A Quiet Ubud Rice Field Walk: Kelabangmoding to Bentuyung and Sok Wayah

Most people who search for an Ubud rice field walk end up on the same few paths: Campuhan Ridge, Kajeng, Tegallalang. They’re beautiful, and they’re busy. But Ubud is surrounded by villages, and some of the best walking happens between them, on paths that locals use every day.

This is one of my regular routes. I walk it from my own village, Kelabangmoding, through Bentuyung, past the School of Unified Healing, to the rice fields of the Subak Sok Wayah area. I do it when I need to hit 7,000 to 10,000 steps without going to a gym, and when I want to remember why I’ve stayed in Ubud for so long.

If you’re staying in the villages north of central Ubud, or you just want a quieter walk than the famous ones, here’s how it works.

What is the Kelabangmoding to Sok Wayah walk?

It’s a village and rice field walk north of central Ubud, starting in Kelabangmoding, passing through Bentuyung, then passing the School of Unified Healing to the rice fields of Subak Sok Wayah. Walking there and back the same way is about 4 km, roughly 7,100 steps, mostly on maintained paths through villages and paddies. With stops, it takes me around 1.5 hours.

For a longer day, you can continue past Sok Wayah to Dragonfly Village and on to Puri Ubud, the royal palace in central Ubud. That full version takes me between 2.5 hours and 3 hours 15 minutes.

The route, step by step

Kelabangmoding to Bentuyung

I start from home, so the first part of the walk is my daily life: neighbours sweeping their yards, morning offerings on doorsteps, roosters that have been awake much longer than me. The path leads out of Kelabangmoding toward Bentuyung, and it doesn’t take long before houses give way to green.

This section is a good warm-up. It’s easy walking, and you’ll pass small family compounds and village shrines along the way. Walk slowly enough to notice them. This is the part of Bali most visitors only see through a car window.

Bentuyung to the Sok Wayah rice fields

After Bentuyung, the rice fields open up. This is the heart of the walk: wide paddies, coconut palms, and the sound of water moving through the subak channels. Subak is Bali’s traditional irrigation system, a cooperative way of sharing water between farmers that has been in use for centuries, and you’ll be walking right alongside it.

For my short version, I walk past the School of Unified Healing to the rice fields just beyond it. It’s a good place to stop, catch your breath, and take in the view before turning back.

The long version: on to Dragonfly Village and Puri Ubud

When I have more time, I keep going. From the Sok Wayah area, I continue to Dragonfly Village, take a short break there, then walk on until I reach Puri Ubud, the royal palace in the middle of town.

The feel of the walk changes as you go. The village stretches are quiet and local. Around Dragonfly Village, there are a lot more cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants, so it’s an easy place for a proper rest, a coffee, or a meal. From there, the walk into central Ubud gets busier until you’re in the middle of town.

On that longer walk, I don’t walk back. I order a Grab bike from Puri Ubud and ride home. If you’re doing the long version, plan for the same: walk one way and ride the other.

How long does the walk take?

• Short version (Kelabangmoding to Sok Wayah and back): about 4 km, roughly 7,100 steps, around 1.5 hours with stops.

• Long version (Kelabangmoding to Puri Ubud, one way): 2.5 hours to 3 hours 15 minutes, depending on how long you rest.

Your own time will depend on your pace, the heat, and how many photo stops you make. I walk at a steady pace with short breaks.

Is the walk hard?

Not really. The path is well maintained for most of the route, and there’s nothing that needs special fitness or gear. The short version is an easy, steady walk; only the long version to Puri Ubud asks for real stamina. Good walking shoes, water, and a bit of patience with the heat are enough.

That said, there are a few things to watch for, and they matter.

You’re sharing the path. This isn’t only a walking trail. It’s a working route that locals use every day. You’ll meet scooters and farmers on bicycles carrying tools or harvest. Step aside, smile, and let them pass. They have somewhere to be.

Watch out for snakes. In the stretch right between the rice fields and the subak irrigation channels, snakes are part of the landscape. Keep your eyes on the path, don’t step into long grass, and don’t put your hands where you can’t see.

Mind the drop on the side. In parts of the rice field section, there’s a small river running alongside the path, on your left as you walk from Kelabangmoding. It’s deeper than it looks, with a steep edge almost like a small cliff. Keep to the safe side of the path, especially when you’re stepping aside for a scooter, and take extra care after rain when the edges get slippery.

Where to get coconuts, water and snacks

You won’t go hungry or thirsty. In the village areas along the way, there are small warungs selling fresh young coconuts, bottled water, and jaja Bali, traditional Balinese snacks, often homemade. They’re simple, cheap, and a much better way to refuel than anything wrapped in plastic. Bring small cash, since these warungs don’t take cards.

If you’re doing the long version, Dragonfly Village is where the options multiply: cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants, so it’s the natural place for a longer break.

The path that people are helping to build

Here’s the part I love most about this route. The path is well maintained because people care about it. Locals have worked to make it better, and visitors can help too.

Right at the start of the walking path, there’s a banner with information about donating toward building and improving the path. If you enjoy the walk, take a photo of the banner and the details on it, and consider giving something. It’s one of the few places where your money goes directly into something you’ve just used and the villages around it rely on every day.

Tips for the walk

Go early. Morning is cooler, quieter, and the light over the rice fields is softer. By late morning, the sun gets strong, and there isn’t much shade in the open paddies.

Protect yourself from the sun. Wear a hat and use sunscreen, ideally a mineral, reef-safe one that you can also take to the beach.

Keep the mosquitoes off. Rice fields and water channels mean mosquitoes, especially in the rainy season and toward dusk. A small portable mosquito repeller clipped to your bag helps.

Check the weather. November is the start of the rainy season, and the paths along the subak get slippery after rain. I covered what to expect this month in what to expect in Bali in November.

Respect the fields. Stay on the path; don’t walk on the rice terraces or along the edges of the irrigation channels, and don’t fly drones over people’s land without asking.

Plan your way back. For the short version, you’ll walk back the way you came. For the long version, have Grab or Gojek ready on your phone for the ride home.

Where to stay nearby

This walk is easiest if you’re staying in the villages north of central Ubud, or near Dragonfly Village, so you can start straight from your door. If you prefer to be in town, you can still do the long version in reverse by starting from Puri Ubud and walking north. My guide to where to stay in Ubud breaks down the different areas, and you can compare places on Agoda.

Walking Between Villages

Ubud’s famous walks are famous for a reason. But this one shows you something they don’t: how the villages around Ubud actually connect, how people move between them, and how a path gets better when the people who use it decide to look after it.

If you’d like more routes like this, I keep all my walks together in the Ubud on Foot section of my Melali page: the Kajeng walk through a working subak, a different hidden route from my village to Jalan Cinta, and the Penestanan walk with where to eat after. And if you’d rather have someone show you the way with a camera in hand, I also run slow photo walks through Kelabangmoding’s rice fields.

It’s how I get my steps in. It might become how you get yours. Just watch your step near the river, say hello to the farmers, and leave something at the start for the people keeping the path alive.

Want another easy walk near central Ubud? Kajeng Rice Field Walk: Subak Juwuk Manis Route, Tips and a Silver Ring Stop →