Ubud Rice Terrace Flight

About the Ubud Rice Terrace Flight

The Ubud Rice Terrace Flight takes you to the green heart of Bali. Forty-five minutes over the most culturally rich landscape in Bali — UNESCO-listed rice terraces, river gorge temples, the Ayung River canyon, and the town of Ubud itself nestled among its market gardens and forest. This is the flight for travelers who want to understand Bali's landscape as a whole, not just its beaches.

Flight Highlights

The Tegallalang Rice Terrace Valley

Tegallalang is the most intensively farmed and most photographed stretch of rice terraces in Bali, located approximately 7 kilometers north of Ubud on the road to Kintamani. The terraces form a continuous staircase pattern across both walls of a steep valley, connected by the traditional subak cooperative irrigation system that channels water from the upland springs through each terrace in sequence. From the ground, you see a few rows of terraces. From a helicopter, you see the entire valley system: hundreds of sculpted steps on each side, the palm and banana trees that mark the irrigation channels, and the valley floor below. The color shifts dramatically with the agricultural cycle — deep green in the growing phase, golden at harvest, dark earth between plantings.

The Subak UNESCO Heritage System

The subak is Bali's traditional cooperative water management system, in which groups of farmers collectively manage the irrigation of rice terraces through a network of canals, weirs, and channels connected to water temples. The system was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012 as a Cultural Landscape. What is remarkable about the subak from the air is how the individual terraces connect into a single integrated system — each paddy receives water from the one above it, the overflow feeding the one below. The water temples that regulate the system, often built at strategic points in the irrigation network, appear from the air as small stone compounds amid the green terraces.

River Gorge Temples and Sacred Sites

The rivers that drain the central highlands of Bali cut deeply into the landscape around Ubud, creating gorge systems that are considered sacred in Balinese Hinduism. Pura Gunung Kawi at Tampaksiring, the largest complex of rock-carved shrines in Bali, occupies a gorge of the Pakerisan River. From a helicopter, you can see the gorge cut and, at the right angle, the monolithic shrines carved into the cliff face. Pura Tirta Empul, the spring temple at Tampaksiring, is visible as a rectangular walled compound with its pools clearly distinguishable. The Petanu River gorge, where Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) is situated, appears as a dark wooded canyon cutting through the otherwise open landscape.

The Ayung Canyon and Luxury Architecture

The Ayung River is the longest river in Bali, and its canyon section near Ubud is its most dramatic. The river drops over 200 meters in the canyon stretch, cutting through walls of dark volcanic rock covered in jungle. On the canyon rim and walls, some of Bali's most architecturally ambitious luxury resorts have been built — Four Seasons, COMO Shambhala, and others — with infinity pools that appear to float above the jungle canopy. From a helicopter, this combination of wild nature and refined architecture suspended over a river gorge is one of the most striking visual contrasts on the entire island.

What to Bring & Requirements

• Closed-toe shoes required during boarding and landing
• Loose, comfortable clothing recommended
• Camera or phone fully charged — this flight produces many photos
• Hair tied back for passengers in window seats
• No loose hats or scarves unless secured

Frequently Asked Questions