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Field Notes

Every option the research turned up, ranked best-first and folded by category. Tap a category to open it, then mark who is keen so you can find your overlaps.

How to use this

Everyone's picks are saved to one shared list, so all three of you see the same thing no matter whose phone you are on. Just tap your initial (D, M, or C) on anything that appeals and it saves for the group automatically.

Open this on one screen together, or each on your own phone. Changes from the others show up within a few seconds. The Copy and Merge buttons are still there as a backup if you are ever offline.

The ranking (the gold dots) blends four things: uniqueness (can you only do it here), quality (how good and well-run), ease (access, booking, transfer), and value. Five dots is a standout, three is a solid option if you have time. In the plan means it is already in the recommended itinerary; Optional is an extra to consider.

Cooking classes
Paon BaliIn the plan
Ubud · ~$25 · family compound, dawn market
The benchmark class: market tour, rice-paddy walk, then grind bumbu paste from scratch with the host family. Morning session includes the market.
Pemulan Bali FarmOptional
Ubud · ~$40 · on an organic farm
Held on a farm where you harvest ingredients before cooking. Best seed-to-plate angle.
Ibu Dewi's Home CookingOptional
Canggu · ~$30 · her home kitchen
Intimate family-recipe class in Berawa if you would rather cook on the Canggu leg.
Casa LunaOptional
Ubud · ~$45 · polished, since 1992
The original Ubud school, varied classes (the Sunday smoked-duck one is famous). More school than family home.
Hotel Tugu BaliOptional
Canggu · ~$50 · antique wood-fired kitchen
An atmospheric splurge in a beautiful old kitchen.
Bees, farming & the land
Kul Kul FarmIn the plan
Ubud / south · Monday tours
A living permaculture teaching farm: compost workshops, vermicompost, agroforestry. Fits the Monday transfer day.
Umah Kele stingless-bee keeperOptional
East Bali · most authentic · WhatsApp direct
A real working stingless-bee breeder near Sidemen. Ask for a hands-on session: open a hive, split a colony, harvest pot-honey. About 1.5 to 2 hours east.
Sangeh bee farmIn the plan
Ubud · ~$55 · ~35 min, one-click booking
The easy, close version of the bee visit: a hive-split demo and honey tasting, paired with a hidden waterfall.
Astungkara WayOptional
Tabanan · half-day · ~$32
Regenerative-rice experience: harvest, build compost, plant seedlings, share a farm meal with young Balinese farmers.
Jatiluwih UNESCO subak, guidedOptional
Tabanan · ~$50 to $90 · grand
Walk 600 hectares of living, subak-irrigated terraces with a licensed guide to understand the 1,000-year-old water democracy.
Kusamba black-sand saltOptional
East Bali · dying craft
Traditional volcanic black-sand sea-salt farming you can do alongside a farmer. Clusters with Umah Kele.
Vani Bali vanillaOptional
near Ubud · ~$9 to $15
A tiny grower's personal sit-down on hand-pollination and curing. Ask to see the curing.
Charlie's Chocolate FactoryOptional
East Bali · ethical bean-to-bar
A village-run, bamboo-hut cacao operation near Candidasa, the ethical opposite of the caged-civet circuit.
Ceramics & craft
Gaya Ceramic Arts CenterOptional
Sayan/Ubud · email for a single day
The serious ceramics institution: wheel-throwing, trimming, sculpting. Email edu@gayaceramic.com about a single session.
Silversmithing in CelukIn the plan
Celuk · ~$30 · 1 to 3 hrs
Forge your own silver ring or pendant from raw silver in Bali's silver village.
Wood carving in MasOptional
Mas · with a master carver
Carve a mask or figure using tools and a tradition you cannot find at home.
Bali Purma Art & WorkshopOptional
Mas · $9 to $40 · many crafts
One family compound doing wood carving, batik, silver, painting, and offering-making as easy drop-ins.
Vagabond Design LabOptional
Canggu · in-town pottery
The popular Canggu pottery studio if you would rather throw clay on that leg.
Adventure & surf
Ayung River raftingIn the plan
Ubud · ~$35 · half day
Class II to III jungle-gorge run with waterfalls and carved cliffs. The best solo adventure near Ubud.
Surfing (Bukit & Canggu)In the plan
Bukit + Canggu · ~$26 to $45 · beginner friendly
Guided beginner surf on both coasts: a gentle Bukit break, and the walk-up Batu Bolong longboard wave in Canggu.
Campuhan Ridge WalkIn the plan
Ubud · free · best at dawn
An easy grass-ridge walk from central Ubud, lovely and near-empty at sunrise.
Mount Batur sunrise trekOptional
Ubud · ~$45 · 2am pickup
Active-volcano summit for sunrise above the clouds. Epic, but it costs a night's sleep.
Jungle downhill bikingOptional
Ubud · ~$38 · mostly downhill
Van to the highlands, then coast down through villages, paddies, and temples with a guide.
ATV quad bikeOptional
Ubud · ~$30 · jungle and tunnels
A muddy jungle, river, and tunnel ride. Often combined with the rafting.
Fishing
Sunrise jukung, JimbaranOptional
Bukit · ~20 min · dawn, beginner friendly
Board a traditional outrigger at dawn with a local fisherman and learn hand-line in the calm bay. Jimbaran is Bali's main fishing village, the real thing.
Sundara "Ocean to Table"Optional
Jimbaran · catch + market + cook
Fish at dawn, walk the fish market, then cook your catch (runs April to October). The full catch-it, cook-it arc, and a skill to bring home to the boys.
Sanur traditional hand-lineOptional
~45 min · ~$206 / group of 3
A well-run, explicitly beginner-taught jukung trip if the Jimbaran dawn slot is booked.
Benoa half-day charterOptional
Bukit · ~35 min · bigger boat
A proper sportfishing boat for tuna, mahi, and snapper (August is peak season). More touristy, but easy and safe.
Beaches & beach clubs
Sundays Beach ClubIn the plan
Bukit · $40 to $50 · redeemable pass
A private cove by cable car with kayaks, SUPs, and snorkels included; the pass doubles as lunch.
Nyang NyangIn the plan
Bukit · 500-step hike · secluded
A steep descent to near-empty white sand. Go for the hike and the seclusion.
La BrisaIn the plan
Canggu · best sunset · book a table
Canggu's boho beach club built from reclaimed boats, widely called the best sunset spot.
MelastiOptional
Bukit · best swimming · drivable
A cinematic cliff-cut access road to the best swimming water on the Bukit.
BinginOptional
Bukit · surf-watching, warungs
The best all-rounder and surf-watching perch, with a cluster of warungs.
Karang Boma cliffOptional
Bukit · free · low-crowd sunset
A dramatic 100 m cliff edge near Nyang Nyang, the quiet alternative to the temple at sunset.
Food worth the trip
Jimbaran Bay seafoodIn the plan
near Bukit · do it once
Grilled fish on tables set right on the sand at sunset (Bawang Merah, Menega). The classic Bali dinner.
Fishbone LocalIn the plan
Canggu · sustainable seafood
Fresh, sustainably sourced seafood 50 m from Old Man's.
MasonIn the plan
Canggu · wood-fired · send-off dinner
House-cured meats and wood-fired cooking, the polished Canggu table.
Sakti at FivelementsOptional
Ubud/Mambal · special · reserve
Riverside living-foods tasting menus in a stunning setting.
The CaveOptional
Bukit · 22-seat tasting menu
A subterranean tasting menu inside a lit cavern. A real blowout, reservation mandatory.
Suka EspressoIn the plan
Bukit · the brunch
The best-known brunch on the Bukit. Go early before the queue.
The Shady ShackIn the plan
Canggu · wholefood in the rice fields
A breezy vegetarian lunch spot tucked in the paddies.
Clear Cafe & WatercressIn the plan
Ubud · reliable favorites
Clear Cafe's koi-pond space and Watercress for brunch, the easy Ubud go-tos.
Yoga (for Minnie & Chris)
The Yoga BarnIn the plan
Ubud · iconic · drop-in
Ubud's iconic studio with a huge daily schedule. Arrive 45 minutes early in high season.
The PracticeIn the plan
Canggu · bamboo studio · ~$10
A bamboo studio in a Batu Bolong rice paddy, four daily drop-in classes, a short walk from the villa.
Morning Light / La TribuIn the plan
Bukit · jungle and ocean views
Open-air shalas near Pecatu with wave views. Drop-in, about $10 to $15.
Udara Bali (yoga + spa)Optional
Seseh · beachfront detox and spa
A beachfront yoga-detox-and-spa for a treat-yourself morning.
Temples & culture
Uluwatu Temple + Kecak fire danceIn the plan
Bukit · iconic · book the 6pm show
A clifftop sea temple and the sunset chant-and-fire dance. It sells out, book ahead.
Tanah LotIn the plan
near Canggu · sunset sea temple
A dramatic sea temple on the rocks, best at sunset.
Monkey Forest + Ubud MarketIn the plan
Ubud · go early morning
Both are touristy but worth an early visit: the market 8 to 10 am, the Monkey Forest at 9 am opening.