Swinging Above Bali’s Tegallalang Rice Terraces
A morning among Bali’s emerald rice terraces, where jungle swings and quiet beauty meet above the valley.
Tegalalang Rice Terraces | Ubud | Bali
You have never truly seen green until you arrive in Bali.
Not the timid green of city parks. Not the polite green of carefully trimmed gardens. Bali’s green is wild, layered, breathing. It spills down hillsides in a thousand shades—emerald, jade, lime, moss—each leaf and rice blade catching the tropical light in its own quiet way.
We arrived in mid-January, right in the heart of the rainy season. The sky hung heavy with clouds, and the jungle seemed to drink every drop. In Bali, rain does not dull the landscape—it intensifies it. The island becomes almost impossibly lush.
Our journey began in Denpasar, Bali’s international gateway. From the airport we took a taxi for the one-hour drive to Ubud, paying about $40, winding through villages, temples, and roads lined with palms. Our home for the stay was Desak Putu Putra Hidden in Ubud, tucked quietly among tropical gardens.
But there was one place we wanted to see first.
The Tegallalang Rice Terraces
Just north of Ubud lies one of Bali’s most iconic landscapes: the Tegallalang Rice Terraces.
Here, the land has been sculpted by generations of farmers into a cascading staircase of rice paddies that ripple across the valley like green waves. It is not just agriculture—it is a living piece of Balinese culture, shaped by the ancient subak irrigation system, a communal farming tradition that dates back centuries.
Standing at the viewpoint, the terraces unfold in layered curves below you, palm trees rising like quiet sentinels above the valley.
It is a place that makes you pause.
Swinging Over an Ocean of Green
But Tegallalang has become famous for something else: the Bali jungle swings.
These swings launch you out over the terraces, sending you gliding through open air with nothing beneath you but a vast sea of green.
They come in many shapes and sizes—some gentle, some thrilling, some built purely for the perfect photograph. But the moment the swing releases and you glide forward into the valley, something happens.
Your stomach drops.
The wind lifts your hair.
And suddenly the landscape opens beneath you.
For a few seconds, you feel like you are flying.
My favorite experience was the couple’s swing, where my husband and I sat side by side, soaring over the terraces like two delighted monarchs surveying our kingdom. For a moment, we felt like king and queen of the jungle.
The Joy of the Moment
What struck me most about the experience was the warmth of the people running the swings.
They were endlessly cheerful, encouraging, and genuinely amused by the excitement of visitors. For reasons I still don’t fully understand, they absolutely loved my husband’s moustache, which seemed to spark endless smiles and jokes.
Many visitors arrived focused on capturing the perfect Instagram photo, but for us the joy was in the experience itself.
I laughed uncontrollably as the swing pushed higher and higher, each arc drawing another joyful “whoooohoooo!” from me.
Seeing how much fun I was having, the attendants kept pushing the swing harder, letting me stay longer than most.
It was impossible not to feel like a child again.
Beauty Beyond the Swings
The swings may have brought us there, but the true magic of Tegallalang lies in the terraces themselves.
Even without the thrill of flight, the viewpoint offers one of the most breathtaking panoramas in Bali.
The terraces curve and cascade down the valley, each level carved with patient precision. Coconut palms sway above them, and small pathways wind through the fields where farmers still tend the rice.
From above, the landscape feels almost unreal—like a living painting that changes color with the light.
It is one of those rare places where you realize how deeply humans and nature can work together.
A Moment That Stays With You
Travel often becomes a blur of destinations, flights, and photographs. But every now and then, a moment rises above the rest.
For us, Tegallalang was one of those moments.
The laughter on the swing.
The endless green rolling through the valley.
The warm smiles of strangers who made us feel welcome.
Standing there, suspended above Bali’s terraces, we felt something simple and powerful:
Joy.
And sometimes, that is best souvenir of all.
Travel Information: Tegallalang Rice Terraces
Location: Tegallalang Village, near Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Distance from Ubud: ~20 minutes
Distance from Denpasar Airport: ~1–1.5 hours
Best Time to Visit:
Early morning (7–9 AM) to avoid crowds.
Entry Fee:
Usually around IDR 15,000–25,000 (~$1–2), though swing experiences cost extra.
