Rice fields
Petulu rice fields on a food day
Walk these fields, then cook
IDR 450.000per guest, shared class
About half an hour on working rice-field bunds in Petulu, north of Ubud: a farmed field rather than a photo stop, and why that rice matters on the plate.
By Chef Wayan Suryana, Warung Tumang BaliLast updated First published
The short answer
The Petulu rice-field walk is about half an hour on the bunds between working paddies, ending at Warung Tumang Bali in Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, Ubud, Bali 80571. It is not a trek. Wear closed shoes and a hat. Petulu is about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Pin -8.4945671, 115.2812928.
A working field, not a viewpoint built for photos
The Petulu paddies are still farmed. You walk the bunds on the way to Warung Tumang Bali. In the wet months they read bright green. In drier weeks you see water, mud, and stubble.
The class uses this walk as the pause between the market and the stove. It is about half an hour, not a trek. Closed shoes help. A hat helps more.
Why the rice matters to the plate
Balinese cooking on this table starts with rice. Nasi kuning is the yellow coconut rice under the feast. Seeing the field first makes the bowl less abstract: someone cut this, someone flooded this, and the kitchen is a short walk from the bund.
Certificates at the end of a class are often held up with the field behind them. That is the same sawah you crossed, not a backdrop trucked in for the photo.
Getting there
Warung Tumang Bali sits in Banjar Laplapan, Petulu. The ride is about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Guests staying in the main Ubud area can be picked up. The field walk starts once you are already in the village.
Afternoon sessions skip the market and still begin with this walk, then cook, then eat dinner. When the bunds are slick, read the wet-season walk before you set out in sandals.
Questions before the day
- How long is the Petulu rice-field walk?
- About half an hour at an easy pace. It is a pause between the market and the kitchen, not a hike.
- What should I wear for the rice-field walk?
- Closed shoes and a hat. In the wet months the bunds get slick, so shoes with some tread are better than sandals.
- Is the rice-field walk part of both class sessions?
- Yes. The morning session walks the fields after the market. The afternoon session begins with the walk, then cooks and eats dinner.
Plan the rest of the day
- Cooking class near rice terraces in Ubud: how to plan itPlan a cooking class near rice terraces in Ubud: Petulu working paddies and terrace-view kitchen vs Tegallalang photos. Prices, sessions, free Ubud pickup.
- What to eat after a rice-field walkAfter a Petulu rice-field walk: welcome drink, then cooking, then lunch or dinner at the kitchen. Do not peel off to a cafe between the bunds and the stove.
- Tegallalang rice terraces and a cooking classTegallalang is 20–30 minutes north of Ubud, IDR 25.000 entry, best 7–9am. Pair it with a cooking class in Petulu, north of Ubud in the same direction.