Campuhan Ridge (Ubud, Bali). 9 km.

October, 2023 Off By admin

The city of Ubud in Bali is known for many things: It is an art and culture center, Yoga instructors from all over the world MUST teach at The Yoga Barn, which is located in Ubud, and everyone who is interested in yoga must visit Ubud to practice yoga. But Ubud is something else and more. It is also situated among rice paddies and steep gorges.

One of the most famous hiking trails in Bali is the Campuhan Ridge Walk, which offers magnificent views and is a must if you happen to be in the area.

We have arranged with our driver that he will drive us to the foot of the Campuhan Ridge Walk, which is located a little west of Ubud. (Use the following coordinates if necessary: 8°30'16.8″S 115°15'17.5″E). Our driver parks his car and will wait for us until we return.

From our car park we go down towards the very start of Campuhan Ridge, which is down in a valley. We follow the signs and walk along nice paths and stairs until we get to the path itself.

The path consists of square tiles, which are laid 3 next to each other and the path winds and meanders uphill. On the first stretch, there is dense vegetation on both sides of the path, and it is difficult to see what kind of area we are walking through. However, it does not take long before the vegetation becomes more flat, and we can now see that we are walking on a ridge where there are valleys on both sides of the path. There is a beautiful view of the other mountain ridges, which lie on both sides of us.

We come to one of the large portals that mark the entrance to a temple, and we continue through the portal. We are now done with the official part of Campuhan Ridge, but our tour continues through a small village that has found that the tourists like to do this tour. Coffee etc. is sold from many of the small houses. We now walk on a very small road, but have to watch out for both cars and “Japanese mosquitoes” – which is the Balinese term for scooters. It is exciting to see how the local people have settled down and cultivate rice fields along the road.

Balinese are predominantly Hindu and they make small offerings to their deceased family members every day. It consist of small pieces of food, flowers and incense sticks placed on a folded palm leaf. They also have tall bamboo poles decorated with braided palm leaves and flowers. Most of all, they resemble a kind of lamppost, but are very beautifully decorated. After just over 2.5 kilometers of walking, we turn sharply to the left and follow the road, which now has no pavement. The road rises and falls as we walk on the mountain. It is lush, even though we are at the end of summer, but the area around Ubud is lush. The road goes through the forest and twists and turns, which is sometimes a challenge when cars come around the bends. We pass again a large portal into another temple. The tall stone pillars that form the portal symbolize keeping evil out and only letting good in.

We are now in a more urban area, and after almost 4.5 kilometers of walking we turn right along a minor road and left after approx. 100 meters. Shortly after, we go to the left over a small bridge and immediately after to the right again. The path is very small and difficult to see, but after a short time it becomes a little wider and scooters also drive on it. After less than 100 meters we turn right and left again, after which we are back on the road Jl. Mpu Tantular. We follow this road, which again gives us a good insight into how the locals have chosen to live. It is remarkable that no matter how rich or poor the house looks, they have all built a small temple where they can pray. The Balinese clothe their sacred temples so that they are not "naked". The clothes are mostly black and white, which symbolizes good and evil. We cross a major road and now come to a footpath which leads us out of town.

After just over 5.5 kilometers we are out of town again, and we turn left onto a small cemented path which leads us right into the middle of the rice fields. The path is flanked by banana palms and it leads us out into the most beautiful light green rice fields. The ground is cracked and dry, but despite this, it all stands beautifully. The rice fields are laid out with terraces, which make it easier to water from one terrace to the next. The rice farmers live out in the rice fields and neat paths and small, nicely situated houses have been made.

The path winds and meanders through one beautiful rice field after another, and suddenly we are out on the outskirts of the city again. We go down some stairs and come down to a dried up stream. We go up the other side, and continue up a small path, after which we come up to the edge of another area with rice fields. Here we turn left along a very narrow path which leads us along the many fields. The path is uneven and there are large holes down both sides, so we walk very carefully.

The path now leads us to a small cluster of houses, and there is a path to the right and one to the left – and then one straight between the houses. We go between the houses and come through something that looks like a backyard, but it's the right way. We come out to a larger path which runs along a dried-up irrigation canal. We are led through several beautiful areas, and there are also a few smaller hotels that have pools right next to the path, which we would still describe as being located out in the middle of the rice fields. (we make the mistake of turning right off the beaten track, but soon turn back as the path is blocked).

We are approaching civilization again – there are at least several small houses along the path, and there are also small cafes and pleasantly landscaped beds. We cross a small road and now enter the busier part of the city, where there is a lot of traffic. We follow the road and turn left twice, after which we come out onto the large thoroughfare and very busy road. Here we go across the road and to the right until we cross a bridge. Just after the bridge, we go left down a stone staircase, and are back again where our driver is waiting for us.