11 authentic cultural experiences in Ubud

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Ahhhh Ubud, one of the top destinations to visit in Bali. With one search in Google, you will be bombarded with the general tourist attractions: The Monkey Forest, The Campuhan Ridge Walk, The Saraswati Temple. But what if you are wanting to escape these crowded tourist attractions for a more local, authentic experience? This post will show you 11 different authentic cultural experiences in Ubud, where you can learn from locals doing crafts such as batik painting Ubud, art classes in Ubud, Ubud silver making class as well as other unique things to do in Ubud.

This post is all about authentic cultural experiences in Ubud.

General Information About Ubud:

Ubud, a tourist hub in the Gianyar region of Bali, is famous for its beautiful scenery, adventure activities, its jungle and rice paddies. It is also the cultural hub of the island with many temples in and around the town. There are also a lot of cultural displays. Many visitors also come for spiritual reasons; to learn yoga, meditation or to go on a retreat.

However, if you leave Ubud, you can escape into the peaceful countryside leaving the hustle and bustle, traffic and noise of Ubud behind.

Ubud is the perfect destination for those who are not wanting the all inclusive beach resorts and parties that the coast offers. It is great for those who want a more cultural and adventurous visit with beautiful lush scenery. It can be the perfect place to use as a base to organise day trips around the island.

Authentic cultural experiences in Ubud:

1. Learn Traditional Batik Painting Ubud

Batik painting is an Indonesian style of painting where you use wax to seal areas of a cloth before using dyes to create a picture or pattern. There are lots of batik painting ubud classes and I would definitely recommend visiting Widya’s Batik Classes. I have been here a couple of times, and have loved it each time.

There are 2 options at Widya’s Batik Classes. You can go for a half day and make a smaller design (like the fish). Or you can go for a full day to do one of the bigger designs (the Mandala). The staff are very friendly and helpful. They help you whenever you need (especially with the wax part- which is more difficult than it looks!!)

The process is: 1) draw your design. 2) Go around your design with hot wax. 3) If you are doing a large design, stamp a border around the outside. 4) Dab your design with different dyes 5) boil the cloth 6) let it dry.

It is truly amazing to see all the colours come out when the cloth gets boiled at the end. This is because when you are painting, the colours are different to the end result. So in a way, it is as if you are painting blindly.

I highly recommend trying Batik painting. It is in a traditional family compound and the people are lovely (they even remember you if you come again months later! ). You even get to take a beautiful souvenir back with you that you made yourself. There is no doubt that this is unique thing to do in Ubud.

2. Try Out A Cooking Class:

In Ubud, there are an abundance of cooking classes and cooking schools available. I found it was a great way to really understand and try the local cuisine as you could learn all about the local ingredients and the combination of flavours which are used in Balinese cuisine.

Most cooking classes also take you to a market to buy and show you local produce. For people who are new to Asian markets, this is a good way to experience the local way of life but without being too overwhelmed by the crowds and sellers.

Pemulan Cooking School:

I highly recommend checking out Pemulan Cooking School. I had an amazing day here. They have a couple of different types of cooking classes such as a vegetarian and an advanced course; however, I picked the regular one and it was fantastic!

Pemulan Cooking School picked me up outside my accommodation in Ubud, and we drove to the local market on the outskirts of town. There, our teacher showed us some different local fruits and vegetables, and we could try some different Balinese snacks.

After this, we drove to the farm. The farm is organic and after being given a basket and a knife, we went to the vegetable garden to have a tour and to pick our own vegetables that we were going to cook with.

After collecting all the fresh produce from the farm, it was time to cook. We made a range of dishes including Urab, Gado Gado, sweetcorn fritters, satay, Balinese chicken curry, tuna, Sambal matah and Balinese black rice pudding.

It was a fantastic day, we cooked some delicious dishes, the staff were amazing and we were given a recipe book to take home, so that we could now make authentic Balinese dishes for our families.

Learning to cook the local cuisine is always a top choice for me when it comes to authentic cultural experiences in Ubud or around the world. Check out Pemulan Cooking School or try these other great cooking schools!

3. Learn And Try Your Hand At Balinese Offerings

The Balinese are very spiritual and religious people. One thing you will notice throughout the whole of Bali, is that multiple times a day, the locals lay offerings in different places and for different reasons. Also the offerings differ, depending on the purpose of the offering.

Every time I visit Bali, I am always very curious about these offerings, they look so pretty, and seem such an important part of daily life for the locals so this time, I decided that I wanted to find out more! After doing some research, I found some workshops for learning and making your own offerings.

I went to WS Art Studio and I fell in love with this studio. You will notice some of the other experiences I did in this post, were also at that studio. The studio is just outside Ubud, but they offer a pick up service. The studio is in a beautiful, local setting with rice paddies and the people there were very warm and welcoming. The owners employ local artists to come and teach their crafts to tourists.

I made 3 different types of offerings during the workshop, each one having a different purpose. It was a great way to ask questions, understand more about the meaning of these offerings and try to create them myself. The teacher was very knowledgeable and kind.

If you are interested in the exact workshop I did, check it out here.

Otherwise, here are some other experiences which are very similar:

4. Gebogan Making

If making offerings tickle your fancy, then you will also enjoy this! Gebogans are big offerings to the Gods. They can be made out of fruits, flowers and sometimes snacks. They are typically made by Balinese women and girls and then they parade around the temple with the Gebogans on their heads before they are left at the temple.

I found a Gebogan workshop run by a lady called Made. Made comes to your accommodation to show you how to make the flower version of a Gebogan. I really enjoyed this workshop and Made was very well prepared. She brought all the equipment with her including the dulang (the wooden stand), a banana trunk (which is what you attach all the flowers to), and the flowers themselves as well as fruits and a sarong to wear.

Made was amazingly informative, she explained each step very clearly, and answered all the questions that I had. By the end of the workshop, I had a beautiful looking Gebogan which smelt amazing for days! (I think the cleaner at my guest house was a little surprised when she walked into my room and saw that!).

Made is based by the coast, but she travels up to Ubud to do workshops by request. For more information, check out her experience here on Viator:

This is definitely one of the best authentic cultural experiences in Ubud.

5. Ubud Silver Making Class:

If you are looking for other art classes in Ubud, why don’t you check out an Ubud silver making class. There are plenty of places around town including Chez Monique and Studio Perak. I went back to WS Art Studio, the same place as where I did some of the other experiences in this post. As I mentioned before, the studio is outside of the centre, but they offer a free pick up service and you will be rewarded with beautiful views of the rice fields, Balinese snacks, cute puppies and friendly teachers. The groups are also much smaller compared to the Ubud silver making class in town.

You are given a certain amount of silver (5g) (you can buy extra if you really want), to make anything you want. When I went, there were 4 of us, and all of us decided to do rings. However, there were examples of pendants, earrings etc. The amount of silver they gave us was enough for everyone to make what they wanted to make – no one had to pay extra.

Check out WS Art Studio for more information or if you are wanting to book in advance, try this experience with a local silversmith.

Some tips before doing the Ubud silver making class:

• Think of what you are going to do beforehand so that you can spend all of your time making instead of thinking. (Pinterest can give you some good ideas for inspo!)
• If it is your first time, maybe pick something not too complicated, as otherwise the staff will have to do more of the work for you.
• If you are wanting gems or stones in your jewlerry, make sure you bring them with you (if you go to the same studio as I did, as they do not have any there) or ask before going. If you would like to buy gemstones/ stones, there is a great shop at the top of town called Batubatu (LINK) on Jl. Raya Ubud where you can buy little gemstones for jewlerry fairly cheaply.
• If you do want gemstones – take spares! I didn’t bring spares and one of my gems cracked and I had to return on another day to fix my ring!

This is a great way to relax and create something memorable to take home as one of the unique things to do in Ubud.

6. Downhill Bike Riding

Downhill bike riding really surprised me. I didn’t really know what to expect, but thought it may just be a short ride down the road. However, it was very interesting. Some parts of this ride were on the main road (but don’t worry – not on the busy, chaotic roads which you will find in the centre of Ubud. Instead, they were smaller country roads going through small villages. Other parts of the tour where off road, going through small paths or jungle, or through the rice fields.

The views were beautiful, and you could see local life, farming and more rural living. At one point, we even stopped to look around a traditional Balinese complex where they explained the different family temples and the different buildings within the complex.

If you are looking for something active but to see the culture of the local people, this could be a good option for you. I would recommend it as one of the cultural experiences in Ubud.

Check out the experience here:

7. Visit Tirta Tempul And The Holy Springs:

Tirta Tempul is a busy temple around 14km outside of Ubud and is considered a sacred place by locals. It is most famous for its two purification pools which are said to have magic properties to create good health and prosperity. Locals (and tourists if you wish) can enter the pools and dip your head under each water spout.

I recommend hiring a guide, so that you can really understand the whole process. You can go on a guided tour from Ubud (see below) or if you go there by yourself (via a scooter or a private driver), you can find many guides at the entrance.

Something that is really important to remember is, this complex is a very sacred place for local people, so please dress respectably and follow local customs. There are certain areas where tourists are not allowed to visit, please also respect these notices.

8. Lontar Weaving:

Lontar weaving is a type of weaving where you take dried palm leaves and use them to create different kinds of objects. You will see these products in the art or souvenir markets all over Bali. Again, I did this experience at WS Art Studio.

For me, this was a very interesting experience. This particular teacher didn’t have much English, however, through demonstrating, she was able to show me how to create these small containers out of lontar. By the end of the workshop, I felt like we had had a great time, and had managed to be happy in each others company despite not actually speaking the same language.

I came away from the workshop having made a little container out of lontar!

9. Visit The Elephant Cave (Goa Gajah) :

Goa Gajah is an Elephant Cave Temple which is carved into rock. The entrance of this cave is very impressive. Although the cave is very small, it is an important cultural and historical site in Ubud. In the complex you will also find a courtyard, bathing pools, fountains and a walk down to the river. It is a beautiful and peaceful place.

As previously mentioned, it is important to be respectful in the complex and wear a sarong. Sarongs are included in the entrance ticket. Ignore the sellers by the car park who try and make you buy one. After buying the ticket, head towards the entrance. At the top of the stairs, there is a little shelter where someone will give you a sarong for free.

10. Fruit Carving:

Now for one of the more unique art classes in Ubud: fruit carving! If you are like me, and had seen in lots of Asian countries beautifully carved fruit as decorations on tables, and wondered – how did they do that? then this is the workshop for you.

I went to WS Art Studio (again!) The workshop lasted 2 hours and I learnt how to carve different shapes out of fruits and vegetables. I made 2 flowers out of a watermelon and a carrot. The teacher was a local artist who used to work in hospitality doing this for a living. He was very patient and I learnt so much from him!

I have even tried my skills out since! So if you are wanting to learn a skill in Bali to use in your day to day life, or to impress people, this could be one of the best unique things to do in Ubud!

11. Make Your Own Natural Cosmetics:

If you are wandering around town, you may see a couple of shops called Angelo Store. This store sells a range of natural soaps, oils, cosmetics etc. Some years ago, when I first came to Bali there was only one shop, but now they have expanded and are all over town. I always stock up on natural supplies there as I find the products work really well!

While in the shop, I noticed that they also do a natural cosmetics workshop, where you can make lots of skin and haircare products, so I thought I would try it out. The workshop is at the Angelo shop on Jl. Sugriwa, in the centre of town.

I came away having made/ and knowing how to make:

• natural hair oil
• natural massage oil
• a scrub
• Jamu ( a natural health drink from Bali)
• a natural mask

It was a very rewarding experience, very interesting and a break from the general sightseeing of Ubud. I found it very interesting that some particular fruits and vegetables have particular healing properties/ benefits to the skin or hair and how you can make skincare products with them. The teacher told me that local families typically make their skincare products out of these ingredients so if you are looking for cultural experiences in Ubud, this option could be for you.

[Related Post: Why YOU should visit Sidemen, Bali]

Ok, that’s a wrap! I hope you have found this blog post useful and it has given you some unique ideas for authentic cultural experiences in Ubud. I really enjoyed these cultural experiences, and I hope you will too!

Be creative, learn and enjoy the adventure,

love,

This post was all about authentic cultural experiences in Ubud.