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Ubud photo spots, and how to film them

Thirteen spots around Ubud, each with the shot, the light and crowd window by the clock, what it costs in 2026, and the one piece of gear that gets it. Links to the full guide where we have one.

Updated October 2026 · Bali Creator Gear

That's the swing over the Tegalalang rice terraces, the shot everyone pictures when they think of Ubud. But it's one of a dozen. Ubud packs rice terraces, a light-beam cave, holy-water temples, a monkey forest and three good waterfalls into an hour's drive of each other. Most people photograph two of them, in the wrong light, in a crowd. This guide takes thirteen spots and gives you the one that matters for each: the shot, the hour to be there, what it costs in 2026, and the single piece of gear that gets it home.

How to use this list

Every spot gets a short block. Where we've written the full guide, there's a link to it with the exact settings and fees. The costs are collected in one table near the bottom, checked in October 2026, because Bali gate prices move and most travel pages quote numbers from years ago. We rent the gear and deliver it around Ubud, so the gear notes are what we'd actually hand you for each shot, not a generic kit list.

One rule covers almost all of it: go early. The light is soft, the air is cool, and you beat the coaches by an hour or two. Now the spots.

The rice terraces and the ridge walk

Tegalalang Rice Terrace

The green staircase of rice paddies, with a lone palm and usually a swing or two. The shot is from the path on the far side looking back across the valley, or on a swing with the terraces filling the frame behind you. Go at opening, before the coaches, when the light rakes across the steps. We break down the entry points, the photo-plot fees and the exact light in our Tegalalang photo guide. From the air it's a different image again.

Campuhan Ridge Walk

A grass spine between two valleys, ten minutes from Ubud centre, and the one spot on this list that's completely free: no gate, no ticket booth, no admission fee. The shot is the ridge path curving away into green with the morning mist still in the valley. Be on it for sunrise, between 6:00 and 7:30 in the morning, which the guides call the sweet spot for cool air, soft light and that mist. Leave it later and you're walking 2 km one way in full sun with almost no shade. A phone or a small gimbal camera is all you need here.

The waterfalls

Tukad Cepung

The famous one: a waterfall inside a cave, with sun beams dropping through a slot in the roof onto the water. It only works on clear mornings in the dry season, and there's a short window when the beams actually show. The timing, the fee and where to stand are in our Tukad Cepung light beam guide. Bring something that can hold a dark cave and a bright beam in one frame, and lens cloths for the spray.

Tegenungan Waterfall

A wide, powerful curtain of water in a green bowl, the easiest waterfall to reach from Ubud and the one you shoot for a big establishing frame. Entry is Rp 30.000 for adults and Rp 15.000 for children on one 2026 guide, and Rp 20.000 on the gate's own site, with car parking around Rp 10.000. Open 06:30 to 18:30. Get there before 08:00 between April and October for the clearest water and the fewest people. You stand close to the base, so the spray carries: this is action-camera territory.

Tibumana Waterfall

The quiet one. A single clean curtain into a round pool, far fewer people, and you shoot from far enough back that spray stays off the lens, which makes it the easiest of the three for a long exposure on a tripod. Entry is Rp 25.000. Open 07:00 to 18:00, best between 8:00 and 10:00 in the morning. It's about 140 stairs and a 10 to 15 minute walk down from the parking, so pack light.

Kanto Lampo Waterfall

The one people line up for: a person standing on the black stepped rock with the water fanning down around them. You get wet and you want both hands free, so an action camera earns its place. We put Kanto Lampo, Tegenungan and Tibumana side by side, with fees, timing and which one soaks your gear, in our Ubud waterfalls filming guide.

The temples and the Monkey Forest

Saraswati Temple, the lotus pond

A stone walkway across a lotus pond to a carved temple gate, right in the middle of Ubud and free of the long drive. Entry is Rp 60.000 for adults and Rp 45.000 for children. Open 8:00 to 19:00, later on Fridays. For stills, late afternoon around 4 to 5pm is the call, since midday light is harsh and flattens the water. In the evening there's a Balinese dance performance on the steps, around 7:30pm, which is its own low-light shot.

Tirta Empul

The holy-water temple, where people line up to bathe under a row of stone spouts. The shot is the row of fountains and the ritual, taken with respect and never blocking a worshipper. Entry is Rp 75.000 for adults and Rp 50.000 for children, and a sarong is included with the ticket. Open 8:00 to 18:00. Arrive before 10:00 in the morning or after 4pm: midday is the busiest, thick with tour buses and school groups. A fast normal lens handles the covered, shaded pavilions better than a phone.

Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave

A carved cave mouth with a face cut into the rock, set in jungle with old bathing pools in front. The shot is tight on that stone face, or wide with the pools leading in. Entry is Rp 50.000 for adults and Rp 25.000 for children. Open 8:00 to 18:00. The light's best late, after 5pm, when the jungle throws shade and the sun drops. It's a short, easy visit, good to pair with Tirta Empul up the road.

Sacred Monkey Forest

Mossy temple statues, strangler figs and long-tailed macaques living among them. The real shot is a monkey against the green stone, and the real problem is that the monkeys here grab phones, sunglasses and loose gear straight out of your hands. That changes what you carry and how. Our Monkey Forest camera guide has the strap setup and whether to shoot it on a phone, a camera or an action cam.

The big day out

Mount Batur sunrise

A pre-dawn hike up a volcano to watch the sun come up over the caldera and the lake, usually above the clouds. It's a licensed-guide trek with an early start in the dark and cold at the top, which is hard on a camera and on your settings. Our Mount Batur sunrise guide covers the trek fee, the exact gear and how to shoot in that light. A tripod for the blue hour is the one thing most people forget.

Bali Swing

The built-for-photos version of the swing: a park of jungle swings over the valley, with staff to catch you flying over the trees. Single swings start from about US$13 a person, a full package with 15 swings from about US$45, with transport from Ubud included. Open 8:00 to 18:00. Arrive between 8:00 and 9:30 in the morning: by 11:00 the buses are in and queues at the best swings run 30 to 45 minutes. A 360 camera on the stick, or a second person filming, beats a self-shot here.

Ayung River rafting

Two hours down the Ayung through jungle gorge and past carved river walls, with a few real rapids. Rafting runs about US$25 to US$35 per person depending on group size, with pickup around 8:00 and the raft on the water by 10:00. Operators tell you to bring waterproof bags for your things, which tells you everything about what to carry: a mounted, waterproof action camera, nothing loose.

What each spot costs in 2026

For Tegalalang, Tukad Cepung, the Monkey Forest and Mount Batur, the fees sit in each spot's own guide above, kept current there. No published drone rule turned up for these spots in the pages we checked, but flying still needs permission and there are real national rules and local bans. Our Bali drone rules guide has what the Indonesian sources actually say.

Which gear gets which shot

Ubud shots fall into three kinds, and they want three different cameras. This is what we'd pack for each.

For the portrait at the swing, the terraces or a temple

A pocket gimbal camera is the one-bag answer for the walkable spots: Campuhan, Saraswati, Tegalalang, the temples. It's stabilised, it fits a sling bag, and it shoots clean stills and video without setup. If the footage has to look professional, a full-frame body with a fast zoom holds the shaded temple pavilions and the bright terraces alike.

For the waterfalls and the river

Tegenungan, Kanto Lampo and the Ayung all get you wet, and you want both hands free. An action camera shrugs off the spray, mounts to your chest or a helmet, and survives the raft. For the swings and walking tours, a 360 camera on the invisible stick gets the third-person shot you can't film yourself.

For the view from above

The terraces, the ridge and the coastline are the aerial shots, and a sub-250g drone is the lighter way to get them. It is not a licence to fly: read the rules and ask the village first. In Bali sun you also want ND filters, or midday footage looks like a video game.

Starting points to adjust on the day:

• Bright terraces and ridge: shoot early. Keep the ISO low, expose for the highlights so the sky doesn't blow out, and let the green carry the frame.
• Dark temples, caves and waterfalls: expose for the bright part, let the shadows fall, and shoot RAW so you can lift them later. Brace on a rail or a rock if it's dim.
• Anything wet: wipe the lens between takes and carry a spare cloth in a dry pocket. More than you think you need.

Plan the week, then just shoot

A good Ubud run: Campuhan at sunrise, terraces and temples another morning, one waterfall day, and Batur or the swings for the big one. Get up early, carry small cash for the gates, and keep one camera on you for the thing you didn't plan. You'll do this trip once, and the footage is what you take home, so carry something that can see in the dark of a cave and survive the spray of a waterfall.

We deliver the gear to your villa around Ubud and collect it after. Tell us the spots on your list on the homepage or over WhatsApp and we'll match the bag to them.

The Go Bag for this dayThe Everyday Creatorfrom Rp 400.000 a day, delivered to your villaPocket camera, mic and grip in one sling bag: the all-rounder for the terraces, temples and ridge walks.See what is inside →

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