Ubud and Mount Batur Volcano Tour
In this Ubud and Mount Batur Volcano Tour our day will be started by watching The Barong Dance. It is an interesting dance that talks about the Barong which is a holy being that shaped like a tiger and a lion which symbolizes kindness. In this dance, Barong is fight against Rangda who looks like evil. The essence of this dance story is that in this world there will always be two opposing forces that are always at odds. After that, we will visit a local traditional house compound that still maintains its old houses. Here we can learn about the life of Balinese people who still live with their parents and other families. Your great day will be complemented by a visit to Tirta Empul Temple, a Hindu temple famous for its holy spring and a place to carry out purification ceremonies. In the midday we will head to the mountainous area in Kintamani Village to enjoy the beauty of Mount Batur which is one of the most active volcanoes in Bali. After that we will continue the tour to a coffee plantation to see various types of coffee and various spices. Here we also have the opportunity to try many herbal coffee and tea drinks with great health benefits. Then we will drive to Tegallalang Rice Terraces to enjoy the beautiful rice field complex.
What To Expect
Barong Dance
Do not ever imagine Barong Dance is a boring dance! This dance is very entertaining and engrossing with a very interesting and funny story. In this dance there are two main characters that become the core of the story, two opposite characters. The two figures are Barong and Rangda, Barong is a mystical creature that looks like a lion and a tiger that symbolizes goodness. While Rangda is a spooky man who mastered black magic. The climax of this dance is when some men stab their bodies with sharp traditional swords or keris, but strangely their bodies are fine.
Barong Dance is one of the most famous and interesting dances in Bali. The main characters in this dance are Barong and Rangda, Barong is a four-legged mythology animal with its head resembles a tiger and its body resembles a lion. This animal is a symbol of goodness. Rangda is a spooky-faced man with long hair and long tongue and big breasts, symbolizes the demon. This dance telling us about the endless conflict between goodness and evil. Historically, Barong dance was first staged in the 19th century in the Klungkung area by the order of the King of Klungkung Kingdom namely I Dewa Agung Sakti. There are various types of Barongs in Bali, in addition to tiger and lion shaped, there are also barong with pig and humans shaped. In this Barong dance we will watch about Sahadewa which will be sacrificed by his mother named Dewi Kunthi to Rangda. But on the day of the offering, Dewi Kunti felt sad and did not bear his son to die, so Dewi Kunthi would like to cancel the offering ceremony. But Rangda did not accepted and then bewitched Dewi Kunthi,and trying to kill Sahadewa. But this attack still could not kill Sahadewa. Out of curiosity, Rangda transformed again into a very large and powerful bird and continued the attack to kill Sahadewa. Because Sahadewa remains invincible, the bird goes back and transformed become Rangda. And since Sahadewa also could not kill Rangda, Sahadewa also transformed into a Barong. Then came Lord Shiva to help Sahadewa by giving extraordinary power so that Sahadewa became immune and very strong. And then Rangda tried to tear apart Sahadewa, but Rangda could not kill Sahadewa. Because unable to kill Sahadewa, Rangda transformed into a wild boar and kept trying to attack Sahadewa. Sahadewa helped by his troops that armed with keris (traditional Balinese sword). But this troop also still could not kill Rangda. Because of the equal strength they could not beat each other. So, this battle symbolizes the fight between good and evil will always be there and without end.
Traditional Balinese House Compound
Traditional Balinese compound are built with the concepts of the harmony between nature, other human beings and Hindu gods. The house in a Balinese compound is a whole unification that reflects the life and culture of Bali that has a close relationship with their religion of Hinduism. In general, one compound in Bali is shared by parents and children.
The houses or compounds in Bali are different from houses in western countries. When we build a Balinese house, we must pay attention to various rules in Balinese culture called “kosala kosali”. The concepts of the harmony between nature, other human beings and Hindu gods. Balinese people believe by following these rules, the house that they built will be auspicious and useful to its inhabitants. When you are entering the Balinese compound, you will see a traditional with Balinese style gate, and inside the compound you will be able to see some buildings or houses. Usually in a Balinese compound there are Bale Daja (North house), Bale Dauh (West house), Bale Dangin (East house) and kitchen. Bale Daja (North House) is a building with a higher floor than any other buildings that is a place for parents to live. The floor is higher than other buildings, it symbolizes our respect for our parents. Bale Dauh (West Building) is a place where children live. Bale Dangin (East Building) is a pavilion as a place for Hindu ceremonies such as weddings and when there are people who die in the family, before we bury or burn, we put the dead body there. In the Balinese house there is also a family temple as a place of worship for the whole family. Usually, this temple is in the corner of the house, overlooking Mount Agung, the highest volcano in Bali which is considered as a holy mountain in Bali. Family temple is very important because with the existence of this temple, the Balinese do not need to come to the public temple every day to pray or put the offerings. Family temple is a place to worship God and honor the ancestors. There are some rules that we should respect when going into the family temple that are dressed clean, wearing a sarong and for women in menstruation is prohibited to come inside the family temple, because for the Hindus the blood of menstruation is not clean. The traditional Balinese kitchen is also unique part in a Balinese compound, because we still can see Balinese people cooking with firewood. Here you can also see a cupboard as a place to put foods. Because usually the Balinese cook once in the morning, and the food should be enough for the whole family until night. In general, Balinese house do not have a dining room or dining table, the Balinese usually eat on the floor or chair. And they eat rarely using a spoon or fork but using fingers to eat. Formerly each Balinese compound also has a backfield for farming and raising cattle. But because of the increasing number of family members and the lack of land to build houses, many fields have been replaced by new houses. In a Balinese compound complex, usually there is a well, as a source of water for cooking, washing clothes and bathing. We can also see a small multi-story building called “Jineng” as a place to store the rice harvest. The Balinese in the village often keep their rice harvest for several months. The building was built with a special pillar to avoid mice eating the rice that stored in this building.
Tirta Empul Temple
Tirta Empul is a Hindu temple located in a valley surrounded by green hills and beautiful landscapes. This temple is famous for its holy spring and the bathing place that many local people visit to carry out the cleansing ceremony. It is believed that the water coming out of the holy spring is very efficacious to clean up the bad influences in the human body and soul. So that every day many people come here to pray and perform the cleansing ceremony and ask forgiveness for their mistakes.
Explanation
Tirta Empul is in the village of Tampak Siring, Gianyar Regency, about 39 kilometers from the city of Denpasar. The temple is in a valley, surrounded by hills which are very beautiful. On the west side of the temple there is a beautiful building complex that is Tampaksiring Presidential Palace which is one of the Indonesian presidential palaces in Indonesia. Tirta Empul name comes from the Balinese language, which means the water is rising out of the ground. In this temple there is a water spring, which believed to be made by the God Indra, a Hindu deity. In Balinese folklore, it is told that in ancient time there was a kingdom called Bedahulu led by a king named Mayadenawa, he was very powerful but cruel to its people. The king forbid people to perform religious ceremonies. Because of this prohibition, the region suffered from frequent natural disasters, the agriculture was not successful, and the people suffered. To overcome this problem, the God Indra and his army fought against Mayadenawa and his army. To defeat the army of God Indra, Mayadenawa make the pool with toxic water. Because of the troops of God Indra thirsty, they drank the water from that pool and become poisoned and die. Because of God Indra saw many of his troops died, and then God Indra stuck his spear into the ground, then water escaped from the ground. The water that came out of spring was given to the troops who collapsed and died, miraculously, the troops became alive and well again. Since then, the water is believed to be the holy water which can purify the body and soul and treat disease. Besides seeing the sacred water spring, here we can also see the bathing pools which is visited by local people and tourists, a place to do the purification ceremony. The bathing place divided in two sections with a lot of showers. In the west side the bathing place has 13 showers and in the east side the bathing place has 8 showers. Before they enter the pool, they will put the offerings first on the altar nearby this pond. Then they will pray with flowers and incense stick. After finished praying, they will plunge into the pool to wash their heads and bodies under the shower located in the pool. But there are two showers that are not allowed for us to take or use, that are shower number 11 and 12 in the west side pool. Because it’s water just for the deceased that to be cremated or buried. After they have finished in the pool, they will change clothes with Balinese traditional clothes. Then they will go into the inner temple yard to pray again. After they have finished praying, the priest will give holy water to drink and rub their face, as well as the holy rice to be placed on forehead and throat.
Mount Batur in Kintamani Village
Mount Batur is one of the volcanoes in Bali with its spectacular scenery that located in Kintamani village in the up-north Bali’s central. Adjacent to this mountain is Lake Batur which is the largest lake in Bali which also has very beautiful scenery. Because it lies in the highlands about 1200 above the sea level, so the air in this place is very cool and refreshing. The scenery here is looks amazing because Mount Batur and Lake Batur surrounded by long and large caldera. And because of the last eruption in 1963, the surface of this mountain became black because of lava sands and lava rocks.
Explanation
Mount Batur is in Kintamani Village, about 2 hours’ drive from Denpasar. Kintamani is a village located up north Bali’s central mountains. Located in the highlands area about 1200meter above sea level, this place offers spectacular and beautiful scenery. There are three mountains in this area that are Mount Abang (2153m) at the east side, Mount Penulisan (1754m) in the north, and Mount Batur (1717m) which is one of the volcanoes in Bali towering from the caldera with four craters. Next to Mount Batur is Lake Batur with beautiful scenery. The width of the lake is around 16 kilometers square, the largest lake in Bali with approximately 50 meters depth. And it is one of water source for the inhabitants of Bali, where the water here comes from springs and rainfall. And now this lake is also used by residents to keep fish in special ponds that floating in the water.
At the bottom of Mount Abang that located beside of Lake Batur, there is a small village named Trunyan, which is one of the oldest villages in Bali. Where the people who live there are the original Balinese called Bali Aga people. The Bali Aga people are the people who have inhabited the island of Bali before people from Java fled to Bali because of the defeat of the Hindu kingdom in Java over the Muslim kingdom. They have a slightly different culture with the Balinese in general. Where if anyone dies, they will not bury or burn the corpse, but they just put the corpse on the ground just wrapped in a white cloth and placed on a flat bamboo bed. If we come to this corpse place, we can see many bones on the ground. The place of this corpse is located some distance from the village, amid the forest surrounded by a large tree. But the strange thing of this place, when we come here, we do not smell the stinging corpse, because there is a big tree called Tarumenyan which is believed to absorb the bad smell of these corpses. And the name of this village was taken from the name of this tree. There are three types of corpse place in this village, the first one is a place for someone who dead normally, because of age or sickness. The second place is for someone who dead by accident or committed suicide and the last place for the baby corpse.
Every morning, starting at around 2 am many tourists do hike activities to climb this Mount Batur to see the beautiful sunrise. It takes approximately 2 hours to reach the summit of Mount Batur. From the top of Mount Batur we can see a very beautiful sunrise that will make you amazed. From the top we can also see Mount Rinjani, a huge volcano on the island of Lombok.
The best place to see the mountain and lake scenery in Kintamani area is from Penelokan Village. You can see and photograph the best scenery from here. In addition to enjoying the scenery, most tourists spend time to having lunch at the restaurant that located on the cliffs opposite Mount Batur. From the restaurant we can enjoy the beauty of the Mount and Lake Batur.
Coffee Plantation
There is one special coffee that Bali has, Luwak Coffee. This coffee is very expensive and rare, because it is made from the excrement of civet cat that likes to eat and swallow the best coffee beans. But don’t worry, coffee beans that come out of the digestion of this animal have gone through the process of cleaning with hot water and drying repeatedly. This coffee is very special and expensive because it requires a relatively long time in the manufacturing process. In this place we can also see various types of coffee trees, tropical fruit trees and various types of spices.
Explanation
Coffee is one of the favorite drink of people in this world, this black color drink is very popular among many people, and Bali people are also very fond of drinking coffee. In addition to making the body fresher, coffee can also prevent us from sleepy. And if you like the tea, in this coffee plantation is also has various types of tea with a variety of flavors made with natural ingredients. Bali is famous for its diverse earthly produce; the island is endowed with a very fertile soil and abundant water. One of the most planted plants by its inhabitants is coffee, especially in mountainous areas in central and north Bali. Type of coffee planted there are two types of Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee. Robusta coffee contains more caffeine than Arabica coffee. Bali also has one kind of special coffee called Luwak Coffee. Luwak Coffee is kind of coffee that made from coffee beans from the droppings of animal that eat coffee. This animal in the Indonesian language is called Luwak and in English called the civet or mongoose. Usually, these animals like to eat fruits, chicken and coffee beans. But when they are eating coffee beans, these animals only eat the best and ripe coffee beans with red color shell. They only eat the best coffee beans. When they eat coffee, they swallow whole coffee beans, and within a day they will have droppings that contains coffee beans. And the farmers will take the droppings, then dry it for about a week, then the coffee beans will be cleaned with hot water until it is completely clean. After that the coffee is sundried again until perfectly dry. The coffee will be roasted and grinded into coffee powder. Luwak Coffee has a special taste, different from ordinary coffee, less caffeine and the taste are smoother than ordinary coffee.
In this place you can also see various kinds of spice plants such as ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon, vanilla and others. You can also see clove and cocoa plants, as well as tropical fruit plants such as mangosteen, snake skin fruit, dragon fruit and others.
After a short tour in this place, you will be given time to try different types of coffee and tea drinks for free. There are various kinds of coffee such as coconut coffee, ginseng coffee, Bali coffee, vanilla coffee and other types of coffee. Here are also available various types of tea such as rosella tea, turmeric tea, mangosteen tea, lemongrass tea and other teas. Most of these drinks have special benefit for our body. All these drinks are given for free by the owner, you will be charged only if you want to try the Luwak Coffee, and the price is not as expensive as elsewhere or in the café.
Tegallalang Rice Terrace
A beautiful line of terraced rice fields will greet you when you arrive here. This place is the best place to capture your vacation with a camera. To make it more memorable, you can also walk around this rice field to see how rice plants and farmers work in the fields.
Explanation
Most of the population in Bali are still working as farmers, and most of them grow rice. Rice fields are an important part of the people of Bali, because with the rice fields they can support their families. One of Bali’s famous and beautiful rice fields is Tegallalang. Here we can see a row of terraced rice fields surrounded by green and shady trees. In this place we can see and learn how the actual shape of rice plants and how the Balinese plant the rice. An experience that can enlighten you and change your perspective on this life.
When you are here, you can capture one of your best moments during your holiday in Bali. You also could walk around to take a closer look at the rice fields.
Tour Inclusions:
- Private Air-Conditioned Car
- Max. 8 Participants/Booking
- English Speaking Driver-Guide
Tour Exclusions:
- Entrance Tickets (available for purchase)
- Lunch (available for purchase)
- Other Personal Expense
FREE! Hotel Pickup & Drop-off Locations:
Sanur, Ubud, Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Canggu, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua, Tanjung Benoa and Denpasar.
