Guide to staying in Nyuh Kuning Village Ubud, Bali

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How to describe Nyuh Kuning Village?

Imagine a street lined with frangipani and hibiscus trees, flowers floating to the ground in the breeze. Locals in traditional dress undertaking daily offerings outside their homes, businesses and local temples. Monkeys scampering around and lizards to entertain you while you wait for your amazing food at a local warung (warang – family owned small scale restaurant).

That is Nyuh Kuning Village Ubud, and it is wonderful!

Table of Contents

Where is Nyuh Kuning Village?

Nyuh Kuning Village is south of the Sacred Monkey Forest and centres around JL. Nyuh Bojog road.

There are many different areas to stay in and around Ubud. I like the Nyuh Kuning area because it is quiet but has everything you need.

map with a coffee and smoothie bowl to the side — Photo credit: i-discoverasia

Why is it so quiet?

The village is starkly different to the main town of Ubud which has the constant hum of vehicles.

One of the taxi drivers told us that the village was not satisfied with the government roads so they all joined together to rebuild them. The locals now impose a small fee for non-locals. This greatly reduces the amount of traffic on the main road through the village.

Additionally, the JL. Nyuh Bojog road is a no-through road for anything except scooters and motorbikes which can continue past the Monkey Forest on a narrow roadway. The Monkey Forest also acts as barrier to stop development around the village.

Street scene of Nyuh Kuning village. There is a large decorated bamboo pole in the foreground called a penjor. The bamboo pool is several meters tall and curves at the top.

Getting into main Ubud

Walking – cut through the Monkey Forest if you have an entrance ticket, otherwise walk along the narrow scooter road (no vehicles can fit!) which hugs the Sacred Monkey Forest.

Taxi – Budget around 60,000 – 80,000IDR (AUD$6-8) for a taxi into Ubud. The cost seems high, but because of the no-through road, the taxis have to drive a longer way to get to the town centre. Once in the main town the cost jumps to 100,000IDR to get back so you will need to barter.

Scooter – rent a scooter and go for it!

Food and drink

There are options to suit every taste in Nyuh Kuning Village, some of our favourites were (in no particular order):

Chili Ubud Cottage – lovely simple traditional food with some western options
Bali Bohemia – great range of food with views into the Monkey Forest.
Laka Leke – gorgeous views over rice field and awesome food. If I was forced to choose a favourite place, this would be it!
Warung Pojok – traditional Indonesian
Swasti Eco Cottages – largely plant based menu with serene surrounds

Nasi campur is a dish that includes rice and a selection of other foods. This plate has egg, chicken skewer, peanuts, prawn cracker, stiry fry beans, tempeh and something else I can't recall. It also has 3 side sauces. — *Delicious Nasi campur from Lake Leke in Ubud Bali*

Accommodation

We stayed at Chili Ubud Cottages and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Swasti Eco Cottages is another gorgeous location and is tucked away quietly from the main road. Have a look on Agoda for other options – there are plenty!

Photo taken from the end of a pool looking towards the hotel gardens. There are small villas in the gardens. — *Swimming pool at Chili Ubud*

Money

There are limited money facilities in the area. There are no banks and only a few ATMs. Make sure you have money with you, or make the trip into the main town. We saw lots of businesses swapping money with each other since there are no banking facilities in the area.

Also note that ATMS will only give around AUD$100-$150 per transaction which can really add up in fees! Look into this before you head to Bali.

two balinese teenagers are getting a large yellow kite ready to fly. The kite is around 2meters long and is bright yellow. — *Kite flying at the soccer oval in Nyuh Kuning village Ubud*

*Shrines and temples are scattered around the village.*

Things to do

Walk

Nyuh Kuning is a lovely area to just wander and watch. Go down the side streets to find cute warungs and yoga studios. Enjoy the small temples with no other tourists around. Admire the intricate gates and gardens. Be amazed at the size of the offerings that women carry on their heads!

There is a loop walk you can do from the back of the monkey forest which goes through rice fields and comes out on JL. Nyuh Bojog road. Head down the side street next to Bali Bohemia, but instead of turning left to take the scooter track into Ubud, turn right and walk past the rice fields. The track is mostly marked with stone arrangements in a flower shape. Just follow the roads and you will eventually pop-out on the main road again.

From the left - leafy plants, walking track, stone wall, rice field — *Nyuh Kuning Ubud walk behind rice fields*

Narrow path with stone walls. There is a bright red fence on the right.

Sacred Monkey Forest

The Sacred Monkey Forest sits between Nyuh Kuning Village and the main town area of Ubud. If you are travelling on a budget and don’t want to pay to visit the monkeys then just walk along the scooter track, or grab a drink at Bali Bohemia and watch the chaos unfold.

MORE | Read more about the Sacred Monkey Forest in the blog post here.

Shopping

Shops in the village range from souvenir-based stores to ethical products and quality clothing. What is even more wonderful, is that the village is so safe that many shops are left unattended with a sign asking shoppers to just knock on the door of the house behind the store for service. How lovely is that!

There are several small convenience stores in the area for basic supplies.

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Yoga and spa

If you enjoy yoga then you will be happy in this village! Head to Swasti Eco Cottages for regular yoga and meditation. Swasti Eco Cottages also holds other classes such as Mala bead making, children’s acrobatics, and aerial silk workshops. Check their website to see what classes are running.

There are other yoga and meditation classes in the village. You will see signage along the streets, but also check out the notice boards.

Of course, there are plenty choices for massages and spa treatment – it wouldn’t be Bali otherwise! Chili Ubud Spa and Swasti Eco Cottages are good choices.

*Noticeboard near the soccer oval which has information for lots of fun things to do!*

Night life

The village is really quiet at night-time which we loved!

Since we travelled with a child (and we just aren’t really interested!), we didn’t experience the night-life. If you do want to experience some night time fun then head to Bali Bohemia. They have live music to enjoy with upcoming events posted to social media channels.

Explore more of the region

Tips

Here are some tips for staying in the village:

Bring a torch if you will be out after dark, there is no street lighting coming past the Monkey Forest and limited lighting in the village
Monkey Forest entry tickets last all day so you can use these to cut through the forest into town (Gates 3 and 2)
There are no banks in the area and only a few ATMs

Carved statue of a creature with yellow and pink scarves around the neck. There are offerings at the base

Final thoughts

Nyuh Kuning village offers a quieter alternative to main Ubud but without being too far away. I personally love this area and look forward to visiting again.

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