Local Tours
Rice field and traditional medicinal plant trek with Ida Bagus Ketut
Enjoy the Balinese countryside, learn about rice farming and irrigation, traditional medicinal plants and also about a traditional Balinese art style called Keliki paintings.
This trek, through narrow mud paths between flooded or green rice fields, usually starts just north of Ubud in the village of Sakti, and winds its way through rice fields, and rural villages. Led by Ida Bagus Ketut Dharma, a Balinese priest, who will explain about Balinese rice cultivation, the subak system of irrigation and also about medicinal herbs and plants which he learned from his grandfather who was a respected healer in his village. These walks are not the regular tourist walking routes around Ubud where tens of tourists, clutching their guidebooks, trek through rice fields lined with countless luxurious houses built by expatriates.
Textile tours by Threads of Life
Our partner organization, Threads of Life, leads interesting and fun textile tours to traditional natural dye weavers in east Bali, to the villages of Sidemen, Tenganan and Seraya. In Sidemen you will visit a Balinese ikat weaving factory and then meet the songket textile weavers inn their homes. Tenganan is an old Bali Aga village where the famous double ikat geringsing textiles, and one of the only three places where double ikat textiles are weaved. Located at the far eastern tip of Bali, Seraya village, with assistance from Threads of Life, has revived their traditional Bebali textile art and now has a thriving weaving cooperative. At Seraya you will learn and observe how natural dyes are extracted and prepared and also see how the traditional ceremonial Balinese textiles such as black and white checkered poleng, keeling, and rangrang.
Threads of Life textile tour to east Bali is an excellent opportunity to see the real Bali.
Other day tours or activities
We also can arrange a diverse range of activities from Umajati Retreat. Favorite activities we have helped our guests arrange are natural dye textile tours through Threads of Life, ancient temples tour, day trip to the famous Jatiluwih rice terraces, visits to master artisans in the craft villages as well to art museums, visit to traditional villages such as Penglipuran, sunrise bicycling tours, rafting, and Mount Batur trekking.
Umajati's Mission
Umajati is about cultural integrity, care for the environment, and sustainable livelihoods. A percentage of sales are committed to conservation and livelihood development across Indonesia, giving targeted, long-term mentoring to community groups for sustainable change. This work is done through the Bebali Foundation and the network of communities with which it works.
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