Getting lost in the Bali rice fields
How do you get on the Campuhan ridge walk, what is there to see, maybe you can tell me? I wanted to tell you about the Campuhan ridge walk, but instead I’ll tell you about what we actually ended up doing….
On a beautifully warm and clear day in Bali, we followed a guide online which told us how to get to the Campuhan ridge walk. It said to turn right just after Ubud Palace and the Lotus Cafe, on to Jl. Kajeng and simply follow the path. The sign at the end of the street said ‘To Rice Fields’. Step one accomplished and things were looking good.
When we got to the cross roads with the ‘rice fields’ at the end of the path, a left or right turn didn’t seem clear. We opted for the left hand path. This led to a dead end with a small farmers shack, a few scrap cars and a lady who wanted to sell us bananas.
Bananas and new directions in hand, we turned back and took the right path (that’s the navigable right path, not the ‘correct’ right path). It was really pleasant, taking a stroll along a straight gravel path amongst the rice fields. But have you ever got the feeling that something just doesn’t feel right?Â
Well that’s how we felt as the path turned to forest, the forest turned to mud and the mud turned to a dumping ground. We’d been told the walk went in a loop, but it must have been us that were going loopy. We hadn’t seen a turn thus far and were standing in a dumping ground, not entirely convinced this was supposed to be part of the scenery. We tried to get some bearings, zig zagged up a hill and found ourselves in another rice field. This was more like it. Even though ‘it’ was the middle of nowhere.
We finally spotted a farmer who waved us in a vague direction, so on we marched. There wasn’t a soul in sight, but the odd hut on the horizon signalled life and possibly a way back to Ubud. Â
As heavy rain came down we followed a new path and enjoyed our own special rice field walk. Whether it was part of Campuhan, I’ve no idea. We eventually passed a craft stall and rural cafe so knew things were back on track (crafts = tourists after all) and we eventually ended up in Ubud (near a Starbucks!).
As you can see it was pretty hot and we weren’t that fresh faced at the end, with the winning combination of humidity and rain. We had a great time though and rounded it off with a beer…in the rain!
Did we miss out? We didn’t think so. Although we may not have hit one of ‘things to do’ in Ubud, we did get our own little adventure. Â
Have you been on the Campuhan ridge walk? How was it? Please can you tell me how to get there?
How do I get to the Campuhan ridge walk in Bali?
Don’t ask me!
How much does the Campuhan ridge walk in Bali cost?
Not a penny, just some physical excursion!Â
How long should I spend on the Campuhan ridge walk in Bali?
How long you should and how long you will spend there might depend on whose directions you follow. You might not want to follow mine! 🙂
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