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One and a half hour northwest of Ubud, at the foot of Mount Batukaru, you’ll find the incredible Jatiluwih Rice Terraces. Situated at a height of over 700m above sea level, Jatiluwih is a cool and calm place to escape the heat and crowds of south Bali.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site covers almost all of its namesake village, so it goes without saying, it’s a pretty spectacular sight. Discover the best time to visit Jatiluwih here.
First time in Bali? Be sure to also check out my island area guide and the ultimate 2-week Bali itinerary!
How to get to Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
We asked our hotel in Seminyak to arrange for a driver to take us to Jatiluwih. Everyone in Bali knows a driver so you don’t have to stress with transport to Jatiluwih or anywhere else. However, if you would like to have everything planned in advance, consider booking the tour or driver below.
By the way, our hotel, Lotus Tirta, is the best value accommodation I’ve ever experienced in Seminyak. Most hotels in the area are fancy and a tad overpriced, so it’s not easy to come by something of such great value.
Lotus Tirta Hotel only set us back $25 a night, and that included breakfast in our room every morning. The staff was always smiling and we were within walking distance of many of my favorite restaurants and Kayu Aya.
Jatiluwih Tours
Bali UNESCO World Heritage: This affordable full-day group tour includes Jatiluwih along with other heritage sites such as the Royal Water Temple of Pura Taman Ayun, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Water Temple and sunset over Tanah Lot Temple.
Customizable Bali highlights tour: Hire a car and an optional licensed guide for a day and make seeing the top sights in Bali a breeze. Ask to go to Jatiluwih and Yeh Hoo Waterfall first thing in the morning then visit other places close by such as Leke Leke and Sing Sing Angin Waterfall.
1-Hour Electric Bike Tour: Cycle through the rice terraces of Jatiluwih on an electric bike and marvel at the rice terraces of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. You get to experience everyday Balinese life with local guides who are happy to answer your questions about the region and more.
Yeh Hoo Waterfall
The next morning we left Seminyak at 7 am to make sure we got to Jatiluwih before everyone else. Two hours later we started seeing green. Lots of it! Lush green rolling hills covered with rice plants.
After paying an entrance fee of 40k IDR per person, our driver asked us if we wanted to see a waterfall. Ehm… YES! We were totally surprised as we didn’t know there were any waterfalls anywhere close to Jatiluwih.
The walk down from the parking area was like something out of a fairytale. Like so many times in Bali before, I felt like we were in the middle of an enchanted forest. To the right of the stairs, there is a small waterfall with benches at different levels where you can sit down and take in the beautiful scenery. At the bottom, you’ll see a small creek leading to the larger waterfall called Air Tenjun Yeh Hoo. Love that name!
We were lucky and had the place all to ourselves, probably because we got there so early. And best of all, the sun was shining! Rippling sounds from the creek, birds chirping in the trees, butterflies in all colors of the rainbow. What a setting. So serene. I think this place was even more special than the actual rice fields.
Below you can see the lovely little temple area located right next to the waterfall. Keep in mind that only the ones who are there to pray are allowed to enter the temple grounds.
Don’t mind me. I’m just casually posing whit a rainbow shooting out of my behind. Not one of the largest or most impressive waterfalls on the island, but because of its surroundings, it definitely makes my top three list of experiences I’ve had in Bali so far.
After about an hour of posing and shooting photos, we headed for the main part of Jatiluwih. And wow, the views did not disappoint. By far the largest area of rice terraces I’ve ever seen. And with no other tourists around!
There are different pathways that will take you through the rice terraces and small warungs all along the main road serving up some delicious juices and traditional food. As you can probably tell I can’t recommend Jatiluwih Rice Terraces enough. A must while in Bali!
Oh my! That riceterrace looks amazing!
I was on Bali last summer and saw the Tegalalang rice terrace which was nice, but this one looks much bigger.
I hope I go back to Bali someday soon and can visit this riceterrace.
x
I hope so too Stephanie 🙂 Not only are Jatiluwih bigger but a lot less crowded than Tegalalang!
Hola Charlotte, mi nombre es paula de Argentina y en septiembre voy a viajar a tailandia, malasia e indonesia. Estoy muy emocionada porque tu blog es increible. Lo encontre hace dos articulos que llevo leyendo y ya me encanta. Las fotos son hermosas y estoy tomando nota de todo. que es eso del sorteo competicion? me interesa jajajaj.. voy a seguir leyendo, un beso grande!
Hi Paula! I hope I understand you correctly. Thank you so much for the kind words 😀 I’m happy to hear that you are going on such a big trip and that you find my articles helpful. The winner will be announced within the week 🙂
gracias por tu rapida respuesta! te hago una pregunta, tengo ciudadania italiana, sabes como es el tema de las visas en el sudeste asiatico? si queres te paso mi mail, es pau_n29@hotmail.com
My English is not the best, but I understand it quite well. Thank youiuuuuuu
Beautiful pictures, looks like heaven! 25$ per night with breakfast?! It is heaven!
Thanks 🙂 It is!
Wonderful photos as always 😀 looks amazing 😀 Especially that waterfall 😀 This posts makes me want to visit Bali more and more 😀
Thank you so much for the kind words Vibeke 😀
This looks so amazing! 😀
http://andreiacoelhoblog.blogspot.no/
This place looks incredible! That waterfall is stunning, and the terraces are quite something. Thanks for this lovely post and photos 🙂 Cheers, Mary Jane
Thanks for stopping by Mary Jane 🙂
This looks like absolute bliss! Reminds me of the ubud rice gardens. BTW you have a fab blog here 🙂
Thank you so much Namrata 😀
Stunning photos! I can’t believe how green it is.
Thanks Lisa 🙂
This sounds and looks positively magical! The colors in these photos are spectacular and the images just bring the destination to life!
That rice terraces looks lovely and green! I’m glad they are freshly planted when you visited! The green surrounding is just amazing. The waterfalls looks very inviting as well! I’m sure you had a great time there.
Loving your blog and are picking up lots of great ideas for our trip in December. You made me choose Lembongan instead of Gilli so it’s on your head now lol! Would you say that it is a nice soak/swim in the Yeh Hoo waterfall? We are deciding which waterfall to go to from Ubud and I did like your description of the surrounding area
Thank you so much, Anni! I’m so happy to hear you chose to go to Lembongan. You won’t regret it, I promise! Remember to also check out Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida if you have time. I loved our trip to Jatiluwih and Yeh Hoo waterfall, but the waterfall in itself wasn’t too spectacular. If you want to experience some amazing waterfalls I would suggest you go to Nungnung or Sekumpul even further north. Hope this helps 🙂
Thank you for your reply. We will have 5 nights on Lembongan and hoping to see as much as possible so should be able to do both Ceningan and Penida (Penida looks amazing!) We will definitely go to that little place up at the Mangrove Grove that you suggest. We are staying at Tigerlillys and Molamola House for two different experiences. I had actually earmarked Nungnung as a waterfall to go to, as long as we can have a swim there as well so might stick with it. Thank you for your suggestion. We will also go to Amed and Tulamben for 4 nights to get the more laid back vibe of Bali and hopefully some awesome snorkelling. I went to Bali in 1985 and it would look very different now. I can remember Ubud as a small place with no streetlights so I’m ready for a shock lol! Keep,up the good work x
Thanks! Wow, I wish I could have experienced Bali back then! I noticed a huge change just from 2010 to 2012, so yes you will probably be pretty shocked :p But it sounds like you have planned a great itinerary, so I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time! Happy travels 🙂