The Ubud Guide is an insider's travel guide to Ubud from a long term resident. While the guide concentrates on Ubud, you can also read about tours of other places in Bali, within an easy day trip of Ubud. You might see this as a more curated guide to the cultural heart of Bali.

1. Goa Gajah - Elephant Cave
The ElephantCave — Goa Gajah — is just southeast of Ubud, a very easy
morningtrip yet fascinating and quite lovely. Builtaround the 11th
century, the complex has both Hindu and Buddhistimagery. The cave
contains symbolsof Shiva and the image of Ganesha, while down towards
the river, there are stone disks and domesof the Buddhistarchitecture.
Some of the Buddhistrelics date back to the 8th century.
Elephants aren'tnative to Bali. Any liveelephants you might see in a
number of tourist traps have been imported from Myanmar or Laos. The
only reason is to cater to, or perform for, ignoranttourists. I can deliver a
long lecture on the unpleasantaspects of trading in wild animalsfor
commercial consumption butwillleave it for another post!
The nameof the cave likely comes from the Ganeshimagery although the
close-by Petanu river wasonce called the Elephant river.
Builtaround the 11th century, the complexof buildingsand pools is a very
Balinese mixtureof Hinduism and Buddhism. Thesite is alluded to in the
Javanesepoem Desawarnana, written in 1365. Based on themention in this
text, Dutcharcheologists wereable to rediscover the temple in 1923.
Then in 1954, another Dutcharcheological group waspoking around the
complex. One gentleman, according to legend, tripped backwardson a rock
and realised a whole other section existed, and the beautifulbathing pool
was then excavated. Surroundingthe poolare six statues of women holding
pitches — fountainsfrom which water poursinto the pool. A seventhwas

2. destroyed dueto an earthquake sometimein the past; the statues represent
the seven holy riversof India.
Insidethe small cave, visitors can see the three alcoves — worn down over
centuries by whichever guru was residentat the time with his two students
as they meditated or perhapsdiscussed philosophy and world affairs.
The GoaGajah complex is in a super convenientlocation right near Ubud,
which meansit can get very busy, especially duringthe high season in July
and August. If you arrivebefore 10 am, you will miss the busloads of
tourists from the south. There are a handfulof guides (basically touts)
hanging around. They are interesting and funny, butalso likely to initially
offer this service for a ludicrously largeamount. Ask them to do it for
R50,000or you can justwave them away with a smile and a headshake if
you'd rather exploreby yourself. If you are wearingshorts, you willbe
given a sarongat the entrance(free), which you return when you leave.
What to do in Ubud -The entrance fee was R50,000 (aboutUS$3.50)per
person at the time of writing. You can driveyourself easily by scooter
(parkingis about R2000)or get any driver from Ubud to take you. There is
the usualcluster of tourist shops at the entrance/exit, which are actually
slightly cheaper than the popular and busy Ubud marketsif you need a new
sarong or a smallgift.
For lunchor dinner, there are a coupleof pretty but mediocre warungs
servingwestern and Indonesian food in and around thecomplex if you get
hungry. There are better places close by that overlook the river. Ask your
driver or check google maps.
About this guide
This is an insider's Guideto Ubud from a long term resident. While the
guideconcentrates on Ubud, you can also read about toursof other places
in Bali, within an easy day trip of Ubud. You might like to see this as a more
curated guide to the culturalheart of Bali.
Ubud Travel Guide
One of the thousands of islandsthat make up the Indonesian archipelago,
Bali’s naturalbeauty and fascinating culturemake it a drawcard for
millions of tourists each year.

3. Bali has something for everyone. It has gorgeous hidden beaches, surfing,
hiking, rafting and diving for the moreenergetic, and for the lazy and
indulgent(that's me), upmarketpoolclubs and restaurants. The local food
is delicious and cheap, and, away from the main tourist spots, you willsee
gloriousvistas of the jungle, rice paddy and ocean. Baliis renowned for its
artwork and handicrafts, and talented artisans can be found allover the
Island. A highlight is the unusualmixof Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism
that makes up the dominantreligion on the island.
Duringthe pandemic, Baliwas a tourist island with no tourists, and the
locals struggled. The island is open once moreand ready to welcome you.
Remember to be respectfulof this charmingand exotic culture, and tread
lightly upon the Island of the Gods.
About the Author
Pepita trained as a science communicator and worked in corporate
communicationsand projectmanagementin a range of industries. She
became an analyst, senior manager then board director for mineral
exploration companieswhile doingspeakinggigs, brokeringand capital
raising.
Needinga creative outlet, Pepita retrained as a web designer and
copywriter while keepingher fingers in a few tech pies. She has written a
number of books in a futurepublishingpipelineand enjoystrialling the
best places in Ubud Guide for this blog.