Helicopter Tour Over Ubud's Rice Terraces

Flying Over Ubud Rice Terraces

Most visitors to Bali's rice terraces see a small section from the roadside or a cafe balcony. You see a handful of steps, a fraction of the valley. From a helicopter at 1,000 feet, the Tegallalang rice terrace system reveals its true scale: a vast network of sculpted hillsides carved into hundreds of connected pools, each one catching and reflecting the sky. The subak irrigation system that feeds these terraces is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the view from above makes it immediately obvious why this agricultural landscape was considered worthy of that recognition.

Tegallalang from the Air

Tegallalang is the most famous and most photographed stretch of rice terraces near Ubud, located about 7 kilometers north of the town center. The terraces cascade down a steep valley on both sides, with the Pakerisan River running at the bottom. From a helicopter, you see the full valley at once: the green staircase pattern descending from the ridge tops, the palm trees that break up the terraces, the small paths and irrigation channels that connect the paddies, and the warung restaurants perched on the ridge edge. The color shifts with the season — brilliant emerald during the growing phase, golden brown at harvest, and bare dark soil between planting cycles.

The Ayung River Valley

The Ayung River cuts a dramatic gorge through the hills west of Ubud. The canyon walls are covered in dense jungle, and the river below is visible as a pale green ribbon through the canopy. On the western bank of the Ayung, a series of luxury resorts have been built into the canyon walls, their infinity pools and pavilions perched hundreds of feet above the river. From a helicopter, this architecture embedded in jungle is a striking contrast. The Ayung is also the most popular white water rafting river in Bali, and on any given morning you can spot the small yellow and orange rafts navigating the rapids below your flight path.

Jungle Temples and Sacred Sites

The Ubud area is dense with temples, many of them hidden in the jungle or perched on cliff edges over river gorges. Pura Gunung Kawi, carved directly into the rock face at Tampaksiring, is visible from the air as a series of monolithic rock shrines cut into the cliffside. Tirta Empul, the sacred spring temple, appears as a rectangular compound with its spring-fed bathing pools clearly visible. Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave, is nestled in forest near the Petanu River. From a helicopter, you understand how these sacred sites were chosen: they mark specific geological features, river junctions, or high points in the landscape.

Ubud Town from Above

Ubud itself is surprisingly green from the air. The main market and palace area are visible as a cluster of orange tile roofs surrounded by trees, but as the town spreads outward it dissolves into forest and rice fields. The contrast between the urban core and the agricultural landscape that surrounds it on all sides is striking. You can see the Monkey Forest sanctuary as a dense patch of unbroken tree canopy at the southern edge of town, and the major east-west roads and their shops look like thin lines through an otherwise green landscape.

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