The Art and Nature of Bali Tour

The outer corners of Bali’s natural and artistic landscape will be explored during this day trip; there is really no shortage in what lies ahead when you’re highly interested in the various arts and performance. From the moment you leave the premises of your resort, you’ll enter a world where nature and art dominate the scenery.

Begin the day at a local theater to watch the famous Barong and Kris dance show. Barong is a character in the Bali mythology, who is the king of the spirit and the leader of the hosts of good. The dance describes the eternal struggle between good (Barong) and evil (Rangda) spirits, accompanied by a Gamelan orchestra, playing the traditional music of Bali and Java. After the dance you will proceed to Celuk, the center of gold and silversmiths. The gold and silver items are of high quality and feature unique designs as the craftsmen are known for their skills and industriousness.

Next, travel to the town of Mas. This village of art has always been the center of wood carving. All the small stores and factories have an open working area where you can see the skilled craftsmen making wood products like masks, tables, chairs or statues. The craftsmen work with different kind of wood such as banyan or palm. The holy spring of Tirta Empul will be the next stop with its large shrine to honor God Indra. The bathing pools are believed to have strong curative powers and one still can find devout believer bathing for good fortune and washing away the sins.

You will reach the top of Kintamani, which has breathtaking views over the caldera lake of Danau Batur. Here, a local lunch will be served and you will have ample time to enjoy the view over the natural beauty of the Island of Gods. Via a scenic road down, you will pass the Tegallalang region, famous for its rice paddy fields as far as the eye can see, mixed with coconut trees. The heart of art of course cannot be skipped – Ubud’s vast collection of galleries that both focus on the traditional as well on the contemporary always will have something of interest for any visitor. Finally, an art tour is not complete with seeing the finer art of batik; Tohpati village is where you can see a demonstration of the batik process from ground material to end result.

End the day by being transferred in comfort back to your hotel in either southern Bali or in Ubud.