From Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul to the Mount Batur sunrise trek, many of Bali's best attractions are within easy reach. Whether you're planning a relaxing holiday or want to explore Bali's rich history and natural beauty, these are our favourite places to visit near Villa Sagitta.
Tirta Empul - Bali's Sacred Water Temple
A few minutes from Gunung Kawi, this thousand-year-old spring temple is where Balinese Hindus still come to perform melukat, a ritual purification bath. Guests are welcome to join, moving spout by spout through the sacred pools. It's the most hands-on cultural experience nearby - bring a change of clothes and a towel, and go early to beat the tour groups.
· 25 minutes from Villa Sagitta
· Allow about an hour
· Best before 10 am
· Combine with Gunung Kawi
Tip: Shoulders need to be covered and a sarong needs to be worn.
Gunung Kawi - The Valley of the Kings
A short drive away in Tampaksiring, ten royal shrines are carved straight into a river cliff face, dating back to around 1080 AD. Local legend credits their carving to a mythical giant, Kebo Iwa, said to have done it all in a single night. A walk through beautiful rice terraces leads you down into the river gorge where the shrines sit - it feels less like a tourist stop and more like stepping into a lost world.
· 20 minutes from Villa Sagitta
· Allow 90 minutes to 2 hours
· Best before noon
· Combine with Tirta Empul
Tip: Bring good shoes for the stairs; sarongs are provided at the entrance for a nominal fee, or our staff will provide you with one before you leave the villa.
Goa Garba - the hidden meditation cave
A quieter, lesser-known site just minutes from the villa: a small cave carved into the cliffs above the Pakerisan River, once used to train and test the same legendary Kebo Iwa before he became a royal military leader. Very few tourists make it here, which is exactly the appeal - a peaceful half hour away from the busier temples.
· 3 minutes from Villa Sagitta
· Allow 30 minutes
· Best before 10 am
· Combine with the Moon of Pejeng
Tip: If you’re in the mood for a walk you can walk here from the villa through the little villages on the way. It’s downhill all the way but then, needless to say, uphill on the way back!
The Moon of Pejeng
Just 7 minutes from Villa Sagitta, Pura Penataran Sasih is home to the world's largest single-cast bronze kettle drum - over 2,000 years old and still considered sacred by locals today. Balinese legend says it was once a wheel from the chariot that carried the moon across the night sky, until it fell to earth and lodged in a tree here. Historians link it to the Dong Son bronze-casting culture of ancient Vietnam, making it one of the most significant Bronze Age relics anywhere in Southeast Asia. It's a quick, free stop - a few minutes to take in a genuinely ancient object with a story to match, right on the villa's doorstep.
· 7 minutes from Villa Sagitta
· Allow 1–2 hours
· Best all day
· Combine with Goa Garba
Goa Gajah - the Elephant Cave
A short drive toward Ubud brings you to this 9th-century cave temple, named for its dramatic demon-faced entrance rather than any elephant connection. Inside and around it, Hindu and Buddhist elements sit side by side - a rare glimpse of Bali's layered spiritual history. Take the extra few minutes to walk down into the ravine below the cave, where most visitors don't bother to go.
· 10 minutes from Villa Sagitta
· Allow 1–2 hours
· Best all day
· Combine with the Moon of Pejeng or Goa Garba
Sari Organik Rice Field Walk
An easy downhill walk through working rice paddies just outside Ubud, far quieter than the well-known Campuhan Ridge nearby. Our driver can drop you at the top and you’ll end up in central Ubud at the bottom. You'll pass farmers, ducks, and small family warungs rather than souvenir stalls, ending at the organic farm-to-table café the walk is named after. Best done early morning or late afternoon when it’s cool and the light is best for photos.
· 35 minutes from Villa Sagitta
· Allow 1.5 - 2 hours for a slow walk and photos
· Best before 10 am or after 4pm
· Combine with central Ubud for brunch or dinner and some shopping
Tip: Wear good walking shoes and start from the top into central Ubud rather than the other way round.
Central Ubud
Ubud's palace, art market, and Sacred Monkey Forest are all walkable from one another and make for an easy full day - shopping, architecture, an evening dance performance, and a cool, shaded wander through 1,200-year-old banyan trees. A good choice for a first day getting oriented, with dinner in town afterward.
· 15-20 minutes from Villa Sagitta
· Combine with the Sari Organik walk
Mount Batur Sunrise Trek
For the more adventurous, an active volcano sunrise trek is about an hour and a half away in the Kintamani highlands. A pre-dawn hike brings you to the summit as the light breaks over Lake Batur and Mount Agung beyond - one of the most spectacular sunrises in Southeast Asia. A licensed guide is required, and after a scenic drive home with a possible stop in Kintamani, most guests treat the rest of the day as a well-earned rest by the pool.
· 90 minutes from Villa Sagitta
· Leave the villa with our driver at about 2am. Allow most of the day if you include a stop in Kintamani; otherwise, you'll usually be back by late morning.
· Combine with Kintamani or Besakih Temple
Bali Bird Park
A relaxed half-day for families, home to over a thousand birds across 250 species, including conservation breeding programmes for Bali's critically endangered starling. Landscaped by continent, with free-flight bird shows and plenty of shade - best visited in the cooler morning hours.
· 40 minutes from Villa Sagitta
· Allow 2-3 hours
· Combine with the Reptile Park right next door
Sport and Adventure
Within easy reach of Villa Sagitta you'll also find white-water rafting, cycling tours (many pass right by the villa), tennis and, just a few hundred metres away on the main road, a new padel court. Whether you're after a gentle ride through the rice fields or a more adventurous day out, there are plenty of active options nearby.
· 5-45 minutes from Villa Sagitta
A few easy ways to plan your days
- Half-day of temples: Goa Gajah, Goa Garba, Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empul all sit close together and combine easily into one day.
- A quiet morning: the Sari Organik rice walk, finishing with lunch in Ubud.
- A day in town: central Ubud's palace, market, and Monkey Forest.
- An early adventure: Mount Batur sunrise trek, followed by a slow afternoon back at the villa.
- A family day: Bali Bird Park.
One of the greatest advantages of staying at Villa Sagitta is its location. While central Ubud is only 15 minutes away, you're surrounded by peaceful villages, a magnificent river gorge setting, rice fields and some of Bali's most important cultural sites. After exploring temples or hiking Mount Batur, you can be back by the pool sipping a cocktail and anticipating dinner.