Petulu
The Petulu herons at dusk
Cook in Petulu before the herons
IDR 530.000promo · per guest
Warung Tumang Bali in Petulu with Chef Wayan Suryana — about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic.
- Private kitchen IDR 700.000.
- Afternoon 14:30–17:30 ends in dinner — that is the evening session.
- Vegetarian or vegan at the same Petulu kitchen. Say so when you check dates.
Every evening thousands of white herons fly into Petulu village to roost. When to arrive, where to stand, and how an afternoon class in the same village ends right on time.
By Chef Wayan Suryana, Warung Tumang BaliLast updated
Chef Wayan Suryana at Warung Tumang Bali, Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571. The kitchen is about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Pin -8.4945671, 115.2812928.
The short answer
Thousands of white herons (kokokan) return to roost in Petulu village, just north of Ubud, every evening. Arrive about 5pm; most have settled by around 5:45pm. Park on the north side by the ticket booth and walk to the viewing platform in the middle of the village. A small entry fee is usually asked.
When the herons come in
The white herons, called kokokan in Petulu, spend the day feeding in rice fields across this part of Bali. In the late afternoon they fly back to roost in the village trees. Arrive around 5pm. Most birds have settled by about 5:45pm, a little later or earlier with the season and the light.
Petulu treats the birds as sacred. The village holds a ceremony for them, Otonan Kokokan, on Kuningan day every six months in the Balinese calendar.
Where to stand
Park on the north side of the village by the ticket booth, then walk south. In the middle of the village a viewing platform sits on the first floor above the community building. A small entry fee is usually asked at the booth, though visitors report it is not always staffed, so ask the price before you walk in.
Wear a hat. You are standing under thousands of birds.
Cook first, then watch
Warung Tumang Bali is in Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, the same village. The afternoon session with Chef Wayan runs 2:30pm to 5:30pm: the rice-field walk, cooking, then dinner. It ends just as the herons arrive. Free drop-off normally goes back to your hotel in the main Ubud area, so ask Wayan on WhatsApp when you check dates whether stopping at the heron platform on the way out works that day.
Petulu is about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. In the morning you will see the same birds walking in the paddies on the rice-field walk.
Questions before the day
- What time do the herons arrive in Petulu?
- From about 5pm. Most birds are in the trees by around 5:45pm, shifting a little with the season.
- Is there an entrance fee to see the Petulu herons?
- A small fee is usually asked at the booth on the north side of the village, though it is not always staffed. Ask the price before you go in.
- How far is Petulu from Ubud?
- About 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. It is on the way north toward Tegallalang.
- Can I combine a cooking class with the herons?
- Warung Tumang Bali is in Petulu. Its afternoon class ends at 5:30pm, as the herons come in. Ask Wayan on WhatsApp whether a stop at the platform on the way back works that day.
Plan the rest of the day
- Petulu rice fields on a food dayA short walk through working rice paddies in Petulu near Ubud: about half an hour on the bunds, 10 minutes from central Ubud, then the kitchen at Bali 80571.
- Morning session or afternoon sessionChoose the 8:30am Petulu morning (market, rice walk, cooking, lunch) or the 2:30pm afternoon (rice walk, cooking, dinner). Same kitchen, pickup, and group size.
- Things to do in Ubud if you travel for foodFive things to do in Ubud if you travel for food: the dawn market, a Petulu cooking class, a warung lunch, the herons at dusk, and the Gianyar night market.
Cook the dishes from this day
- Sate lilitHow to make sate lilit: mix fish or chicken with fried base genep and coconut, wrap it around lemongrass, and grill. Twelve skewers from a Petulu kitchen.
- Dadar gulungHow to make dadar gulung: thin green pandan crepes rolled around grated coconut cooked with palm sugar. Eight rolls, 45 minutes, from a Petulu kitchen.
Where the kitchen is
Chef Wayan Suryana at Warung Tumang Bali, Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571. The kitchen is about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Pin -8.4945671, 115.2812928.