Bali is filled with beautiful rice terraces and, time permitting, we definitely recommend visiting both the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces and Tegalalang Rice Terrace, as they are both stunning and offer quite different experiences. They are also both part of Bali’s UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for its traditional subak irrigation system. However, if time is tight and you only have time to visit one of the two, that’s a tricky question. So to help those hesitating between the two options we put together this travel guide that will hopefully provide the answer to the following question: Jatiluwih Rice Terraces or Tegalalang Rice Terrace, which should you visit?
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You might also 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
Jatiluwih Rice Terraces & Tegalalang Rice Terrace – Where Are They Located?
Both rice terraces are located in central Bali, north of Ubud. However, Tegalalang Rice Terrace (also known as Ceking Rice Terrace) is much closer to Ubud, a 25-minute drive away (10 km) (link to Google Maps). Jatiluwih Rice Terraces are further to the northwest, a 90-minute drive away from Ubud (40 km) (link to Google Maps).
Although both rice terraces don’t appear that far from one another, they are separated by 48 km of roads due to the lack of east-west roads in the area – and curiously, the quickest route between descends below Ubud to bypass the town center’s heavy traffic. Depending on traffic conditions, you can expect the route between both to take between 1h45 and 2h,
Jatiluwih Rice Terraces: What to Expect
Jatiluwih Rice Terraces are some of the most scenic and expansive rice terraces in Bali. Some of the most striking features of Jatiluwih are the seemingly endless sea of rice fields stretching across the rolling hills and the many panoramic viewpoints where you get to soak it all in. Set in the foothills of the towering Mount Batukaru, an inactive volcano and Bali’s second most prominent peak, Jatiluwih is one of our favorite places to visit on the island and it is the perfect place to escape the crowds found at some of Bali’s other popular destinations and enjoy some serene and peaceful natural beauty.
There are several hiking trails to choose from to explore the rice terraces, varying in distances between 1.5 and 5.5 km. You can also combine several of them together as they all intersect with one another at various points throughout the rice fields, to create an even longer trail. You can also rent e-bikes nearby to explore via one of the trails that is shared between hikers and cyclists.
Jatiluwih Entrance fee: 500,000 IDR* per person (2025), which roughly amounts to 3.00 US$/€. * less expensive for children
Jatiluwih Opening Hours: 8 am to 6 pm.
For more information on visiting these beautiful rice terraces, be sure to check out our separate guide for Bali’s Jatiluwih Rice Terraces.
Tegalalang Rice Terrace: What to Expect
Unlike Jatiluwih’s expansive terraces that seem to go on forever, Tegalalang’s are much more compact. Though the site is smaller, it is no less visually impressive and seems even more visually dramatic due to how steep the rice fields are. In fact, we found them to be more reminiscent of those you might find throughout other Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam.
Most walking paths in the Tegalalang Rice Terrace follow the north-south direction: they run parallel to the valley river that essentially splits the rice terraces into two halves. To our knowledge, there are no good maps of the walking paths at Tegalalang, but it’s honestly quite hard to get lost as the valley is very open and you can see the area almost in its entirety from most vantage points.
Tegalalang’s main drawback is the overdevelopment that has occurred around it, including the many tacky “tourist traps” that were set up around the rice terraces, such as staged photo spots and giant swings, and some activities for adrenaline seekers like a zipline and the Sky Bike.
Tegalalang Entrance fee: 25,000 IDR* per person (2025), which roughly amounts to 1.50 US$/€.
Tegalalang Opening Hours: 8 am to 6 pm.
For more information on visiting these beautiful rice terraces, be sure to check out our separate guide for Bali’s Tegalalang Rice Terraces.
Jatiluwih or Tegalalang: Which to Choose?
You probably already sense which way we lean by now. Knowing what we know now, we would only visit Ubud Monkey Forest. However, we will try our best to be unbiased and list the reasons why you might prefer one forest over the other.
Reasons to Choose Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
– Jatiluwih just seems endless with rice terraces as far as the eyes can see
– Far fewer visitors come to Jatiluwih
– The difference in visitor numbers is magnified by the size difference between Jatiluwih and Tegalalang, meaning that it seems like even fewer visitors are around in Jatiluwih. The rice fields in Jatiluwih occupy an area of 600 hectares (6 square kilometres), whereas the Tegalalang terraces occupy a small fraction of that number.
– The beautiful surrounding mountain scenery
– Walking/Hiking paths are wider and easier to walk along
– You can hike for much longer here than at Tegalalang
– Has less tacky photo stations and tourist trap activities (e.g. giant swings)
Reasons to Choose Tegalalang Rice Terrace
– Tegalalang is much closer to Ubud.
– Tegalalang is slightly less expensive (though the entrance fee neither is very expensive for foreigners).
– If you have mobility issues, you don’t need to walk as much to see most of Tegalalang given due to the shape of the rice terraces along the steep valley.
– Tegalalang has a few activities for adrenaline junkies, like a zip line and its Sky Bike.
– This is definitely not our thing, but if you are looking for giant swings in front of a beautiful nature setting, Tegalalang is the place to go.
Conclusion
If you have the time, we still suggest that you see both rice terraces. Despite Tegalalang’s overdevelopment, the rice terraces themselves remain a very beautiful sight to behold. You simply have to manage your expectations before visiting. But if you are short on time and can only visit one of the two, in that case, we would suggest heading to Jatiluwih.
How to get to the Rice Terraces from Outside of Ubud
In our opinion, the three best transport options to reach the rice terraces are: renting a scooter (moped), joining a group tour that hits several nearby attractions within a day or a half-day, or hiring a car and driver (which really isn’t as expensive as it sounds).
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.
We highly recommend Airalo (eSIM card) for your connectivity needs when travelling abroad. Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide.
Getting to the Rice Terraces 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:
By Group Tour: Group tours can be a great option to lower costs and reduce the hassle of having to plan an efficient itinerary. Their main downside is they might not exactly be tailored to your specific interests and preferences. But if you are mostly interested in hitting the main sights and attractions, there are these great tour options that can pick you up in multiple towns and visit places including the rice terraces:
Where to Stay Near the Rice Terraces
In our opinion, the best place to stay is in Ubud, whose location makes it a great base from which to explore the rice terraces and several other attractions around 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
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
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
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats.
e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our guide on Sangeh Monkey Forest or Ubud Monkey Forest – Which Should You Visit? and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
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