can reach the mossy stone carvings via one of two routes. You can turn right immediately and then follow the alleyway towards Yellow Flower Café, one of the area’s most popular cafés with a beautiful outdoor terrace.
From the café, you can then take any of the next two alleyways to your left to reach the alleyway that runs parallel to the river. From there, turn right, and descend the narrow staircase that leads down to the river.
Alternatively, you can continue straight after climbing the Penestanan stairs and then turn right after passing Villa Nirvana and then descend the same staircase described above.
From the Penestanan Stairs, it’s only about a 5-minute walk to the Mossy Stone River Carvings.
Mossy Stone River Carvings
As you reach the valley floor next to the river, you will quickly be amazed by the multitude of moss-covered stone carvings on either side of the river.
We spent about 20 minutes exploring the area and had the place to ourselves!
It was so quiet with a soundscape created by nothing but the sound of the river and a few birds. Despite how unique this jungle treasure is, it doesn’t seem to be very well known by the tourist circuit. There were no signs indicating the carvings (or the river) and they were quite hidden and difficult to find.
After you cross the river (on a small wooden bridge) and climb the staircase on the other side, you’ll come across a small photogenic temple surrounded by lush vegatation.
From the Mossy Stone River Carvings, it’s only about a 5-minute walk to the start of the Penestana Rice Field Walk. Note Google Maps doesn’t show the quickest route between the two since it seems unaware that there is a bridge that crosses the river and a staircase that leads out of the valley floor on the other side. From the top of the staircase, continue heading west along a short series of narrow roads toward Villa Tavatimsa (link to Google Maps).
When you see this series of signs, it means it’s time to head right (towards Paddy Point and Villa Kalawai) and start your exploration of the Penestanan Rice Field Walk.
Getting to Ubud from elsewhere in Bali
Drive times from elsewhere in Bali can be highly variable depending on the traffic conditions.
Distance from Kuta: 40 km // Average Drive Time: 1h20 – 1h40
Distance from Canggu: 30 km // Average Drive Time: 1h10 -1h30
Distance from Sanur: 25 km // Average Drive Time: 1h -1h20
Distance from Sidemen: 30 km // Average Drive Time 1h -1h20
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Finding Parking
The main challenge if coming from out of town is finding parking. The Penestanan Rice Field Walk does not have dedicated parking. The nearest large lot is the Ubud Central Parking (link to Google Maps), but it only opens to cars around 10 am when the morning farmer’s market ends. Parking here is fortunately relatively cheap (5K IDR for vehicles, 2K IDR for scooters). This car park is located about a 5-to10-minute walk from the Sweet Orange Walk trailhead.
It’s often easier to find spaces in Ubud’s largest car park by the Monkey Forest (link to Google Maps). However there are two drawbacks to using it: 1) it is more expensive (same rates as above but charged by the hour instead of a single fee), and 2) it is significantly further from the trailhead (about a 25-minute walk), which when including the return walk will more than double the original duration of the Penestanan Rice Field Walk.
Transport Options
In our opinion, the two best transport options to reach the Penestanan Rice Field Walk are: renting a scooter (moped) or hiring a car and driver (which really isn’t as expensive as it sounds). One of the main advantages of using a private driver in this case is that they will simply drop you off near the start of the trailhead and take care of finding parking.
You can also use Bali ride-hailing apps such as Gojek or Grab, and make use of local taxis, but these options will typically cost more, especially if you plan on visiting several sites and attractions on the same day. Also, Gojek or Grab are not authorized to pick up people in certain locations where local taxi unions limit their services, including Canggu, Sanur, and Ubud. For more information on getting around the island and the different available options, check out our guide on How to Best Get Around Bali.
Getting to the Ubud by Scooter: Once you get to Bali, you’ll quickly realize that scooter rental operators are everywhere. Although most street-side vendors will regularly be the cheapest option, they come short in several other aspects compared with more reliable and established vendors. For instance, most won’t offer roadside assistance or insurance that covers theft, nor do they regularly sanitize the helmets or have their scooters undergo regular maintenance. For this reason, we highly recommend using Bikago for your scooter rentals. Renting from them might be slightly more expensive (but still can be rented for as low as 12-15 US$/€ per day) but you get great peace of mind as among many other perks, all scooters undergo extensive quality checks.
What you get with your Bikago rental:
-Helmets
-Full tank of petrol and unlimited mileage
-Free Delivery and Collection at your Hotel
-24/7 Roadside Assistance and First Aid Medical Kit
-Charging Mobile Phone Holder
By Car and Driver hire: Hiring a car and driver to explore Bali can be a practical and cost-efficient way to experience a full day of sightseeing. Although this option is more expensive than renting a scooter (typically 40-60 US$/€ per day), you don’t have to worry about navigating the Bali roads and traffic, Also, most cars are modern and air-conditioned, which is welcome in Bali’s humid heat, and the local drivers always know the best routes to take and can optimize your ideal itinerary. Here are some of the best options to choose from:
Penestanan Rice Field Walk – Cost and Hours
Entrance Fee
There is no fee to do the Penestanan Rice Field Walk – it is completely free.
Opening Hours
The Penestanan Rice Field Walk trail is open 24 hours.
Facilities
The trail itself doesn’t have any facilities such as washrooms, but you’ll encounter several small restaurants, warungs and cafés that will no doubt let you use their washrooms with a food or beverage purchase.
What to Bring and What to Wear
Since you’ll be going up and down a few stone staircases that can be slippery, especially if a little wet, we recommend wearing appropriate footwear. The rice field trail is relatively flat and easy to navigate, but it gets narrow at times.
Although there is a fair amount of tree cover when in the Penestanan stairs or the stone river carvings, there are long portions of it where there is very little shade to be found along the rice field walk trail, so applying sunscreen and/or wearing a hat is a good idea. Bringing some bottled water (or some other form of hydration) with you is also a good idea.
Also, be aware that rice paddies are often full of water and are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitos. We didn’t notice any during our walks here (toward the end of the dry season in September), but we still used insect repellant not wanting to take unnecessary risks with mosquito-borne illnesses.
Best Time to do the Penestanan Rice Field Walk
Best Time of the Year
Although we walked the trail during the dry season, there’s no bad time of year to do the Penestanan Rice Field Walk. There’s a higher risk of rain during the wet season (November-April), and there’s also likely to be more mosquitoes. On the plus side, however, there are likely to be fewer other tourists around.
Consider off-peak months like May-June or September-October for a more personal experience with fewer crowds.
Best Time of Day
The best time to visit is definitely in the early morning when it’s cooler. But otherwise any time of day will do since this place gets so few visitors – you won’t be in a rush to try to beat the others there.
Penestanan Rice Field Walk – Trail Details
Length: The actual Penestanan Rice Field Walk isn’t all that long, about 1km in length (2 km including return). If starting from the Penestanan stairs in Ubud, it’s a 2 km walk (4 km including return). Starting from Ubud Palace in the center of town, it’s a 3.5 km walk (7 km including return). If you don’t want to walk all the way from the center of town, you can take a local taxi and get them to drop you off in front of the Penestanan stairs.
Trail Difficulty: The most challenging section is the Penestanan stairs, which require you to climb several flights of stairs. Aside from that and the short steps that take you down to the river, the rest of the walk is along relatively flat terrain and is suitable for almost everyone, regardless of age or fitness.
Penestanan Rice Field Walk – How Long Do You Need?
From the Penestanan stairs and back, it’s about an hour’s walk at a leisurely pace, assuming you don’t stop at any of the cafés or warungs. If starting your walk from the town center, you are looking at about a 1h30-to-2h walk depending on your pace. You might also want to include additional time to further explore Penestanan village if it’s an area you are not very familiar with.
Penestanan Rice Field Walk – What to Expect
Unlike some of the other Ubud rice field walks, you are likely to find yourself alone here. We did the walk twice, and each time, we had the place to ourselves (aside from a few locals and farmers working the fields).
You’ll no doubt notice that the fields were at various points in the growing process: some will have just been harvested, others just planted, while others will be ripe for harvest. Depending on the time of year, you are also quite likely to notice some farmers working their fields.
The Penestanan trail doesn’t have a specific endpoint. We do however recommend turning back around Romansa Villa (link to Google Maps). Beyond the villa, the path narrows and is surrounded by overgrown vegetation. We didn’t explore any further so we can’t comment as to what lies beyond this overgrown area. We know there are other villas, but it’s unclear if they can only be reached from the other side.
Finally, also note that while many people come here for a walk, be aware that locals still use their scooters to travel along the trail. They aren’t overly frequent, but you are likely to cross a few along your walk.
Penestanan Rice Field Walk – Is it Worth It?
We definitely think so! Although it’s farther from the town center, you just might end up being alone on the trail.
Also, if you follow our suggested itinerary, you’ll get to enjoy the lush greenery around the Penestanan stairs and the hidden gems that are the mossy stone river carvings.
Nearby Rice Field Walks in Ubud
There are several rice field walks you can do in Ubud, such as the nearby Sari Organic Walk.
For a complete list of walking trails, check out our guide on Ubud’s Best Rice Field Walks.
Outside of Ubud, there are several fantastic opportunities to explore other beautiful rice fields, including those of Tegalaland, Jatiluwih, and Sidemen.
Sights and Attractions near the Penestanan Rice Field Walk
The nearest attractions are some of Ubud’s most popular temples to visit. You can easily visit three of them along the main road (Jalan Raya Ubud) that you will likely walk along to reach the ridge walk: Pura Dalem Ubud, Pura Saraswati (Ubud Water Palace), and Ubud Palace. We described each of these temples in great detail in our guide on the Best Temples to Visit in and around Ubud.
Where to Stay Near the Penestanan Rice Field Walk
In our opinion, the best place to stay is in Ubud, whose location makes it a great base from which to explore the Penestanan Rice Field Walk and several other attractions in the Ubud area and central Bali. All of the following are some of the best mid-range hotel accommodations located within walking distance from the city center:
Komaneka at Rasa Sayang Ubud Hotel
Planning a Trip to Bali?
You might be interested in these pages: (coming soon)
Best Things to See and Do in Bali
Best Things to See and Do in the Gili Islands
The Perfect Three-Week Bali Itinerary
Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Bali
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Bali: The Solo Girl’s Travel Guide
Lonely Planet Bali, Lombok & Nusa Tenggara
Photography Gear
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Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
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Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
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Transfer from Airport
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Penestanan Rice Field Walk – An Ubud Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
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