Head to the hills of Bali for thrills, spills and adventure

WORDS RACHEL ASKHAM

Photo: Shutterstock/Todd HackwelderBali to most people means sun, sand and surf. But there’s much more to the island than the waves at Kuta. On your next visit, why not sample a few of the natural highs on offer in the mountainous hinterland or in Ubud, Bali’s cultural and artistic heart? Think rafting, biking, elephant rides and volcano hunting, and you’ll be on track for a Balinese workout of a different kind.

Make a Splash

White-water rafting is big business in Bali – you can hear screams of excitement several times daily on the sacred Ayung River. Rafting involves being launched into an 8km stretch of river and through 27 classes of rapids – taking you past amazing waterfalls, towering cliffs, dense tropical forest, and spectacular drops and vistas. It’s a buzz you have to try!

Bali Adventure Tours (tel: +62 (361) 721 480) was one of the fifirst to offer rafting in Bali and maintains its fi five-star standards. The guides of each rafting trip are certifified and fully experienced and use safety equipped Avon rafts, so it’s a fun, safe rush. To top it off, their one-anda-half-hour experience ends with a yummy gourmet buffet overlooking rice terraces. All tours should include insurance, but check when you book. Prices start at US$45 (AU$56) for children above six years, US$66 (AU$82) for adults and US$200 (AU$248) for families. Make sure you check out the afternoon off-peak rafting, which carries a discount of up to 37% off the normal price.

Volcano Biking

Bali has loads of cycling routes throughout its highlands but one of the most stunning is the downhill trail from Mount Batur volcano at Kintamani to Ubud. Cyclists start nestled high on the side of the volcano for an energy-packed fruit breakfast, enjoying the panorama of Lake Batur and Bali’s highest volcanic craters. The trail winds down from there through some 26km of spectacular valleys, ancient temples, and local markets and villages. There’s a pit stop to sample the local fruits and spices, then the tour fi finishes up with a ride through the bamboo forest of Taro. For seasoned cyclists, there’s another trail through the central Batukara plain which has rougher, more strenuous terrain and offers perfect views of the lush rice paddies this region is famed for.

Full-day excursions with local guides, including breakfast, lunch and a 7am pickup, are available from Bali Bike (tel: +62 (361) 978 052) for 350,000 IDR (AU$47) per person or through Bali Fun and Action (tel: +62 (361) 790 0741 or 781 8680) for 350,000 IDR (AU$47) for adults and 200,000 IDR (AU$27) for kids under 12. Kids are welcome but they must be capable of cycling on rough tracks.

Elephant Odyssey

Photo: Gettyimages/ Tim HallThe Elephant Safari Park comes with the following recommendation by none other than the late Steve Irwin: “The best elephant park I have ever seen.” The park cares for its rescued elephants on more than two hectares of botanical gardens, surrounded by national forest, and also has a museum and what’s said to be the only woolly mammoth skeleton in South-East Asia. As it’s an official member of the World Zoo Association, you can be confifident in the park’s ecotourism credentials – what’s more, fees go towards the Elephant Foundation’s work saving the endangered Indonesian Elephant. Take a 35-minute elephant ride through peaceful forested areas, checking out the treetops as you amble along at a stately pace. Kids can feed the elephants, then watch the live shows and elephants bathing.

Bali Adventure Tours (tel: +62 (361) 721 480) offers elephant tours from the Elephant Safari Park for US$75 (AU$93) for adults, US$50 (AU$62) for children, US$20 (AU$25) for infants and US$225 (AU$279) for families, which includes hotel transfers, park admission, safari ride, a buffet lunch and insurance.

Giddy-up!

Photo: Photolibrary/
Ariyoshi RitaIf you’re after a high but fancy something a bit gentler, climb aboard a horse instead. In Ubud, you can get your jodhpurs on and explore the magnifi cent countryside with Bali on Horseback. Beginners can opt for a half-hour ride; for the more adventurous or experienced there are one- and two-hour rides, and all rides go through the Sayan rice terraces, villages and temples. Rides are accompanied by one or more expert instructors and Bali on Horseback offers free pick-up from the Ubud area between 8am and 8.30am and 2pm and 2.30pm. Half-hour rides are US$16 (AU$20), one hour is US$25 (AU$31) and two hours is US$38 (AU$47). Tel: +62 (361) 977 121. Kids must be over seven years old and accompanied by an adult.

Dance Magic

Photo: Colin EverettThe Barong dance is a fascinating and ancient art form specifi c to Bali – girls are trained in the moves necessary to become a successful dancer from a very early age and can be seen practising all over the island. A colourful and exotic dance, the Barong tells a traditional Hindu story about the fi ght between good and evil, and features amazing costumes, masks and lashings of comedy and drama.

At The Four Seasons at Sayan a Barong dance is performed by Sayan villagers twice a week at sunset in the beautiful landscaped gardens of the resort (tel: +62 (361) 977 577). Admission is 100,000 IDR (AU$14); free for hotel guests. Theater Raja Peni at the Puri Dalem Hotel in Ubud has a Barong and Legong performance every Thursday at 7.30pm set in a temple theatre which adds lots of atmosphere to the already hypnotic dancing. Tickets are 50,000 IDR (AU$7) per person.

Footloose

Photo: Don Jensen If you want to discover the real Bali countryside, the best thing to do is head out on foot. Walking through rural Ubud, you can get up close to traditional village life, local customs and the gorgeous scenery and wildlife of the area. Try trekking through the island’s oldest Hindu districts via tropical plantations or take a fascinating route through rice paddies and coffee, coconut and palm plantations. Spice up your breaks along the way by sampling some juicy tropical fruit, sniffing herbs and spices, or bargain for some super-fresh local produce.

Sobek (tel: +62 (361) 287 059) offers an Interior Trails trek with the kind of itinerary described above, and a Jungle Trail trek that includes a ride on a dugout canoe across Lake Tamblingan. Adults are US$55 (AU$68), children between 7 and 15 pay US$30 (AU$37).

Island Delights

Get the true taste of Bali with a cooking class, such as those run by Casa Luna Cooking School with Janet de Neefe

If you’re looking for a culinary adventure, swap your hiking boots for an apron and sign up for one of the island’s many cooking courses. There’s a huge range to choose from, so you’re sure to fi nd something to suit your budget and interests.

Bumbu Bali Restaurant, located on the main street in Ubud, offers morning cookery courses beginning at the market. The lesson is given by a local Balinese chef in a traditional kitchen – a fascinating insight into the local lifestyle – and the fee includes an apron and recipe book. Tel: +62 (361) 974 217. The wonderful Casa Luna Cooking School is run from the home of locals – in this case, former Melburnian Janet de Neefe and her Balinese husband. Just off Ubud’s main road, the school features courses in the delicious traditional Balinese cuisine. Tel: +62 (361) 973 282. The best part is both schools include lunch prepared by you and your classmates!