Bali: A Family Cultural Journey

Selamat datang, welcome to Bali. Arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, where a guide will be waiting with a welcome garland for the transfer to the hotel in Ubud. Enjoy some free time after checking in. This evening, gather for a welcome dinner at Indus Restaurant, with free-flowing house wine and local beer for the adults and soft drinks or juices for the children. Overnight in Ubud.

After breakfast, set off on an easy morning ride through the rice paddies around Ubud, the same scenery made famous by the film Eat, Pray, Love. Stop along the Pakerisan River to visit the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Tirta Empul and Mengening Temple, then continue cycling into central Ubud for lunch at a local restaurant. Visit the Monkey Forest Temple, a nature reserve and temple complex home to more than a hundred species of trees and hundreds of long-tailed macaques, before returning to the hotel. In the late afternoon, with advance notice, take an optional 30-minute helicopter flight over Bali's southern coastline, taking in Tanah Lot, Kuta Beach, Jimbaran Bay and Uluwatu Temple from the air. Dinner this evening is Balinese cuisine at Cafe Wayan Ubud. Overnight in Ubud.

After breakfast, travel to Mas, one of Bali's best-known woodcarving villages, for a short carving class at Ibu Kayun House. Working with wax as a beginner medium, learn the traditional Balinese technique of carving alongside a local craftsman, along with the history of the village's carving traditions. Lunch is at a local restaurant in Mas before returning to the hotel. In the afternoon, choose between two cultural options with your guide: a two-hour Balinese offering-making lesson, learning to fold Canang Sari from young coconut leaf under the guidance of local Balinese women, or a traditional Balinese cooking class with a local chef, learning to prepare Balinese signature dishes with fresh herbs and spices, finishing with the meal you've cooked as dinner. Overnight in Ubud.

Choose an early adventure this morning: a pre-dawn trek to the summit of Mount Batur, Indonesia's first National Geopark, reaching the rim by sunrise for views over Mount Abang and Mount Agung with a simple breakfast at the top, or white water rafting down 10 kilometres of the Ayung River's Class II-III rapids, through gorges, waterfalls and farmland. Both options include a buffet lunch afterwards. In the afternoon, transfer to the village of Bangli for an afternoon with local children, many of whom attend weekend English lessons with volunteer teachers. Join in icebreaker games, a farming activity and traditional games, practising basic English and Indonesian together. Stay on for dinner and authentic Balinese cuisine with the local families, with prizes announced for the day's games before the meal. Overnight in Ubud.

Check out after breakfast and enjoy the morning at leisure until departing for the UNESCO-listed rice terraces of Jatiluwih, taking a leisurely hour-long trek through the terraces to learn about Bali's traditional Subak irrigation system. Continue to Lake Bratan to board a canoe out to Ulun Danu Temple, one of Bali's most photographed sites, said to appear to float on the water during the rainy season when the lake level rises. From there, trek into a secluded pocket of Bedugul's rainforest, spotting orchids and medicinal plants along the way, before a picnic lunch in the jungle. Continue in the late afternoon to Pemuteran, the trip's final touring base, checking in at the hotel with the rest of the day at leisure. Dinner is served at the hotel this evening. Overnight in Pemuteran.

Spend the day at leisure in Pemuteran, with the option to arrange one of two half-day activities in advance with your guide. Take a boat out to Menjangan Island for two hours of snorkeling across coral reefs and mangrove points, home to electric clams, scorpion fish and schools of reef fish, with snacks served on the beach in between. Alternatively, join a safari tour of West Bali National Park, keeping watch for macaques, barking deer and wild pigs, before visiting the Tegal Bunder sanctuary to learn about the conservation of the endangered Bali starling. Without an optional activity, the day is free to relax at the hotel. Dinner is served at the hotel this evening. Overnight in Pemuteran.

After an early breakfast, check out and set off on a relaxed downhill cycle from the rice fields of Pupuan to the village of Belimbing, taking in sweeping views over the terraces along the way. Stop at a temple in Belimbing village, keeping an eye out for the resident holy monkeys, before lunch at Cempaka Belimbing. Continue by road to Southern Bali, checking in at the hotel with the rest of the day at leisure. Dinner this evening is at leisure. Overnight in Southern Bali Beaches.

After breakfast, spend the morning learning to stand up paddle at Sanur Beach with an instructor, covering the core techniques for balancing and paddling on the water. Return to the hotel in the afternoon, with the rest of the day at leisure and dinner at your own arrangement. Overnight in Southern Bali Beaches.

Spend the day at leisure at the beach, or join an optional cruise to the neighbouring island of Nusa Penida aboard a 64-foot catamaran departing from Benoa Harbour. Enjoy drinks and snacks on the 90-minute sail out, with a choice of kayaking, snorkeling, beach volleyball or a village tour once ashore, plus a beach barbecue, before sailing back in the afternoon. Without the cruise, the day is free to relax at the hotel or on the beach. Overnight in Southern Bali Beaches.

The morning is free at leisure, or join one of two optional half-day tours before departure. Visit Badung Market in Denpasar to browse spices, herbs and tropical fruit, stop for a coffee at a traditional Chinese coffee shop, then visit Museum Bali and the Bajra Sandi War Museum. Alternatively, join the ROLE Foundation for a half-day visit to their organic garden and a class transforming old rice bags into fashion accessories to take home. Transfer to Ngurah Rai International Airport for the return flight home.