Bali Bird Walk

Bali Bird Walk is one of Ubud's longest-running guided experiences. It was founded in 1992 by Victor Mason, an Englishman who lived in Ubud from 1974 and wrote Birds of Bali, a book illustrated with watercolours that was first published in 1989. The name was suggested by Hans Hoefer, the founder of the APA Insight Guides series. Mason died in 2022, but the walks continue under Wayan Sumadi, known as Su, a Penestanan local who joined him on the very first walk.

The walk is a gentle morning in the countryside rather than a hard trek. Groups meet at Murni's Warung on Jalan Raya Ubud at 9am and drive about five minutes to the start of the route behind Penestanan. From there the walk covers roughly 5 km along farmers' paths through rice fields, past streams and under large banyan trees, in a pocket of countryside maintained by the local subak between two busy Ubud roads. It finishes just after midday, when the group returns to Murni's Warung for an Indonesian lunch and refreshments.

Birds are the focus, but not the only one. Binoculars are handed out at the start, and on a recent walk the group recorded around 22 species, including Javan kingfishers, a pair of lesser coucals, ornate sunbirds, Javan and scaly-breasted munias, golden-headed cisticolas, swiftlets and swallows, and herons and egrets hunting dragonflies over the paddies. The walk also takes in butterflies, such as the great Mormon and palm king, and trees and herbs, particularly those with medicinal uses.

Walks run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and other days can be arranged in advance. Booking ahead is required, and groups of children of up to 20 can be accommodated with notice. For dedicated birders, tailor-made birding itineraries elsewhere on the island can also be arranged. A share of the proceeds, 10 per cent, goes to the Bali Bird Club, a conservation fund that Mason founded.

The walk suits all ages and all levels of experience, from professional ornithologists to casual visitors who simply want a guided stroll through the rice fields. It is a good way to see the countryside around Penestanan, and the lunch afterwards at Murni's Warung, one of Ubud's oldest restaurants, makes a fitting end to the morning.