Thread: A Beautiful River Valley - Ayung at Sayan

Originally Posted by ronb

A spectacular river valley with rice terraces, coconut groves and jungle areas around it. The Lonely Planet Guide lists several walking tours around Ubud, and one is to Penestanan and Sayan. They say you get down to the river just north of Sayan Terrace but add, "this part can be tricky but there are locals who can show you..."

I tried a few times alone, without success, then met Wayan (2nd photo) who showed me the way. By the river there is a rest area for Sobek rafters. The rafting journeys start about 10 Km up the river and finish here near Sayan Terrace. Just below the Sobek area, there is a small dam (1st photo) built in colonial times around 1927. It raises the water a metre or so above the river to feed into a narrow but deep channel that winds along the side of the valley and then eventually out to rice terraces in the Sukawati area. Early on, this channel goes through a tunnel (3rd photo) showing what Dutch engineering could do back then. The 4th photo is the river below the dam - there were kids skinny dipping on the left of the river, but barely visible.

Wayan offers a few different walking tours, usually around 3 hours, and if needed he can arrange transport from any hotel around Ubud. His number is 081 338 760 853.

I was there yesterday! It was amazing.

if you join in with the hash house harrriers you see plenty of sights all over bali